I walked up the steps to 317-D, turned the key and walked into my brand-new apartment. The building had just finished construction the day before and I was finally able to sign the lease. My divorce was finalized four months ago, and I had been staying with friends but now it was all mine.
I had never had my own place before. I had gone straight from graduating high school into the Army. I spent 3 years in various parts of the world but always with at least one roommate. After my discharge from the Army, I stayed with my mom for the better part of a year and that's when I met Brian. We dated for about six months and then decided to get married. We found a nice two-bedroom ranch in the county and that was home for the next eight years. For the most part, it was a good marriage but over the past two years we just drifted apart. I don't know that it was really mine or his fault, we just found ourselves wanting to go our own way and I finally got up the nerve to tell him. We parted on good terms, no kids and no real regrets at least on my part anyways. I was now ready to start the next chapter of my life.
It was the bare essentials for tonight, I wasn't moving any of my stuff in until tomorrow with the help of two of the best friends a girl could ask for. My best friend from high school, Miranda and her husband Mark was like the brother I never had. They let me stay at their place while my divorce finalized, and my apartment was being built. The construction company that I was working for as an office manager was building a brand new ultra-modern apartment complex and I knew that's where I wanted to live.
As I walked in everything smelled new and clean. I had taken a tour of the model and pretty much knew what to expect but this was the first time I had walked in to experience my place. All I had with me was a pillow, sleeping bag, clothes for tomorrow and a few toiletries. It was almost like being back in the Army, but I didn't care. I sat my stuff down in the bedroom and rolled out my bunk for the night. It had been a full day, and I knew tomorrow was going to be busy with moving, so I decided to take a shower and call it a night.
I walked over to close the bedroom door to get undressed and shower when I realized that I had no reason to close the door. No parent, no roommate and no friends; I could get naked anywhere I wanted. I did just that, I took everything off and strolled through my apartment completely naked. The apartment manager said I was only the third person to sign a lease that day so I didn't expect there would be many people around the complex yet. I walked over to the patio door and looked out, my balcony opened up to a central courtyard that was lined with newly planted trees and perfectly green grass that had just been installed the day before.
I opened the patio door, it was almost completely dark, the path lights in the courtyard were on and it was quiet and peaceful. Did I dare step out? I had always had a thing for being naked, when Brian and I first got married and had our house in the country I would occasionally walk outside naked. Sometimes to get a rise out of him and sometimes I just liked doing it. I looked around, no one seemed to be out, so I took a couple more steps. My heart was racing, I was in a brand-new place and here I was venturing out on the balcony without a stitch of clothing. Slowly I made it all the way out to the rail. The warm breeze of the fading summer still felt good blowing across my naked body. It had been many years since I had got this adventurous. After about fifteen minutes I walked back inside and headed for the shower.