Might As Well Accept The Help...

"Okay, okay." You sigh, letting her arm slip around you. Not that you have any problems with having her this close, mind you, but the fact that she is helping you walk because of some sore toes is a whole new level of lame. "If you insist."

"Jeez, don't sound so mopey about it." Melody scolds you and you mentally kick yourself. Nothing like capping off the complete uncoolness of needing help walking like whining about it like a petulant child.

"Sorry." You reply sheepishly. "Thanks, Melody."

"That's better." The redhead says as the two of you head down the path together. "Y'know, considering how badly you wanted to see my boobs, I didn't realize I would have to twist your arm to have one of them pressed against you." You blush a bit; you hadn't really even realized the close proximity means that her right breast is squishing up against your left side. Now you can feel the soft, squishy sensation against you even through the layers of clothing.

"Nah, I just didn't want to admit you took me out with a single stomp." You bypass that particular conversation. "You must have Super Mario feet or something."

"Yeah, and you have Goomba toes." She fires back. "Keep that in mind the next time you want to tease me."

"Fair enough." You laugh lightly. She helps you over a large tree root bursting out of the ground across the path. "Although I have to say that for someone who loves to dish it out, you sure don't like taking it." This causes Melody to stop walking completely.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asks, obviously a little insulted.

"C'mon. How many times have you made me do embarrassing shit because of a bet and I just had to take it?" You say. "Remember the time we ordered a pizza delivery and you made me answer the door in just a pair of boxers?"

"Oh yeah." Melody chuckles. "That delivery girl was certainly surprised."

"How about the time I had to smuggle a stack of gay porn magazines you found by that old dumpster into my house and my mom found them?"

"Boy, was that a long and awkward conversation." She reminisces. "I could barely keep my laughing muffled while eavesdropping."

"And that time I had to go into that seedy sex shop, grab an armful of butt plugs, and ask the guy at the counter where the fitting rooms are?"

Melody laughs so hard she snorts. "Oh, man. How could I forget that one? That was fucking genius." She wipes the tears from her eyes. "Okay, I get your point, dude. I guess I am being a bit of a hypocrite."

"I mean, I'm used to your antics. And I know you wouldn't do anything permanently humiliating to me." You give her a sidelong glance. "I wish that you would give me the same benefit of the doubt when the tables are flipped."

"You're right." She nods. "I need to be less of a sore loser." You start walking again and there is silence except for the sounds of nature for a few minutes before she continues. "...Why do you want to see my breasts so bad, Jack?"

"Huh?" You ask, a little surprised. "Is that...a trick question?"

"I mean, okay yeah. They're boobs, and a sweet pair at that; I guess the reason is a little self-explanatory." she struggles a bit to rephrase her question. "I guess what I am asking is...you have always pulled your punches with me when I lose a bet. Never as bad as I did to you. Do your homework, do your laundry, all that shit." She licks her lips before continuing. "S-so...what's different now?"

"Like I said earlier. This is **** for all the cock-teasing over the years. Strutting around in your underwear, the constant double entendres, the mock flirting." You list off all the sexual games she has played over the time you've known her. "You are paying the piper, as it were."

"Yeah, but that's been going on for years. You said so yourself." She interjects. "And you have always kinda taken it in stride. You would tease and flirt back, but never showing any kind of actual interest in it. Now, all of a sudden, you are commanding me to go topless and...and I can't help but feel that it's not just a joke." She bites her lower lip. "Do you see what I am getting at here?"

"You are my best friend, Melody." You say after a moment of awkward silence. "But that doesn't mean I've been able to keep every thought about you totally platonic. You can't expect me to spend so much time with you and not notice that you are a girl too, y'know? You are a great video game co-op teammate, a smart study buddy, and an all-around excellent partner-in-crime. But you are also a very pretty redhead who doesn't mind sharing a small confined space with me in various states of undress while talking about sex and her body." You sigh. "The two versions of you in my head can co-exist, but they don't mesh well. So I always kept the other version locked up and played for humor."

"Wow." She says, a little breathless and blushing scarlet. "A pretty redhead, huh?"

"Yeah. There is nothing 'sudden' about my interest, Melody. It's just now, after you being gone for so long, I am finally working up the stones to address this other perception of you."

"So...were you being serious when you said my chest was beautiful...that wasn't just playful flirting?" She asks slowly and a little nervously.

"No, it wasn't." You shake your head, a little surprised at how easily these answers are coming out of you.

"Jeez." Is all she can say for the moment. You can feel her right hand begin to clench onto your shirt. "Um...a-about all that cock-teasing...you're not the only one...the only one who has had conflicting thoughts over the years." She takes a deep, shaky breath. "I can't say that all the times I stripped down and flaunted my assets at you were just a joke...or that part of me wasn't hoping for...this kind of a reaction."

"Melody..." You start, not sure how to continue from there. Your heart is beating against your rib cage like a jackhammer.

"Do you...Do you think that...I mean maybe....we could have..." She trails off in embarrassment, then suddenly perks up a bit and completely changes the subject. "Hey! There's the tent! We made it back!"

"Yeah, I guess we did." You sigh, feeling the moment slip away.

"And it's not sundown yet. What did I tell you?" She laughs, trying to play off the nervous vulnerability she had been showing.

"Yeah, don't worry about the bet." You say, waving your hand. "You helped me walk all this way. Let's just call it even."

"What?" She asks in surprise. "No, that won't do! That's letting me off the hook. That's practically welching. Not going to happen, dude."

"Seriously?" You ask, a little surprised yourself at her insistence considering her initial reaction.

"A promise is a promise." She says simply. "You have got like a half hour or so before the sun's down. You better make the most of it. Don't treat me with kid gloves, okay? I want to feel like you gave me an honest punishment."

"Uh, okay. Sure." You say, still a bit dumbfounded.

"Good." she replied, then glanced off in another direction. "So...should we...go into the tent then? Y'know...for a while?"