Podcasts about Friendzone

In dieser Folge tauchen wir in die Geschichten von zwei Hörer:innen ein, die in einer Art emotionaler Grauzone festhängen: Ein Hörer versucht seit Monaten herauszufinden, ob er in der Friendzone steckt oder ob da noch was gehen könnte. Mal lässt sie Nähe zu, mal zieht sie sich komplett weg – und zwischendurch rennt sie auch noch einem Bad Boy hinterher. Von uns gibt's einen liebevollen Stupser und natürlich Tipps für den Weg aus der Friendzone (und der Passivität). Eine Hörerin kämpft hingegen mit etwas ganz anderem, das am Ende aber ähnlich wehtut: einem Partner, der bei ernsten Themen sofort dichtmacht. Egal ob Konflikte, Gefühle oder echte Gespräche – er blockt, sie zieht sich zurück, und plötzlich stehen beide emotional alleine da, obwohl sie sich eigentlich lieben. Wir erklären, wie emotionale Aufklärung klappen kann und warum der Unterschied zwischen Mitleid und Mitgefühl dabei so wichtig ist. Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/beste_freundinnen Du möchtest Werbung in diesem Podcast schalten? Dann erfahre hier mehr über die Werbemöglichkeiten bei Seven.One Audio: https://www.seven.one/portfolio/sevenone-audio

“I had people in my life telling me this was a funny movie…” - Steve On this week's show, we're getting into our month of holiday programming with a chat about the totally dated Christmas comedy, Just Friends! How annoying is it that this movie barely cares about being set at Christmas? Why couldn't we get just a little more for the incredible Julie Hagerty to do in the movie? How abhorrent is the entire idea of the “Friend Zone” in the first place? Is this one of the biggest public humiliations at a movie's house party? And why is Ryan Reynolds doing a Cartman voice when he's in that abysmal fat suit the production borrowed from the Friends archive? PLUS: A Jared from Subway reference in this film that Chris accurately describes as “completely destabilizing”! Just Friends stars Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Paris, Chris Klein, Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, Fred Ewanuick, Amy Matysio, and Julie Hagerty as Carol Brander; directed by Roger Kumble. This week's episode is brought to you in part by Sonos. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with incredible sound. Explore Sonos speakers, soundbars, and more at sonos.com! Also by Rocket Money. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney dot com slash WHM today. That's RocketMoney dot com slash WHM. RocketMoney dot com slash WHM! And by Uncommon Goods! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMON GOODS dot com slash whm. That's UNCOMMON GOODS dot com slash whm, for 15% off! Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Uncommon Goods. They're all out of the ordinary. Be sure to snag your tickets to see our 15th Anniversary show at the Bell House in Brooklyn this Saturday, December 6! We're celebrating the better part of two decades on the air while talking about the fantastic Arnold sci-fi action adventure, Total Recall! Click through to get your tix now, it's close to selling out!  Throughout 2025, we'll be donating 100% of our earnings from our merch shop to the Center for Reproductive Rights. So head over and check out all these masterful designs and see what tickles your fancy! Shirts? Phone cases? Canvas prints? We got all that and more! Check it out and kick in for a good cause! Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.

Dans ce nouvel épisode, Mahé présente le portrait de Benoit. Benoit est célibataire. Il aime : ses chats, les renards, cuisiner, les jeux de société, les randos, vivre à la campagne.Sa musique préférée : Fire and ice - AlexandriaSi son profil vous plaît, envoyez-lui un petit mot, un audio, une photo ou une vidéo via notre plateforme dédiée dont le lien se trouve sur notre compte instagram @onsevoix ou directement par mail onsevoix.podcast@gmail.com. -À propos

Dans ce nouvel épisode, Mahé présente le portrait de Nicolas. Nicolas est célibataire. Il aime : être fils unique, voir ses amis le dimanche soir, être à la fois flexible et organisé, faire le ménage , porter des bagues, Dalida, le Café, le Jazz, Xavier Dolan, les chansons des années 50, le vin rouge. Sa musique préférée : Dalida, À chacun sa chance Si son profil vous plaît, envoyez-lui un petit mot, un audio, une photo ou une vidéo via notre plateforme dédiée dont le lien se trouve sur notre compte instagram @onsevoix ou directement par mail onsevoix.podcast@gmail.com. -À propos

Dans ce nouvel épisode, Mahé présente le portrait de Meredith. Meredith est célibataire et coordinatrice WeRoad.Elle aime : rencontrer des gens lors de ses voyages WeRoad, prendre le temps de manger, le running, avoir un hoodie dans son sac quand elle voyage, pleurer devant les aurores boréales, les gens empathiques, les Air Force 1, danser, la nourriture vietnamienne, Bad Bunny. Et plein d'autres choses.

Sa musique préférée : Petit génie Si son profil vous plaît, envoyez-lui un petit mot, un audio, une photo ou une vidéo via notre plateforme dédiée dont le lien se trouve sur notre compte instagram @onsevoix ou directement par mail onsevoix.podcast@gmail.com. Cet épisode est le fruit d'une collaboration non-rémunérée avec WeRoad. Nous les avons contactés car nous savons que vous êtes nombreux à aimer les voyages et l'aventure. Si vous souhaitez tenter l'aventure WeRoad, profitez de 100€ de réduction sur votre premier voyage avec le code "ONSEVOIXENWEROAD" (valable sur le premier voyage WeRoad jusqu'au 28 février 2026, non valable sur les voyages Express).-À propos

Friendzone Fix: Part 2. Blame the biological clock, or a burst of courage.. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders continue to tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them finish telling just how it happened. "Chris," she whispered against my lips and then turned her head before leading us into a deeper kiss. Our tongues mingled while our hands roamed. She turned her body and pressed it to me as if she was trying to become part of me. "Come with me," I requested and reached for her hand. She shook her head and pointed down at the ground. "Now. Right here," she answered back. "I need you." "Hold; hold that thought," I advised and held up a finger to show her it would only be a second. I ran into the living room to get a blanket and flew back into the kitchen because I was no fool. I needed this too. "Here's awesome, but the floor is cold," I explained. I dropped the blanket and then scooped Jenn up off her feet. Her squeal only made me want this more. We kissed and pressed into each other like we couldn't get enough. In that moment, I know I certainly couldn't. I tore off my shirt and watched in amazement as she did the same with her own. No bra; just gorgeous tits I'd basically only envisioned and dreamed about more than I cared to admit. I saw her reach over to collect the condoms off the counter before she tossed them onto the blanket as she knelt down onto it. "Join me," she requested and reached for her panties to slide them down. I went ahead and lost my shorts and briefs before descending to the floor myself. The moment I felt her naked body against mine, I knew we were moments from something I had only ever dreamed possible. "Is this happening?" I asked quietly as I slid my hand down her back and over her fine, fine ass. This woman had the best ass. "You're gonna find out real soon," Jenn assured me and slid her leg up mine. "At least I hope you will," she added. I hurried to put the protection on and moaned as she licked a particularly sensitive area on my neck. "Good Lord, woman," I warned and growled as I set myself up to enter her. "Yes," she hissed and placed her heels on my butt. "Now, Chris. I need you now," she pleaded. I didn't need to be told twice, so I made sure I was lined up and began my approach. Yes, it had been a while (a long while) since I'd had sex. I hadn't heard Jenn mention anyone she'd dated for longer than a week or two in over a year. I couldn't imagine that she'd had any activity in recent history either. The moan she let out when I was fully inside her told me I was exactly what she needed at that moment though. I think my own noise told her the same. "Chris, yes," she hissed and ran her fingernails along my back. "Why did it take so long for us to do this?" she asked. "No idea," I answered with what little brain activity I could muster since most of the blood in my entire body seemed to be inside my cock at the moment. "I'm; Jenn, I'm not gonna last," I confessed. "I'm already close," she responded. "You feel so good. You feel so; gosh, Chris. It's so good," she repeated. "If I promise to last longer next time;" "Go ahead," Jenn breathed. "Just keep going," she begged. "I'm; gonna; oh!" she cried out and contracted all around my shaft until I couldn't take it anymore. I thrust into her and came hard. "Chris," Jenn whispered after a minute. I wasn't seeing stars any longer, so that was good. I turned to face her and kissed her shoulder. "Hmm, would you kiss me?" Like she had to ask. I cupped her face with one hand as the other held me up and kissed her with so much emotion, I thought for sure that I was going to shed a tear myself. It was as I pulled away from her that I realized I was still inside her. "Oh, uh;" I stuttered. "Let me get rid of this," I suggested and took care of the minor mess before I headed into the living room to collect another blanket to cover us with. I knew we wouldn't be staying in the kitchen, but for that short period of time, we were going to stick around until we decided what to do next. I laid down next to her, and what surprised me was that she snuggled right into my side like she belonged there. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple. She turned to look up at me and kissed my chin. I leaned down and kissed her lips until we ended up making out. It was all so; natural. "I have a confession to make," she admitted as she ran her finger over my chest. "Oh?" "I bought them when I picked up your prescriptions," she confessed and pointed to the box. "I had a feeling from the moment we held hands. I; I didn't realize there could be;" I inhaled deeply and turned to lie on my side and placed my head on my hand with my elbow holding it up. "If we're giving confessions, I have one as well." "Go ahead," Jenn invited and smiled as she let her fingertips glide along my side up to my neck. "I've had a crush on you since high school, Jenn," I admitted and watched her face. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?" Jenn tilted her head. "So, all this time, you've;" "Oh, well, yeah, I mean; if you'd have shown any interest in me throughout these years, I would have totally gone for it, but I value your friendship more than anything, and I was afraid you might not appreciate hearing that I liked you as more than a friend, so I just tucked it away." "But; in high school? Why didn't you say something?" "Well, remember our junior year? I almost asked you to go to Homecoming with me, but you announced in homeroom that Ronnie had asked you, so I decided to let you have your fun. I thought it was best that I just maintained being your friend. If there was ever a dance you didn't have a date to, I was willing to offer to take you, but that never happened." "Oh, Chris," she reacted and cupped my face. "I'm sorry. I had an awful time with Ronnie, if that makes you feel any better." "No, of course it doesn't," I responded automatically. Then I smiled. "Well, maybe a little," I admitted thoughtfully and then laughed when she did. "Why was it awful?" "Well, there's a hot chance the guys who took me to the dances thought I was up for more than just a PG-rated good time, but inevitably, they made a move I didn't appreciate or reciprocate, so it ended on a slightly sour note. In most cases, especially at our senior retreat right before graduation, the guy who took me and made a move came up and apologized. It didn't hurt that the example of 'making right some wrongs in life' was given when it came around to the deeper part of the retreat. And that one person mentioned dances certainly helped my case. I believe a lot of girls were given apologies on that weekend, at least from what I heard." "I've always wanted to dance with you," I admitted without realizing I was speaking out loud. "Why can't we?" "What?" I asked. "Go and get your phone," she requested. "Let's dance right here. Right where we officially began. Let's have that dance, Chris." I wasn't sure why it didn't seem crazier to me, but I did as she'd suggested. We both got up at the same time, and when I got back, she was wrapped in the blanket from the floor. I had wrapped the blanket around my waist, so we were both basically covered. And as if we were in high school, she raised her arms up and put them on my shoulders as I held her waist. "Now I; I wanna fall in love;" sang Chris Isaak. It was just as if we were at a high school dance, though I'm sure we'd have been dressed differently. I smiled down at her and leaned in as she put her hands up into my hair. We kissed as we rocked and swayed on the kitchen floor. When the song ended, she nodded as if she knew what I was thinking. We shut off the television (which had been lighting our way throughout our interactions since she'd come down to the kitchen) and headed upstairs still wrapped in our blankets. I was about to ask about the box, but she held them up and laughed as I picked her up and proceeded to prepare her for round two.   Jenn I woke up wrapped up in Chris' arms and smiled. I was naked. I was spent. I was happy. For the past few days, I had found myself wanting so much more than just friendship with Chris, and last night, when he suggested that I go take a bath and relax, well, I did just that. I took a shower first to shave my legs before filling up the tub and relaxing. The more I laid there, the more I wanted; more. And it wasn't just to have sex and "get some," as many would call it. I wanted Chris. I had laid in bed after our movie date and tried to get comfortable, but the more I thought about it, the less restful I became. And then I remembered that I had purchased the condoms and stuck them up in a cupboard assuming Chris wouldn't see them since I was doing most of the cooking anyway. To put them up there, though, I'd had to stand on my tippy toes to do it. And it was while I was attempting to reach for them the night before that I remembered I had been wearing my shoes which happened to have a bigger sole on them which meant I could have reached it just a tiny bit better than had I been barefoot. I smiled to myself as I remembered feeling Chris' body pressed up to mine from behind. What a kitchen encounter indeed. I hadn't realized that he would have been awake. What I had planned to do was grab the box, walk over to check on Chris, wake him with a kiss on the forehead, and hope that it would progress from there. What happened was so much better. Chris stirred behind me, so I turned my face to kiss his cheek before I carefully got up to go and take a shower. Before I could even get out after I was done, Chris had stepped into the tub to join me. I laughed, kissed him heartily, and got out so he could take a shower by himself. We'd never get out if we were to have stayed in there together. We went down to the kitchen wearing just towels. I think we both knew what was bound to happen. I started working on the casserole I'd been planning, and Chris started up the coffeemaker. Since the casserole would take 45 minutes to cook, we had time. Next thing I knew, I was on the kitchen counter being given the most delicious serving of oral sex I'd ever had. He could work that tongue like he knew my every nerve ending. To reward him, you know, since we still had time, and once I had gotten my bearings back, I slid down to the floor and showed him my own talents in the oral department. From the reaction he gave, I suppose I did a rather good job. At least that's what he muttered in his many comments as he regained his own stability again. "Well, that was an excellent appetizer before breakfast, I must say," I noted as I poured the creamer into my coffee. I handed him his dark, "unflavored" savory serving of wake-up juice and winked at him. He just smiled and put the mug to his lips to take his first sip. We talked, held hands, ate, and did the dishes before he led me upstairs where we make love again. Since we had just had another release (each), we went ahead and showered together, got dressed, went for a walk, came back, ate lunch, and then sat on couch to watch a little TV. One look was all it took, and we were at it like teenagers. Our clothes were thrown everywhere, and we did it right there on the couch. We fell asleep all wrapped up in each other covered by a fresh blanket we'd thrown onto the sofa. After our nap, I managed to get up without waking Chris and headed for the bathroom with my clothes. I did my business and got dressed so that I could start dinner. While I was making dinner, Chris flirted endlessly with me. We continued to tease, fondle, play, and (finally) eat. As soon as dinner was done, I began washing the dishes. Alas, the games were not done. Chris took off his shirt, and then he helped me out of my shorts. He then took off his own shorts. I raised my arms to help him take my shirt off and went back to washing the pans. I was almost done. It was when he lost his briefs that I got unruly. I couldn't work fast enough. He unfastened my bra as I let the water out of the sink. I pushed him back against the large, empty counter and then slid off my panties as he climbed onto it (as instructed) before I joined him and climbed onto him to give us both a ride we'd always remember. We laid there on the counter afterwards giggling. I told him I was surprised he hadn't tried to do me from behind while I was doing the dishes. "What? Would I do that?" Chris asked me. Enough time had passed that we were apparently feeling the desire yet again to have another round, especially one as hot and exciting as the new one I'd suggested. Even while he was asking the words of such feigned innocence, I had gotten down and assumed the suggested position while he prepared himself, and healthy orgasms were had, once again, by both of us. We went into the living room to watch a movie, though most of it went unnoticed since we were busy making out and fondling one another amongst giggles and small talk. We turned off the TV as soon as the movie was over, headed upstairs, and made our way to bed. We slept very well that night. The next day was my final day of staying with Chris. I took a shower and packed my things knowing the plan was for me to leave after dinner. He wasn't bringing it up even as I packed my things, so I decided to stay quiet about it also. I had no idea what the plan was moving forward, but I enjoyed everything so far, and I assumed we'd eventually get to the discussion about our relationship. We had a nice, though simple, breakfast, went on our walk, talked about the weather and something we'd seen on the internet news, and sat down in the living room with our water bottles to relax. Just as I was about to turn and ask him about our future, he leaned in and kissed me. Halfway through our make out session, he pointed down at the floor. Before I could ask about the coffee table, he simply put his foot on it to slide it away. It was so hot. I had no idea that simple gesture would affect me the way it did. We both shed our clothes without words, I assumed my position, and more hot sex was had.     After each time we made love, Chris always took the time to touch and kiss me like I was a treasure. There was such a familiarity between us from all the years of being friends, but the fact that he'd always had deeper feelings for me really played a part in how he held me. I felt rather stupid having not ever picked up on the crush he had on me. He admitted that he hid it well, particularly because our friendship meant more. I just hoped that, moving forward, it wouldn't be an issue. We were still friends, pretty much best friends, but so much more. And I wanted that. I wanted him. And I wanted our future to be together. I just needed to tell him that so that we were on the same page. We cleaned up and had lunch together. He fell asleep on the couch, so I used the time to arrange plans for my brother to pick up Chris' rental vehicle, bring it to the house after we had dinner together, and then Luke would drive me back to my house in my car. Chris woke up and walked over to the bathroom before making his way into the kitchen to find me. I was busy stirring the meat on the stove, but that didn't stop him from standing right up to rest against me and slide his hands up my shirt to hold my tits. I laughed a little, but sighed, rested my head against his chest, and turned to look up at him. He bent slowly and placed his lips on mine. I blindly set the spoon down on the stovetop and turned to face him so that I could properly kiss my man. As we were sitting at the dinner table, the mood was slightly sad, but neither of us was saying anything about it. Finally, he spoke up. "Jenn, I meant to tell you," he noted as he set his napkin down on the side of his plate. "Um, yesterday while I was looking at my emails, I read one from my boss. Turns out there's an opening for a position that he's recommending me for to his boss. He thinks I'd be a good fit. "That's great!" I responded and nodded. "You've been wanting this for a while," I added to show him that I really did pay attention to him when he spoke of his job. "So, once I get it, I'll have to report to the office in Denver." "Denver? Oh, so they'd be good with you working remotely? Like, how often would you have to check in or go visit there?" "Oh, uh; No, Jenn," Chris clarified and shook his head. "I'll be moving there. My new territory will be in Colorado, so I'll have to live there. Sorry," he added quickly. "I guess I should have explained that better. Anyway, when I put my house up for sale, you can do that too, you know? We can start a new life there together." "Colorado? Chris, I can't just drop everything and move to another state!" "Yeah, but you run your own business," Chris argued. "You can just start anew in;" "Start anew in a place where I know no one?" I questioned and added emphasis on the final words. Sure, I could network like a champ, but I'd lived in my city my whole life, and this wasn't anywhere close to any place I'd been before. I didn't know anyone in Colorado! "I don't understand. I can't just up and leave my business. My books are full for the next 6 months! I can't;" I stopped talking when the doorbell rang. Oh, my gosh, what was happening? Chris got up to answer the door, so I took our dishes to the sink to wash them quickly. It was important that I left his house the way I found it. As I ran the sponge over the plates, I began to cry. This was not how I thought our final meal would turn out. He was leaving? And he just expected to snap his fingers, and I'd just leave everything behind? How? Why? "How are you feeling, bud?" Luke was asking as the two men walked into the kitchen. I had just finished wiping down the table and counters, so I hung the towel and made my way upstairs to get my bag and things. I looked around and shook my head. Was this really over? As Luke shook Chris' hand, I made eye contact with Luke and nodded. We too had an ability to communicate without speaking. He'd wait in the car while I said my goodbyes. Luke took my stuff and headed outside. "I'm glad we had this week together," I shared and nodded. "I wish you the best of luck. You'll have to let me know when you get the offer and stuff. Thank God for text messages and Facebook, right?" I tried to laugh but my traitor of a quivering lip gave things away. "Jenn, wait," Chris begged. "We can't end like this," he noted. "Good luck, Chris. Keep me posted, alright? I'm so happy for you that you are finally being given your rightly deserved position in the company." I stepped up on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Bye," I added and turned to leave. Chris was never one to overstep, so I knew he wouldn't grab my arm or say anything else. I cried all the way home. Luke was concerned and continued to ask me questions, but once I had convinced him that Chris hadn't hurt me and that I would eventually tell him what was wrong, he left me alone. He made sure I made it into my house safely and carried my things up to my room for me. His wife, Corinne, showed up and waved from the driver's side of the minivan as she waited for Luke to come out to join their little family again. I hugged Luke quickly and nodded again that I'd tell him what had happened that had upset me so much. We had lunch two days later, and all Luke could do was hug me and tell me he was there if I needed him.   Chris I didn't call or text Jenn after she left. I just didn't know what to say or how to explain myself. I had returned to work (remotely as usual) and had a surprise interaction with my boss first thing Monday morning. "Hey, bud," Hector greeted me as he usually did. "Yeah, Colorado is off the table," he stated nonchalantly. "I guess I jumped the gun when offering it to you, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh. "Anyway, it turns out the Robert's nephew is going to be taking the position." To say that I was frozen in shock was an understatement. Hector appeared hesitant to go on when I didn't say anything. "Look, man. So, I confronted Robert about it and told him you were set to take the position next month and had even begun making plans for it." "Oh, I;" I began to argue since nothing had been done, you know, unless you counted throwing away the best thing to ever happen to me over it. You know, if you counted that. And the fact that my boss lied to his boss really infuriated me because it made it look like I had jumped the gun when no paperwork or real offer had been made. "Well, listen," Hector continued. "Hearing that you really thought the position was yours and realizing that I had made the offer to you made Robert feel bad that you did all that and were put in this stupid position. He might have mentioned that it was his wife's nephew, and that he kinda had to offer it to him, blah blah blah. Anyway, I had come prepared. He and I went over your review. It turns out, he is finally on board with that raise and title change you've been requesting. Are you ready to start making the big bucks like you should have been making for at least a year now?" "Hell yeah, boss!" I exclaimed. "That's awesome. Listen, can we talk about things coming up in the next week? I've got this girl;"   Jenn "Oh, honey! You don't have to ring the doorbell!" my mom complained when I showed up to her house on Easter morning. "Mom, I'm carrying six baskets and a dessert. I didn't have a choice." "Oh! Well, come in. Come in!" she stated animatedly as she moved so I could enter the house. "Let's get the baskets set up out back. Your father is hiding the eggs now." Six children and a matching number of my siblings were soon added to the mix, and the hustle and bustle of Easter morning was well on its way. We had all attended the services the night prior, so the fancy clothes we were all wearing were by choice. We were a handsome family, and we knew it. We had plenty of pictures to show us all off on a regular basis. Just as Dad had finished with grace, the doorbell rang. I got up to get it since everyone else seemed to be busy with filling plates and getting last minute serving spoons and such. When the door was opened, I was greeted by a sight which took my breath away. Chris was standing at the door holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a lily plant in the other arm. "Hello, Jenn," he sighed and smiled. "Chris, what are you doing here?" I asked as if on automation. "I mean; Happy Easter, and it's been a while," I added. "But;" "Jenn, just listen, please." "Chris, I;" "Jenn, I love you so much," Chris continued before I could say anything more. "Colorado isn't happening. I'm not leaving," he clarified. "Chris, you shouldn't have;" "I didn't," he answered. "Jenn, who's at the; Oh! Chris! Happy Easter! What a delight to see you! Jenn! Let the man in! Oh! What lovely flowers!" "Happy Easter, Mrs. Sanders," Chris greeted her and allowed her to take the flowers and the large plant out of his arms. "Um, my mom and sister are in the car;" "Well, wonderful!" Mom exclaimed. "Go and get them! We have plenty! John! Set up three more places at the table! Julie, Chris, and Cindy are here!" Before Chris could even turn around, Mom had run outside waving her arms. I guessed she had that part under control, so I took Chris' arm and brought him into the office near the front door and closed the door. "What happened?" I asked. Before he answered, he cupped my cheek. I put my hand on his and felt the tears once again welling up. "So much has happened, and even before I could turn down the Colorado offer;" "Turn it down?" "Well, yeah, Jenn," Chris answered as if it was obvious. "I can't go start a whole new life without my best girl." A tear trickled down my cheek before I could say anything else. I sniffed. "I was going to finish up my six months of clients and come be with you once the last one was wrapped up." "You were?" "Chris, I can't live without you," I explained and felt my lip trembling. "So, no Colorado?" "Robert gave it to his wife's nephew," he answered. "But, babe?" I blinked as if to show him I was still listening and not just staring into his big, beautiful eyes. "I got the promotion and raise I've been waiting for since last year." "You got it?" I whispered and tried to laugh through my tears. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" "For us, Jenn," he corrected. "Now, before anything else happens, can I please kiss you?" For whatever reason, this caused me to cry. I nodded, but I also sobbed. It was a little pathetic, but hugely romantic too. I hurried to grab a tissue, wiped my face, and then wrapped my arms around him with my hand behind his head in hopes to bring it down to mine. "Oh, my gosh, I missed you," Chris whispered before setting his lips on mine. Hmm, those delicious lips I'd been dreaming about and craving were back on mine, and I couldn't get enough of him. "I love you," I sighed as we pulled apart. "My girl," he responded and kissed my forehead. "Uh, guys?" my brother, Luke, yelled through the door. "There are ten adults out here about dying and definitely not eating in anticipation of what's happening in that room. Care to share?" I laughed out loud and wrapped my arms around Chris' neck. "I guess we owe them that, huh?" "Jennifer Sanders, I love you," Chris declared quietly. "Now, I have a crazy idea, but we've waited long enough. Would you want to get married?" "Waited long enough; what; married?" I asked and then gasped. "What; like, today?!" Chris nodded. "I have the rings, babe. I did a lot in the last week. I knew we'd be OK, but this whole Colorado thing put a spin on things neither of us expected. But you said it yourself, Jenn. You were going to come join me. Why wait? Fr. Patrick will come today to marry us. I already spoke with him. I told him everything." I widened my eyes at that. The man had been my coach and teacher in high school. I certainly didn't need him to know that I'd been having wild sex with someone outside of marriage! "What? Chris! You told Father that we had sex?!" While I was speaking at a normal level, yes, you can expect that I certainly whispered that last word. Our families were likely listening at the door! "Well, he asked me directly, and it actually helped our case," Chris justified. "He is set to come over as soon as I text him." He knelt down onto one knee. "So, Jenn, my love, my best friend, my future, will you marry me?" "I think he just asked her to marry him!" Cindy announced. Or at least I was pretty certain it was her. "That was quick!" my mom responded. I laughed and shook my head. "'You had me at hello,'" I quoted and squeezed his hand since he had been holding it. "Yes, and we will do it today." "You don't have to." "'Yes, I do,'" I argued. "'Because I love you.'" Chris smirked and leaned down to put his lips to mine. "'Just remember who said it first,'" he teased and kissed me heartily. When he broke away, he pulled out his phone. "Guys! What's going on?" Chris' mom asked and knocked. "Hello, Fr. Patrick," Chris greeted our favorite priest and teacher. "Yes, sir, she did. Yep, at her house. OK, see you soon." When Chris hung up, he motioned with his head. "Come on. Let's go deal with the restless natives." When he opened the door, ten excited and focused faces, which were either pressed up to the door or turned completely from the dining room table; (because they had to help their little ones with food); met us as we left the room. "Alright, everybody," Chris announced. He was very excited and unusually confident as he greeted the family. It was totally hot to witness. "We've got some news. As some of you know, I was in an accident a short while ago, and when I went home, I had Jenn move in with me to make sure I would be alright. Well, she finally realized that we were (and have been) meant to be together, so what would you all say to us getting married?" Cheers and gasps and laughter (mostly from my brothers) filled the air. Our moms were gasping but crying and hugging and babbling about always knowing. "When?" Luke asked. "Today," Chris answered, and the sudden silence causing us to laugh. "Well," Matthew, my usually observant and generally quiet brother spoke up, "it's not like they need time to get to know each other. I'm up for a wedding if everyone else is. Looks like we finally get to use the backyard for more than just egg hunting and sun tanning. Let's finish eating and get to work! We've got a wedding to prepare for!" I walked over to Matthew and wrapped my arms around him to hug him. His wife, Dina, just smiled and ran her hand up and down his arm. "Congrats, sis," Dina offered and hugged me quickly as I walked back over to see what our moms were saying. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" Julie asked and hugged my mom. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised," my mom answered and walked toward the kitchen with her arm around Chris' mom. "I was just telling her the other day;" I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Luke who was watching me with a smirk on his face. "Told ya things would work themselves out," Luke teased smugly. "Yes, you did, my big little brother," I agreed. "So, do you think I'll have enough flower girls?" "With this family? You'll have everything you'll ever need like always."   Chris We ate Easter lunch as a large family, and had just begun cleaning up, when the doorbell rang. I nodded at Denise, Jenn's mom, and walked over to answer it since I was pretty sure it was Fr. Patrick. "Chris!" Fr. Patrick greeted me and laughed. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" "That's what I'm hearing," I responded and patted his back as I walked him into the kitchen where a plate had been awaiting his arrival. "Father!" both Denise and my mom greeted him with open arms. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice!" "Well, I might have been given a heads up along with a promise of some very fine Easter food," he confessed and sat down while the ladies served him. "Babe?" I whispered to Jenn as she was staring out the window into the backyard. The kids were playing on the large swing set her dad had built when he found out he was going to be a grandfather. "Hmm?" "Babe?" "Yes, Chris?" Jenn answered and turned to give her full attention to me. "There you are," I noted and held her hand. "You're all good with this?" "I'm as comfortable as ever with all of it, actually," she answered. I could tell that she was happy. Really happy. That's all I ever wanted. "So, are we going to talk about the living arrangements, work, church, kids; all that?" "Sure, but not today," she answered calmly. "Today? Today, we're going to stand before our family and tell one another that we do, in fact, plan to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. Today, you're going to take me home to our place and make me your girl with nothing in between us. Today we begin the rest of our lives. As long as it's together, Chris, we'll be doing just fine." "Well, now. That? That I can live with." I responded and brought the woman standing next to me, the woman who held my heart, the woman I was about to marry into my arms and kissed her. About fifteen minutes later, we were married in a beautifully short, small, and intimate ceremony in the backyard. About an hour later, we were cutting a bunny cake and feeding each other small pieces of it with the kids cheering and laughing as they watched us. And about a half hour after that, we were heading home. Luke took care of Jenn's car, and Denise happily offered to take my mom and sister home to their places. Neither seemed to want to leave at that point anyway. As I carried my bride into the house, Jenn rested her head on my shoulder. I set her down in the kitchen and took out my phone to play a song so that we could have our first dance as husband and wife. With the heels she was wearing, we were nearly the same height. We swayed and held one another closely. I was getting a little worked up at the way she kept rubbing against me, but I think it was not only intentional, but also very much mutually rewarding. I slid my hand up her back and played with the zipper of her dress. Jenn smirked and brought her hands down to the buttons of my shirt. With the fact that this was, in fact, our wedding "night," not to mention the first time in over a week that we could finally touch one another again, I was sure that we both had the same idea. It didn't take but 55 seconds for us to be fully undressed. I pulled the blanket off the counter (I had been both optimistic and proactive) and held her as we both laid down onto the kitchen floor. "This seems to be the place where first times are had," Jenn noted and cupped my cheek as I took my position over her. "Definitely the first time making love to my wife," I agreed and leaned down to kiss her deeply. As our bodies became one, we solidified what was always meant to be. I could feel everything, and her moans and reactions told me she felt things she hadn't felt before too. I knew without the condom in the way, it would be different, but this was so much more than that. This was my wife. And as we reached our orgasms, we kissed and held one another tightly. This was the beginning of everything.   Jenn 50 weeks later "Happy Easter, you two!" my mom greeted Chris and me as we stood in the doorway of my childhood home. "Come on, come on! Oh, Chris! Thank you! It's lovely," she offered as she took the new lily plant he'd insisted on bringing. "Just put the pistachio salad on the kitchen counter, please." "Hey! There's my girl!" my dad greeted me and pointed at my belly. "How's it going?" "They say any day, but if it's not soon, Dad, I may just reach up there and;" "Oh, ho, ho, kay!" Chris announced as he slid up to take my hand. "It'll happen when it's time, sweetheart," he reminded me and kissed my temple. "Girl, don't I know how you feel!" Corinne told me and laughed. "You know that's right!" Dina declared. "They aren't lying!" Carli, Mark's wife, yelled from the bedroom where she must have been changing one of the little one's diapers. Just as Mom announced that it was time to eat, the doorbell rang. Chris went to answer it knowing it would be his mom and sister. As we finished the prayer before the meal, I yelped when I felt a sudden gush. "Oops!" I exclaimed and jumped up causing my chair to slide back to the counter. "Baby?" Chris questioned as he buttered his roll. "Baby!" my three sisters-in-law all declared and pointed down at my (now) wet dress. "Ah!" my younger brothers screamed as Luke shook his head and pointed at Chris. "You have the bag, right?" Luke asked calmly. "Been in the car since she was seven months," Chris answered. He'd shoved the roll in his mouth and gotten up as soon as the wet dress was brought to his attention. "And away we go," Luke addressed and followed us out of the house to get into his own car which he'd driven there. He had made all sorts of arrangements to make sure he was going to be at the birth of his godson.   Chris As my wife finally got her chance to relax after the birth of our sons, I took a seat on the bed next to her. "They're beautiful, babe," I praised and kissed her temple. She pressed her head into my lips to share in the special moment. "You did a great job making them," I added. "We sure did," Jenn agreed and looked into my eyes until I brought my lips down onto hers. "Knock, knock!" our mothers announced as they stood in the doorway. "Where are my grandsons?" Denise questioned and then tossed her purse at John as she spotted the bassinets. "Oh! There they are!" One thing Jenn and I had requested was that no one, not even the grandmothers, would just be expecting to grab babies and pass them around. Both grandmothers respectfully hovered over the contraptions which held our sons, so I nodded at John before getting up to introduce them to their relatives. "Steven John David," I stated as I reached down to pick up our first-born son, "may I introduce you to your grandmothers." I handed him to Denise seeing as her husband was the namesake behind one of the middle names. Steven had been the name of a classmate we'd had who had passed away during our senior year. We'd both held him in high regard and felt the name was fitting. "Nicholas Luke Patrick," I continued, "I'd like to introduce you to your grandmothers as well. You were named for my father, your godfather, and a priest who means the world to your mother and me." "Steven John David, you will be loved so much by this family," Denise whispered and smiled at her husband. "Welcome to the world, Nicholas Luke Patrick," my mom greeted my other son. That night, after aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a special visiting priest had left our room so that we could spend our first night alone as a family of four, I laid down next to my wife and the amazing mother of my sons. "Happy Easter, sweetheart," I whispered and kissed her shoulder as she fed our son. "Happy Easter, my love," she whispered back and rubbed her thumb over Steven's hair. Nicholas was still asleep in the bassinet, so we were taking the opportunity to spend some alone time with our firstborn. "Happy Anniversary too," she added and sniffed a laugh. "It was a year ago today that we had our first kitchen encounter." "Well, doesn't that make this date even more special?" I responded and leaned down to kiss her lips. Much like our life had been since our whirlwind romance and wedding, I knew bringing home twin sons and learning to adjust to this new part of our lives was just going to be as wonderful as the rest of our life together had been. I settled back against my best friend, the mother of my children, and let out a relaxed sigh. Life was good, and I couldn't wait to see what else it had in store. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Viele Männer glauben, dass Frauen „kompliziert“ sind. Aber die Wahrheit ist: Frauen sind nicht kompliziert – Männer verstehen sie nur falsch. In diesem Video zeigt dir Dating Coach Hendrik Mati, welche psychologischen Muster Frauen in der Kennenlernphase zeigen – und warum du manchmal Anziehung erzeugst und manchmal in der Friendzone landest, obwohl du „alles richtig“ machst. Wenn du diese Unterschiede nicht erkennst, wirst du immer wieder:

Friendzone Fix: Part 2. Blame the biological clock, or a burst of courage.. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders continue to tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them finish telling just how it happened. "Chris," she whispered against my lips and then turned her head before leading us into a deeper kiss. Our tongues mingled while our hands roamed. She turned her body and pressed it to me as if she was trying to become part of me. "Come with me," I requested and reached for her hand. She shook her head and pointed down at the ground. "Now. Right here," she answered back. "I need you." "Hold; hold that thought," I advised and held up a finger to show her it would only be a second. I ran into the living room to get a blanket and flew back into the kitchen because I was no fool. I needed this too. "Here's awesome, but the floor is cold," I explained. I dropped the blanket and then scooped Jenn up off her feet. Her squeal only made me want this more. We kissed and pressed into each other like we couldn't get enough. In that moment, I know I certainly couldn't. I tore off my shirt and watched in amazement as she did the same with her own. No bra; just gorgeous tits I'd basically only envisioned and dreamed about more than I cared to admit. I saw her reach over to collect the condoms off the counter before she tossed them onto the blanket as she knelt down onto it. "Join me," she requested and reached for her panties to slide them down. I went ahead and lost my shorts and briefs before descending to the floor myself. The moment I felt her naked body against mine, I knew we were moments from something I had only ever dreamed possible. "Is this happening?" I asked quietly as I slid my hand down her back and over her fine, fine ass. This woman had the best ass. "You're gonna find out real soon," Jenn assured me and slid her leg up mine. "At least I hope you will," she added. I hurried to put the protection on and moaned as she licked a particularly sensitive area on my neck. "Good Lord, woman," I warned and growled as I set myself up to enter her. "Yes," she hissed and placed her heels on my butt. "Now, Chris. I need you now," she pleaded. I didn't need to be told twice, so I made sure I was lined up and began my approach. Yes, it had been a while (a long while) since I'd had sex. I hadn't heard Jenn mention anyone she'd dated for longer than a week or two in over a year. I couldn't imagine that she'd had any activity in recent history either. The moan she let out when I was fully inside her told me I was exactly what she needed at that moment though. I think my own noise told her the same. "Chris, yes," she hissed and ran her fingernails along my back. "Why did it take so long for us to do this?" she asked. "No idea," I answered with what little brain activity I could muster since most of the blood in my entire body seemed to be inside my cock at the moment. "I'm; Jenn, I'm not gonna last," I confessed. "I'm already close," she responded. "You feel so good. You feel so; gosh, Chris. It's so good," she repeated. "If I promise to last longer next time;" "Go ahead," Jenn breathed. "Just keep going," she begged. "I'm; gonna; oh!" she cried out and contracted all around my shaft until I couldn't take it anymore. I thrust into her and came hard. "Chris," Jenn whispered after a minute. I wasn't seeing stars any longer, so that was good. I turned to face her and kissed her shoulder. "Hmm, would you kiss me?" Like she had to ask. I cupped her face with one hand as the other held me up and kissed her with so much emotion, I thought for sure that I was going to shed a tear myself. It was as I pulled away from her that I realized I was still inside her. "Oh, uh;" I stuttered. "Let me get rid of this," I suggested and took care of the minor mess before I headed into the living room to collect another blanket to cover us with. I knew we wouldn't be staying in the kitchen, but for that short period of time, we were going to stick around until we decided what to do next. I laid down next to her, and what surprised me was that she snuggled right into my side like she belonged there. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple. She turned to look up at me and kissed my chin. I leaned down and kissed her lips until we ended up making out. It was all so; natural. "I have a confession to make," she admitted as she ran her finger over my chest. "Oh?" "I bought them when I picked up your prescriptions," she confessed and pointed to the box. "I had a feeling from the moment we held hands. I; I didn't realize there could be;" I inhaled deeply and turned to lie on my side and placed my head on my hand with my elbow holding it up. "If we're giving confessions, I have one as well." "Go ahead," Jenn invited and smiled as she let her fingertips glide along my side up to my neck. "I've had a crush on you since high school, Jenn," I admitted and watched her face. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?" Jenn tilted her head. "So, all this time, you've;" "Oh, well, yeah, I mean; if you'd have shown any interest in me throughout these years, I would have totally gone for it, but I value your friendship more than anything, and I was afraid you might not appreciate hearing that I liked you as more than a friend, so I just tucked it away." "But; in high school? Why didn't you say something?" "Well, remember our junior year? I almost asked you to go to Homecoming with me, but you announced in homeroom that Ronnie had asked you, so I decided to let you have your fun. I thought it was best that I just maintained being your friend. If there was ever a dance you didn't have a date to, I was willing to offer to take you, but that never happened." "Oh, Chris," she reacted and cupped my face. "I'm sorry. I had an awful time with Ronnie, if that makes you feel any better." "No, of course it doesn't," I responded automatically. Then I smiled. "Well, maybe a little," I admitted thoughtfully and then laughed when she did. "Why was it awful?" "Well, there's a hot chance the guys who took me to the dances thought I was up for more than just a PG-rated good time, but inevitably, they made a move I didn't appreciate or reciprocate, so it ended on a slightly sour note. In most cases, especially at our senior retreat right before graduation, the guy who took me and made a move came up and apologized. It didn't hurt that the example of 'making right some wrongs in life' was given when it came around to the deeper part of the retreat. And that one person mentioned dances certainly helped my case. I believe a lot of girls were given apologies on that weekend, at least from what I heard." "I've always wanted to dance with you," I admitted without realizing I was speaking out loud. "Why can't we?" "What?" I asked. "Go and get your phone," she requested. "Let's dance right here. Right where we officially began. Let's have that dance, Chris." I wasn't sure why it didn't seem crazier to me, but I did as she'd suggested. We both got up at the same time, and when I got back, she was wrapped in the blanket from the floor. I had wrapped the blanket around my waist, so we were both basically covered. And as if we were in high school, she raised her arms up and put them on my shoulders as I held her waist. "Now I; I wanna fall in love;" sang Chris Isaak. It was just as if we were at a high school dance, though I'm sure we'd have been dressed differently. I smiled down at her and leaned in as she put her hands up into my hair. We kissed as we rocked and swayed on the kitchen floor. When the song ended, she nodded as if she knew what I was thinking. We shut off the television (which had been lighting our way throughout our interactions since she'd come down to the kitchen) and headed upstairs still wrapped in our blankets. I was about to ask about the box, but she held them up and laughed as I picked her up and proceeded to prepare her for round two.   Jenn I woke up wrapped up in Chris' arms and smiled. I was naked. I was spent. I was happy. For the past few days, I had found myself wanting so much more than just friendship with Chris, and last night, when he suggested that I go take a bath and relax, well, I did just that. I took a shower first to shave my legs before filling up the tub and relaxing. The more I laid there, the more I wanted; more. And it wasn't just to have sex and "get some," as many would call it. I wanted Chris. I had laid in bed after our movie date and tried to get comfortable, but the more I thought about it, the less restful I became. And then I remembered that I had purchased the condoms and stuck them up in a cupboard assuming Chris wouldn't see them since I was doing most of the cooking anyway. To put them up there, though, I'd had to stand on my tippy toes to do it. And it was while I was attempting to reach for them the night before that I remembered I had been wearing my shoes which happened to have a bigger sole on them which meant I could have reached it just a tiny bit better than had I been barefoot. I smiled to myself as I remembered feeling Chris' body pressed up to mine from behind. What a kitchen encounter indeed. I hadn't realized that he would have been awake. What I had planned to do was grab the box, walk over to check on Chris, wake him with a kiss on the forehead, and hope that it would progress from there. What happened was so much better. Chris stirred behind me, so I turned my face to kiss his cheek before I carefully got up to go and take a shower. Before I could even get out after I was done, Chris had stepped into the tub to join me. I laughed, kissed him heartily, and got out so he could take a shower by himself. We'd never get out if we were to have stayed in there together. We went down to the kitchen wearing just towels. I think we both knew what was bound to happen. I started working on the casserole I'd been planning, and Chris started up the coffeemaker. Since the casserole would take 45 minutes to cook, we had time. Next thing I knew, I was on the kitchen counter being given the most delicious serving of oral sex I'd ever had. He could work that tongue like he knew my every nerve ending. To reward him, you know, since we still had time, and once I had gotten my bearings back, I slid down to the floor and showed him my own talents in the oral department. From the reaction he gave, I suppose I did a rather good job. At least that's what he muttered in his many comments as he regained his own stability again. "Well, that was an excellent appetizer before breakfast, I must say," I noted as I poured the creamer into my coffee. I handed him his dark, "unflavored" savory serving of wake-up juice and winked at him. He just smiled and put the mug to his lips to take his first sip. We talked, held hands, ate, and did the dishes before he led me upstairs where we make love again. Since we had just had another release (each), we went ahead and showered together, got dressed, went for a walk, came back, ate lunch, and then sat on couch to watch a little TV. One look was all it took, and we were at it like teenagers. Our clothes were thrown everywhere, and we did it right there on the couch. We fell asleep all wrapped up in each other covered by a fresh blanket we'd thrown onto the sofa. After our nap, I managed to get up without waking Chris and headed for the bathroom with my clothes. I did my business and got dressed so that I could start dinner. While I was making dinner, Chris flirted endlessly with me. We continued to tease, fondle, play, and (finally) eat. As soon as dinner was done, I began washing the dishes. Alas, the games were not done. Chris took off his shirt, and then he helped me out of my shorts. He then took off his own shorts. I raised my arms to help him take my shirt off and went back to washing the pans. I was almost done. It was when he lost his briefs that I got unruly. I couldn't work fast enough. He unfastened my bra as I let the water out of the sink. I pushed him back against the large, empty counter and then slid off my panties as he climbed onto it (as instructed) before I joined him and climbed onto him to give us both a ride we'd always remember. We laid there on the counter afterwards giggling. I told him I was surprised he hadn't tried to do me from behind while I was doing the dishes. "What? Would I do that?" Chris asked me. Enough time had passed that we were apparently feeling the desire yet again to have another round, especially one as hot and exciting as the new one I'd suggested. Even while he was asking the words of such feigned innocence, I had gotten down and assumed the suggested position while he prepared himself, and healthy orgasms were had, once again, by both of us. We went into the living room to watch a movie, though most of it went unnoticed since we were busy making out and fondling one another amongst giggles and small talk. We turned off the TV as soon as the movie was over, headed upstairs, and made our way to bed. We slept very well that night. The next day was my final day of staying with Chris. I took a shower and packed my things knowing the plan was for me to leave after dinner. He wasn't bringing it up even as I packed my things, so I decided to stay quiet about it also. I had no idea what the plan was moving forward, but I enjoyed everything so far, and I assumed we'd eventually get to the discussion about our relationship. We had a nice, though simple, breakfast, went on our walk, talked about the weather and something we'd seen on the internet news, and sat down in the living room with our water bottles to relax. Just as I was about to turn and ask him about our future, he leaned in and kissed me. Halfway through our make out session, he pointed down at the floor. Before I could ask about the coffee table, he simply put his foot on it to slide it away. It was so hot. I had no idea that simple gesture would affect me the way it did. We both shed our clothes without words, I assumed my position, and more hot sex was had.     After each time we made love, Chris always took the time to touch and kiss me like I was a treasure. There was such a familiarity between us from all the years of being friends, but the fact that he'd always had deeper feelings for me really played a part in how he held me. I felt rather stupid having not ever picked up on the crush he had on me. He admitted that he hid it well, particularly because our friendship meant more. I just hoped that, moving forward, it wouldn't be an issue. We were still friends, pretty much best friends, but so much more. And I wanted that. I wanted him. And I wanted our future to be together. I just needed to tell him that so that we were on the same page. We cleaned up and had lunch together. He fell asleep on the couch, so I used the time to arrange plans for my brother to pick up Chris' rental vehicle, bring it to the house after we had dinner together, and then Luke would drive me back to my house in my car. Chris woke up and walked over to the bathroom before making his way into the kitchen to find me. I was busy stirring the meat on the stove, but that didn't stop him from standing right up to rest against me and slide his hands up my shirt to hold my tits. I laughed a little, but sighed, rested my head against his chest, and turned to look up at him. He bent slowly and placed his lips on mine. I blindly set the spoon down on the stovetop and turned to face him so that I could properly kiss my man. As we were sitting at the dinner table, the mood was slightly sad, but neither of us was saying anything about it. Finally, he spoke up. "Jenn, I meant to tell you," he noted as he set his napkin down on the side of his plate. "Um, yesterday while I was looking at my emails, I read one from my boss. Turns out there's an opening for a position that he's recommending me for to his boss. He thinks I'd be a good fit. "That's great!" I responded and nodded. "You've been wanting this for a while," I added to show him that I really did pay attention to him when he spoke of his job. "So, once I get it, I'll have to report to the office in Denver." "Denver? Oh, so they'd be good with you working remotely? Like, how often would you have to check in or go visit there?" "Oh, uh; No, Jenn," Chris clarified and shook his head. "I'll be moving there. My new territory will be in Colorado, so I'll have to live there. Sorry," he added quickly. "I guess I should have explained that better. Anyway, when I put my house up for sale, you can do that too, you know? We can start a new life there together." "Colorado? Chris, I can't just drop everything and move to another state!" "Yeah, but you run your own business," Chris argued. "You can just start anew in;" "Start anew in a place where I know no one?" I questioned and added emphasis on the final words. Sure, I could network like a champ, but I'd lived in my city my whole life, and this wasn't anywhere close to any place I'd been before. I didn't know anyone in Colorado! "I don't understand. I can't just up and leave my business. My books are full for the next 6 months! I can't;" I stopped talking when the doorbell rang. Oh, my gosh, what was happening? Chris got up to answer the door, so I took our dishes to the sink to wash them quickly. It was important that I left his house the way I found it. As I ran the sponge over the plates, I began to cry. This was not how I thought our final meal would turn out. He was leaving? And he just expected to snap his fingers, and I'd just leave everything behind? How? Why? "How are you feeling, bud?" Luke was asking as the two men walked into the kitchen. I had just finished wiping down the table and counters, so I hung the towel and made my way upstairs to get my bag and things. I looked around and shook my head. Was this really over? As Luke shook Chris' hand, I made eye contact with Luke and nodded. We too had an ability to communicate without speaking. He'd wait in the car while I said my goodbyes. Luke took my stuff and headed outside. "I'm glad we had this week together," I shared and nodded. "I wish you the best of luck. You'll have to let me know when you get the offer and stuff. Thank God for text messages and Facebook, right?" I tried to laugh but my traitor of a quivering lip gave things away. "Jenn, wait," Chris begged. "We can't end like this," he noted. "Good luck, Chris. Keep me posted, alright? I'm so happy for you that you are finally being given your rightly deserved position in the company." I stepped up on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Bye," I added and turned to leave. Chris was never one to overstep, so I knew he wouldn't grab my arm or say anything else. I cried all the way home. Luke was concerned and continued to ask me questions, but once I had convinced him that Chris hadn't hurt me and that I would eventually tell him what was wrong, he left me alone. He made sure I made it into my house safely and carried my things up to my room for me. His wife, Corinne, showed up and waved from the driver's side of the minivan as she waited for Luke to come out to join their little family again. I hugged Luke quickly and nodded again that I'd tell him what had happened that had upset me so much. We had lunch two days later, and all Luke could do was hug me and tell me he was there if I needed him.   Chris I didn't call or text Jenn after she left. I just didn't know what to say or how to explain myself. I had returned to work (remotely as usual) and had a surprise interaction with my boss first thing Monday morning. "Hey, bud," Hector greeted me as he usually did. "Yeah, Colorado is off the table," he stated nonchalantly. "I guess I jumped the gun when offering it to you, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh. "Anyway, it turns out the Robert's nephew is going to be taking the position." To say that I was frozen in shock was an understatement. Hector appeared hesitant to go on when I didn't say anything. "Look, man. So, I confronted Robert about it and told him you were set to take the position next month and had even begun making plans for it." "Oh, I;" I began to argue since nothing had been done, you know, unless you counted throwing away the best thing to ever happen to me over it. You know, if you counted that. And the fact that my boss lied to his boss really infuriated me because it made it look like I had jumped the gun when no paperwork or real offer had been made. "Well, listen," Hector continued. "Hearing that you really thought the position was yours and realizing that I had made the offer to you made Robert feel bad that you did all that and were put in this stupid position. He might have mentioned that it was his wife's nephew, and that he kinda had to offer it to him, blah blah blah. Anyway, I had come prepared. He and I went over your review. It turns out, he is finally on board with that raise and title change you've been requesting. Are you ready to start making the big bucks like you should have been making for at least a year now?" "Hell yeah, boss!" I exclaimed. "That's awesome. Listen, can we talk about things coming up in the next week? I've got this girl;"   Jenn "Oh, honey! You don't have to ring the doorbell!" my mom complained when I showed up to her house on Easter morning. "Mom, I'm carrying six baskets and a dessert. I didn't have a choice." "Oh! Well, come in. Come in!" she stated animatedly as she moved so I could enter the house. "Let's get the baskets set up out back. Your father is hiding the eggs now." Six children and a matching number of my siblings were soon added to the mix, and the hustle and bustle of Easter morning was well on its way. We had all attended the services the night prior, so the fancy clothes we were all wearing were by choice. We were a handsome family, and we knew it. We had plenty of pictures to show us all off on a regular basis. Just as Dad had finished with grace, the doorbell rang. I got up to get it since everyone else seemed to be busy with filling plates and getting last minute serving spoons and such. When the door was opened, I was greeted by a sight which took my breath away. Chris was standing at the door holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a lily plant in the other arm. "Hello, Jenn," he sighed and smiled. "Chris, what are you doing here?" I asked as if on automation. "I mean; Happy Easter, and it's been a while," I added. "But;" "Jenn, just listen, please." "Chris, I;" "Jenn, I love you so much," Chris continued before I could say anything more. "Colorado isn't happening. I'm not leaving," he clarified. "Chris, you shouldn't have;" "I didn't," he answered. "Jenn, who's at the; Oh! Chris! Happy Easter! What a delight to see you! Jenn! Let the man in! Oh! What lovely flowers!" "Happy Easter, Mrs. Sanders," Chris greeted her and allowed her to take the flowers and the large plant out of his arms. "Um, my mom and sister are in the car;" "Well, wonderful!" Mom exclaimed. "Go and get them! We have plenty! John! Set up three more places at the table! Julie, Chris, and Cindy are here!" Before Chris could even turn around, Mom had run outside waving her arms. I guessed she had that part under control, so I took Chris' arm and brought him into the office near the front door and closed the door. "What happened?" I asked. Before he answered, he cupped my cheek. I put my hand on his and felt the tears once again welling up. "So much has happened, and even before I could turn down the Colorado offer;" "Turn it down?" "Well, yeah, Jenn," Chris answered as if it was obvious. "I can't go start a whole new life without my best girl." A tear trickled down my cheek before I could say anything else. I sniffed. "I was going to finish up my six months of clients and come be with you once the last one was wrapped up." "You were?" "Chris, I can't live without you," I explained and felt my lip trembling. "So, no Colorado?" "Robert gave it to his wife's nephew," he answered. "But, babe?" I blinked as if to show him I was still listening and not just staring into his big, beautiful eyes. "I got the promotion and raise I've been waiting for since last year." "You got it?" I whispered and tried to laugh through my tears. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" "For us, Jenn," he corrected. "Now, before anything else happens, can I please kiss you?" For whatever reason, this caused me to cry. I nodded, but I also sobbed. It was a little pathetic, but hugely romantic too. I hurried to grab a tissue, wiped my face, and then wrapped my arms around him with my hand behind his head in hopes to bring it down to mine. "Oh, my gosh, I missed you," Chris whispered before setting his lips on mine. Hmm, those delicious lips I'd been dreaming about and craving were back on mine, and I couldn't get enough of him. "I love you," I sighed as we pulled apart. "My girl," he responded and kissed my forehead. "Uh, guys?" my brother, Luke, yelled through the door. "There are ten adults out here about dying and definitely not eating in anticipation of what's happening in that room. Care to share?" I laughed out loud and wrapped my arms around Chris' neck. "I guess we owe them that, huh?" "Jennifer Sanders, I love you," Chris declared quietly. "Now, I have a crazy idea, but we've waited long enough. Would you want to get married?" "Waited long enough; what; married?" I asked and then gasped. "What; like, today?!" Chris nodded. "I have the rings, babe. I did a lot in the last week. I knew we'd be OK, but this whole Colorado thing put a spin on things neither of us expected. But you said it yourself, Jenn. You were going to come join me. Why wait? Fr. Patrick will come today to marry us. I already spoke with him. I told him everything." I widened my eyes at that. The man had been my coach and teacher in high school. I certainly didn't need him to know that I'd been having wild sex with someone outside of marriage! "What? Chris! You told Father that we had sex?!" While I was speaking at a normal level, yes, you can expect that I certainly whispered that last word. Our families were likely listening at the door! "Well, he asked me directly, and it actually helped our case," Chris justified. "He is set to come over as soon as I text him." He knelt down onto one knee. "So, Jenn, my love, my best friend, my future, will you marry me?" "I think he just asked her to marry him!" Cindy announced. Or at least I was pretty certain it was her. "That was quick!" my mom responded. I laughed and shook my head. "'You had me at hello,'" I quoted and squeezed his hand since he had been holding it. "Yes, and we will do it today." "You don't have to." "'Yes, I do,'" I argued. "'Because I love you.'" Chris smirked and leaned down to put his lips to mine. "'Just remember who said it first,'" he teased and kissed me heartily. When he broke away, he pulled out his phone. "Guys! What's going on?" Chris' mom asked and knocked. "Hello, Fr. Patrick," Chris greeted our favorite priest and teacher. "Yes, sir, she did. Yep, at her house. OK, see you soon." When Chris hung up, he motioned with his head. "Come on. Let's go deal with the restless natives." When he opened the door, ten excited and focused faces, which were either pressed up to the door or turned completely from the dining room table; (because they had to help their little ones with food); met us as we left the room. "Alright, everybody," Chris announced. He was very excited and unusually confident as he greeted the family. It was totally hot to witness. "We've got some news. As some of you know, I was in an accident a short while ago, and when I went home, I had Jenn move in with me to make sure I would be alright. Well, she finally realized that we were (and have been) meant to be together, so what would you all say to us getting married?" Cheers and gasps and laughter (mostly from my brothers) filled the air. Our moms were gasping but crying and hugging and babbling about always knowing. "When?" Luke asked. "Today," Chris answered, and the sudden silence causing us to laugh. "Well," Matthew, my usually observant and generally quiet brother spoke up, "it's not like they need time to get to know each other. I'm up for a wedding if everyone else is. Looks like we finally get to use the backyard for more than just egg hunting and sun tanning. Let's finish eating and get to work! We've got a wedding to prepare for!" I walked over to Matthew and wrapped my arms around him to hug him. His wife, Dina, just smiled and ran her hand up and down his arm. "Congrats, sis," Dina offered and hugged me quickly as I walked back over to see what our moms were saying. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" Julie asked and hugged my mom. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised," my mom answered and walked toward the kitchen with her arm around Chris' mom. "I was just telling her the other day;" I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Luke who was watching me with a smirk on his face. "Told ya things would work themselves out," Luke teased smugly. "Yes, you did, my big little brother," I agreed. "So, do you think I'll have enough flower girls?" "With this family? You'll have everything you'll ever need like always."   Chris We ate Easter lunch as a large family, and had just begun cleaning up, when the doorbell rang. I nodded at Denise, Jenn's mom, and walked over to answer it since I was pretty sure it was Fr. Patrick. "Chris!" Fr. Patrick greeted me and laughed. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" "That's what I'm hearing," I responded and patted his back as I walked him into the kitchen where a plate had been awaiting his arrival. "Father!" both Denise and my mom greeted him with open arms. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice!" "Well, I might have been given a heads up along with a promise of some very fine Easter food," he confessed and sat down while the ladies served him. "Babe?" I whispered to Jenn as she was staring out the window into the backyard. The kids were playing on the large swing set her dad had built when he found out he was going to be a grandfather. "Hmm?" "Babe?" "Yes, Chris?" Jenn answered and turned to give her full attention to me. "There you are," I noted and held her hand. "You're all good with this?" "I'm as comfortable as ever with all of it, actually," she answered. I could tell that she was happy. Really happy. That's all I ever wanted. "So, are we going to talk about the living arrangements, work, church, kids; all that?" "Sure, but not today," she answered calmly. "Today? Today, we're going to stand before our family and tell one another that we do, in fact, plan to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. Today, you're going to take me home to our place and make me your girl with nothing in between us. Today we begin the rest of our lives. As long as it's together, Chris, we'll be doing just fine." "Well, now. That? That I can live with." I responded and brought the woman standing next to me, the woman who held my heart, the woman I was about to marry into my arms and kissed her. About fifteen minutes later, we were married in a beautifully short, small, and intimate ceremony in the backyard. About an hour later, we were cutting a bunny cake and feeding each other small pieces of it with the kids cheering and laughing as they watched us. And about a half hour after that, we were heading home. Luke took care of Jenn's car, and Denise happily offered to take my mom and sister home to their places. Neither seemed to want to leave at that point anyway. As I carried my bride into the house, Jenn rested her head on my shoulder. I set her down in the kitchen and took out my phone to play a song so that we could have our first dance as husband and wife. With the heels she was wearing, we were nearly the same height. We swayed and held one another closely. I was getting a little worked up at the way she kept rubbing against me, but I think it was not only intentional, but also very much mutually rewarding. I slid my hand up her back and played with the zipper of her dress. Jenn smirked and brought her hands down to the buttons of my shirt. With the fact that this was, in fact, our wedding "night," not to mention the first time in over a week that we could finally touch one another again, I was sure that we both had the same idea. It didn't take but 55 seconds for us to be fully undressed. I pulled the blanket off the counter (I had been both optimistic and proactive) and held her as we both laid down onto the kitchen floor. "This seems to be the place where first times are had," Jenn noted and cupped my cheek as I took my position over her. "Definitely the first time making love to my wife," I agreed and leaned down to kiss her deeply. As our bodies became one, we solidified what was always meant to be. I could feel everything, and her moans and reactions told me she felt things she hadn't felt before too. I knew without the condom in the way, it would be different, but this was so much more than that. This was my wife. And as we reached our orgasms, we kissed and held one another tightly. This was the beginning of everything.   Jenn 50 weeks later "Happy Easter, you two!" my mom greeted Chris and me as we stood in the doorway of my childhood home. "Come on, come on! Oh, Chris! Thank you! It's lovely," she offered as she took the new lily plant he'd insisted on bringing. "Just put the pistachio salad on the kitchen counter, please." "Hey! There's my girl!" my dad greeted me and pointed at my belly. "How's it going?" "They say any day, but if it's not soon, Dad, I may just reach up there and;" "Oh, ho, ho, kay!" Chris announced as he slid up to take my hand. "It'll happen when it's time, sweetheart," he reminded me and kissed my temple. "Girl, don't I know how you feel!" Corinne told me and laughed. "You know that's right!" Dina declared. "They aren't lying!" Carli, Mark's wife, yelled from the bedroom where she must have been changing one of the little one's diapers. Just as Mom announced that it was time to eat, the doorbell rang. Chris went to answer it knowing it would be his mom and sister. As we finished the prayer before the meal, I yelped when I felt a sudden gush. "Oops!" I exclaimed and jumped up causing my chair to slide back to the counter. "Baby?" Chris questioned as he buttered his roll. "Baby!" my three sisters-in-law all declared and pointed down at my (now) wet dress. "Ah!" my younger brothers screamed as Luke shook his head and pointed at Chris. "You have the bag, right?" Luke asked calmly. "Been in the car since she was seven months," Chris answered. He'd shoved the roll in his mouth and gotten up as soon as the wet dress was brought to his attention. "And away we go," Luke addressed and followed us out of the house to get into his own car which he'd driven there. He had made all sorts of arrangements to make sure he was going to be at the birth of his godson.   Chris As my wife finally got her chance to relax after the birth of our sons, I took a seat on the bed next to her. "They're beautiful, babe," I praised and kissed her temple. She pressed her head into my lips to share in the special moment. "You did a great job making them," I added. "We sure did," Jenn agreed and looked into my eyes until I brought my lips down onto hers. "Knock, knock!" our mothers announced as they stood in the doorway. "Where are my grandsons?" Denise questioned and then tossed her purse at John as she spotted the bassinets. "Oh! There they are!" One thing Jenn and I had requested was that no one, not even the grandmothers, would just be expecting to grab babies and pass them around. Both grandmothers respectfully hovered over the contraptions which held our sons, so I nodded at John before getting up to introduce them to their relatives. "Steven John David," I stated as I reached down to pick up our first-born son, "may I introduce you to your grandmothers." I handed him to Denise seeing as her husband was the namesake behind one of the middle names. Steven had been the name of a classmate we'd had who had passed away during our senior year. We'd both held him in high regard and felt the name was fitting. "Nicholas Luke Patrick," I continued, "I'd like to introduce you to your grandmothers as well. You were named for my father, your godfather, and a priest who means the world to your mother and me." "Steven John David, you will be loved so much by this family," Denise whispered and smiled at her husband. "Welcome to the world, Nicholas Luke Patrick," my mom greeted my other son. That night, after aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a special visiting priest had left our room so that we could spend our first night alone as a family of four, I laid down next to my wife and the amazing mother of my sons. "Happy Easter, sweetheart," I whispered and kissed her shoulder as she fed our son. "Happy Easter, my love," she whispered back and rubbed her thumb over Steven's hair. Nicholas was still asleep in the bassinet, so we were taking the opportunity to spend some alone time with our firstborn. "Happy Anniversary too," she added and sniffed a laugh. "It was a year ago today that we had our first kitchen encounter." "Well, doesn't that make this date even more special?" I responded and leaned down to kiss her lips. Much like our life had been since our whirlwind romance and wedding, I knew bringing home twin sons and learning to adjust to this new part of our lives was just going to be as wonderful as the rest of our life together had been. I settled back against my best friend, the mother of my children, and let out a relaxed sigh. Life was good, and I couldn't wait to see what else it had in store. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

In diesem Video beantworte ich 10 brutale Dating-Fragen, die sich fast jeder Mann irgendwann stellt – ehrlich, direkt und ohne Filter. Ich sitze in Málaga am Strand, spreche über meine Erfahrungen aus über 350 Coachings mit Männern über 30, und erkläre, woran es wirklich liegt, dass so viele erfolgreiche Männer beim Dating scheitern – obwohl sie im Leben eigentlich alles erreicht haben. Wenn du dich jemals gefragt hast, warum Frauen dich plötzlich ghosten, warum sie sich distanziert verhalten, warum du ständig in der Friendzone landest oder warum deine Dates nie zu etwas Echtem führen, dann musst du dieses Video sehen. Ich spreche offen über die psychologischen Mechanismen im Dating, die kaum ein Mann versteht – über weibliche Tests, über Neediness, über die Energie, die du ausstrahlst, und warum Frauen unbewusst spüren, ob du wirklich in deiner maskulinen Kraft bist oder nicht. Die meisten Männer suchen ständig nach irgendwelchen Tricks, Strategien oder Sprüchen – doch das eigentliche Problem sitzt tiefer. Es geht nicht darum, was du schreibst oder sagst, sondern wer du bist, wenn du mit einer Frau sprichst. Frauen spüren, ob du dich selbst führst oder geführt wirst. Sie spüren, ob du in dir ruhst oder dich verstellen musst. In diesem Video bekommst du ehrliche Antworten auf Fragen wie: – Warum reagieren Frauen oft kühl, obwohl sie dich attraktiv finden? – Wie testet dich eine Frau wirklich – und wie bestehst du diese Tests? – Warum verlieren erfolgreiche Männer beim Dating oft ihre Anziehungskraft? – Wie kannst du emotionale Spannung aufbauen, ohne needy zu wirken? – Und: Wie lernst du Frauen kennen, die dich wirklich wollen – ohne Spielchen und Masken? Wenn du als Karrieremann, Unternehmer oder Akademiker merkst, dass du im Dating nicht das bekommst, was du verdienst, dann liegt das nicht an deinem Aussehen, deinem Alter oder deinem Erfolg – sondern an den mentalen Mustern, die du unbewusst ausstrahlst. Ich zeige dir in diesem Video, wie du das veränderst und wieder zu einem Mann wirst, der automatisch Anziehung erzeugt.

Having a midlife crisis? Don't worry, the guys will make it all go away... Get set up quick and connect to their fast speeds. Learn more at uber.com/onourway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dans ce nouvel épisode, Mahé présente le portrait de Juliette. Juliette est célibataire. Elle aime : bien se saper, continuer d'écrire dans son journal intime, savoir gérer la pression, utiliser plein d'expressions, aller à des mariages, les gens qui commandent des choses pas trop boring au resto, ne plus se faire avoir par les mecs qui ont le combo mulet-moustaches, dire "hilarantisme" et "c'est la folie". Et plein d'autres choses.

Sa musique préférée : Si son profil vous plaît, envoyez-lui un petit mot, un audio, une photo ou une vidéo via notre plateforme dédiée dont le lien se trouve sur notre compte instagram @onsevoix ou directement par mail onsevoix.podcast@gmail.com. -À propos

When does “just friends” really mean just friends? This week on A Pod Named Kickback, Nu' and Jacquie (yeah, that's J-A-C-Q-U-I-E!) dive into the messy truth about the friend zone — why most people waiting there aren't real friends, and why being “the nice guy” doesn't entitle you to anything.From there, the crew flips into a packed Kickback: celebrating SNAP benefits staying intact (and saying fuck Trump for trying to starve the people), breaking down new music from rising artist Chino, and sharing Nu's Halloween movie review of X — the wild horror flick about a killer old lady with a thirst for sex.Nu' also opens up about his love for romance stories with Ruth & Boaz, the upcoming New Edition x Boyz II Men x Toni Braxton tour (and his real-life connection to every one of them), and how October turned out to be his best month yet — in sales, in streaming, and in spirit.Now he's claiming “Nu'-vember” as the next level. Manifestation in motion. No brakes, no limits. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Descubre cómo piensan y actúan las mujeres cuando un hombre les atrae: señales, miradas, límites y contradicciones.Desde la friendzone hasta los hombres feminizados, esta charla revela verdades incómodas sobre la atracción y la dinámica moderna.

If you struggle to talk to women or feel stuck in the friend zone, you need to hear Tony's story. A shy, single dad and software engineer, Tony was dateless when he began working with Connell. By learning how to flirt with women and bring confidence to every date, Tony met his dream girlfriend, Jennifer. In this episode, he shares the exact shifts and flirting techniques that helped him succeed—so you can find love, too.Episode Highlights:01:54: Why Tony Felt Women Didn't Want Him03:31: The Self-Doubt Voice that Keeps Men Single—and How to Silence It12:36: Steal the “Time Traveler” Online Dating Opener that Got Jennifer's Attention17:36: How Tony Escaped the Friend Zone on His First Date21:20: The First Date that Changed Everything27:53: Tony's Take—the One Move Every Shy, Single Guy Should MakeTO TAKE YOUR DATING RESULTS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, BOOK A FREE CALL WITH CONNELL TO LEARN ABOUT 1-1 COACHING: http://www.DatingTransformation.comEMAIL CONNELL FOR A FREE COPY OF HIS NO. 1 AMAZON BESTSELLING BOOK, “DATING SUCKS BUT YOU DON'T”: Connell@datingtransformation.com

Hoy en Ya Párate… los videos más virales en “De Tik Tok para el mundo”… En cabina, la agrupación Dimitri y las Brujas, y nos hablaron de su próximo concierto… Escuchamos los mejores chistes de los más peques en “Chiquillos y Chiquillas”.. .Tuvimos confesiones en “Mensaje Anónimo” …

Clement Manyathela and the listeners help anonymous who asks for advice on whether or not he said 'I love you' too soon. The Clement Manyathela Show is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station, weekdays from 09:00 to 12:00 (SA Time). Clement Manyathela starts his show each weekday on 702 at 9 am taking your calls and voice notes on his Open Line. In the second hour of his show, he unpacks, explains, and makes sense of the news of the day. Clement has several features in his third hour from 11 am that provide you with information to help and guide you through your daily life. As your morning friend, he tackles the serious as well as the light-hearted, on your behalf. Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Clement Manyathela Show. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 09:00 and 12:00 (SA Time) to The Clement Manyathela Show broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/XijPLtJ or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/p0gWuPE Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Jahre Freundschaft, ein bisschen Alkohol – und plötzlich nackt im Pool

Join us this week on "Honest to God" as we dive into this somewhat controversial question. comment below what your opinion is and then see if this heated debate changes your mind!!Follow us on Instagram:@honesttogod_quest Check out our parent network:https://thequestatlanta.com/honesttogodListen On Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honest-to-god/id1644393955Listen On Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3rVcw6wX03ezNwowTeE6wf?si=34c6ee021e2347fe

THESE EPISODES WERE RECORDED 10 YEARS AGO, PLEASE FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSESGuy and Tim share are in NYC! The pair share their epic travelling tales in this mini episode and shower their appreciation on all the contributors to the show. Thank you one and all!Support the boys on their modern-day adventures at twioat.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THESE EPISODES WERE RECORDED 10 YEARS AGO, PLEASE FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSESGuy and Tim are back in The Friendzone, enjoying some lovely music (courtesy of Mild 7 via Lotus Pool Records) and diving into some listener support, chatter from sub Reddit (r/TWIOAT). Intergallatic Gloryhole appears in the stars, Tim cannot remember Guy AND MORE SANDWICH JOKE EXPLAINATION!Support the boys on their modern-day adventures at twioat.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THESE EPISODES WERE RECORDED 10 YEARS AGO, PLEASE FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSESGuy and Tim release a mini episode of the podcast to thank people who have been giving us money and let you know our impending plans!Support the boys on their modern-day adventures at twioat.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another Monday show, another insane episode of HBO's "Task" to unpack. Seriously I don't know what I am going to do when this show is over. We also discuss Real Housewives, getting friend zoned, a new AI dating app, and more! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sailing through the Friend Zone with the Rock n' Roll Express. Plus another very special episode of Bricker. Thanks for listening!Instagram - @LoveBoatProjectFacebook - The Love Boat ProjectEmail us - TheLoveBoatProject@gmail.comYouTube - The Love Boat Project

C'est un couple mythique de la pop culture : le duo Ross et Rachel de la série Friends. Ils ont flirté, se sont aimés, déchirés, jalousés… Mais que cache cette relation pour le moins tumultueuse ? Quelle vision de l'amour le couple Ross et Rachel nous donne-t-il à voir ? Découvrez la face cachée de cette histoire d'amour emblématique de la pop culture. Un podcast Bababam Originals Ecriture : Anaïs Koopman Voix : François Marion, Lucrèce Sassella Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I had to quit my job because a work friend made a move on me

Debatimos si la amistad entre hombres y mujeres es realmente posible, cómo evitar la confusión y qué señales poner claras. Hablamos de por qué a los hombres les importa el pasado y a las mujeres el futuro, el “primero amigo” que no funciona, y qué valoran para una relación. Además: rupturas, prioridades, ambición ¿importa el coche?, y el dilema hijos vs. negocio.

Your secrets revealed: Queen City Confessions

Want to know what NOT to do on a date? Dating coach and bestselling author Connell Barrett shares five cringe-worthy dating disasters. From the investment banker whose cocaine dealer made a surprise appearance, to Connell's double-decker bus ride straight to the Friend Zone, these cautionary tales will help you avoid becoming her next dating nightmare.Highlights—Err, Lowlights?—of this Episode:05:34: MURDER, SHE WATCHED: Maybe Don't Show Her Your Student Film Where You “Kill” Someone12:03: BUS RIDE TO THE FRIEND ZONE: Why Grand Gestures Just Don't Work20:54: AREOLA GRANDE: Because There's No Good Time to Ask Her Nipple Size25:50: FIRST DATE, LAST RITES: “Here Are Pics from My Grandma's Funeral. So How About a Second Date?”31:25: COKE-BLOCKED! Meet the Banker Who Brought His Coke Dealer as a Plus-OneBOOK A FREE CONSULTATION WITH CONNELL TO LEARN ABOUT 1-ON-1 COACHING:http://www.DatingTransformation.comEMAIL CONNELL FOR A FREE COPY OF HIS BESTSELLING BOOK, “DATING SUCKS BUT YOU DON'T”: Connell@datingtransformation.com

Not a love connection in Paradise for either one, but Bob is getting the inside scoop from Jonathon and Lea if there could be sparks flying now that cameras have stopped rolling??? Did they know about the Susie drama as it was going down? Plus, Jonathon clears up how he was REALLY feeling towards Kat in Paradise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and fellow coach, Jonathan Aslay. Jonathan is one of America's leading midlife self-love coaches, and together we dive into what it really takes to create lasting love in today's world. From navigating power dynamics in relationships to building trust, and from self-awareness to the surprising truth about chemistry, this conversation is packed with wisdom for anyone ready to step into a healthier, more fulfilling partnership.     Main Takeaways Jonathan emphasizes the importance of being present in relationships. Self-awareness is crucial for building trust and intimacy. Curiosity in conversations can lead to deeper connections. Women should not feel the need to downplay their success in relationships. Building a friendship first can lead to stronger romantic connections. Vulnerability is key to establishing trust in relationships. It's important to communicate openly about uncomfortable topics like money. People often sabotage their love lives due to unresolved past issues. Dating should be approached as a meeting rather than a performance. Age should not be a barrier to finding love.     3 Main Topics 1. Power Dynamics in Relationships (03:33) "When two equal people show up, you can have more co-creative conversations." Explanation: Healthy relationships thrive when both people bring their full selves—financially, emotionally, and energetically—to the table. Avoiding silence around uncomfortable topics like money and expectations allows couples to build partnerships rooted in equality and collaboration.     2. Trust and Speaking Your Truth (09:39) "Speak your truth, just do it from a kind place. If you do it sincerely, you can't say the wrong thing to the right person." Explanation: Trust goes beyond fidelity; it's about knowing the other person has your best interests at heart. Speaking openly and vulnerably—without fear of rejection—creates the safety needed for intimacy and long-term stability.     3. Chemistry and the Friend Zone (22:38) "I realized later why we didn't have that chemistry at first… I had no idea what a secure meeting felt like." Explanation: Many confuse anxiety and butterflies with love, overlooking the steadiness of a secure connection. True intimacy grows from friendship, presence, and appreciation—often blooming where instant “sparks” seem absent. Reframing how chemistry develops can open the door to real, lasting connection. Connections: Jonathan Aslay's YoutubeVisit us: MarniBattista.Com Ready To Create Your Corporate Escape Plan? Book A Call With MeTake the Quiz: Unlock the shocking truth about how your unique personality type is silently shaping your future Buy Your Radical Living Challenge: 7 Questions For Living The Meaningful Life

Viens voir le spectacle https://www.billetreduc.com/382870/evt.htm Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Today on Entrepreneur Conundrum, Virginia sits down with Doug Zarkin, brand leader, keynote speaker, and author of Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone. Doug brings a wealth of experience from shaping powerhouse brands like Avon, Victoria's Secret PINK, and Pearle Vision.He shares:His journey from agency life to leading global consumer brands Why entrepreneurs should adopt a “think human” philosophy in marketing How to balance short-term revenue goals with long-term customer relationships The real purpose of marketing (and how to avoid alienating your audience) His best advice for overcoming roadblocks and moving forward

In this EPISODE I'm sharing on: How to stop getting friend zoned by men Changes to make it simple to be visible to your husband Click the link below to apply to work with me 1-1

In this episode of The Unapologetic Man Podcast, Mark Sing dives into the subtle ways women give compliments that are actually veiled rejections—and how to recognize when you're stuck in the friend zone. He decodes the phrases women use to “let you down easy,” why guys often read them the wrong way, and how to turn the tables so YOU end up being the one friendzoning HER. Mark explains exactly what it means when a girl calls you “sweet,” says “some girl will be lucky to have you,” or insists “you're too good for me.” More importantly, he lays out a step-by-step plan on how you can get yourself out of the friend zone—or better yet, avoid it altogether. With a mix of tactical advice, hard truths, and laugh-out-loud examples, this episode is your playbook for escaping the nice guy prison. Key Takeaways: The hidden meaning behind compliments like “You're so sweet” and why they're really signs of rejection. Why phrases like “Some girl will be lucky to have you” or “You're too good for me” mean you're deep in the friend zone. The critical mistakes men make that put them there in the first place. How to flip the frame and friend zone her first to regain control and build attraction.   Key Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction: You've Been Friendzoned, bro! [00:01:02] – Mark Sing's P*nis Reanimation Cream [00:03:31] – Women Use Compliments to Let You Down Gently [00:07:34] – How You Got In The Friendzone [00:08:27] – You Have to Friendzone Her First [00:10:59] – Date Other Girls! [00:12:25] – Show Her You Have Other Women Around You [00:16:00] – Reversals: Use Her Own Tricks Against Her [00:17:29] – Explanation of Pre-Emptive Friendzoning [00:18:42] – Summarizing The Signs You've Been Friendzoned   Connect With Mark: Apply for Mark's 3-Month Coaching Program: https://coachmarksing.com/coaching/ Check Out The Perks Program: https://coachmarksing.com/perks/ Email: CoachMarkSing@Gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmarksing/ Grab Mark's Free Program: The Approach Formula - https://www.CoachMarkSing.com/The-Approach-Formula   The Unapologetic Man Podcast is your resource for mastering dating, attraction, and relationships from a confident, masculine perspective. Hosted by Mark Sing, this podcast gives men the tools and mindset shifts needed to succeed in their dating lives and build lasting, high-value relationships. #DatingAdvice #FriendZone #MensSelfImprovement #AttractionTips #ConfidenceForMen #UnapologeticMan

Coach Christine shares how she tackled Sydney Marathon training during a chaotic summer filled with caregiving responsibilities, relocation, and constant travel, discovering that romance novels became her unexpected training partner and source of resilience.• Trading structured training schedules for flexibility and adaptability• Finding companionship in audiobooks during solo runs in unfamiliar places• How to pair different types of runs with the right audiobook experiences• Reviews of Abby Jimenez's books including The Friend Zone, Happy Ever After Playlist, Life's Too Short, Part of Your World, and Say You'll Remember Me• Learning that training success doesn't require perfect circumstances• Using library apps, Spotify Premium, Chirp, and other platforms to access audiobooks• Finding community and support when training feels overwhelmingWould you be interested in a book club that combines running and reading? Imagine listening to the same audiobook during training and connecting with fellow runners afterward to discuss. If that sounds like your vibe, let me know - drop me a message or join the Stride Collective and say you'd love to participate!Have questions or want to chat? Send me a text!Support the showJoin the newsletter list for updates, special offers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Join fellow pod and running enthusiasts at The Stride Collective community on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.

Join this channel to get access to exclusive members only videos, full viewer questions podcasts & The 3% Man & Mastering Yourself Study Group Podcasts with the girls where we discuss the content of both books in depth:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQTAVxA4dNBCoPdHhX9nnoQ/joinJoin Members Only On My Website. 7 day free trial. Save 25% when you choose an annual Membership plan. Cancel anytime:https://understandingrelationships.com/plansJoin Members Only on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coachcoreywayne/subscribeHow to stay out of friend zone once you're out to keep it romantic instead of platonic.In this video coaching newsletter I discuss an email from a viewer who's read 3% Man, 15 times. He's been dating a girl casually for a year now after they both came out of failed marriages. He became lazy and complacent and she dumped him after they got back from a cruise together. She friend zoned him and he agreed at first. That woke him up & he told her no and walked away. She came back & they're friends with benefits, but he asks how to stay out of friend zone.If you have not read my book, “How To Be A 3% Man” yet, that would be a good starting place for you. It is available in Kindle, iBook, Paperback, Hardcover or Audio Book format. If you don't have a Kindle device, you can download a free eReader app from Amazon so you can read my book on any laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet device. Kindle $9.99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $29.99 or Hardcover 49.99. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial or buy it for $19.95. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B01EIA86VC/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-057626&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_057626_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:http://amzn.to/1XKRtxdHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to-be-3-man-winning-heart/id948035350?mt=11&uo=6&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/how-to-be-a-3-man-unabridged/id1106013146?at=1l3vuUo&mt=3You can get my second book, “Mastering Yourself, How To Align Your Life With Your True Calling & Reach Your Full Potential” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B07B3LCDKK/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-109399&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_109399_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/2TQV2XoHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353139487?mt=11&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353594955?mt=3&at=1l3vuUoYou can get my third book, “Quotes, Ruminations & Contemplations” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B0941XDDCJ/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-256995&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_256995_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/33K8VwFHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://books.apple.com/us/book/quotes-ruminations-contemplations/id1563102111?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ct=books_quotes%2C_ruminations_%26_contemplatio&ls=1

Welcome to the seven official episode of Off Da Binge!

We start off the week with a mysterious entity found in Compton, then Dan confesses a deep dark secret about what he's into these days, we find out Mario is in the friend zone, Chuck E. Cheese got arrested, Chet Hanks, and Steve Jobs' very weird habit.  But first, Birthdays!The Treehouse is a daily DFW based comedy podcast and radio show. Leave your worries outside and join Dan O'Malley, Trey Trenholm, Raj Sharma, and their guests for laughs about current events, stupid news, and the comedy that is their lives. If it's stupid, it's in here.The Treehouse WebsiteGet MORE from the Treehouse Show on PatreonGet a FREE roof inspection from the best company in DFW:Cook DFW Roofing & Restoration CLICK HERE TO DONATE:The RMS Treehouse Listeners FoundationLINKS:Aliens in Compton? Mysterious figure appears on woman's Ring camera | FOX 11 Los AngelesNintendo definitively clears up Mario's love life by having Princess Peach friend-zone him - DexertoChuck E. Cheese Mascot Arrested for Fraud in FloridaReason why Steve Jobs adopted bizarre habit of soaking his feet in the toilet water of Apple restrooms

This week we're geeking out about the friendzone, Avatars and Kingdom Hearts The Anime     Jonathan Geeking Out  Batman Arkham Knight TBD: DC Universe Infinite Cody Geeking Out Fields of Mystria   Gaming Sony Suing Tencent for Light of Motriam https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-is-suing-tencent-over-shameless-horizon-knock-off-game-light-of-motiram Nintendo Confirms Mario and Peach Are Just Friends https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-confirms-mario-and-peachs-relationship-theyre-good-friends Battlefield 6 World Premiere https://gameinformer.com/2025/07/22/battlefield-6-gets-world-premiere-trailer-this-week   Movies Steven Yeun Cast As Zuko https://www.ign.com/videos/avatar-the-last-airbender-creators-confirm-steven-yeuns-role-in-new-movie-sdcc-2025 Avatar 3 Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb_fFj_0rq8 Batman Atzeca https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bd_AUSkrRA   TV Peacemaker Season 2 Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co-f2F4P_UE Eyes of Wakanda https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eyes+of+wakanda Twisted Wonderland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIU-5V_z07Q MORE INFO Send us your questions! podcast@geeksundergrace.com For more Geeks Under Grace: http://www.geeksundergrace.com http://www.twitter.com/geeksundergrace http://www.twitch.tv/geeksundergrace https://geeksundergrace.com/give     For more Cody Armour: http://twitter.com/CodyArmour https://www.instagram.com/codyarmour/

Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial and start selling today at shopfiy.com/damagereport Mike Johnson struggles to help Trump on the Epstein scandal. Trump is still spiraling on the fallout from Epstein. A republican senator refuses to be fact-checked over the Epstein plea. Dan Bongino is trying to woo back MAGA. Trump says he may give a rebate check to some Americans. The Pentagon is hiding how much money Trump's Qatar jet will cost. A Republican representative faces an ethics investigation over apparent insider trading.  Host: John Iadarola (@johniadarola) Co-Host: Jayar Jackson (@JayarJackson) ***** SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE TIKTOK  ☞           https://www.tiktok.com/@thedamagereport INSTAGRAM  ☞   https://www.instagram.com/thedamagereport TWITTER  ☞         https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport FACEBOOK  ☞     https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT

Join this channel to get access to exclusive members only videos, full viewer questions podcasts & The 3% Man & Mastering Yourself Study Group Podcasts with the girls where we discuss the content of both books in depth:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQTAVxA4dNBCoPdHhX9nnoQ/joinJoin Members Only On My Website. 7 day free trial. Save 25% when you choose an annual Membership plan. Cancel anytime:https://understandingrelationships.com/plansJoin Members Only on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coachcoreywayne/subscribeTo avoid friend zone be bold & make a romantic move instead of acting like a friend.In this video coaching newsletter I discuss an email from a viewer from Hungary who has been following my work for 7 years. He met a girl in dance class that he tried to fly under the radar and pretend to be a friend for too long. He kept hanging out with her to dance, but didn't have the courage to make a move. She's obviously figured out what he was doing and now she is distant and avoiding him.If you have not read my book, “How To Be A 3% Man” yet, that would be a good starting place for you. It is available in Kindle, iBook, Paperback, Hardcover or Audio Book format. If you don't have a Kindle device, you can download a free eReader app from Amazon so you can read my book on any laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet device. Kindle $9.99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $29.99 or Hardcover 49.99. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial or buy it for $19.95. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B01EIA86VC/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-057626&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_057626_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:http://amzn.to/1XKRtxdHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to-be-3-man-winning-heart/id948035350?mt=11&uo=6&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/how-to-be-a-3-man-unabridged/id1106013146?at=1l3vuUo&mt=3You can get my second book, “Mastering Yourself, How To Align Your Life With Your True Calling & Reach Your Full Potential” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B07B3LCDKK/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-109399&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_109399_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/2TQV2XoHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353139487?mt=11&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353594955?mt=3&at=1l3vuUoYou can get my third book, “Quotes, Ruminations & Contemplations” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B0941XDDCJ/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-256995&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_256995_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/33K8VwFHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://books.apple.com/us/book/quotes-ruminations-contemplations/id1563102111?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ct=books_quotes%2C_ruminations_%26_contemplatio&ls=1

Finesse Mitchell is a stand-up comedian and was a SNL cast member. He has a comedy special "Slightly Offensive" that's available on his website: https://www.finessemitchell.tv/_________________________LINKS (Instagram)Felipe - @ FelipeesparzacomedianMartin - @ comicmartinrizoFinesse - @ finessemitchellGet Tickets to laugh with Felipe @ http://FelipesWorld.com

We've all been there—having a crush on someone in your friend circle. It's exciting, it's scary, and you never know what's coming next. In today's episode, our writer had a chance to take things to the next level with a close friend but panicked and hit him with the “just friends” line. Now, feelings have shifted, and she wants to know: can you un-friend zone someone after you've put them there? We're breaking down the do's and don'ts of turning friendship into romance. Follow the Podcast on Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/UnsolicitedAdviceInsta⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow the Podcast on TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/UnsolicitedAdviceTikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ashley: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ashnichole/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Taryne: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tarynerenee/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Become a premium subscriber today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/UAPodcastSupercast⁠⁠⁠⁠ To watch our podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/UAPodcastYouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/UnsolicitedAdvicePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/UnsolicitedAdvicePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ To send us your questions/stories, email us at: AdviceUnsolicitedPod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if everything you've been taught about dating is only half the story? In this episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius is joined by dating and relationship coach Elsa Moreck for a powerful deep dive into the psychology of attraction, emotional intelligence, and modern masculinity. Together, they explore what it means to be truly self-aware in your relationships, how to break free from toxic dating patterns, and why your energy speaks louder than words. Elsa shares practical insights on building trust, creating emotional safety, and tapping into your authentic masculine or feminine edge. From decoding body language to mastering presence and communication, this conversation is a game-changer for anyone who wants to date with confidence and intention. In this episode, Darius and Elsa will discuss: (00:00) Introduction and Background (02:58) Elsa's Journey to Becoming a Dating Coach (05:46) Cultural Influences on Dating and Popularity (08:57) Transitioning to Coaching and Entrepreneurship (12:01) The Challenges of 'Just Be Yourself' Advice (15:00) Elsa's Methodology for Coaching Men in Dating (20:19) Personalized Coaching for Dating Success (25:54) The Importance of Flirting Skills (29:57) Understanding and Using Negging (35:58) Dating Dynamics Across Different Ages (37:00) The Role of Financial Success in Dating (42:24) Navigating the Friend Zone (47:12) Understanding Body Language in Attraction (51:56) Effective Communication and Pickup Lines (57:34) The Role of Dating Apps in Modern Dating (58:44) Overcoming Victimhood for Personal Growth Elsa Moreck is a Lebanese-American author and Millennial dating coach based in Austin, Texas. Since 2015, she's helped Millennials navigate the challenges of modern dating culture—offering guidance on attraction, setting boundaries, and building lasting relationships in a swipe-driven world. Elsa's coaching practice attracts a global audience seeking clarity in their love lives, and she's become a trusted voice in the dating scene. In 2016, she published her first book, Eliminate, Meditate, Create. Sponsored by: Constant Contact: Try Constant Contact free for 30 days at constantcontact.com. Huel: Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code GREATNESS at https://huel.com/GREATNESS (Minimum $75 purchase). ExpressVPN: Secure your online data today with ExpressVPN. Go to expressvpn.com/darius. Indeed: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/DARIUS. Shopify: Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/darius.  Connect with Elsa: Website: https://www.elsamoreck.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elsamoreck/  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@datingwithelsa  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://therealdarius.com/youtube Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices