Archive-name: SpecMome/hope.txt
Archive-author: 
Archive-title: Hope


(This story has no sex in it, and therefore may not meet the stricter
requirements for this group -- if graphic is what you want, rent
"Debbie does Dallas" and hit 'n' now. *grin*)

	"Hope."
	At the sound of his voice, I visibly relaxed.  He was the only one
I could trust this much -- and even this, this was almost too much.
	"Hope.  Just relax.  I won't do anything to hurt you."
	Inside, I chuckled at the cliche', and decided to just once relax
and not worry so damned much.  He couldn't hurt me -- he cares about me
-- he would never hurt me, right?
	"Ready?"
	Trembling with indecision, I nodded and released a breath I hadn't
thought I had been holding.  He was my friend, it was okay, he promised...

- - -

	I stood there, just looking at Hope, just taking in all of her.  She
was one of the most attractive women I had ever met, and not just physically.
It was friendship on first sight -- not as bad as it seems, for I was the
only one she trusted this much right now.  I reveled in it.
	My hand reached up almost of its own accord and gently drew my
fingers down across her eyelids, causing her to shut her beautiful blue 
eyes.  A slight tremor went through her lithe body as she stood before me,
her feet shoulder-width apart and adorned in cute socks, a pair of tight
jeans, a loose-fitting blouse, and that gorgeous hair.  I sighed to myself
as I recalled that she felt that she was unattractive to men.  Well, here's
to friendship...

- - -

	The touch of his fingers on my face made me jump inside, but I 
closed my eyes willingly, and with not a little trepidation.  I trust him,
and if I want him to stop, all I have to do is open my eyes -- that's what
we agreed on, and I trust him... don't I?
	He touched me again, and it was like fire and ice.  His hand
traced my jawline from ear to ear, and gently caressed my forehead before
brushing my cheek and my lips.  So that's what it's like....

- - -

	Was I dreaming, or was that a hint of a smile on her face?  I
touched her dimples and sure enough, she began to giggle.  I smiled,
and walked around her, talking as I did to let her know where I was.
Since I wasn't able to see her eyes, I asked her to tell me if she did.
She nodded in response, and I started to rub her shoulders, hoping that
the familiarity of the contact would be reassuring.
 
- - -

	His backrubs always made me think of the day we first met.  What
an odd way to meet someone -- but we became fast friends, and _nobody_
gives a better backrub.  I didn't realize how much tension I was under
until I felt it just flow out of me.  It felt so good, so relaxing.  His
hands moved down from my shoulders to my back, working on my lower back 
and taking out all those little knots.  His voice reassured me as he 
walked around in front of me again, and apparently sat on the floor.

- - -

	She thought of her feet as big and smelly, but I liked them.  Then
again, I have a thing for feet.  However, seeing as she was standing on
them I couldn't do much with them right now.  I firmly massaged her calves,
keeping in mind that the idea was to make her feel relaxed and comfortable.
Then, moving up slowly, I reminded her to tell me when I should stop.  A
relaxed "Okay" was my only response, so I forged on.  When I got to a
handspan above her knee, I switched to the other leg.  Worried about 
pushing her too far, I stood up and began to massage first one hand, then
the other.  Again, the reminder, and again, an okay.  I worked up to her
shoulder, carefully avoiding any contact that could be misconstrued.  
Finally, to wrap it up, I worked on her neck and scalp, slowly and 
carefully.  My fingers crept across her face again, and that little smile
came back.
 
- - -
 
	He was about as good at legs as he was at backs, but never before
had I let him rub above the knee.  I felt so relaxed and trusting that I let
him pick the right place to stop, and he did well.  What a feeling... to
totally let go and let someone else take care of you.  I felt I might melt
through the floor if he kept it up, but then it stopped, and I was a little
saddened, and a bit amused at the strength of that feeling.  However, I was
a little surprised by the next thing he did.  Not scared, just surprised.

- - -
 
	Feeling brave, I told her to hold on, and swiftly 'swept her off
her feet'.  Standing there, holding her in my arms like a fireman, I carried
a very giggling Hope to her bed (thoughtfully unmade) and lay her down 
gracefully on her side.  I stretched her out, and looked at her perfectly
peaceful form.  What a wonderful woman, I thought, and how glad I was to have
made her my friend.  I crawled around behind her like spoons, drew the covers
up over us, and placed my hand on top of hers, which was resting on her hip.
She grasped it, held it close to her chest like a talisman, and began to
fall asleep.  The position was so comfortable, so wondeful, and so warm I
began to drift off myself, feeling better than I had in a long, long time.
 
- - -

	I knew I wasn't as light as a feather, but I felt quite safe in
his arms.  Something started to tell me that 'just friends' don't do things
like this, but it didn't seem wrong, so I didn't stop him yet.  When he put
me in bed, I started to get tense and almost made him stop, but I calmed
down.  Again, when he crawled in bed, I got really really scared for a second,
but I could trust him, so I let him crawl in with me.  It was warm under
the covers with him, and I felt safe and secure with him.  So, I held
his hand close to my heart and started to drift off to sleep.  My last 
thought was '...so this is love.'

--