Jan is my best friend. She's quirky and bubbly and full of ideas. I've known her forever and when you're eighteen, forever is a long, long time. We make quite a fetching pair when we're together, a natural blonde and a brunette. I have never been tempted to dye my hair blonde as I just know that if I did I'd come in a poor second to Jan. Far better to be the contrast to her scintillating blondness than to be a poor shadow.
We're both quite fit and our figures are good, although I have to admit I have a far nicer bust than Jan. I could wish my bottom was a bit tighter but you can't have everything.
Jan rang me one Saturday morning with a suggestion we take a run up to the mountains. I thought, why not, and she subsequently picked me up and off we went.
Reaching the mountainous country I was slightly surprised when Jan pulled into a car park and hopped out. I scrambled out after, confused.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I told you," said Jan, sounding surprised. "We're taking a run up the mountain. The trail starts over there."
"No, you certainly did not tell me," I protested. "You said a run up to the mountains. That's a whole lot different to running up one of the blasted things."
"Oh, don't be such a wuss," she retorted. "It'll be fun. We don't actually have to run. A casual walk will get us to the top and if we get tired we can take a break. I even brought a couple of backpacks so we can take some stuff with us."
"What sort of stuff?" I asked, suspicious.
"Just the usual sort of thing. Some munchies, a couple of bottles of water, some tissues, antiseptic, and bandages."
"Not that I expect us to need the last items," she added quickly, seeing the look on my face.
"But I didn't dress for a hike up a mountain," I said desperately.
"Oh, really? Um, let's see. You're wearing sneakers, shorts, and a t shirt. What do you think you should be wearing for a comfortable stroll along a mountain path? Boots and a climbing rope, perchance?"
She had me there and we both knew it. If I'd known I was climbing a mountain I'd probably have been wearing the same things. Jan had known and she was dressed much the same. I sighed and waved her onwards, silently acknowledging my defeat. Mountain, here I come.
We strolled along the path and I have to admit that is wasn't too bad. The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot. There was a breeze, but only a slight one, and it carried the scent of things growing. Birds were flying around and sounding happy and although the place was probably infested with evil insects they weren't bothering us.
I have to admit I was quite enjoying the hike. The trail was a little steep in places but it was still easy enough to scramble up it. We just ambled along, enjoying the day, talking non-stop, which I guess goes to show that we had plenty of breath available.
After an hour or so we came to this little sign indicating there was a rest area off to the left. We looked at each other and nodded in mutual agreement and headed towards it. Time for a break.
We strolled down to the rest area. It wasn't much, just a bit of a clearing with a table and bench and a magnificent view. People were discouraged from becoming part of the view by a fence that ran along the edge of what was a very steep drop. We wandered over to the fence and looked down and it was quite amazing how far we'd climbed.
Jan slung her backpack onto the table and was about to dive into it when she turned her head to one side and just froze. I turned to see what she was looking at and I joined her in the deer-pinned-by-the-spotlight pose.
There was a man leaning against a tree to the side of the rest area. I have no idea how we failed to see him straight away but boy, did we spot him now. (Actually, I do have some idea why a man might have stepped out of the rest area and behind the trees but I won't mention that.)
When I say there was a man I'm under-stating it. He was a hunk, a god in mortal form, the sort of man you hope to meet some day but never do. He was tall, at least six foot, and strongly built. Not muscular like a weight-lifter, or beefy like a fighter, but lithe and strong and agile like a champion tennis player. He was blonde with the most amazing blue eyes and a tan that was almost golden in its colour. He practically glowed, just standing there.
"Good morning," he said with a smile, and my heart just turned over. Suddenly the day was the most marvellous day I'd ever known.
"On your way up or down the mountain?" he asked.
Oh my god, he was talking to us. I suddenly felt hot and flushed and knew why girls needed fans. I also needed a voice as I had no idea where mine had gone.
"Up," said Jan with a squeaky voice.
