A Touch Away Ch. 01

Foreword

A Touch Away is a rewrite of the cringingly titled 'The Tit-Juggler'. After writing the first chapter, I found myself pulled in directions different from the one I initially had set out on. So this was inevitable. The old one will remain up. If you read the original version, you'll probably spot the similarities and differences.

All characters depicted having sex are 18 or above.

***

Chapter 1

The last days of school had rolled around in the blink of an eye. There's a certain sense of contentment in the air. Almost everyone had received offers or at least had applied. I had my fair share of rejections, but one college was kind enough to take me in, so I too shared the laid-back atmosphere.

Sure, the world wasn't perfect. There were starving children in Africa, and more than a handful of individuals with superpowers running around, doing questionable stuff. But we lived in a small town far removed from any of that, and times couldn't be better.

It was during these halcyon days, on one fine Monday, that I was walking to class, eyes glued to my phone, headphones plugged in. I wasn't really paying much attention to my phone, and even less to anyone around me. If anything, my head was in the clouds. Next thing I knew, I had bumped into someone and ended up on my butt.

"Fuck," I muttered.

I'm the kind of guy who tries to avoid drawing attention, and this was exactly the kind of thing that drew all eyes. Among the ever-present cacophony of the school corridor, I picked up laughter. They were obviously directed at me. Well, it wasn't my fault that Tiktok was so addictive!

"Can't you watch where you're going?"

She sounded angry and arrogant. As soon as she had spoken, others chimed in with laughter, mindlessly following the leader. Popular people always had followers like that. But that wasn't what I was worried about.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! I thought.

When it came to avoiding people, this was one of the two groups I wanted to avoid the most - the cheerleaders! (The other being the jocks.) I had decided a long time ago to not pay any attention to these stuck up snobs. And now, it seemed like I was in front of the entire squad.

The girl who spoke wasn't the one I had bumped into. No. It was worse. She spoke in a soft voice that still cut through all the noise.

"It's okay, guys, I'm alright. Are you okay?"

The moment she spoke, everyone shut up. After all, it was Claire. The captain of the cheerleaders. Ask anyone who the prettiest, hottest or sexiest girl was, and her name would be the first one they would utter.

Part of that was her natural appearance. She had shoulder-length red hair that framed her pretty girl-next-door face perfectly. And then she always dressed for the part as well. For example, today she was wearing a white buttoned top and a small denim skirt that didn't even reach half the length of her thighs. I didn't know if that was even allowed.

Now of course it wasn't any of my business if people thought she was hot. What infuriated me was that people actually thought she was a nice person! Apparently, she was nice to everybody, regardless of who they were, and that made her even more popular. It's crazy how everyone thought she was just perfect! Hell, even the bitter losers didn't want to badmouth her.

Even now, she looked at me with what appeared to be concern. Extending a hand in my direction, she asked again, "Are you okay?"

I wasn't like the other guys though. I'd give it to her for being hot. She was. But neither pretty airheads nor mean hotties were my type. I would not be swayed by a cheerleader, especially not a two-faced bitch.

"Kyle?" Her voice snapped me out.

She was really good at pulling off that kind-and-concerned look. But I could see through it. That haughty arrogance hidden behind her facade. She couldn't fool me.

What I wanted to do was to slap her hand, but that would be a little too hostile. I wasn't looking to make enemies either. In the end, I grasped her hand - it was such a soft and slender hand - and stood up. Her eyes widened as she glanced at where our hands met. She looked physically bothered by touching me.

If you're gonna act so high and mighty, why even pretend?

"I'm okay, thank you," I said as I turned away.

And I heard her say, "You're... welcome, Kyle."

I didn't think she'd know my name. With a confused look, I kept walking towards my classroom. Strange. Girls like her never paid any attention to me.

I managed to get to class on time. The moment Melinda saw me, she burst into laughter and just couldn't stop. Her twin, Jane, looked at her quizzically, but Mel couldn't speak.

"Shut up," I grumbled.

Jane asked again, "What happened?"

Mel somehow managed to say, "If only you saw him!" That started another bout of laughter from her.

Annoyed, I said, "I didn't see you helping."

Catching her breath, she said, "Why would I? In fact, I'd give both of my arms just to see that again!"

With a grunt of displeasure, I looked away from her and towards the front of the class. Bad move. Our teacher, a middle-aged woman, peered over her glasses, glaring at us. I felt myself shrinking under her gaze. Even when she wasn't glaring, she just had a bone-chilling aura around her.

"Would you three like to share something with the class?"

Jane apologized. "No, Ms. Walker. We're sorry."

Her glare softened, then she turned away. Perks of having a model student as a friend. I sighed in relief.

Mel remained silent, but there was not a shred of guilt on her face. Tight-lipped, she smiled, as if mocking me. I decided to not pay any more attention to her. Jane was shooting me a concerned look. I shook my head, hoping that would satisfy her.

As I left the classroom, the sound of laughter made me tense. I looked around to see if any of the eyes were on me, looking for pointed fingers.

I sighed in relief. It seemed like my anonymity would remain. With things seemingly setting back to place, I made my way to my bicycle.

***

A couple years ago, Dad had insisted that we get jobs and try to manage our money. I didn't have a problem with that, financial independence was a nice idea. The job I ended up going for was at the local library. Sure, the pay wasn't great, but nothing beats having money. They also gave me good hours.

Working at the library had its moments. Like all jobs, some things can be done mindlessly, and I had really let myself sink into my thoughts. When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I jumped up and turned around.

To my horror, Claire stood in front of me. Her face didn't have any expressions, which was quite unnerving.

I began, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't intentionally bump..."

Before I could go on, she said nonchalantly, "Why are you getting so defensive? I didn't come for that."

I blinked. Then why was she even talking to me?

"I just wanted to say hi, but you didn't seem like you could hear me," she said nonchalantly.

In her eyes, I could see amusement. Now even more confused, I scowled. Why would she want to say hi to me? It didn't make sense. What game was she playing?

"Umm, okay," I said, confusion showing on my face. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Her face betrayed no emotions. "Nothing, I just said I wanted to say hi."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Uncomfortably, I looked at her and muttered, "Okay?"

Then, she snorted. Her mask broke as a mischievous little smile crept around the side of her mouth.

"I'm just messing around, Kyle," she said with a laugh. Then she added, "Hey, when does your shift end?"

"In two hours," I replied with uncertainty.

"Cool. Meet me at Law then. Okay?" she said, as if that was a very normal thing to say to me.

Scowling, I asked, "Why?"

Her smile widened, the amusement still twinkling in her eyes. Something was cooking in her head, and it bothered me to not know.

"Come on, what do you have to lose?"

What, indeed?

"Fine," I said, not trying to conceal my suspicion.

Smiling at me with that strange gleam in her eyes, she grabbed a book from a shelf and walked away. I couldn't help being surprised that the book was A Room With A View. I didn't know that cheerleaders read. I myself didn't read any classics unless I was forced to, I couldn't imagine what drove her to pick it up.

As always, I was minding my own business and didn't say anything. But I couldn't help my eyes following her figure. The skirt displayed her shapely legs, the delicate muscles working as she walked. I stopped myself as my eyes drifted to her skirt, finding it difficult to look away from her butt. Claire was a slender girl, and from the outline of her skirt, so was her butt.

Get a grip, I thought. This is not the time!

I felt nervous, my thoughts racing.

Why does she want to meet me? Why Law? That's... one of the sections no one goes to... That can't be a good thing, can it?

Left unchecked, my thoughts wouldn't stop racing. I forced myself to calm down. And even though I couldn't think of any good reason for her to want to meet me, I had to admit that I was curious.

A lot of other guys in my shoes would've been excited at the prospect of even speaking to her. But I wouldn't. I couldn't. I might not know her well. Hell, I knew very little about her. But I still know what she was really like. I remembered the first time I saw her. Four years ago, when I moved into this town. Even then, she was as pretty as a vision. But I'll never forget her eyes. They were full of contempt and disdain. She never participated in any bullying, but her eyes were always looking down on anyone she and her posse didn't deem cool enough.

And then I got into a fight with her then-boyfriend. Calling it a fight doesn't do it justice, he beat the shit out of me. That's what you get for trying to defend a weak and scrawny looking kid. Claire wasn't there when it began. She came in later and even stopped the fight. But I'll never forget the look of disbelief she shot us. How dare we, the wastes of space, get in the way of her boyfriend and try to resist him?

"Come with me," she had said to him. Not single word was spared for us.

That was the last time I had interacted with her. Ever since then, I've actively avoided her, to the point that she was invisible to me unless she literally stood in front of me. Case in point, today's instances.

But it wasn't all bad. I told myself I'd never let myself get beaten like this, and I made a friend.

Despite my nerves and doubts, I found myself making my way to Law near the end of my shift. Part of me hoped to get stood up. Then I'd know she was just messing around and that would be it. But no, I found Claire there already, twirling a strand of red hair around her finger while looking far away into the distance. I looked around to confirm if this was a prank or something, but no one else seemed to be around.

Unable to hold back the burning questions, I asked, "Why'd you come to this library?"

She looked surprised, as it she was actually lost in thought and wasn't aware that I was coming. I didn't know why she was putting on the cute act with me, but I didn't care for it.

Then she recovered, responding with a scoff. "Well, I wasn't following you." With an eye-roll, she added, "I come here all the time."

She comes to the library? That was a shocker. I would have never figured a cheerleader to be the reading-type. How come I hadn't seen her? Then again, I try to keep my head down and not be noticed as much as possible. In hindsight, it was a good thing I held my tongue earlier.

"You are paranoid. It's almost like you expect me to kidnap you or something."

Spot on, but I wasn't quite trying to hide my mistrust.

"Well, since you're not here to kidnap me... why did you ask me to come here?"

She looked down, then looked at me with upturned eyes. I was above games and all, but hell, she looked so cute and sexy! Never had I experienced anything like this. Facing her, I felt all my willpower drain away. I guess this is the true power of seduction.

"Kyle, I want you to touch my boobs," she said.

An inviting smile adorned her face, but I was confused. This was not how I had expected this interaction to go.

"Wha... what?" I stammered.

I had to hear that again before I believed my ears.

"You heard me," she said, batting her eyelashes. Her smile grew wider. "I want you to touch my boobs."

Most guys would jump if Claire asked them to fondle her tits, no doubt. For the first time, I really noticed what she was wearing. The fitting top revealed that although moderate in size, her chest was quite shapely. But this was too good to be true. Cheerleaders were prideful by nature, and Claire was at the top of that pile. Why would she, of all people, want to be groped by a nobody like me? She was still Claire, after all!

Tilting her head, she asked playfully, "What's the matter? Don't you want you?"

"It's not a matter of not wanting to..." I muttered.

I couldn't think that well. It was like walking through a fog. Maybe this was a kink or something? Is doing the unpopular kid even a thing?

"In that case..." She grabbed my hand.

Where is this going? I thought, despite knowing how it would turn out.

Before I could think or react, she had placed my hand on her chest. I vaguely felt the curvature underneath my hand. But I wasn't exactly enjoying it. At that moment, my mind was swimming in confusion and paranoia.

"Are you... trying to get my fingerprints on your shirt?"

She blinked, mouth slightly ajar. Her hold slackened and my hand fell to the side. Then, she was laughing. The mask of the seductress broke. In front me stood a girl, just a girl, who was laughing wholeheartedly.

...laughter that warms your heart...

"Oh God!" She said with tears in her eyes, "I can't! Sorry, that was something else."

She continued laughing and panting, while I observed awkwardly. My moment of fascination had passed and now I just felt embarrassed and annoyed. This was Claire! I knew what she was like, and I needed to remember that. I couldn't let myself be swayed by her pretty eyes and musical laughter, and definitely not by the promise of touching her boobs! Hell, maybe this was the endgame - to laugh at my expense.

"Look, if I wanted to frame you, there's plenty of ways. I don't know if this would even work." After a pause, she added, "So is this how you treat all girls trying to get a little friendly?"

I hesitated, my ears burning, reddening. "Umm... there...haven't been any before."

"Huh," she said nonchalantly.

'Huh?' That's all? 'Huh?'

It was so frustrating not knowing what she was thinking!

To avoid my embarrassment, I asked a little hotly, "Why, what did you think?"

She raised her arms, saying, "No need to get defensive! I don't know you and I don't like making assumptions. I'd guess you're a virgin if I really had to assume. But I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong." With a shrug, she added, "And I wouldn't care much about it either way."

That was unexpected. I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Anyway," she continued. "I'm being serious."

"I don't understand... Why me?"

She stared at me for a moment, once again with no expressions that I could read. Then she said, "I don't know. I just know it has to be you."

'Has to be' is a strong phrasing. Yeah, definitely the kink.

But...she had me wondering. No matter how rotten she was, Claire was beautiful. She had nice tits, and touching them for a moment felt good. I was a guy, after all. Whether this was a kink for her, what did I lose from going along? It wasn't like I was forgiving her or becoming one of those guys smitten with her.

As I silently contemplated, she added, "But if you really don't want to, I won't press it anymore."

That snapped me out of my train of thoughts.

"Yes! I'll do it!"

Yes, this would work out well. Whether it was fulfilling her kink or not, I shouldn't pass up this opportunity. I looked at her chest hesitantly, noticing the outline of her nipples against the fabric. If they were like that, she must have been aroused.

Rarely could I hold my tongue. I blurted out, somewhat loudly, "You're not wearing a bra?"

"Shh!"

She pressed her index finger against my lips. It was only for a moment, but I couldn't help but be surprised by the feeling of it. The warmth of her touch. Her faint perfume. Nothing in my life had ever felt like that.

"Are you trying to alert the whole library?"

Through the gaps in the bookshelf, we could see people walking around. No one seemed to be coming this way.

The reality of it hit me - I was about to feel Claire's boobs! Sure, my hand had been on her a second ago, but I was too paranoid for that to register. Now though, I could feel my dick hardening inside my pants. Combined with the thrill of it being in a public place, in the very library I worked at, the risk of getting caught... stupid, but very arousing.

She glanced down. With a half-smile, she said, "Glad to see I'm not the only one."

I felt awkward again. Never had anyone checked me out like that, so blatantly.

Clearing my throat, I asked, "So... um... what do I do?"

"Hmm." Her eyes narrowed as her finger touched her lips. Was it the same one that had been on mine? I wasn't keeping track, but now I couldn't take my eyes off her lips.

Snap out of it!

Then, her eyes lit up. Turning around, she said, "Stand behind me."

"Okay?" I drew out the word as I moved to take my position.

My eyes looked down towards her skirt, wondering how far this would go. It didn't help the frustration building up in my pants, so I looked up again.

"Get closer."

I took some tentative steps forward, careful to not let my crotch touch her skirt. Sure, she was letting me touch her tits. But I still wasn't sure about the boundaries. The last thing I wanted to do at that moment was freak her out with an unwanted poke. Then she wouldn't even need to frame me.

"So how do you want me to... You know."

She turned and smiled slyly. "How about you use your instincts, and I'll tell you what I like afterwards?"

There were a million things I wanted to do with her tits, but at that moment, I couldn't do anything. I highly doubted that watching porn counted as a good experience.

I weakly said, "I don't have any instincts."

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue. "Stop dilly-dallying and just do it!"

She was right. I shook off my nerves and decided to go for something. I raised my arms and slowly reached around her from both sides.

She giggled again. It was starting to get frustrating, being laughed at. Even though the sound of her laughter was almost like music.

"What?" I asked.

"Dude, just relax your shoulders. You look like you're trying to kidnap me." After laughing for a bit longer, she said, "Just take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Nothing to be nervous about."

I did as she instructed, and tried to loosen my shoulders. Something about Claire taking the role of the teacher, alongside her soft, sexy voice, made the whole affair so much more arousing.

My hands trembled as they reached closer to her body. An inch away from her blouse, my hands froze. I didn't know what I was afraid of, or what made me nervous. I wasn't sure why I was 'dilly-dallying'. But Claire noticed, and she half-turned her face with a kind smile.

"Hey, it's alright. Here, I'll guide you."

She grasped my wrists gently. For the second time that day, I felt her hands on mine and I almost exhaled involuntarily. It was just a pair of hands, how could this be having such an effect on me?

"Be gentle, okay?" she asked.

I nodded, weakly voicing a 'yes.'