Munch Time 1

by Amanda Fleming

  We had brought some basic bath products with us, and took turns shampooing each other's hair, getting ourselves cleaner than we'd felt in a while -- the boat's onboard showers were mediocre at best.

  After bathing, relaxing, and lots of idle girl talk, I decided to do some exploring, while Carla looked half-conscious at best, floating with a dreamy smile on her face, and Lucy seemed pretty comfortable. I re-dressed and headed off into the semi-jungle, aimlessly wandering around the beautiful little island.

  I was half-hoping to find Caitlyn somewhere, maybe waiting with open arms...I laughed that thought off. She might come to terms with what she had done the previous night, I thought, but that certainly didn't mean she had any real feelings for me beyond friendship. I was more than willing to write the whole thing off as a curiosity, vacation-fueled night, and leave it at that. I certainly didn't want to lose my best friend.

  Then I thought some more, carefully examining my feelings. Realistically, I should have been a lot more worried about having sex with my straight best friend. It happens a lot, of course, but that doesn't mean it's always a good idea. Unless everybody goes in with the right idea, just like any other sexual scenario, it can end in disaster. But I hadn't thought twice -- once I'd known it was her, it was easy for me to make love to her -- easy for me to go down on her, easy for me to help her come, to call her "baby". It had been very easy. What did that mean? That question kept spinning again and again through my mind as I wandered without really watching where I was going, my teeth worrying constantly at my lower lip.

  I was broken from my reverie a few moments later by the sight of a human figure somewhere ahead, and stopped, peering out over another of the wide pools, this one also surrounded by rocks, but a little higher wall, making it difficult to see into the water beyond.

  Tim was sitting on one of the rocks, with his back to me, looking as though he were dipping his feet in the water. I noticed almost immediately that he seemed to be naked, as well -- I couldn't see his trunks, but I could see his bare butt on the rocks. His body was lean and muscular, and I could understand why Robert was attracted to him -- if I'd been at all into men, I certainly wouldn't have kicked that out of bed.

  Then I noticed something -- his head was thrown back, his eyes closed, and there was a dreamy smile on his face. I was a little startled at that. Tim didn't really seem like the revel-in-the-sunshine type to me -- then I saw a pair of hands slide around his hips to his ass, cupping and lifting. I blinked in surprise, and a fleeting thought crossed my mind that Caitlyn...no, she couldn't, I thought. That didn't seem like her.

  As it turned out, it wasn't. Making my way a short distance around the pool, staying out of sight, I was finally able to catch sight of Robert's dark-haired head, bobbing slowly and lingeringly up and down in Tim's lap, his hands still visible stroking the younger man's butt and thighs.

  As I stared, torn between blushing embarrassment and curious interest, Tim arched, shuddering visibly, and clutched Robert's hair with one hand. Then he released it, relaxing with a sigh, and Robert stood up between his legs, kissing the younger man deeply.

  Now I was definitely blushing. As I was leaving hurriedly -- voyeurism isn't really a hobby of mine, despite my natural curiosity -- Robert was just lifting Tim's legs onto his shoulders. I gave them their privacy, embarrassed but happy that they had both apparently found something to enjoy on vacation.

  Being more careful to avoid any more accidental encounters, I managed to get myself back to the original beach where the boat was parked -- or anchored, or whatever. Don was there, alone, digging a fire pit and setting up his grill for dinner.

  "Hey, lovely," he greeted me warmly.

  "Don," I replied.

  "Enjoy your swim?" He said, gesturing with his chin at my still-wet hair.

  I nodded. "It's lovely here." My tone was a bit non-committal in my distraction.

  Don chuckled a little. "Still confused? Even after...?" He trailed off, respecting my privacy enough not to say it aloud.

  "Well, I wasn't right after...now, even more so." I sighed in resignation, shaking my head as I joined him by the pit he was digging.

  "Do me a favor and toss some of those rocks aside, would you?"

  I started leaning down and picking up some of the bigger rocks in and around the hole in the sand, tossing them out of his way as he kept widening the hole and smoothing the sides expertly with his shovel.

  "What changed?" He asked me then.

  "I'm not sure," I said slowly, not sure what to say and what not to say. "I don't know...maybe Caitlyn did."

  "Ah, that girl..." He smiled an oddly fond smile. "She looks after you a great deal, you know."

  "Like a big sister?" I asked wryly, tossing another rock aside with a bit more force than was probably necessary.

  He grinned his toothy grin. "No, not really."

  I looked at him in surprise, but he didn't look at me -- he kept his grin, though.

  "That doesn't make me less confused," I said -- I'll admit, I was pouting a bit.

  "I know -- but don't worry, you'll figure it out," he said confidently, winking at me. "You're too close now not to."

  I stared at him, shaking my head. "I wish I were half that confident."

  He smiled. "Caitlyn said she'd come ashore for dinner, by the way -- it won't be for a couple hours, though. Why not take a nap or something -- the more relaxed you get, out here, the clearer things become. Take it from me."

  I smiled, running my fingers through my damp hair. "Not a bad idea," I said gratefully.

  "Thanks for the help with the rocks."

  "No problem." I wandered away again, and as I found a little nest to curl up in at the base of a tree, I realized that I really could use a nap -- there was something about the warm, salty silence of this place that just lulled you off to sleep. I leaned my head back, yawned, and fell asleep -- mercifully, for once, a dreamless sleep.

  ***

  I woke up luxuriously slowly, and judged from the sunlight that it was still well before dinner, but definitely later in the day. Standing up and stretching, I made my way back up the beach toward the boat, but the beach there was empty. Don's fire-pit was all set up, with wood already prepared for the fire and his grill built, but there was no one in sight.

  I had no idea where anyone was at this point -- I figured Chris was probably still on the boat, sunbathing and napping, and Robert and Tim might not show up until they were exhausted, but where were Don and Carla -- and Lucy? I realized too that Caitlyn might have come ashore -- which meant that if I ran into her, I needed to know what the hell I was going to say to her.

  I ran quickly through what little logic I could apply to the situation. Either Caitlyn loved me, I loved her, both, or neither. Simple enough. If neither of us loved the other, then we would eventually get past it -- I thought our friendship was strong enough for that. We'd be awkward for a while, and then find an excuse to laugh it off. The other three, though...did I love her?

  I thought about the long years of our friendship. I thought about sharing a dorm room with her, and then an apartment -- and listening to her with her boyfriends. I remembered her last boyfriend, and the oddly abrupt break-up. I remembered her suggestion that we go away together, but then her finding a tour service where we wouldn't be alone. I remembered how she had practically pushed me into Lucy, and even suggested trying something with one of the guys, just to break me out of my funk.

  I had my eyes closed as I remembered, and as the memories sorted themselves in my brain, I found other memories replacing them. Memories of past occasions where we had laughed or cried together, memories of the many times we had held each other or nursed each other through tough break-ups. I remembered the incredible things she had done to my body -- in whichever of my dreams had been real, and even in those that had been dreams. I still didn't know which were which, other than the last one.

  I remembered Caitlyn's shock at realizing that I knew who it was on top of me, and her incred
ible arousal at being in bed with me. I remembered the desperation and the fear in her voice when she came. That was the thing, though -- she hadn't just been there to make herself come, or from arousal. If I hadn't spoken, she would have just eaten me out, I thought. Why?

  I needed to talk to her. I stood up, blinking in the sunlight glaring off the sand of the beach -- I was a little startled that I had been thinking for long enough that my eyes had lost their adjustment to the sun -- and picked my way into the trees, toward the few spots on this island I knew.

  Down a ways into the trees, I reached the spot where Lucy, Carla and I had bathed earlier, and heard soft voices ahead of me.

  Nodding -- at least I had found someone -- I stepped to the edge of the trees. Then I froze.

  There was no one in the pool of water. There was, however, someone near it -- not twenty feet away from me, in fact.

  Carla lay on her back in the soft grass near the pool, still naked. Lucy lay atop her, their skins contrasting beautifully. Carla's legs were hooked around Lucy's, and her hands had a death grip on Lucy's creamy chocolate hips and buttocks, pulling the smaller girl into her. Don, also naked, looking huge and powerful, was mounted atop them, with his hands on Lucy's breasts and his powerful haunches thrusting slowly, firmly against her, his head moving against the back of her neck and her shoulder blades. Lucy's hands were fluttering and flailing aimlessly in the grass -- her body seemed to be supported entirely by Carla and Don's grip on her.

  The sounds I'd been hearing were obviously coming from them. I could hear Carla breathing hard, moaning high and soft with each breath. I could hear Don's slow, relaxed groans of pleasure, which I recognized from the nights on the boat. I could hear Lucy's familiar, over-aroused squeaking and whimpering. She seemed to be in ecstasy, with her eyes closed and her head thrown back, her arms and legs stiff and quivering, and her mouth wide open. I could only imagine how intense the sensations were for her as each of Don's thrusts inside her thrust her body down into Carla. Carla had her head up, her eyes wide and her mouth wide open, panting against the column of Lucy's throat. I could see her lower body quivering in pleasure as well.

  I watched them for just a moment, and felt a grin spreading across my face. I wasn't jealous or angry -- I was happy for them. In fact, I barely kept from giggling out loud. I knew Carla and Don were insatiable, and Lucy...well, as I said, she'd even worn me out -- I'd had suspicions about her and Carla or Don as well. I was still grinning when I turned away, hearing female moans turn into female cries and Don's voice rising in encouragement. We'd all found plenty to enjoy on this vacation, apparently.

  That made a lot of sense -- it explained why everyone had been so matter-of-fact, and so calm.

  Except one person hadn't been that calm. I paused, standing alone amongst the trees, with the ocean just audible ahead of me and the wind blowing my now-dry hair around my face. One more thing clicked into place for me -- Caitlyn's blush. I nodded. It was all clear, now.

  I hurried back to the beach -- suddenly, I was all urgency, as I couldn't let my tiny little epiphany slip away from me. To my surprise, Chris was there, sunbathing near the set up grill and fire pit.

  "Chris?" I asked.

  She raised her head, opening her eyes to smile at me. "Oh, hey, Ashley. Did you see Caitlyn?"

  "No," I said, surprised again. "Did she come ashore?"

  "Yeah, she said that even sick, she couldn't pass up a real bath." She grinned, leaning her head back down.

  Great -- I only had to search the whole island for her. "Okay, thanks, Chris."

  I rushed back into the trees, surprised at the need I felt to find Caitlyn -- it's not, after all, as though she were going anywhere. We were going to be stuck on a small boat together for at least two more weeks -- but I had to see her, and now. I even stumbled on tree roots and things as I made a wide circle around the pool where Lucy, Don, and Carla were so enjoying each other. I didn't go near the pool where I'd seen Robert and Tim earlier -- I was fairly sure Caitlyn wouldn't seek out their company.

  It didn't take me all that long to find her. It wasn't that large an island -- there were maybe ten of these little bathing pools scattered around amidst the trees and rocks. I did the logical thing -- I checked the one furthest from the boat.

  This pool was a long, narrow sort of thing, surrounded by high rocks. The trees around it were pretty thick, and I had to push my way through, so I didn't surprise her.

  She was sitting on one of the higher rocks, with her feet dangling just barely into the water below, with her back to me. She wore her bikini with a filmy sort of cover-up shirt that buttoned up the front.

  I pushed free of the trees and climbed up not too far away from her, but not too close.

  "Hey, Ash."

  "Hi, Cait." I noticed her hair was wet. "Nice bath?"

  She glanced at me, smiling a little. "Not bad."

  We looked away from each other. For once, I wasn't confused. In fact, I had realized that, of the two of us, I'd been the less confused one for quite some time now.

  "So..." I said slowly. "How much was really a dream, and how much was real?"

  Caitlyn looked at me, with a strange little smile. "For which one of us?"

  I laughed, and shifted a bit closer to her, about three feet away. She immediately shifted away, stretching her legs out to submerge them further in the lukewarm water.

  "You know," she said then, "it's not like it doesn't happen -- we can just pretend, you know..."

  "Can we?" I cut her off.

  She gave me a weary look. "Ash...it's not love, it's just...one of those things."

  I looked at her for a long minute. I'd been thinking about this for hours, and I damn well wasn't sure of that. "All right; kiss me."

  Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Right, that'll fix everything."

  I shifted toward her, and she shifted away again. That was starting to get annoying. "I'm serious," I told her. "Kiss me, and prove it. If you can do that, then we'll just call it curiosity, and pretend it never happened."

  It was too good a deal to pass up -- we needed a way out of this, and we both knew it. Still, she looked at me uncertainly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Ashley."

  "Sounds like you're scared, to me." My voice was just slightly mocking.

  She glared at me a little bit. Good. If we could do this angry, it would be easier for both of us, and then we could move past it. "It's not a matter of scared, Ash -- I..."

  "I know, Cait, I know," I said, reaching out to touch her hand. I left my hand there, and she didn't pull away. I closed my fingers over hers, and raised my eyebrows. "You really think that our friendship is going to be ruined by a kiss? Do you need a recap of last night?"

  She blushed. "No, it's just...last night...didn't..."

  "Didn't happen. Agreed," I said with a patient shrug, "with just one kiss."

  She sighed almost irritably. "Ashley, you can't just..."

  I shifted closer to her, and she pulled away yet again. Now I glared at her.

  "You can't just --" She started to continue, but I cut her off.

  "Damn it, Caitlyn," I said angrily, "we're talking about one fucking kiss. You can't manage that, for the sake of our friendship?"

  "It's not about our friendship," she retorted angrily, turning toward me and glaring hotly.

  "What's it about, then?" I snapped, leaning toward her. "If you're so pig-headed that you won't --"

  "Pigheaded?" She snarled.

  "Yes! If you can't even manage one silly kiss, after everything you put me through..."

  "I put you through?" She gasped in disbelief. "Have you any idea how long I've been..."

  "Oh, please," I said scornfully, "don't even try that -- I was the one who had to listen to you begging your 'darling'..."

  "I was talking to you, you stupid..." She growled, cutting herself off, and leaned in to kiss me. The kiss was hard and blunt, like the kiss you'd get after daring someone who didn't even like you.

  Too bad for
Caitlyn that I knew her better than she knew herself. Just as the kiss broke and she started to pull away, I cupped the back of her neck and sighed against her lips as though the kiss had taken my breath away.

  She froze, shivering slightly. I put the slightest pressure on, and brought our lips back together.

  "Ashley, you said one..." She mumbled against my mouth.

  "Just kiss me, Caitlyn," I said. This time I was the one who shivered. Her lips were very soft, even holding back as much as she was, but...there was something there. I needed a real kiss -- I had to know.

  We kissed again, and this time it was a real kiss. Brief and soft, but a real kiss.

  I pulled back, and felt a strange helplessness. We stared at each other from about four inches apart.

  "There," I said lamely. "That's...that's fine. Now we can --"

  "Shut up, Ashley," she said angrily, and pulled our lips back together. The kiss was like the first -- hard and firm, with our mouths wide open but just locked together. I was frozen, my mind blank.

  Then that hard kiss turned soft. No, not just soft. It turned dream-like. Our lips were barely touching, and I'm fairly sure neither of us was breathing. Our lips moved, as soft and smooth as satin, against each other...and I felt her breathe me in, something I've felt only a few times in my life.