Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Quality Time (Part 4)
Summer tilted her head to look up at him, a small smirk appearing on her lips. "You\'re just pretding not to be scared of the movie, ar\'t you?"
Don chuckled, trying to keep the conversation light. "Maybe, but seriously, Sylvia\'s mom gives off some serious creepy vibes."
Summer\'s expression softed, and she nodded in agreemt. "Yeah, she\'s kind of scary, but she\'s super nice, actually. She\'s just… not very outgoing or social. I\'ve never really spt much time a her, and honestly, I don\'t plan to."
Don seized the opportunity to tease her. "You\'re scared of everything, ar\'t you?"
Summer frowned and lightly elbowed him in the ribs, making Don fake a grunt of pain. "That wasn\'t very nice," he said, feigning hurt.
She huffed and looked away, clearly annoyed but still playful. Don decided to test the waters further, knowing that every small victory counted. "You\'re lucky I\'m not in the mood to fight with you," he said with a sly grin. "After all, I have manners. I\'m ev being nice by stroking your skin."
As he spoke, his hand moved more deliberately against her tummy, his touch lingering just a little longer and a little more direct. He wanted to see how she would react to this more blatant form of intimacy.
Summer\'s cheeks flushed a deep pink, and she quickly retorted, "I don\'t need your tummy rubs like some puppy."
Despite her words, she made no effort to move his hand. Don smirked, recognizing the contradiction in her actions and decided to push a bit further, but with a gtle touch.
"You don\'t need to need something for me to give it to you," Don replied smoothly. "We\'re watching a movie, you\'re scared, so I\'m holding you close and rubbing your tummy for comfort. But since you don\'t need it…"
He trailed off, slowly beginning to withdraw his hand, testing her reaction.
Panic flashed in Summer\'s eyes, and she instinctively grabbed his hand to keep it in place. "I didn\'t mean it like that," she blurted out, her voice showing her embarrassmt. "Why do you always twist my words?"
Don couldn\'t help but smirk at her reaction. "You\'re the one doing all the twisting," he teased, joying the small victory.
Summer rolled her eyes and huffed again, clearly flustered but resigned. "Whatever… Just keep rubbing my tummy. It\'s not so bad, I guess."
Don smiled inwardly, knowing he had pushed as far as he could for now. This was as close as he would get tonight, but he was already formulating a plan to take things further in the future.
Each step had to be carefully calculated, each move precise. For now, though, he was contt to joy the small win, his hand resting on Summer\'s waist as they continued watching the movie.
Don soon felt the natural conclusion to the night drawing near as the second movie\'s credits began to roll. \'I\'ve pushed things far ough tonight,\' he thought, knowing that progress had be made but also recognizing the importance of pacing.
He knew better than to rush things, especially wh it came to someone as tricky as Summer. Plus, leaving the night on a high note would make it easier to set up another session like this in the future.
With a yawn, Don pulled away from Summer and stretched, feigning tiredness. "Well, I think it\'s time I hit the sack," he said casually.
Summer flinched slightly wh he moved his hand away from her tummy. She had to admit—though only to herself—having his hand there had be oddly comforting. She had be so gaged in the movie, joying the experice, that Don\'s decision to call it a night irritated her more than she expected.
But instead of asking him to stay, she tried to bait him with a challge. "What\'s wrong, too scared to watch more?" she teased.
Don moved off the bed and smirked. "I\'m not the one who was freaking out and needed tummy rubs to calm down," he shot back, making sure his tone was light but teasing.
Summer\'s face flushed with embarrassmt. The way Don said it made her feel like a child, and she hated it. \'He always knows how to twist the things I say against me,\' she thought bitterly, but she couldn\'t come up with a good retort. "Whatever," she muttered. "Go be scared th."
Don laughed it off, knowing he had successfully defused the situation while maintaining his upper hand. "We\'ll finish the other movies some other day," he said, heading for the door. "Unlike you, I need to get up early." With that, he gave a casual wave and left her room, shutting the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Summer flopped back on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly. "Jerk," she murmured, her frustration evidt. But despite her annoyance, a small part of her was already looking forward to the next time they\'d watch movies together.
Don, on the other hand, made his way back to his room, feeling a sse of satisfaction. \'That wt well,\' he thought, glancing at the clock.
It was nearing :30 AM, and he knew he needed to get some sleep. After undressing and setting an alarm for the morning, he quickly drifted off.
———
The following morning, at precisely 4:30 AM, Don\'s alarm rang. He groaned softly, feeling the temptation to snooze for a few more minutes. \'Maybe just a little longer…\' he thought, but th quickly shook his head. \'Who am I kidding?\'
He sat up on the edge of the bed, stretching his arms above his head with a wide yawn. The sound of light rain outside drew his atttion to the window. Peering out, he saw the early morning drizzle and wondered if he should skip his run. \'Not like I\'m training for a boxing match,\' he thought.
But th again, what he was preparing for was far more dangerous. \'It\'s unlikely a superhuman like me will get sick from running in the rain anyway,\' he reasoned.
So, after completing his meditation and light exercises, he set out for his run, appreciating the solitude of the early morning and the absce of any familiar faces—especially Cassie.
The run was peaceful, with the rain keeping most people indoors. On his way back, however, he spotted Cassie pulling out of her driveway next door. She honked and waved wh she saw him, and Don returned the gesture, though he kept it brief. \'Not in the mood for small talk, especially with her,\' he thought as he continued on his way.
Back inside, the house was still quiet. \'Everyone\'s still asleep,\' Don noted as he made his way upstairs.
He couldn\'t hear any water running, which made him think Summer might have overslept. \'I guess we did stay up pretty late watching those movies.\'
Don now debated whether to let her sleep in or take the opportunity to wake her up himself. \'Might as well shower first,\' he decided.
After a quick shower, Don dressed and stepped out of his room again. The house was still silt, and he figured both Samantha and Amanda were likely sleeping off the effects of the previous night\'s drinking.
\'Maybe I should wake Summer up, just in case.\'
He walked over to her door and knocked, but there was no response. Gtly, he oped the door and found Summer sound asleep, snacks still scattered on her nightstand and her laptop on her bed. \'She must\'ve fall asleep trying to watch more movies,\' Don observed with a small smile.
As he moved to take the laptop off the bed, the scre caught his atttion. The movie paused on it was clearly romantic erotica. Don raised an eyebrow in surprise. \'Didn\'t expect her to be into that,\' he thought, slightly amused.
He th noticed how Summer was sleeping, lifting the blanket slightly to find one of her hands tucked into her panties. \'Wow…\' Don thought, more surprised than anything. \'She really doesn\'t look like the type.\'
Not wanting to embarrass her, Don decided to put the laptop into sleep mode and leave it as it was so she would think it simply blacked out on its own. He covered her back up and th leaned down to poke her face gtly. "Hey, wake up," he said softly, continuing to poke her cheek. "You\'re going to be late for school."
Summer stirred, her face scrunching up in confusion as she groggily looked a. "Huh…? What…?" she mumbled, still half-asleep.
Don smirked and asked, "Ar\'t you going to be late for school?"
It took a momt for the question to register, but wh it did, Summer shot up, eyes wide with panic. "Shit!" she exclaimed, glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand. Seeing that it was already 6 AM, she cursed under her breath and scrambled out of bed. "Why didn\'t Mom wake me up?"
Don shrugged, and kept a playful grin on his face. "You\'re welcome," he said as he made his exit, leaving Summer to scramble a her room in a rush. He could hear her calling out, "Hey, wait!" but he didn\'t stop, already heading downstairs to the kitch.
\'Might as well make breakfast for everyone,\' he thought, seeing an opportunity to earn some more goodwill. \'Nothing like starting the day off with a little progress.\'