I froze at her question. I had known Flora since the schools in my town had started allowing Mamono to co-exist, which had been since fourth grade, and we had quickly become friends. Due to the fact that I was never weirded out by her and treated her like I did everyone else, I was asked by the staff and her parents to keep people from attempting to ride her, by force if necessary, as this privilege was meant for trusted people and later in life for the person they wished to marry.
It never stopped people from trying though. All attempts failed, either being met by me talking them down, a short scuffle, or when all else failed, one of Flora's hooves square to the face usually straightened most people out. It was like this for years, we had all the same classes, and spent time outside of school to study for tests, or just hang out. Over the time we had known each other she had grown quite a bit, easily outgrowing me in height, and the small Centaur that I had grown up with was now a full fledged beauty, with long strawberry blonde hair she let fall freely past her shoulders and warm brown eyes.
She had also become rather.....I think busty would be the right word. The fair-skinned Centaur had a very large chest, not as large as the Holstaur girls, but if I had to guess, she wasn't too far behind them. I had the odd experience a few months prior to this of seeing one of her bras that she had not put away yet, and I made a mental note that my head could fit in one of the cups and there would still be room. I fortunately looked away just in time as she had stepped into her room to change before we began to study.
"Jake?" Flora asked almost in a whisper, snapping me out of my flashback.
"Oh, sorry." I apologized. "I was a little caught off guard by your question. You...do remember what it means if you let me ride on your back, right?"
Flora's face broke out in a bright blush again, head down as she attempted to hade her face with her hair, though it did little to conceal it with the height difference between us.
"I know. I've thought about this for a long time, and.....I want this. You're my best friend, but I can't help but feel.....that I want more. You know me better than most people do. You know things about me that my parents don't even know. We've spent a lot of time together, as friends, as classmates, but now......now I have to tell you.....that I love you. You've been so nice to me from the very first day, and I think.... I've always felt like this, and now it needed to come out, or my heart would've burst."
I stood there in amazement as she confessed. Never had I seen her act so vulnerable before. As she reached the end of her confession, I approached her and took her hand in mine, interlacing our fingers. I heard her take in a sharp breath, holding it in anticipation as I looked up at her and smiled.
"You know.....honestly you could've told me this anytime, and it wouldn't have changed anything. I feel the same way you do, I was just too scared to tell you. I thought it would ruin the friendship we had. But now, I'm going to ask you something I was told never to let anyone else do. Could I ride you back home, please?" I asked.
Her blush lit up her face even more at those words, her hand squeezing mine firmly. "I'd love to give you a ride home. Climb on."
I stepped up to her side, and climbed onto her powerful lower body, adjusting for a moment before sliding up just behind her upper body, finding a comfortable spot to sit. I could see Flora shivering a bit as I moved, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked. "Is where I am alright?"
"I'm fine, but you need to move up a little." Flora replied. "Come closer to me."
I slid up closer, and she grabbed my arms, wrapping them around her waist, She took in a big breath, and exhaled, almost sighing.
"You have no idea how much I've thought about you riding me for the first time." She said as she began to head in the direction of my house.
"How much did you think about it?" I asked, curious.
She thought for a moment, then answered. "Everyday. everytime we were together, it crossed my mind. I just didn't act on it."
"If you knew I liked you too, would you have acted on it sooner?" I asked.
"Yes. One hundred percent yes." She replied. "But better late than-"
"FLORA!!!" A voice suddenly rang out, and Flora stopped as another Centaur had just exited a nearby grocery store, holding a couple of bags as she rushed up to us.
"Oh no, not now." Flora groaned.
"She would've figured it out sooner or later, but I think we would've preferred later." I commented as Hylde, Flora's mother, almost skidded to a stop in front of us.
"Mom, I-" Flora barely got those words out as her mother embraced her.
"Congratulations, Honey!" Her mother cried out, actually crying. "I'm so happy for you! Wait until I tell your father!"
"Mom, can you...let me tell Dad?" Flora asked. "I was going to tell you when I got home, but, well this happened."
"Of course, Honey." Hylde replied, and turned her attention to me as she sidled up to her daughter.
"Be honest with me, Jacob. How long have you two actually been together?" Hylde asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
"MOM!!!" Flora moaned in embarrassment.
"You've know me me and my family for a while. Honestly, this happened only a few minutes ago. We've liked each other for a long time, and it's come to this." I explained.
Hylde smiled sweetly at me, then gave me a side hug, pulling my head over to her as she whispered, "I expect a healthy grandchild from you soon" and pulled away from us.
"I'll see you at home, Honey! Don't be gone too long!" Hylde called out to us as she strode away in the opposite direction.
"Well, that was uncomfortable." Flora said.
"You have no idea." I replied.
Flora and I finished the ride to my house, noticing my father's car was missing from the driveway.
"Uh....Jake?" Flora said, catching my attention. "Your Dad's not home, is he?"
"Doesn't look like it." I replied as I slowly climbed off her.
"I...don't want to go home tonight. I wanna...stay....with you." Flora said quietly, face almost crimson from her blush.
"I don't mind at all, and my dad won't either." I said, opening the door and letting us in. As soon as the door was shut, she was pressed against me, pinning me to the wall with a crimson blush adorning her cheeks.
"Jake...I feel really hot... I REALLY need to get out of these clothes." She said suggestively, pressing up against me forcefully.
I took her hand and led her back to my room, which I had made changes to specifically so she could fit inside, and she immediately backed me up so I was sitting on my bed, and slowly lowered herself onto the floor so she was level with me.
"Please..." Flora said, almost in a begging way as she pressed her ample, bouncy chest against me. "Undress me, husband."
I replied by leaning in and capturing her lips with mine as I began to slowly remove her clothes.
The next morning I awoke next to a nude and still sleeping Flora, arms wrapped around me and face only an inch from mine. I would've kissed her, but a low creak alerted me to someone standing just outside the door. I lifted my head up and saw my Dad and Flora's Mother standing there, looking at us both with a knowing smile, my dad nodding at me and walking away as Hylde gave me a thumbs up.
"We'll let you two sleep in a little, it's only seven in the morning. When you two get up, we'll have breakfast as a family." Hylde whispered to me, and closed the door.