The Key Between Us Pt 06

One question before we start: Are people enjoying this series? I'm kind of feeling burnt out with this series, but if people are really enjoying it I'll be happy to keep it going. Comment and let me know.

*loosely based on a true story*

Hayden looked up from his mostly-eaten brat to glance at Vicki. She was tossing a frisbee with their friends Tyler and Ryan, while Hayden sat on the deck with Ashley and Megan. He had been glad when she invited him to this little cookout, since seeing her would give him a chance to tell her about Kayla. Unfortunately, she was far too active and competitive for him to get her one-on-one. He loved how outgoing she was and perhaps even envied her, but today it meant he would have to wait until everyone else had left.

"We haven't seen much of you lately, Hayden," Ashley said. "What's new for you?"

Hayden had to fight a smile. What was he supposed to say, that he had given Vicki control over his sexuality, and that he hadn't had an orgasm in two weeks? He also couldn't mention anything about Kayla until after he told Vicki.

"Not much," he said. "Just living the dream."

"I grew up in small-town Ohio," Ashley said. "I know that when someone says they're living the dream, they're actually fighting for their life."

Hayden brought his drink to his lips as an excuse to buy time before he had to answer. His life genuinely was great right now, there was just a lot on his mind that he couldn't share with anyone yet. He wasn't sure how he could respond other than an innocent shrug, which might be seen as rude.

Thankfully, Tyler unknowingly came to his rescue. "Hey, Hayden," he called, "we need another player for a mini ult game! Wanna join us?"

Definitely not, Hayden thought. He had never had a nact for sports or competition. He'd only embarrass himself in front of everyone. Kayla wasn't here to see it so it didn't matter too much, but he still wanted some dignity with his friends.

"Nah, I'm good," he said, taking another drink.

"Come on," Tyler said. "We'll go easy on you."

"Leave him alone," Vicki laughed. "Hayden's a little locked up right now. Aren't you, Hay Hay?"

Hayden nearly spat his drink out. He choked and coughed while everyone stared at him. Megan, who was nearest, instinctively started slapping his back to help. Panicked and shocked, Hayden raised a hand for her to stop.

Finally, when he had recovered enough to breathe again, Megan said, "You okay? What happened?"

"Nothing," he said hoarsely, taking another drink to clear his throat. He glared at Vicki, who winked at him cheekily. "Just swallowed wrong."

Vicki came over and ruffled his hair, and said to the other guys, "It's getting late, anyway. Maybe it's time to call it a night."

"Let us help you clean up first," Megan said.

"I got it," Hayden said, picking up the dishes and giving Vicki a look to signal he needed to talk.

"You guys have a good night," Vicki said. "Thanks for a fun evening."

Everyone said their goodbyes as Hayden and Vicki picked everything up and headed inside. Hayden waited until they were alone, then gave Vicki a playful shove. "You little cheek!" he laughed.

"Hey, be a good little man, or you'll stay locked up for a long time," Vicki teased.

"You nearly killed me," he laughed.

"Maybe you should be thanking me," Vicki said with a smug smirk. "I could have said a lot worse. 'He doesn't have the balls,' or 'This is a game for real men.'"

"Stop," Hayden laughed pleadingly.

Vicki ruffled his hair again and set the last of the paper plates in the trash. Hayden moved to put the condiments and things back in the fridge, but then his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw Kayla texted him back about scheduling their date: "Thursday works for me!"

Perfect, he thought. He had been worried about needing to wait until the weekend, and he wasn't sure he had the patience for that. Now that they knew when, they just needed to plan the date itself.

Kayla loved reading and there were a lot of bookstores downtown, so that was an obvious idea. But then, that wasn't really much of a date. Would she possibly enjoy getting dressed up and dining at a fancy restaurant? She didn't strike him as a bougie type of woman, but everyone enjoyed being spoiled to some extent.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and he realized Vicki was staring at him with a curious smile. "You alive in there somewhere?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Sorry. I just... got a text."

"I saw that," she said, her smile twisting into a smirk. "Who's Kayla K'z'arneski?"

"It's char-neski," he said. "I think. I haven't actually asked her, but that's what ChatGPT says."

Vicki's smirk only became more cheeky. "You looked up how to pronounce this girl's last name?"

"Just out of respect," he said defensively. Then he remembered he was talking to Vicki, and that he could always be honest with her. "And... because we might have a date on Thursday."

"Oooh!" Vicki giggled, grabbing his shoulders and jumping up and down. Hayden froze, having never seen her giddy before. She grabbed the things out of his hands and tossed them aside, and pulled him to the nearest chair so they could sit together. "Tell me everything!"

"I..." Hayden started, trying to recover from the shock. He wasn't quite sure what to say. "We met a couple weeks ago. She likes to read and exercise. She's new in town."

"How did you meet?" Vicki said, as if trying to guide him in how to share this.

"The riverwalk."

"Romantic! Was there some event there or something?"

"No, I'd just noticed her there a few times and at some point I said hi," Hayden said, warming up a bit. "She let me run with her, and she must have enjoyed it because she agreed to run again a couple days later. We talked for a few laps, and when we were done I asked her out, and then we..."

He stopped, cringing at himself for how embarrassing his response to her acceptance had been. Vicki didn't seem to care though, since she was fully fixated on him.

"You said hi?" she said. "Like, you approached her and she responded?"

Hayden shrugged. "I guess so."

"Oooooh!" she laughed, slapping her legs with rapid-fire excitement. "Hay Hay, this is so exciting! I'm so proud of you!"

Hayden's cheeks went red. "Thanks."

"Okay, tell me your plans!" she said.

"I don't really have any yet," he said.

"Okay, let's start with what you know about her?" Vicki said, pulling out her phone to write stuff down. "You said she likes to read and exercise. What else?"

"She's from Springfield," he said, suddenly realizing how little he knew about her. "Kind of an innocent vibe, but still fun and social."

"Bookstores downtown is an option there," Vicki said, writing it down. "You could buy a book for each other, or rate all the covers."

"I thought of the bookstore, but it didn't exactly feel romantic enough for her," Hayden said.

"It's just a first date, it doesn't have to be too elaborate," Vicki said. "She's probably more interested in getting to know you and building chemistry than she cares about how 'special' the evening is."

"You think so?" Hayden said, oddly flattered by that. "But I don't know, we've already talked about books a lot. There's gotta be something else we can do."

"One more thing," Vicki said. "Does she know about our arrangement?"

Hayden suddenly felt sheepish. "Uh, no. Should I tell her?"

"Maybe not on your first date, but if things start to get serious you should tell her sooner than later," she said.

"Yeah, that's fair," Hayden agreed.

Vicki put a hand on his knee. "Now, whatever you do, just be authentic with her and have fun. Don't think to much about any of it. It's just hanging out with a cute girl, nothing too serious. If it doesn't go well, don't worry about it."

Hayden smiled. "Thanks."

"Now, are you going to want the key before your date?" Vicki asked.

Hayden tried not to look at his caged area. "Uh, I guess so? I don't think she's the type of girl to have sex on a first date, but better safe than sorry."

Vicki winked. "You're a one of a kind, aren't you, little man?"