For the Love of Tickle Torture

Chapter Eleven

Jake and April sat crosslegged facing each other on Jake's bed. Guard 1, playing on his phone, sat on a chair in the corner.
"You're like wayyyy into this tickling stuff.", Jake broke the silence.
"You think so?",  April responded with a sarcastic smirk. She reached out and wiggled her finger towards his tummy, poking it into his bellybutton. He softly smacked it away with a laugh.
"How long am I gonna be here?", Jake asked after some hesitation. April and Guard 1 exchanged a look. She shrugged at Jake.
"I'm not sure. Not forever I don't think,".
     Jake was an optimist and he always looked at the bright side. He always discarded un-useful thoughts and things he couldn't control.
     April was impulsive. She made her fortune in life as she was just learning how to spend it. Reckless behavior by her never really had any consequences so she never thought ahead too far.
     Things would have gone down differently if either of them were different people. But they were them, and they were compatible. Their personalities allowed the situation April had put them in to not be as tedious as it should be. Jake should hate her. He knew it, she knew it. She shouldn't kidnap people. A much bigger flaw, but she seemed to have chosen the exact right person.
                                       ~•~
     Days turned into weeks and both parties lost track of time. Getting to know each other. Getting closer.
     They wanted another fight. Instead of standing  close and watching, Guard 2 sat in the far corner playing on his phone. Jake and April both stood on a mat in the middle of the room. She counted down.
"Three...two...o-", she was cut off as Jake tackled her to the mat. He rolled her onto her stomach and straddled her back. "Hey!!!", she protested. But snapped her arms back down by her sides with a loud squeal, breaking down into laughter when he started to tickle. "Jaaaake!", she whined.
"April.", he responded, deadpan. Brutally attacking her sides and ribs as she squealed and melted into laughter under him. She swatted at his hands and twisted from side to side. "This is payback!!", he exclaimed, digging into her sides to produce a shriek.
"Cheater!", she squeaked out.
"And what do you call it when I'm tied down? Huh? That's not cheating?", he laughed as she yelped in protest, leaning in excitedly at the fun.
"Help!", she sputtered. In an instant Jake was lifted into the air, limbs flailing. Guard 2 had snatched him up. April rolled over onto her back and wrapped her arms around her butterfly-filled stomach, giggly as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hardly a fight when you're so weak and ticklish.", Jake smiled down at the girl. She playfully glared back up at him. "Can't you just admit you like being tickled?".
April shot up to her feet, face red and palms balled up at her sides.
"I don't! Because that would be a lie!", she huffed.
"Yeaaaaah whatever.", Jake rolled his eyes. He did regret the tease as she took the opportunity to tickle at his sides while he flailed helplessly in the Guard's arms. "Okay okay okaaaay!!!", he cried.