I love Sundays.
I'm the only person in the house who wakes up early on a Sunday. While the wife and kids snore away, I get to enjoy the mornings and have some "me" time.
Most of the time that means I just make a coffee and watch something with my headphones in for a few hours, but sometimes, if the weather is good, I'll go fishing. I tiptoe through the house like a thief, putting together my stuff- rod and reel, bait, a thermos of coffee- and sneak out of the house to go down to the lake.
The lake is only about twenty minutes from our place and it's huge. It's also full of quiet spots to set up the rod, drink my coffee and enjoy the serenity. I was doing my Sunday-morning fishing, on and off, for years before I ever saw another soul.
But when I did, well...
I'd been at my spot for maybe half an hour when I heard the first splash in the water. I thought it might be a fish but when I listened again I realised it was more rhythmic. Someone was swimming, coming up around the corner.
My heart was pounding for some reason. It just felt weird that there would be another human being around. I felt guilty, even though I had no reason to be. I was wearing some shorts and my fishing hat, but I felt exposed. The splashing got louder and eventually I saw it was a younger bloke, maybe mid-20's, paddling through the water. I watched him go about halfway past before he noticed me.
Unlike me, he seemed perfectly fine with seeing another person. He stopped and stood in the waist-deep water and gave me a wave. I waved back, figuring that was the end of it. But then he duck-dived under the water and swam towards me. As he did it, I could see he wasn't wearing any trunks, he was completely naked!
My panicked feeling came back again. Why was he starkers? Why was he coming towards me? Still I sat there, frozen.
He reached the shore and emerged a few metres away from me. I wasn't in the habit of checking out nude blokes, but I could see he spent a lot of time at the gym and he had a pretty big sausage on him. He flicked his wet blonde hair off his face, gave me a big smile, and walked up, hand extended.
"Morning mate! Didn't think anyone else ever came here." He said.
His voice was warm and friendly and his manner was so casual that I reached out and took his hand without thinking.
"Same." I managed to get out.
"You mind if I sit for a bit? Feeling a little tired after that swim." He said, plopping down next to me.
I nodded and, eventually, managed to ask.
"Where are you clothes?"
"Oh, left 'em back on the riverbank, round the bend." He said casually, like being naked far from your clothes in public was no big deal.
"Hope nobody steals 'em." I said, staring out to the water. He had stretched out on the grass and his old fella was pretty much on display next to me.
"Doubt they would, you're the first person I've ever seen here. Unless you're gonna make off with 'em!" he laughed, sitting up and elbowing me in the ribs gently.
I chuckled too.
We were quiet for a bit, just looking out at the water.
"You should try it." He said after a while.
"What?"
"Getting nude. It's a good feeling."
"Um, thanks but I'll be right."
Something about the thought of us both being naked got my heart skipping again. I wasn't usually into blokes, although late at night surfing porn you look at all sorts of stuff, so I wasn't completely naΓ―ve about other guys. But the idea of us both being there, in the buff...well, a bit of blood went south, is what I'm saying.
'Suit yourself champ." He said, again, very casual about the whole thing, then stretched again and closed his eyes.