Ryan didn't see much of Nicole for the next few weeks. She managed to remain elusive and the two never got a chance to discuss what happened. Ryan felt terrible about how things ended up. In the heat of the moment, he fed into Julie and the girl's encouragement and he let things get completely out of control.
No one was to blame except for Ryan. He never should have done what he did. But the excitement and thrill of the girls being so infatuated with his penis was something he had never experienced in his life. Moreover, he remembered on numerous occasions Nicole herself was looking at him. More than anything, that stuck out in his mind like a sore thumb.
Once it became clear Nicole was avoiding him, he withdrew and kept to himself. He spent a lot of time in his room alone or out by himself on a walk.
One morning, Ryan was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Nancy emerged carrying a big box of something. She slammed it down on the counter, startling Ryan.
"I'm sorry honey. This is just so damn heavy. I'm finally getting around to cleaning out the attic."
"What's in it?" Ryan asked, peering into the top of the box.
"Just a bunch of old photos in this one. I need to digitize them, or toss them, or whatever. I just need to get them organized."
Nancy and Ryan began thumbing through the first photo binder at the top of the box. It appeared to be photos from a summer vacation when he and Nicole were little.
"Oh my goodness. This was that summer at the lake! Look at you guys!" Nancy smiled as she flipped through the different pictures.
"You two were inseparable. Always have been."
"Yeah this was fun," said Ryan as he watched Nancy turn the pages.
"It's nice to have a sibling you're close to. I was never close with your Aunt Janine. You know that."
Ryan nodded. Nancy and her sister, four years apart, had a falling out years ago. Neither Ryan nor Nicole ever found out what it was about.
"You guys ok?" Nancy stopped turning the pages and looked at her son with caring eyes.
"Who? Me and Nicole?"
She nodded. "I don't think I've seen you two speak in weeks. You're normally laughing about something silly or some inside joke your father and I don't understand."
"Oh... uhh yeah I'm just busy that's all."
Nancy wasn't convinced. She decided to shrug it off anyways. "Well maybe you two should go get a drink or something. Don't drift too far apart. You're all that each of you have when we're dead and gone!"
"Mom," Ryan frowned. "You guys will be around for a while yet."
"Lucky you!" joked Nancy. "Hey listen. Your Dad and I are gonna go away with the Rosen's. Probably up north for a biking trip. You two okay holding down the fort while we're gone?"
"Of course, Mom. You guys go have fun. We'll be fine."
"I know you will. I love you, honey," she said as she kissed her son on the forehead and walked off with the box. She left Ryan to sit and ponder if things would ever be the same between him and Nicole.
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It was a Saturday afternoon when Ryan came home from the mall and could hear Nicole bustling around the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he saw her leaning over the sink washing dishes. Her round and firm ass was clearly pronounced under the thin fabric of her workout pants. Ryan couldn't help himself by stealing a glimpse.
"Hey," he said from behind her. She jumped as she turned around.
"Oh my goodness, you scared me." She turned back to her dishes. "Hey," she said softly.
As she finished drying the dishes, she moved about the kitchen in silence, avoiding eye contact as well.
"Nicole, c'mon," Ryan said, frustrated.
She paused and looked at him. Her eyes looked pained and struggling. "What is it?"
"You haven't spoken to me in like three weeks. Can we talk?"
Nicole sighed deeply. "What's there to talk about?"
"You know what. We need to discuss what happened that day."
"Ryan," Nicole paused as she was careful to choose the right words. "What happened that day was wrong. On soooo many levels. I'm not saying I didn't make mistakes either. I did. But what you did..." she closed her eyes and paused. "What you did was really wrong, Ry."