Once the hugging ended and they found themselves searching for the room for something to break the silence. Jon's eyes landed on the stone, long forgotten on his desk.
"We should put that away for a few days, huh?" he suggested.
Karen's followed his gaze to the stone. She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think I'm ready to enjoy the 'new normal' for a bit before we commence with more hijinks."
Jon returned the stone to its box. He glanced guiltily at Karen, who was watching him with a knowing smile. He leaned across the bed and returned the box to its hiding spot under the mattress. He would gladly share the stone with her, so try to keep the hiding spot secret? He'd just have to relocate those pictures before they got back to wishing.
Karen giggled. "You really thought your hiding spot was sooo clever, didn't you? I'm honestly surprised you mom hasn't stumbled on it yet. She'd probably ground you until your 18th birthday if knew how naughty you are," she continued, failing to keep the smile out of her voice.
Jon felt his cheeks flush. "Please excuse me while I fetch a rope and bucket." He reached back under the mattress, collected the pictures, and threw them in the trash.
"Aw... So sweet." Karen smiled him. "But are you sure that's a good idea?"
"What do I need them for? My dream girl is right here." He held out a hand toward her.
"Jon-boy thinks he has a silver tongue," she laughed. "But seriously, emptying the trash is one of Mikey's chores. You really shouldn't leave them there." Mikey was Jon's younger brother.
"Pretty and smart!" Jon exclaimed, retrieving the photos from the bin and hopping back onto the bed. "Back to the darkness from whence they came."
"Nerd."
"Bitc--" Jon stopped mid-word, eyes wide open in horror. He'd fallen right back into their friendly banter without considering the possible ramifications on their potentially fragile relationship.
"Bite your tongue," Karen teased.
"Sorry, sorry, " Jon apologized. "This is going to take some getting used to."
"It's fine. Us dating doesn't change the conventions of our friendship. You're still my best friend. Don't you dare suddenly start treating me like some delicate porcelain princess."
Jon returned the pics to the mattress. "In that case, prepare yourself for a serious butt whoopin'!"
Karen smirked. "Really? We haven't even been official for 15 minutes and you're already suggesting spanking? I don't think I'm ready to start exploring fetishes."
