Shy, Ticklish, Country Girl: Chapter 7 (Patreon)

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The school bell pierced. It rang with an unfeeling aggression, one that Ashley had never picked up before. So much seemed different, walking through the same halls she had a hundred times before. The chatter between students was all the same, yet her ears twisted every little word to be about her. Eyes peered at her behind her back, darting away the moment before she could catch them. She hid her face behind her lazily dolled-up pigtails, but no amount of cover seemed to help the situation. Students, teachers, peers, everyone could see through her as if she were naked with every secret laid bare.

Ashley chose to walk to school. As much as she wanted to see Jayden, having called and text several times since their confrontation the day before, she took the solitary approach. So many thoughts raced through her head the entire way there, almost not even choosing to go until the last minute. Her stomach churned. She kept her head down the entire walk. Once she made it to the school, she looked at no one. She spoke to no one. Mandy approached in the hallway asking what was wrong. Ashley said nothing. She wanted to be invisible, but instead she could not feel more on display for everyone.

Of all the times she kept her head lowered, the only times she raised it to look up, to meet people’s eyelines, was to see Jayden. She looked up at Jayden’s locker, to Jayden’s desk in their shared classes, whenever she heard a voice that sounded remarkably similar. Jayden was nowhere. She was the invisible one, the absent one. Ashley knew why. She felt she was the only one to know why, that she was the reason for Jayden’s absence. Jayden not showing up to school was not an uncommon thing, so no one seemed to think anything of it. No one except Ashley.

“Alright, did everyone read up to chapter twelve last night?” Mr. Kline asked Ashley’s History class. Several students actively answered, most of whom lied and simply skimmed the contents. Ashley remained silent. Jayden’s desk, sitting right next to hers, was predictably empty. In the back of the room, Gabriella sat next to Nathan, as per the seating arrangement. Neither had spoken to her that day. Gabriella went on with her business like nothing had happened and Nathan appeared to play oblivious to any wrongdoing. Gabriella chatted with pretty much everyone around her in hushed whispers intermixed with short bursts of laughter. Ashley could hear her, and sometimes Nathan, speaking over the teacher. Every little sound out of her mouth were razors across her skin. Each one could be what hits the vein, the one to destroy her. Ashley swallowed and breathed slowly to calm her nerves.

As Mr. Kline droned on about the battle of Fort Ticonderoga, Ashley kept her eyes on the window in the room. It looked out onto the campus courtyard, with the playground framed right in the center. Wind left the swings shifting mildly in place. She saw the monkey bars where Nathan had tickled her armpits. She saw the slide where he had gotten her belly. The bench, where she had let Nathan tickle her feet, sat with pine needles and acorns scattered about. Laughter echoed through her mind, and for a moment, not all of it was hers. Some of it was genuine glee, laughter devoid of tickles. She could hear it as she recalled back to her and Jayden seeing how far across the monkey bars they could go before falling. She could hear it after Jayden helped her conquer her fear and go down the slide. She could hear it while playing with the girl who seemed to only sit on the bench while everyone else played.

Ashley’s chair gave a loud croak as it shot backward. Ashley took to her feet. She stood, her hands trembling as the tearful ache returned to her eyes. Several of the students turned their eyes to her, more still as Ashley began cramming her books and papers into her backpack.

“Ms. Ashley, is there a problem?” Mr. Kline asked. Ashley said nothing. She threw her bag around her back and stormed for the door. “Ms. Ashley, you may not leave class unless it’s an emergency.” Ashley stopped at the doorway. She turned her head. She faced the classroom full of her peers. She looked at the teacher, then to Nathan staring back at her. Ashley turned to Gabriella, giggling and giving her a cocky grin. Ashley steadied her breath. She swallowed, glaring at Gabriella.

“I don’t care,” Ashley said.

The girl raced out into the hallway, stopping only long enough to push her bag carelessly into her locker. Afterwards, she walked through the halls. She pushed herself faster and faster, memories of Jayden guiding her forward. She slammed into the door to the outside facing the main road and took off into a full sprint. Ashley flew down the street. She blew past the wind, running as fast as her feet could take her. She hit the main road, flying by the town square, Carson’s Ice Cream parlor, and several chickens who flapped out of her way. Her hair kicked up back behind her. Ashley panted heavily. The sun beat down on her skin. She pushed back the impulse to cry, focusing only on running and breathing.

Before she knew it, Ashley stumbled against Jayden’s front door. Her body tripped and slammed into it, not having stopped the entire time she ran to get there. Once she did, Ashley sucked down deep, groaning breaths. Her chest pounded and ached. She pressed her hand against it while her other slapped her palm hard against the door. Sweat beaded against the back of her neck. It trickled down her skin. Her cheeks and ears burned. Ashley pushed herself to her feet and brushed her hair out of her face with her fingers. She stood before Jayden’s door, waiting to greet whoever would answer it.

“J… Jay…” Ashley called out. Before long, the door pulled open. Jayden stood behind it, looking back at Ashley with a puzzled expression.

“Ash?” Jayden asked. “What are you doing here?” She was dressed down to a white tee shirt with a faded Coheed and Cambria logo on the front, and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, her eyes red and tired. Ashley collected herself. She huffed out deep breaths before speaking.

“Tickle me,” Ashley said. Jayden sighed and looked away, crossing her arms.

“Ash…” Jayden said.

“Please,” Ashley said. “I… need it.” Jayden stared back at Ashley.

“Why?”

“Because… I don’t care,” Ashley said. “I don’t care what they think. I don’t care what any of them think. You were right. It doesn’t matter.”

“No, I… I should have been more understanding,” Jayden started. “Because if it matters to you-”

“But it doesn’t,” Ashley said. “You matter to me.” Ashley stopped as Jayden blinked, stopped in what she was saying. “You do, more than anyone, Jay. Whatever I share with you is special, it means something. I need you to see that.” Jayden swallowed and looked down.

“You won’t be weirded out by me… you know…?” Jayden inquired.

“Tickle me,” Ashley repeated. “Please. I… I need to… feel you.” Jayden paused and looked back.

“Well, mom’s not home right now…”

“Sorry to just barge in like this,” Ashley said, scratching the back of her head.

“No, it’s fine,” Jayden said. “Just a little surprising, is all. Here.” Jayden stepped back to allow Ashley to enter. Ashley slipped her shoes off at the front door.

“Are you… um… how are you?” Ashley asked cautiously.

“Fine,” said Jayden, making her way over to the couch. “How are you?”

“Better now that I see you,” Ashley said. Jayden smiled.

“You sure you want to do this?” Jayden asked. Ashley nodded and approached the couch.

“I do,” she said, taking a seat next to Jayden. “I thought I’d be done with this after what happened, but… I need you to see that nothing will drive me away from you. I need to feel this again from you.”

“Sorry to lump all that on you,” Jayden said. “I felt bad. You were going through something serious and I just kind of broke down.”

“Not seeing you today at school,” Ashley started, “I didn’t care anymore. I realized that. It all seemed so pointless. Like, doing things I love, following passions, chasing dreams, in an instant none of that mattered if I couldn’t do those things with you. I want to be myself. I want to step out and not be afraid, like you, but I need you, Jay. And I need you to know that.” Jayden’s smile widened. She looked down into her lap, her face beaming away from Ashley’s.

“You mean that?” Jayden asked. Ashley smiled. She reached over and grabbed Jayden’s hand, holding it tight.

“Tickle me,” Ashley said, leaning in to speak softly. Jayden squeezed back.

“Alright then,” Jayden said. “You better be ready for this because I’m coming for you.”

“Bring it on,” Ashley said with a small giggle.

“Lay down here,” Jayden said, rising from the couch. Ashley smirked. She shifted herself sideways, looking playfully back up to Jayden.

“You know, I’ve never skipped school before,” Ashley said.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Jayden asked with a smile. Ashley nodded.

“Yeah… yeah it does,” Ashley said. She positioned herself longways across the couch, resting her head against the armrest. Jayden smiled down at her.

“I’m such a mess today,” she said, shaking her head.

“I don’t care,” Ashley said, smiling back.

“Good,” Jayden said. She looked down to Ashley’s feet. She wore thin white socks with little horses running printed across them. Jayden walked down to see them more closely. Ashley drew them back slightly, inviting Jayden to sit down first. Jayden did so before being faced with Ashley’s feet being plopped in her lap.

“You sure you’re okay to do this?” Ashley asked.

“Sounds kind of like my line,” Jayden said. Ashley shrugged.

“I’m fine,” Ashley said. She spoke softly and carefully, a warm stare blanketing Jayden with an adoring expression. “You sure you are, though?”

“I am,” Jayden said. “Now that you’re here.” Ashley smiled. She reached up and teased one pigtail between her fingers. A warmth brushed against her face. She rubbed her feet together in Jayden’s lap, beckoning her attention. “Now then…”

“Be gentle…” Ashley whimpered. Jayden rolled her eyes a bit.

“You don’t really mean that,” she said. She giggled and shrugged again. “That’s what I thought.”

Jayden’s hands lowered to cup both of Ashley’s feet at once. They brushed over her socks, stroking the tops around to the soles with tender appreciation. Ashley watched her. She watched Jayden’s eyes more closely examining them. A new light had been shown that gave away the secrets that Jayden had kept hidden in plain sight. It was the same look Jayden always had for her charms, her character, her companionship. It was tender and pained. It pushed through a thick wall of hesitation to revel in the sweeter times. Ashley saw it all. The way Jayden’s smile was just a little wider for her. The way her eyes glistened when looking over her. The way her voice came more spritely and hopeful, basking in an array of feelings Ashley to which Ashley had been blind.

The moment lingered on. Jayden breathed deeply through her nose, her chest rising and falling with greater exaggeration. Her hands stroked over Ashley’s feet, not to tickle but to feel. To experience. To bathe in their warmth. To soak in a memory in real time to make it last forever. Jayden let out a little chuckle and stifled a sniffle.

“S-sorry, I… I hope you’re ready for it,” Jayden said. Ashley swallowed. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Jayden’s fingers began quickly dashing over her soft, socked soles. Ashley squeaked. Her body jolted slightly as it began to squirm against the couch.

“Eeeeeekk!! Heeheeheeeeeee!” Ashley giggled. She kept her eyes on Jayden, switching between her face and her hands teasing her feet. She shifted ceaselessly against the cushions. Her lips pulled back in a wide smile. Her grin came easily and the laughter poured without force. It was glee. It was serendipitous. The anguish she felt as the hands of Gabbi melted away along with the fear that no such joy would tinger her senses again. Jayden’s hands were gentle and caring. The tickles that she started with came at a careful pace, one easing her in to make sure not to overstep boundaries. The way Jayden held her feet stayed with Ashley. Even in the moment, she knew that memory would last long after the tickles had stopped.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Jayden asked, her shallow nails fluttering over Ashley’s foot. “I really missed that cute… er… sorry.” She paused for a moment while Ashley stared back at her.

“Don’t be,” Ashley said, still grinning. “Keep going.” Jayden smiled at Ashley’s insistence. She sat up straight and returned her fingers to Ashley’s sole.

“Alright then,” Jayden said. Ashley’s delicate squeals rejoiced. She twisted and turned against the couch. Her feet shifted in Jayden’s lap. One would instinctively try to cover the other while her toes curled and flexed about. Jayden’s clawing strokes were loving, yet playfully sadistic. The early surge of tickles sparked through Ashley’s senses enough to leave her consistently giggling. Her feet remained placed in Jayden’s lap, with nothing more than a light grip on the back of one foot to bind her. No matter how much Ashley’s wiggled and writhed against the couch, she made sure to keep her feet in place, inviting more of Jayden’s adoring tickles.

“Neeeeheeeheeheheheheheeee!! Jaaaahahahahahayden!!!” Ashley giggled. Her face began to glow. A cherry shade started blooming beneath her freckles. Her hands clenched into balls and stayed protectively up by her face. Occasionally she would reach out for Jayden before pulling back, letting her friend continue. Jayden wore a delighted smirk through it all. Her fingers brushed and clawed against Ashley’s humid soles in sharp, concentrated bursts. They scoured the entire surface of both feet, letting the softness of the cotton ease the swiping motions.

“Hehe, tickle tickle tickle…” Jayden teased softly. Her nails slipped effortlessly across Ashley’s soles. She swiped and scribbled, still merely teasing and steadily pressing Ashley’s endurance. She absorbed the moment, lost in the way Ashley’s giggles resonated musically, how her body moved while endless squirming, how her smile beamed brighter than any she herself ever felt wearing. She scribbled and teased, alternating between quick and relaxed tickles.

“Aaaahheeheeheeee!! Jaahahahahayden! Mmmmmheehee you’re so gooo-aahahahaaa-d!” Ashley laughed. Jayden chuckled.

“Certified Tickle Master, remember?” she asked before slowing to a stop. While keeping Ashley’s feet cupped with one hand, she pinched the elastic rim of one sock. She watched Ashley’s expression as she began to pull. Ashley kept her eyes locked on Jayden’s hand. She bit her lip and grabbed onto the side of the couch. She giggled anxiously, keeping her feet in place to allow Jayden to slowly pull off her sock. Jayden popped it off and placed it beside her. She stole a moment to feel Ashley’s bare skin against her fingers. She carefully grazed her fingertips across the smooth top of Ashley’s foot, the sensation of intimacy seeping through her touch. After a few lingering seconds, Jayden plucked off the other sock as well.

“Mmmmm…” Ashley groaned anxiously as she rubbed her feet together. Jayden circled her hand around one side of Ashley’s foot. Her sole resonated a warmth that accompanied the delicate softness she had come to expect from Ashley. Her fingertips brushed against Ashley’s bare sole. No constant tickling just yet, only teasing strokes just to feel the spot. Still, Ashley yelped. Her eyes stayed glued on Jayden’s hand, her bottom lip tucked beneath her bite.

“Still want it?” Jayden asked. She looked back to Ashley. Ashley’s eyes were wide upon meeting hers. She nodded and swallowed, preparing herself for what was to come. “Good. You were gonna get it either way.” With Ashley’s bare soles laying in her lap, Jayden began lightly scratching at the sensitive skin. Ashley yelped once again, succumbing to a new wave of giggles. She squirmed against the couch, her feet shifting in place for Jayden’s playful touch.

“Neeeeehhhhehehehehehehaahahahahaaa!! Oh gaaahahahahahad!” Ashley laughed. Her hands gripped at the edge of the couch. Her head fell back as her mouth exhaled a steam of fluttery laughs. Jayden smirked as she tickled. She kept one hand holding Ashley’s feet steadily in place while the other lapped at her friend’s sole with rapid scribbles.

“I’m glad you came back, Ash,” Jayden said. “I missed this.” Her shallow nails scraped against Ashley plush, warm soles. She attacked one at a time with random, concentrated scribbles. Her touch was cautious, but constant, pushing Ashley’s sensibilities farther and farther. Jayden watched Ashley’s feet squirm in her lap. She admired their little dance, their shy display of craving the tickles that challenged them so. They rubbed up against one another. They hid behind the other in alteration based on which was garnering the most of Jayden’s ticklish attention. They gave off a subtle warmth that beckoned touch, a soothing aura of longing intimacy.

“Aaaahhhheeehehehehehehaaahahahaaa! Jahahahahayden!!” Ashley continued to cry out. The longer the tickles compounded, the louder she became, and the less restricted she became with her intrinsic motions. Jayden’s fingers and nails lapped at Ashley’s soles. They teased her heels and flittered up the length of her arches. They scratched at the plush balls of her feet. They worked their way up to her toes, flicking across the squirming, bubbly digits.

Jayden took her time in tickling Ashley, wanting to give her friend the experience she craved while not pushing her too far too quickly. She savored the moment, keeping Ashley in a teased, giggling trance. Exhausting her would just run out the clock. Jayden let her fingers dance and scribble casually against Ashley’s bare toes, knowing the sensitivity of the area. She scratched across the pearly pink pads. She slipped her nails carefully in between and underneath, steadily teetering the line with Ashley’s desire. She went from one foot to the other, making sure to pay attention to each adorably wiggling toe.

“Eeeeekkkheeehaahahhahahahahahhaa!!! Naaaahahahahahat my toessshahahahahahahaha!!!” Ashley squealed. She threw her head against the armrest, her back arching periodically off of the couch. Her hands alternated between clenching onto the cushions and balling defensively up by her face. As much as her feet squirmed, more so after Jayden had reached her toes, they still stayed within Jayden’s reach. Even if one slipped off of Jayden’s lap, Jayden would simply let it go until it returned for more tickles. Such a dance between the two went on. Jayden kept Ashley giggling for as long as Ashley would let her and Ashley held on for as long as she could.

“As much as I could just keep tickling these cute feet of yours,” said Jayden, gracefully stopping. “I sure wouldn’t want to bore you with just that.” Ashley giggled until she was left panting heavily. She reached up and brushed loose strands of hair from her face.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Ashley asked. Jayden smirked. She turned and swiftly pounced up Ashley’s body. Ashley squealed as Jayden hung over her midsection. Jayden paused to stare back at Ashley’s expression, both shocked and elated. She reached up to hug both hands around Ashley’s hips, moving up to her sides. Ashley’s smile stretched slowly. Their eyes remained locked up until the moment that Jayden began to squeeze. “Nyeeeeeehhhhahaahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa!!”

“Coochie coochie coo!” Jayden taunted. Her fingers pinched and gnawed into Ashley’s sides. Pulses of tickles flowed through the girl’s body. She squealed and twisted, her elbows clenching to her sides while she rocked side to side. Jayden watched every little expression, soaking in every delighted laugh. She grinned and bit onto her lip. Her hands squeezed and explored the edges of Ashley’s midsection, leaving the ticklish girl squealing with unrestrained laughter.

“Aaaaahhhhhhahahahaaahahaa! Jahahahahayden!!!” Ashley cried out. Tears returned to the corners of her eyes. Unlike the previous days, however, they came without sorrow or despair. They formed from the mirth of her own ticklish state, her joyful hysteria. Her cheeks remained bright pink, her squirming stayed consistent. No matter how Ashley moved, not once did she try to avoid the tickles. Jayden’s touch was warm and loving, comfortable and safe. It came with the sensations that she had held dear since the day they began experimenting with tickling. Both knew how important the shared experience had become.

“Tickle, tickle, tickle,” Jayden said. Her fingers spread and clawed at the ticklish sides. Each little squeeze summoned a pulse that furthered the ticklish whirlwind that blew through Ashley’s body. Jayden tickled faster and faster, watching as Ashley endured it all. Her legs bent like her arms. Her head flung side to side. Ashley’s laughter filled the room. Jayden joined with her own. Her hands shifted from Ashley’s sides to begin concentrating on her belly. All ten nails started dancing and sliding across the surface of Ashley’s stomach. Even through her shirt, Ashley still felt all of it, every tickle that circulated the center of her body.

“Naaaaaaahhhahahahahahahahaahahaaaa! Thahahahahahank youuu!!” Ashley said impulsively. Jayden chuckled.

“You don’t have to thank me for this,” Jayden said. Her fingers skittered across Ashley’s tummy. Her nails scraped with a feathery touch. They attacked in small concentrations, gliding all over the area. Jayden passively tried to find the most sensitive spots to tickle, but observing Ashley’s delicate, endless laughter was more than enough for her. It was the happiness, the glee, the freedom that resonated from Ashley’s ticklish laughter that sang so clearly. It was more beautiful than any she had ever heard before. Though it flowed forced by tickles, and challenged at times, it was cheerful and pure. She held herself back, ready to stop should Ashley need or want her to do so.

“Aaaaahhhhheeeekkkhheeehehehehahahahahaaahaaa!!!” Ashley’s laughter continued to ring out. The tears beading against her eyes started to fall. They fell in slight, glistening streams across burning pink mounds. Ashley twisted restlessly against the couch while the tickles tingling against her stomach bloomed through her nerves. Jayden stayed hovering above her writhing body. Her shallow nails dashed and clawed around Ashley’s stomach. They pinched and poked and scratched in wild, unpredictable patterns.

“Mmmm, should I make you say ‘Jayden, please tickle me more’,” Jayden asked without stopping. “Remember, Ash?” Ashley squealed. Her head fell back as she continued to belt short bursts of laughter.

“Yeeehehehehhahahass!” Ashley giggled. “Ohhh gahahah, I ahahahalready ahahahahasked!”

“I know, but maybe I wanna hear it in full,” Jayden said. She pulled her hands back to allow Ashley to catch her breath. Ashley heaved and groaned. She laid her head back against the armrest, too fatigued to lift it much higher. Still she looked back at Jayden while she recovered, sucking down deep breaths through a smile. She reached up to wipe a layer of sweat from her forehead. “Say it, Ash.”

“Ugh, it’s so hot in here…”

“Say it, Ash,” Jayden repeated. “Say ‘please, oh please, tickle me more’.”

“You’re the worst,” Ashley said dryly through a smile.

“I can stop…” Jayden said. Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes a bit.

“Jayden…” Ashley began, “Please… oh please… tickle me more.”

“Gladly,” Jayden said. She shifted higher up Ashley’s frame, plunging both of her hands into Ashley’s armpits. Ashley was not quick enough to block the sudden tickle attack. By the time Jayden’s hands were in position, her arms had clamped down to her sides intrinsically, trapping them there.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhahahhahahahahahaaaaa!!!” Ashley cried out. Jayden’s fingers immediately began scribbling against the sensitive regions under Ashley’s arms. She dug all ten wiggling fingers into the warm, plush hollows of Ashley’s pits. Ashley squealed into a new fit of jovial, ticklish laughter. She whimpered and rocked side to side, tears of ticklish hysterics trailing down  her cheeks.

“Coochie coochie coo!” Jayden said. She laughed along with Ashley, her fingers scribbling rapidly inside of her armpits. The tickles flourished on both sides. They poured in through Ashley's body, leaving the sensitive country girl squealing and giggling endlessly. She kicked her feet. Her hands balled into white knuckle fists when not clinging onto the couch cushion. Jayden tickles came with the familiar intensity of playful and severe while never teetering into being unbearable. Jayden’s touch was loving, consoling. It was what Ashley best associated with being tickled and why the desire to be tickled persisted. Jayden knew Ashley better than anyone.

“Eeeeeekkkhheeeheeehhahahahahahahahahahahaaaa!!!” Ashley giggled. Her face clenched. She shook her head until her hair began to fray. Jayden continued to dig into her pits. She used her nails to scrape at the areas, to ravish the delicate nerves within. Ashley bucked and writhed against the couch. She clamped one hand over her mouth in her fray while the other latched onto Jayden’s clothes.

“Hey, now, that’s cheating,” Jayden said. She pulled one hand out from Ashley’s pits to grab the one over her mouth. She held it and brought it up over Ashley’s head. She was just about to return the hand down to Ashley’s pit when Ashley laced their fingers together. Their hands held tenderly, nearly ceasing the tickles of the other in Jayden’s heart briefly lurching. She continued, however, still delicately scribbling her nails within the one armpit. “That… that’s still cheating, but…” She smiled. She could only smile. She stared back at Ashley’s expression, smiling back at her while she laughed.

“Aaahheeeheeheeehahaha! Gotchaaaahahaha!” Ashley giggled, still squirming in place. Jayden smirked.

“You sneak,” she said. She dug her fingers into Ashley’s armpit harder and faster than before. Ashley squealed, her giggles rising and falling while she wiggled beneath her friend.

“Eeeeeekkkheeheeehehehahahahahaha!! Hehehehey!” Ashley squeaked. Jayden squeezed at Ashley’s hand. She reinforced the hold, making it tighter and more secure. She almost found herself too directed by the softness and tender grip of Ashley's hand to keep tickling. She pressed on, however, keeping the girl giggling freely with the scribbling of her fingers.

“You think I still can’t get you good from here?” Jayden taunted, biting her lip. She gave a hearty laugh before pulling her hand back once more, still holding on with the other. Ashley panted through the sudden break, a wide smile resting across her face. “Just you wait.”

Jayden came up Ashley’s body until she hovered over her blushing face. She paused. Her devious smile faded, as did any plan to keep tickling. She looked into Ashley’s eyes. They twinkled and shimmered in the overhead light. Ashley continued to breathe heavily, her skin glistening and warm. Her lips parted. She stared up at Jayden with wide, unblinking eyes. The warmth of the room baked the two girls in a thin musk. Jayden swallowed. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hand stayed locked with Ashley’s, still basking in the feel of her fingers laced within. The pair shared a silence, one accompanied only by the heavy breaths that brushed against Ashley’s lips. Jayden watched them. She shivered, knowing the right thing to do. She thought about pulling away, about ignoring the moment all together and hoping that Ashley could still be comfortable with her presence, the typical move to which she would succumb. The second she started to drift back, Ashley raised her head and spoke.

“Kiss me,” Ashley whispered. Jayden’s heart jumped. She thought for a moment that her ears were playing some cruel trick. She recoiled and forced herself to speak.

“Wh-what?” Jayden asked softly. “A-are… are you sure?”

Ashley wrapped her hand around Jayden’s head. She pulled herself up to press her lips against Jayden’s before answering. Jayden froze in the seconds that followed, but once she found the means to think again, she pressed back into the kiss. The two closed their eyes. They breathed each other in. They tasted one another, breaking and pressing again harder and harder. Soft, cautious kisses became deep and passionate. Their mouths parted. Their fingers laced through each other’s hair and tightening in the hold that they shared. Their chests heaved and relaxed together. Jayden’s other hand rose to cup Ashley’s cheek. Ashley touched it softly.

Time had stopped. It had ceased to matter. Nothing did beyond the room, beyond the couch, beyond the two sharing in a moment made just for them. They held one another for a time that neither wished would end. Pulling back, both gazed upon the other in a new light. A radiance of wonder, of possibility, of beauty. A new haven for comfort and joy. Holding one another felt so different yet so pleasantly familiar, as if such a happening was what was always supposed to happen. Awe was left on their lips as they pulled apart. Ashley began to smile, still breathing heavily.

“Are you sure?” Jayden asked again, her eyes beginning to water. Ashley held her close as the crying ache built within her as well.

“Now more than ever,” she said. “It’s always been you.” Jayden blushed. She sniffled and wiped one hand across her eye.

“I… um… I don’t know what to say…” Jayden said. “I-I love you so much.” Ashley brought Jayden closer for another kiss. Their lips gently pressed against one another. Tears fell against the other’s cheeks as the pair stole another moment for just them. Ashley was already smiling when she pulled back again.

“And you said I never take risks,” Ashley said. Jayden grinned.

“But, um… what about everyone else?” Jayden asked. “I don’t want to make things harder for you.”

“I don’t care,” Ashley said, wiping a tear from her dimpled cheek. “I want this. I want you. I love you. Nothing else matters.” Jayden swallowed and sniffled, her cheeks and ears burning above an unbreakable smile.

“You mean it?” Jayden asked, her voice breaking slightly. “Like… for real?”

“I do,” Ashley said as another tear fell from her eye. “My Certified Tickle Monster.”