In early summer when I was eighteen, I was still undecided on where I wanted to attend college, but I figured my interest in filmmaking, writing and acting was a good place to start, so I began researching schools which housed these possibilities yet didn't require a scholarship or good grades to grace their hallways.
I didn't want to go to the other side of the country even though California would be the more practical option (not to mention more expensive), so I decided to stay closer to my Pennsylvania home by checking out places on the east coast; namely New York City and New York State.
And not wanting to spend a fortune in traveling to all these options in person, I picked a bunch in New York that would be easy to hopscotch to in my car over the course of two weeks.
Neither of my parents could find it in their busy work schedules to accompany me, but I insisted in good nature that it wasn't necessary for either to go since in the end it was my decision and mine alone.
My Aunt Keri (my mother's younger sister), however, got wind of this and suggested she tag along, since she was due for a vacation herself. This relieved my parents of the worries of their son roadtripping alone and it was okay with me knowing I'd have company for the trip, since I was always pretty tight with my aunt.
She was that "cool" aunt, not too much older than me (she was 32), about my height give or take, with dark brown hair and a cute face that never screamed out "supermodel" but definitely attractive as noted by some of my male friends. The type that would make good homely wife material, even though she presently didn't have a boyfriend.
Not long after hitting the road, I found it was as easy as ever to shoot the shit with her, probably because she didn't come off as a parent. More like an older friend who had similar interests, humor and a disposition that was always easy and relaxing.
The first two schools I toured she seemed to show genuine interest in, always asking questions and never seeming bored or forced to chaperone. It relieved me of any pressure in feeling I might be choosing the wrong one.
About a week in, after visiting with my fourth option outside the New York City area and getting some dinner, we had retreated back to the hotel for the night and spoke about taking a day off to go into the city for the day playing tourists.
I was on one of the two beds in a tee shirt and shorts, grounded down for the night sitting upright against the backboard of my bed and channel surfing while Aunt Keri jumped in the shower.
She came out soon after, a dark red towel wrapped just above her bust line to highlight her bare shoulders and arms, with her hair still a bit stringy and wet but on its way to naturally air drying.
She ran a brush through it a few times, turning to the small complimentary vanity mirror above the desk in the room. "I was thinking we could hit Central Park," she suggested about the next day's itinerary.
"Yeah, totally," I agreed, giving the channel another mindless change. "Always wanted to go there."
"And we should eat at the Seinfeld restaurant," she added, slightly leaning an arm against one of her bedposts as she looked at me. "We'll be working up a good appetite walking around all day."
"I heard the pizza is great, too. We'll have to leave room for that."
She gave a smirk, giving her wet hair two more brushes before setting it down and turning back to the desk, where she casually pulled her towel from the front, letting her bare backside completely open up as she gave her shoulder a few drying pats and then lightly tussled the side of her head with it.
I had only caught this out of the corner of my eye, doing a quick, unbelievable double-take. Holy shit. Did she... did she just... I flashed my eyes back to the TV and clicked the remote again.
I was a little surprised, to say the least. Was my Aunt Keri really standing there, in the same room, naked, right in front of me? At first I figured she didn't realize what she had done; that she forgot whose company she was in. It's not like the towel fell off by accident and she was scrambling to cover herself up.
But there she was. And I do emphasize "butt". She just stood there facing away from me, patting different frontal areas of herself with her bare ass and back being displayed in plain, leisurely sight, as if never giving it second thought. As if she didn't have a care in the world.
I slightly shifted in place, my eyes fighting to pretend like they were watching TV and figuring, if not assuming, that any second she would re-apply the towel around her or walk back to the bathroom.
Instead, as she dried the bottom of her hair, she veered her head back over her shoulder to look at me with a simple face as small droplet beads trickled on her smooth skin. "You better jump in the shower before it gets too late," she said. "We'll be leaving pretty early in the morning."
I gave a barely audible clear of my throat, stiffening my jaw and nodding as I watched the TV purposely keeping my eyes off her. I didn't want her to think I had even noticed she was nude. "Yeah. Yeah," was all I could mutter.
She turned back away and took out her small stud diamond earrings, tossing them on the desk and fiddling around with one or two other things before abandoning the towel altogether on the chair at the desk and turning to stride stark-naked into the bathroom.
I gave a relieved breath. What... the fuck... just happened? The hand holding the remote was trembling a little. Not out of fear or embarrassment, but almost out of... excitement.
The "why" of the situation was far overridden in my mind by the repetitive thought that my own aunt had just bared herself completely nude in my presence, and obviously on purpose.
Maybe I would have been a little more perturbed if she were less attractive, or she was older and overweight like my other aunt, my father's sister, but she was very fit. Sort of in that perfect middle... not too thin but not fat.
And her bare bottom was very smoothly rounded, being in perfect proportion with her overall body shape. I guess I could just be blunt, and simply admit that my aunt... had a really nice ass.
But did I really just think that? She certainly didn't mind showcasing it. Maybe I was overthinking it. She was family. Big deal. Maybe she was just one of those free spirits.
Was she some kind of secret nudist behind closed doors? After all, it's not like I lived with her or knew about her everyday living habits. I was blindsided, that's all. I just needed to chalk it up as something nonchalant.
