Chapter 4

When he got home, his mother and father were eating breakfast and called to him when he came in.

His mind on Zoe, he didn't think about how he was dressed and he entered the kitchen. "Morning mum, dad. Sorry about spoiling your date night last night."

"My god son, when did this happen?"

James looked around, not understanding at first, then saw his father staring.

"I know it had been a while since we both worked out together, but ... wow. You are in amazing shape!"

"Oh ... um, yeah, a bit. I've been working out more," he said, stammering. His mother's expression was almost as bad.

"You certainly aren't my little boy any longer, are you?" she mused. "I feel like quite the bad mother, not having noticed how much you have changed. I mean, I saw you getting rid of the baby fat, but I thought that was just, you know, puberty. I should have been more suspicious about your tight shirt last night." She blushed and James had to grin.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, reaching for a glass and the pitcher of juice.

"I started really working out about a year ago last January. I bought this magazine, mostly out of boredom, and it game some basic techniques for building more muscle. Well, one thing led to another and... "he trailed off. "I guess I was worried that you would forbid it, and when hiding became habit, I didn't know how to stop. I began wearing baggy clothes, slouching ... it was mental, really."

"So what changed, son?" his father asked, concerned.

"Oh I know what changed, dear. It called a Zoe." his mother laughed.

James just smiled, blushing again.

"Oh? Oh! I see! So ... when do we get to meet this Zoe?" his father grinned expectantly.

"Didn't I tell you? Oh dear, I met her the other day, jut for a moment. Very pretty girl, the most adorable bright blue eyes and platinum blond hair. James, why don't you invite her over this afternoon? I know you were going to the movies this evening."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, mum. Zoe has, well, she made me decide that hiding was not very healthy, and it doesn't hurt that she likes how I look, for sure. She is so open, so above board and trusting, that I think I actually hurt her feelings not trusting her with this. So, I want to get some new clothes. Something that actually fits."

"Oh thank heaven!" His mum said, a wide grin splitting her face. "I thought it was a fad you would grow out of, those horrible dumpy rags you wear. The magazine all say let them experiment, let them find a style that is comfortable, but I thought I would surely go mad and shred them all if you didn't get tired of them soon!"

James was shocked. He had no idea his mother even thought about his wardrobe, apart from insuring he had clean clothes. "Why didn't you say anything, mum? I never knew you hated it!"

"Darling, I am married to your father, that means I get to choose his clothes for him. Someday, you wife will surely do the same, in the mean time, you are old enough to choose, and it is my job to just shut my gob and hope peer pressure works." She laughed, seeing the sour expression on his face.

"Ok, enough teasing. I think we can work something out." She looked at her husband and they exchanged one of those wordless, almost telepathic conversations that married couples seem to have.

"James, your mother and I were already planning this, but we thought it would be for your birthday next month." He pulled out his wallet, extracted a credit card and handed it to James. "This is intended for approved expenses and emergencies only. No pizza orders for your school, no impulse purchases on the internet. If you want something, ask first. If we approve, we may have you use the credit card. In all other instances, it is for emergencies only, ok?"

"We opened that account as a joint account in all of our names. Since you are a minor, we have the right to cut your card into little pieces if you should abuse it. Right, you get the picture, no more gloom and doom. Tonight, you can use that to buy new clothes, but your limit is, "he paused, looking at his wife.

A shrug, a lifted eyebrow, a quirked lip and negotiations were complete.

"You can spend $500 but not a penny more. If it turns out that you need more later, we can discuss it. Do you have cash for the movie?"

"Wow, that's fantastic, thanks dad, thanks mum! Um, yeah dad, mum gave me money for the movie already." James was grinning, turning the card over in his hand. It even had his name on it. He knew it was intended for emergencies, and he wasn't going to let his parents down, but it was pretty cool to have his own credit card!

"I need a shower, badly, and then I will see if Zoe can come over, ok dad?"

"Sounds good son. Run along now" he replied with a grin.

James ran upstairs, basking in his parents approval. His senses, growing seemingly more powerful by the day, were a joy at times like these.

Zoe came over for lunch, telling her folks that his James parents wanted to meet her too, and promising them she would invite the whole family back next weekend for a barbeque.

James was expecting her and was at the door in a flash when she knocked, greeting her with a big hug and a kiss, though a chaste one since his parents were in the living room.

"Hello beautiful! Your parents were ok with you coming over, obviously." he said, grinning at her.

"They thought it was only fair, after all, since they interrogated you last night." Her grin was just as wide as his, her eyes twinkling. "Besides, I wanted to see your house too. I really wanted to show you my bedroom, but my mother never would have allowed that." She winked, bumping him with her hip as he led her into the house.

"Mum, dad, this is Zoe, my girlfriend." James blushed a bit, realizing that this was the first time he had ever used that term.

Zoe's smile, if anything, got even bigger. "Zoe, this is my father, David and my mum, Ada."

"Hello again, dear. It is good to finally get to spend time with you, though I feel like I know you already. James speaks very highly of you." His mum got up and gave the beaming girl a warm hug.

"I forgot to warn you, my family are huggers." James shrugged.

"I, for one, have been waiting to meet you. You have had quite an impact on our son, a positive one. Anyone who can get him out of his shell is okay in our book." his father said, laying an arm over Zoe's shoulder.

"I am so happy to be here. I knew the day I met James that he was special, and now I see where he gets his charm." She smile up at him. Turning to his mum, she added, "You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Anderson."

"Thank you dear, but please, can you call me Ada? Mrs. Anderson is David's mother, and I like to pretend I am still young."

"I can, Ada, but only when my parents are not around!"

"I am going to give Zoe the tour, alright mum?" James asked, retrieving Zoe from his father.

"Fine dear. Lunch will be ready in half an hour or so. You don't have any dietary restrictions, do you Zoe? Vegetarian? Lactose, anything like that?"

"Oh, no ma'am. I will eat just about anything."

James, his hand in Zoe's, led her through the downstairs, showing her his weight room and explaining the various machines. She was full of questions, pointing to a muscle and asking how he worked to build it, then letting her hand linger on another. It wasn't long before the touches grew longer, the glances hotter. James, afraid that this was about to get even more interesting, kissed her and led her out of the room, smiling at her when she complained that he was a spoilsport. Zoe had been teasing him and he had been enjoying it.

When he asked her if she would like to see his room, her eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

Taking her by the hand and leading her upstairs, he opened the door to his room and ushered her in. He waited by the door as she wandered through the room, touching here and there, taking it all in. When she paused by the bed, James grinned as she climbed the ladder and laid her hand on the mattress before looking back at him with an arched eyebrow, her eyes bright.

"So, is this were the magic happens? It's a nice, big bed." she asked, the tip of her tongue touching her upper lip. She turned and sat on his bed, dangling her feet over the side and stared down at him.

"Can I ask you a question? A personal question?" she looked almost timid, as if afraid to actually ask what she was thinking.

"Anything." James said, wondering what was on her mind.

"Have you had many girls up here?" Zoe looked determined, but he could feel the fear from her, the uncertainty.

"Baby ... except for my mother, who still does my laundry and delivers it for me to put away, there has never been a female of any age in this room for as long as we have lived her. Not a one."

"Really?"

"Really. You can ask my mum, if you like. She told me the other day that she was beginning to think that I might me gay or even one of those non-sexual people. She was very pleased when I told her about this really pretty girl I had met at school." James said, and he could feel her relief, her belief in him.

"Why would you think otherwise? Did I give you the impression that I was less messed up in the head that you thought?"

"What??" she gasped. "You are not messed up!"

"What would you call having a panic attack because people were looking at me. Look, Zoe, I know I have ... um ... issues. But you, you make them seem like they are so small, like I can do anything. Do you realize that my parents didn't even know I had been working out so much? My mum knew my biceps were bigger, but she didn't hadn't see as much as you did until this morning."

"I was afraid that you were rethinking this, rethinking us." he said, looking at his feet.

He heard a thump as her feet hit the floor. Zoe folded herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Don't you get it? You are a hunk. A handsome, hard-body hunk that any girl at school would love to get their hands on. Even my older sister is teasing me, saying that she would take you for a test ride and give me a full report." She snorted, laughing a bit.

"I am just ... a girl. Not the prettiest, or the smartest or even the ... the best body. I have hardly any boobs and my butt is too small. I just worried that, well, that there were others, that I might be falling for you and you had other options" She sniffled, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

Her emotions were all riled up, love and insecurity and hope all battling it out inside of her, and it made James feel very protective.

He bent down, gathered Zoe in his arms, ignoring her little gasp, and carried her over to the futon. He sat, still cradling her, and lowered her to his lap.

"Zoe, love, I adore you. You have been in my thoughts since the moment I saw you in class that day. When you walked up to me, I thought for sure that you were there to tease me. The prettiest girl in class coming to talk to me?" James was emitting, showing her the love and the desire to protect her, to hold her and keep her safe. "Then you said you thought we were going to be great friends, I thought my heart would explode."

Zoe dried her eyes, looking up at him, then placed a little kiss on the side of his jaw, her hand stroking his neck.

"I love you, you silly girl. I have never even kissed a girl before. Well, since I was about three, that is. She ended up stealing my favorite toy car so I pulled her hair." He laughed.

Zoe felt strangely calmed by the deep rumble in his chest, his strong arms around her. She snuggled closer, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I know I have issues, but something about you makes me feel whole. I don't want anyone else. I don't even want those others looking at me, only you. Ok?" he continued to project love and acceptance, but added something new, trust. Unlike just letting her know what he felt, he actively pushed, sure that her insecurities were keeping her from being really happy.

She nodded, her chin tickling his chest. He felt her relax, her tension melting away and her breathing returning to normal. She sat up, levering herself against his chest so she could see his face.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel like a little girl, but when you hold me, I feel like a woman. Your woman." she leaned in, her eyes closed, and she kissed him, the love an passion flowing into him and reflected back, turning the kiss into a flow, a flood of emotion that left them both breathless.

"James" his mum called from downstairs. "Her parents returned you to us in the same condition we sent you out, we would prefer to return the favor." she said, laughter in her voice. "Lunch is ready anyway, so comb your hair and come down."

"Yes Mum!" James replied with good humor, though it was a couple of minutes, with Zoe sneaking looks and grinning, before he was in any condition to go eat lunch.

That evening's mall trip started off very well. Zoe's parents welcomed him back and were happy to see him. They were radiating only acceptance for him, and amusement at their daughter's infatuation. Stewart was ready to go after James had been there only a few minutes but there was a delay as a hurried conference seemed to be going on upstairs.

When Zoe came down, she pulled James aside for a whispered conference.

"Stacy is coming with us." she said, not looking particularly happy.

"You don't want her to go?"

"Well, it's not that, really, it is just... " Zoe paused, obviously choosing her works carefully. James could read determination, excitement and some aggravation, but couldn't pinpoint the source.

"The girls all agreed to sit together, and give us some privacy, you know in the theatre." she blushed, squeezing his arm.

"Oh!" James felt like smacking himself. "Um, she wouldn't tell you parents, would she?"

"No, she won't but she's my sister, you know?"

"Well, you can't really exclude her so ... how about I make sure you forget she is even there?" He said, winking at her. Her blush was so adorable.

They arrived at the mall and piled out, Stewart saying he would be back by ten fifteen, ten thirty at the latest, before he pulled away. All three headed inside, Zoe looking for her friends and James just looking around. This was only the second American mall he had been in, and it was much larger than the first.

He looked with interest at the map kiosk, trying to figure out where they were and where they had to be before eight thirty. They had two hours before the movie started, and that should be plenty of time for some shopping.

He heard a squeal, a shout and some laughter. Looking up, he saw that Zoe and her friends were all clustered together, laughing and talking excitedly. The occasional glances they threw his way told him he was at least one of the topics being discussed. It made him a little uncomfortable, but he was surprised at how quickly he was adjusting.

The mall was teeming with people, a good portion of them teenagers, and his empathic shield was taking a beating. Not as bad as school, but enough that he was glad for the newfound strength. Stacy was standing to the side, smiling at the girls and he felt nostalgia and, surprising him, a little loneliness radiating from her.

He walked over and stood beside her.

"Is this normal? For girls, I mean. I don't have a lot of experience with girls in packs." he grinned at her, shrugging.

Stacy laughed, nodding her head. "I was just thinking about the girls I used to hang out with, and how much Zoe reminds me of, well, me! Don't worry, by the way, I won't cramp your style." She gave him a little dig in the ribs with her elbow.

"I made some calls and a couple of my old school friends were free, they should be here soon. I've got my cell phone, so don't be surprised if I disappear."

"Noted." James said. "For what it's worth, your sister seems to idolize you. She seems to think that you are who she wants to be. From what I have seen, she could do much worse."

"You really are a silver-tongued devil, aren't you?" She smiled at him, shaking her head. "Zoe is ... Zoe. She doesn't know how pretty she is, and she could have had any boy in that school. She chose you and I think she made a smart choice. You're okay, James."

"Be still my heart!" James said mockingly, but grinning at Stacy before moving over to join the girls.

"Still hitting on my sister?" Zoe asked, pretending to be jealous.

"Who, me? She was telling me to watch my behavior with you or she would get some of her college friends to beat me up! She scares me." he said, shivering theatrically and drawing a laugh from the group.

Sally sidled over, not touching but standing very close, her eyes scanning him closely. "Anna and Denise tell me that you are some kind of body builder. Why do you wear such baggy clothes?"

"Sally!" the twins exclaimed, blushing.

"What? I'm just asking."

Zoe sidled over to James, tucking her head under his arm and whispering in his ear. "She weighs more than me, but do you think you could pick her up like you did me? Not the cuddling bit though." she giggled, looking up at him. James just smiled and nodded.

Zoe stepped back and smiled.

James turned to face her. "Sally, do me a favor. Hold your arms to your side. Now bend them at the elbow so your hands are pointing straight out. No moving them, ok? Hold them tight."

"Wait, what are you going to do? No tickling!" she squealed, but did as he asked, her eyes wide.

James stepped closer to her, almost nose to nose, and smiled. "Ready? Hold your arms tight." He squatted just a bit, placed his palms under her elbows and straightened his legs, lifting her easily off the ground. Now they really were nose to nose.

"You ok? Still holding your arms tight?"

Sally nodded, nervous but excited by his display of strength.

James pressed, bringing his arms up and lifting her above his head, seemingly without effort. He held here there for a five count, then slowly lowered her again, squatting at the end to set her softly back on the floor.

There was a collective gasp, a moment of silence, and all four of them started talking excitedly. Sally was red-faced and breathing hard, her eyes still wide with awe.

"That was awesome! Oh my god, I have never felt anything like that. My dad couldn't even do that!"

The other girls gathered around grabbing at his biceps, commenting on how hard his arms were.

Zoe, deciding that enough was enough, snuggled up under his arm again with a sniff. James could tell that she was pleased and proud. The rest of them radiated wonder, a little jealousy, but more of a feeling of friendly rivalry than the nasty kind, and all of them were looking at him with more than a bit of attraction.

James glanced over at Stacy, saw her sniggering, and gave her a saucy wink and a shrug. What's a guy to do?

Zoe, being the ring leader, announced that they all had a mission. They were going to help James pick out some clothes that didn't make him look like he was wearing hand-me-downs from a much bigger brother. James blushed, but refused to look away at the speculating looks they threw his way.