As he walked toward downtown to meet Katherine, he pondered his current situation. His dull life had become more intriguing over the period of just a couple of weeks. His living situation was just about ideal now that his proposal for nudity in the backyard had been accepted. Although, he was uncertain how to classify the landlord he was lusting after--as a hazard or a pleasant distraction. And then, there were the girls that had his interest thanks to Suzy's hike. For some reason, Jaz was quite arousing; however, she came with hurdles.
The unadventurous boyfriend sounded like he could be displaced, but that would be full of complications. In addition, Jaz was a little too much a young coed. Darrell could see that a relationship with her might be full of drama. On the other hand, Katherine had some life experience and seemed very chill and focused. Being Native American, she was a bit exotic, and he wanted to learn more about her and her culture. Plus, she was crazy sexy. For now, his focus would be on Katherine. He would file Jaz away for a later possibility. The thought of dropping out of school to find some adventure elsewhere had now fallen from his mind.
He met Katherine downtown, and being college students, the date was not extravagant. Beer and burgers in one of the popular bars, followed by some pool after she challenged him to a game. Once the bar got busy, they played as a team and held the table for a few matches but eventually got savagely beaten. Darrell suggested that they go back to his place, which was nearby, and sit outside and have another beer. His landlords were out for the evening so that they would have the backyard to themselves. Once they got there, Darrell pushed a couple of the lounge chairs together and went to get a couple of beers from the cottage. It was dark, with the yard only lit by landscape lights along the patio's edge.
When he returned with a couple of beers, she said, "It's a beautiful evening."
"You know, a really wonderful thing about this place is that it's completely private, and my landlords, the Andersons, are completely okay with me using the yard naked."
"Really? No clothes whatsoever?"
"Yep, and they have also started using the patio and yard naked, based on my example."
"That sounds delightful, but it's a little chilly tonight. But I'd love to come back on a hot sunny day and join you for a naked beer."
"Hmm--I must be doing okay. It sounds like we have a second date."
"You're doing okay." She leaned over, and they shared a long, deep kiss. When they broke, they were sitting tight together, holding hands.
"Although, there is something I want to tell you," she said.
"Go on," he replied, thinking this is a little worrying.
"It seems that we are attracted to each other, and both think we will end up in bed. It needs to be simple, however. I'm very focused on my goals and plans. Love is not part of that. I left that behind to pursue my education, and I don't want to land in that trap again, at least not right now. We need to be just friends, but that doesn't exclude fooling around. I wasn't looking for a lover; you just happened. There will be nothing exclusive nor any commitment associated with our relationship. You need to be okay with that?"
