Munch Time 1

by Amanda Fleming

  Nicole quickly pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. Her infuriatingly perfect breasts bounced free. God, she was gorgeous. I averted my eyes and looked left and right to make sure no one was coming. She was right, of course; no one was around.

  I glanced back at Nicole. She was standing about, topless, placing her shirt in the bag with her back to me. A thin, frilled serpent of some kind winded up the small of her back. I kept watching her in secret. I realized she was about to go fully nude. She caught my gaze and smiled. I smiled back, out of embarrassment.

  Turning her back to me, Nicole placed her bag on a rock and slowly shimmied out of her shorts and panties at the same time. As she moved her hips back and forth, her butt appeared, and I marveled at how cute it was. How tight and smooth and round. It was tantalizing how she wiggled it as she slipped out of her clothing. Finally, she was standing there completely nude.

  I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I badly wanted her to hurry up and turn around. I needed to see her body. It was a burning curiosity. I was about to scream. All of a sudden, I wanted to see everything.

  After stuffing her shorts in the bag, she turned around and found me watching her. I must have looked stupid standing there, wide-eyed and gawking. I felt like Nicole was the personification of beauty. Her long, dark hair showered down over her shoulders and framed her gorgeous breasts. Her arms were nicely toned. Her waist was thin, and she had a nice, flat stomach like the ones in my free fitness magazines that always ended up in the trash.

  Then, just like that, I realized I was staring at Nicole's vagina, but I couldn't look away. She obviously spent a good amount of time grooming herself, and had a neat little landing strip with a delicate labia that peeked out just slightly. This was the very same place she had plunged her fingers the night before, revealing them to be soaked.

  I felt suddenly alive, gazing at her naked body, exposed to the wilderness, and yet there for my eyes only. I wanted to touch and feel it, examine each curve, every dimple. It was an object of absolute fascination for me. I kept burning. My whole body was burning.

  She watched me observing her body without saying a word. She just had that impish smile that made me weak. I wanted to take off my own clothes; to be able to stand there naked with her and have it be no big deal. I could just secretly enjoy it and keep telling myself it was normal. But I was terrified.

  "Done?" she laughed. My heart sank.

  "Oh, uh... yeah, sorry," I said, suddenly overcome with anxiety and embarrassment. "What am I doing!?" I thought to myself.

  "Okay. Glad you were able to get a good look," she joked.

  Nicole turned and wandered toward the water's edge. As she did this, her ass wagged seductively behind her. I was sure she was exaggerating it on purpose. She threw a glance over her shoulder at me to confirm I was still watching. I had completely forgotten to keep watch for hikers, but I didn't care. I didn't want to miss a second of this.

  Step by step she advanced into the water, and sunk ever deeper into the dark, shimmering depths. Her body was now obscured up to her waist. She turned back around to face me and smiled, then she vanished below the surface for a few moments and shot back up, tossing her head back and letting the water stream from her hair.

  I watched the sunlight sparkling through the droplets covering her breasts, which had firmed up from the coolness of the water, as she reached back and squeezed the moisture from her hair. She rubbed her hands all over her body, rinsing her face, her neck, arms, and then slipped her hand between her legs to rinse there as well. As she did this, she narrowed her eyes curiously at me.

  Occasionally I remembered to glance around, watching for hikers, but only for a brief moment or two. I kept returning my gaze to the pond, where Nicole kept taking secret glances at me, knowing my eyes were glued to her body. I felt as if I was on fire, and I didn't understand it. It was all-consuming, and I still couldn't bring myself to recognize it as lust.

  When she finished bathing herself, she slowly emerged from the water with the same seductive walk as before. The cool water streamed down over her breasts as they gently bounced, and then slipped between her legs as if inviting me to follow.

  "Hand me a towel?" she asked.

  I scrambled to grab one from her bag. She walked up to me, and I stood as close as I'd ever been to a nude woman; almost skin to skin. She accepted the towel and began drying her hair with it, while looking at me curiously. I was mesmerized by the lively movement of her boobs as her body shook.

  She smiled at me and said, "You gonna go?"

  "Yeah... okay," I said.

  I inhaled deeply and swallowed, realizing that she was about to watch me undress. Surely she could tell I was nervous, but I wasn't able to fake confidence. My heart was racing. I had a strange desire to undress in front of her, but at the same time I was still worried someone else would see us. Moreover, I didn't know what she'd think of my body.

  I began to remove clothing, bit by bit, taking my sweet time. First my shoes and socks. Then my shirt. Then my jeans. She watched me closely, if impatiently, as I worked my way down to just my bra and panties. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to get dressed again herself, and I didn't mind. Now I paused.

  Nicole had my back. She glanced about, checking for any sign of another human being. "All clear, go for it," she said, reassuringly.

  I reached around and undid my bra, then meekly removed it in front of Nicole, letting my boobs bounce free. Her eyes shot straight down to my chest and she smiled warmly. I felt my nipples harden as I felt the breeze over them. My insecurities started to bubble up. I wondered what she thought of my breasts. They were certainly not as perfectly shaped. Did she care?

  I stared into the dirt as I slipped down my panties. I couldn't look Nicole in the eyes. And, well, there was my vagina. Out in the open for the world to see. I was glad I had trimmed myself recently, but I still had a lot of pubic hair. Again, I found myself concerned about what Nicole would think; about whether she'd find my awkward body attractive or not. Finally I glanced up at her.

  She was beaming. "You did it!" she exclaimed. I cracked a slight smile and exhaled. "Feels good, right?"

  "Yeah, actually it does," I replied.

  She smiled and continued to observe my body, neither hiding her curiosity, nor making a show of it. I wanted to decipher the look on her face, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

  "Is it cold?" I asked, eyeing the pond.

  "Nope, it feels great," she said, egging me on.

  I hesitantly approached the water's edge and dipped my toes in. She was right, it wasn't bad. I wiggled my foot around in the water. The weight and movement of my breasts in the passing breeze reminded me to panic about other people in the area, but I couldn't see a soul anywhere around the other side of the pond. I wandered out into the cool water and then sunk down and submerged myself up to my neck, where I felt safe.

  Back at the water's edge, Nicole had wrapped the towel around her head but was still nude. Under the water, I was hidden. I caressed my breasts. I secretly slipped my fingers between my legs. I marveled in the sensation of my nudity in a strange and new setting, while I watched Nicole.

  I found myself imagining what it would be like to make love to her, like she had described in her fantasy. Again, I frantically tried to make sense of why these thoughts were in my head, despite my interest in guys. However, this time I told myself, "It's just Nicole. It's not like I lust after ever woman I see." Somehow I convinced myself that I could permit fantasizing about this one women, and it wouldn't be the same as fantasizing about women in general.

  Once I made this commitment, I let go.

  I imagined strolling out of the water like she did. Wrapping my arms around Nicole, our naked bodies pressed together. I imagined us entwined in the soft grass, mouth to mouth, breast to breast, hips to hips. I imagined her plunging her fingers inside me, and finding me as wet as she discovered herself the night before.

  Nicole was watching me now, and I fea
red that she was in my head; that she was onto me and knew exactly what I was thinking. I told myself I didn't care. That I hoped she knew what I was thinking. She kept studying me curiously.

  Finally, I quickly emerged from the water and approached Nicole, who had gotten a towel ready for me.

  "Arms up," she said.

  I threw them up in the air and laughed as she turned me round and round, patting my naked breasts, and the rest of my body, dry with the towel. I shivered as she made contact with every inch of my body.

  "All dry," she concluded, with a wide grin, setting the towel aside.

  "Thanks!" I said.

  Without thinking, I gave her a hug. She didn't seem surprised. She just wrapped her arms around me, like I had imagined. We were pressed together tightly. I felt her hard nipples pressing against mine and it was electric. I didn't want to let go, I cherished that moment.

  I badly wanted to kiss her. I wanted to feel those luscious lips against mine. It felt like it was about to happen. We were facing each other, suddenly, lips inches from each other. Then we were even closer.

  I quickly let go. Nicole seemed taken aback, and suddenly quieted. For a moment, her usual cheerful self vanished, like she was brooding.

  I shook it off. We got dressed in silence, had a quick bite to eat, and then set off on our hike like nothing had happened.

  Awkward dynamic aside, the hike was beautiful. Nicole had to keep reminding me to stop for a moment and look around, to appreciate the surroundings. She was right- it was gorgeous. The views of the Hudson River and distant towns were incredible. The word that kept coming to mind was "romantic" and I wanted to be here with someone I felt really drawn to. Increasingly, I had the sense that that's exactly what was going on.

  We passed through beautiful glades, over rocky outcroppings, along quiet trails, winding our way up the mountain. Finally, we reached a little grove which caused Nicole to break into a sudden bout of excitement.

  "This is it!" she exclaimed.

  "This is where?" I asked, dumbfounded.

  "You'll see, follow me," she said, quickening her pace.

  She led me down a small trail that was an offshoot of the one we'd been on. It terminated at a large boulder resting atop a slab of rock jutting out from the mountain side. The slab of rock abruptly ended, beyond which was nothing but a gorgeous vista of the Hudson River Valley below. It was easily the best overlook we'd seen yet, and Nicole knew exactly how to find it.

  Nicole threw her bag down and sat on the rock, right near the edge. She looked as if she was floating in space above the world. She patted the ground next to her inviting me to take a seat. I did, and we gazed out at the endless expanse of nature with a feeling of tranquility and peace.

  "It's so beautiful," I commented finally, "Do you always come here when you go camping?"

  "Pretty much. It's one of my favorite spots. You can see everything from here." She turned and smiled. "Except now I get to see it with you, which is so much nicer!"

  I beamed at her and said, "Thanks! Likewise."

  She leaned back, and then put her arm around me. I closed my eyes in the sun and listened to the birds. I could feel Nicole's hair blowing in the breeze against me. "This is a place I never want to leave," I thought.

  When I opened my eyes, I caught Nicole watching me. I knew that look. I gave it to someone once. I needed to say something to fill the void, to stop myself from returning that look.

  I sat upright and leaned toward Nicole, but she must have misunderstood.

  "Do you-" I started.

  But it was too late. I saw her eyes close and felt her lips suddenly press against mine. My heart skipped a beat. At first I didn't resist; I felt her longing, her desperation, and I joined in momentarily. Then I pulled away suddenly.

  "Uh... Nicole- I... I think you might have misunderstood..." I said, clunkily. She looked shocked.

  "Oh god, I'm sorry!" she turned away, embarrassed and covering her face. "I don't know why I did that!" She couldn't look at me, and I knew that her heart was breaking. I could almost feel it cracking next to me. But so was mine.

  "It's okay... um... I-"

  "No, really, I can't believe I did that, I'm a total idiot," she interrupted, "Seriously, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I totally didn't invite you here to... It doesn't matter. I'm really sorry!"

  She said this in a way that revealed a certain vulnerability that I'd never seen in Nicole before. She was also so headstrong and in control. I felt bad. I caused this.

  I opened my mouth but I didn't know what to say. Truthfully, I regretted stopping her from kissing me. What was the harm in that? I should have just let it happen and we'd move on like nothing happened. Or at least that's what I told myself. She gazed out at the valley below, frustrated. I practiced various lines in my head, but none of them seemed right, so we just sat there in silence.

  Things were awkward for a little while. The moment passed, but I could see she was still kicking herself. I commented on everything around us, trying to keep her mind off what happened. We spent hours exploring the secret corners of the forest that she enjoyed, but I couldn't help but want to rewind everything and do it all over again without the awkwardness.

  Eventually, it seemed to be well past us, and we were able to move on. We returned to the camp site as evening began to fall, started the fire up again, and began to reflect on the day.

  "So... I wanted to apologize again... for what I did earlier," said Nicole, returning to the subject we had abandoned for a while.

  "That's okay, it was my fault."

  "What?"

  "Nothing. I mean, I dunno..."

  We both laughed. I felt stupid revealing my confusion around her.

  "It's just that, I feel awful. Like, that you'll think I brought you here for the wrong reason. But I really didn't. I like you a lot and I don't want this to fuck anything up, you know?" she confessed.

  "Yeah, I know. It won't," I reassured her, doing my best to smile, but really I felt guilty that she was upset.

  She was quiet for a moment then added, "It's just that... I mean, I really like you. But whatever, I've been SOL before. So."

  She looked down at the fire. I'd never seen her like this. I wondered how often she was in this position, liking a straight girl, knowing there was nothing she could do about it.

  I wanted to let her know that I actually wanted to kiss her. That she did nothing wrong. I silently screamed this at her in my head. The guilt was enormous and I had to do something.

  After dinner we put out the fire and returned to the tent. We stripped down to our underwear and laid down.

  "Nicole?" I said.

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm really sorry. I think maybe I've been... sending... signals. Like, it's all my fault, not yours."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean... I like guys but, I dunno, I'm not sure about you. Wait, that didn't come out right. What I mean is, I like guys but I think I might also kinda like you the way I like guys." I groaned. "This is embarrassing."

  Nicole laughed as well. "I've heard that before. My friend Nina didn't realize she was bisexual until she had her first girl crush and she freaked the fuck out when something finally happened."

  It was a relief to hear that she knew someone else that had been in this situation. But was she implying that I was bisexual? Was I? I wasn't sure anymore. She sat up and faced me. I sat up as well.

  "Do you want to just kiss me once and see what it feels like? I won't pressure you," she said. She was smiling again. Thank god.

  "Okay," I said immediately.

  We stared at each other for a few seconds, then started laughing. Finally she grew impatient and leaned forward, placing her lips on mine. I breathed in deeply, then tried to relax. There was something softer and more sensual about kissing her, compared to guys I'd made out with. I felt safe. I hadn't crossed a line. This was just a kiss, and it felt wonderful.

  I felt her tongue and didn't resist. I let her
feel mine. She wrapped her arms around me and I melted into her. I felt her hands through my hair, her body pressed against mine. I felt how badly she wanted me, and it was tempting.

  I felt Nicole's nipples graze my chest. I realized I was trembling at their touch. I knew she was moving slowly, deliberately, so as to give me a chance to stop her if I was uncomfortable. She cradled my head and kept kissing me, while her other hand traveled down to her panties. Like an expert, she slipped them off with one hand and threw them aside, without missing a beat.

  "Wait I... I'm... confused," I said, pulling away, finally letting the fear take hold.

  "That makes two of us!" sighed Nicole. I smiled sheepishly, but I knew she was hurting.

  Nicole threw herself back on the ground, stretching out her gorgeous body and staring up at the ceiling of our tent. I lay down beside her.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I repeated in my head, "I was so close, why can't I do this?!" I wanted to be with her so badly, and yet again I ruined it. I felt as if Nicole would never speak to me again after this trip. I told myself, "Every girl at some point in her life has a little moment of experimentation with her BFF. No big deal. Right? Right." But I just couldn't convince myself.