My friend Zachary and I have known each other since high school, and even ended up working in the same theatre instead of going to college. Rehearsals had been grueling; our latest play was a real doozy. "A Chorus Line" was not something we wanted to think about for a while. One day while on break, we accidentally sowed the seeds to a great adventure while commiserating.
"Damn, Breanne . This is insane. One more day of this kick-kick-turn shit and I might lose my mind." he lamented. I agreed wholeheartedly. The routines were grueling, the director was cruel, and the choreographer was brainless as well as heartless. In the beginning, the director told us we would "sell our souls" to this production, and she didn't lie!
"Too true. But just think: Friday it will all be over. Saturday we will officially be the owners of our souls again. We'll be able to do whatever we want - whenever we want!"
"So what do you have planned for Saturday? Recovering at the pub?"
I wasn't really sure, but it had been a while since I'd gotten laid...yeah, that would've been a good idea.
"I dunno, Zach." I said indifferently. "What have you got in mind?"
"Well," he had that devilish smirk on, for which Zach was famous for, "I've never been camping before."
"Camping? With dirt and wolves and bears that try to eat you?"
"You're probably more afraid of the dirt than being eaten by wolves and bears, you clean-freak."
For this, I threw a nearby costume accessory at him. I was delighted to see it was a ballerina dress.
He threw it back at me with a mock-scowl.
"Seriously, we should try it. What have we got to lose? A few days without hot water? There are worse things. Who knows, we might even have fun. Besides, I could do with getting away from anything that is reminiscent of a theater for a while."
I thought about it. It was true - how bad could it be? And besides, there are few people I'd rather spend a weekend with than Zach.
"Okay, Zach. Sure. But if I get eaten there will be hell to pay."
Before I knew it, opening night turned into closing night and we were officially off the hook. Neither of us had ever been camping before, so we agreed to try it on our first day off. His family had a goat and sheep farm on some land that had a nice, big creek running through it. This surprised me because Zach is perhaps the least nature-y person I've ever met. I have to admit the idea of spending a few days in "away from it all" became more and more appealing the closer the date came. Finally it came and we sped down the dirt roads all the way there. This was new - we were true Urbanites, having grown up and been nurtured on concrete and asphalt. The only water we'd ever swam in was saturated with chlorine. But this? This was the way our ancestors lived, on algae-rich water and trees (and evidently, houses made out of whatever they could find). I tried not to think of the fact that most people who lived that way rarely lived past 20. The farm was quite small, having a couple pens and sheep grazing everywhere. There was a tiny shed tucked in the back of the property. This was where he was taking me.
"Zach? Is this shed going to be our house?"
"Well, yeah. Would you rather sleep under the stars or trees or whatever?"
"It's small. And dirty."
Yes, it was evident that this might be a little difficult.
Upon opening the tool shed on his farm, the first thing I noticed was the lack of light bulbs. That was rectified by coffee cans full of paper. The next was the lack of any sort of cot or futon or anything remotely close to a bed. We ended up covering the floor with several sheets and an armload of pillows. There was another interesting thing. I had never been this close to Zach before. I mean, we'd been backstage in dressing areas together, but this was different. We'd be practically sleeping on top of each other, it was so small in there. We unpacked the rest of our gear, which was a bottle of rum and a couple skillets and some matches. We could get everything else ourselves, right?
Once the shed was inhabitable, we set off on a short hike to the creek itself. The scenery on the way was beautiful, trees, sun, a couple of birds chirping, and plenty of nature to look at. Summer hadn't killed all the trees and flowers yet. It was quite beautiful, really. Beautiful...speaking of beautiful...
I found myself actually staring at Zach. I hadn't really noticed until now, but he really was a good-looking guy. Dark, nearly black hair cut off for this hot weather, sun-ripened skin...lean. Brown eyes, too. I never noticed those before. I felt the neglected space between my thighs burn just a little, but I didn't want to do anything about it. No, not yet.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" He brought me out of my thoughts, and for good cause. In front of us was a little wooden sign bearing the words "Shit Creek". The name was deceptive, this was quite possibly the most gorgeous place I'd ever seen. There was a waterfall, clear blue water, and several huge rocks dotting the surface. God, it was like heaven.
He dropped his bag on the shore and in one swift movement, swung off his shirt and left it there as well. I was a little bit stunned, he was looking better and better. The muscles in his back just begged to be touched. "Come on, " he laughed. "It's cool in there!" Nervously I started unbuttoning my shirt. I had a bikini on underneath, but still! It was completely different, it felt like undressing in front of a stranger.
A very handsome stranger who threw a fish at me.
He was right, the water was cool. I waded in until I couldn't touch the bottom anymore, then released the stupid fish that had been launched in my general direction. I laid on my back, letting myself float a little. I only closed my eyes for a second, and he was gone. He resurfaced by the fall, letting it cascade over him and completely drench him. Shortly after, we sat on the bank and put together makeshift rods to catch a fish or with. I wasn't about to go back to the shed on an empty stomach.
"So what do you think of it?" he asked, just making conversation. He'd done this before, as he already had his stick in the water waiting on another fish.
"It's beautiful, " I couldn't get the worm on a hook to save my life, it kept rolling off. He reached over to pick it up off of me, and his hand brushed against my small breast. Right about then, I looked down and noticed that my nipples were hard as rocks and very visible, as one had popped out of my top. I blushed hard, and attempted to put it back covertly.
