STUFFED

Clothing Haul

Courtney is back at home now after going to the ice cream parlor with her friends.

Following her encounter with Griffin, everyone had a million questions. After explaining that he was just a family friend from her childhood everyone mostly backed off. The only one who hadn't seemed satisfied with her answer was

*Knock* *knock* *knock*

She walks over to the front door and opens it.

"Bradyn!"

She acts surprised to see him but she really isn't. Anytime there's a random knock at the door and she isn't expecting anyone she just assumes that it's Bradyn now.

"Hey."

"Come in!"

This is the third time he has been by her house today. Once to meet up for ice cream, again for the drive back to her house to exchange the escalade for Holdyn's car, and now that everyone had left he came back again once the coast was clear. Her only question is why. Not that she's opposed to spending a lot of time with him, it's just weird that he's back again.

"So, what's up?" Courtney starts, to get to the bottom of his intentions.

"What did he say to you?"

The bluntness of his question catches her off guard.

"What?"

"Griffin. What were you guys talking about?"

"Why does it matter?"

He doesn't answer, he just stares back at her. It shouldn't matter but he can't help feeling possessive of her.

"We were just talking about my old friends, um.. that he's here picking up jewellery for his mom." She shrugs her shoulders as if to say 'I don't know.'

"Anything else?"

She hesitates to tell him the next part, "He suggested we go out for dinner sometime."

"You guys and all your old friends?" He asks optimistically.

"... No, just the two of us."

"So he asked you out."

"Yeah, I guess."

Courtney doesn't know why she feels so tense delivering this information. It's nothing to feel guilty or ashamed about. It's a huge compliment. And it's not like she has any obligation to Bradyn. It's not like they're dating or anything. She grounds herself again and reaches out to touch him.

"Bradyn, what is this about?" She chuckles, "It's not a big deal."

He feels embarrassed for acting as if he's entitled to her.

Courtney looks over at the packages she left in the kitchen and gets excited, "I just got new clothes in the mail! Come upstairs and I'll try everything on for you."

The idea of a private fashion show peaks his interest and distracts him immediately.

Bradyn walks up the stairs behind Courtney and struggles not to reach out and grab her butt. Courtney leads them both into her room and drops the heavy boxes on the bed. She ran up the stairs too quickly and now she's out of breath. Courtney kneels on the floor beside the bed and drops her arms and head down on her comforter. Bradyn sits on the bed beside her.

She's having a really hard time catching her breath. Bradyn enjoys listening to her laboured breathing. He knows that she's going to be like this the whole time. Like, of course she'll catch her breath in a minute but once she starts the process of putting on and taking off clothing she's going to be right back in this state.