"Knock knock, I'm here!" a guest alerted the pristine, white two-story home on the corner of the street to her arrival.
Having just strolled over to visit on a perfectly mild, early summer day, Ashley rapped at the door to her old neighbor's house as she did fairly often during her childhood, only now she was far from a child. At the start of her summer break, she was back here in the middle of her first trip home to the state of Maryland since starting college at Boston College. Always having been popular with the boys in high school, her body had blossomed further to reflect her new status as a bright, young university student. Her golden-brown hair was longer than it used to be and her curves stuck out more from her casually chosen light blue t-shirt and jeans. Additionally, she had on a pair of sandals, a rose gold Swiss watch and a custom leather handbag as more distinct fashion statements. The slightly tan skin that was exposed on her legs and midriff reflected her mix of European and Asian ancestry. Despite all the recent changes in her life, her laid back attitude remained as much as ever. On the other hand, she was interested to see how her old friend, Derrick, had changed in the years since her last real visit.
It was a pair of headphones and a fresh watch battery that had sent her to the nearby mall so soon after returning. She certainly hadn't expected him to be the one selling them to her when she strolled into that Best Buy, but he had opted to commute to a more local college from home rather than travel to study. After a bit of catching up with one another, he had invited her to make her first personal visit to his home in years during his next day off. Word around the neighborhood was that his family had a Jacuzzi in their backyard so it only made sense to show up with a bathing suit in her bag.
The two of them had actually spent a lot of time together in their elementary school days as neighbors on the same street with a more casual friendship during high school. Derrick was always a nice guy, but something always felt off with him. He kept to himself a lot even in social settings but was great in a conversation when he finally did open up. Much of it only made sense to her when she'd heard that he had hooked up with Aaron, another long-time acquaintance, in high school. Aaron was also a very likable kid but had come out as an open and proud homosexual a few years earlier while Derrick never said anything on the subject. Ashley had only hoped that he had grown more secure in his sexuality since then. If anything, it would be a relief to escape the usual sexual tension of these sorts of get-togethers.
"I'm coming!" Ashley heard him call from behind the door.
The door opened to greet the girl with a well shaven white male with ash brown hair just short of being shoulder length. His height was at the low end of six feet where she was around the middle of five. As always, Derrick was the most bizarre blend of masculinity and femininity that she had ever come across. He was wearing a t-shirt for his beloved Baltimore Ravens with a pair of tan cargo pants and black sneakers yet he also smelled of an apple-scented shampoo. Peering into his house, she could spot both an Xbox and a Nintendo system out in the corner of the living room behind him.
"Ravens, huh? They aren't too fond of them where I've been up in Massachusetts," she acknowledged his choice of their local NFL team.
"So, have you come to complain about my service?" he jokingly questioned her.
"No, the battery you suggested turned out to be exactly the right one."
"That's good to hear," he smiled, "But I'm glad we can now have a real conversation with each other,"
"It's good to see you again too after so long," Ashley was in a good enough mood to give him a quick hug.
Upon actually stepping into the house, the most adorable little toy poodle that she had ever seen came running up to them, ready to run circles around the ankles of its strange visitor.
"Oh my, aren't you the absolute cutest!" Ashley knelt down to play with the puppy.
"We just got her last month," Derrick picked up his dog to rock in his arms, "That's it. Who's a good girl?"
"It would seem the year since we graduated high school has been good to you," she noted
"More or less, it has," he agreed," I've always liked it around here. Never felt the need to go away to a big-time university like you did, not that there's anything wrong with wanting that."
"It has its ups and downs. I like seeing new places, but it's tough having to meet an entirely new group of people and rebuild your social circle from scratch."
"I can sort of relate to that. I've had to watch you and a lot of other people I used to get along with leave town. Of course, Aaron and I still like to chill from time to time."
"Is that so?" she eyed him suspiciously, "How's he doing?"
"Very well. He can't get enough of watching Marvel movies in 4K on the new television I recently bought from work. It's an OLED. Expensive as hell and totally top of the line with great color and motion clarity."
"That's neat to hear. I remember your family always had nice stuff," she remarked.
"Yup, Dad's accounting work pays remarkably well."
"In particular, I recall hearing that you got a hot tub during junior year," Ashley verified with him.
"Yup, we got one and still have it," he confirmed.
"Really, can I go in?"
"Right now?"
"Yeah, I brought my swimsuit with me just in case."
"O-Okay, if that's what you want to do..." Derrick shrugged, "I figured we'd catch up with a movie or something first, but I suppose that the weather is perfect for it. Go change and I'll be right with you.
Ashley made her way to the nearby bathroom to change into the two-piece bathing suit that she had brought in her handbag. With bright floral patterns and plenty of skin showing, it was just the sort she'd be needing in her hunt for a new boyfriend after breakups with the guys she had met at university. It was probably a tad too skimpy for a reunion with a kid she'd known since they were toddlers, but she figured that it didn't matter since he wouldn't be interested anyway. When she exited the room, she found him waiting in a black pair of swim trunks with a green dragon on them. His upper body wasn't anything remarkable, but the respectable amount of work he did between his home and current job at Best Buy left him lean with even a tad bit of muscle definition and his overall skin tone showed that he got a bit more sun than someone of the typical geek reputation.
"Nice bathing suit," she smiled at him.
"Yeah, you too," he blushed slightly.
Derrick quietly led her out into the backyard where a roomy Jacuzzi waited for both of them. High fences surrounded the yard to minimize any potentially prying eyes from neighbors and pedestrians. The early summer air felt good on their skin as did the lush grass between their toes as they walked over to the tub. Derrick allowed Ashley to get in first while he got the water inside warm and bubbling. She noticed that he was very adept at picking a temperature that wasn't a degree too hot or cold. Once a healthy foam had developed on the surface, she slid into it and was amazed at how her body seemed to vanish into the liquid. With everything properly set, the boy was fairly quick to come in and join her.
"My, this is fantastic," Ashley adjusted to the heat, "Must be nice to own one of these."
"It helps after a hard day at work. Best Buy isn't just phones and laptops. Electronics can get pretty heavy," Derrick revealed, "Of course, while you're home for the summer, I'm more than fine with you coming over to use it from time to time with me if you'd be okay with it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Didn't think you'd feel right doing this with another guy while in a relationship yourself," he lamented.
"Actually, I'm single at the present moment. Dating at the university hasn't gone as well as I'd have liked.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. I'm the one that chose to cut her losses with all of those relationships. As I told you before, it's tough building a new circle of people you can trust with nothing but total strangers."
"I never thought of it that way. Personally, I'm more sentimental about leaving the town as a whole. Red Robin may be a chain restaurant, but the one at the mall is my Red Robin. Do you get what I mean?"
"Totally. You're probably doing the right thing studying from home. Must be a lot easier for you and Aaron, right?" she commented, bringing a fell silence over the area.
