Barcelona Dare

Barcelona. 1995. Three weeks into a study abroad trip. The day that a simple event changed my life.

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I was sitting across from my two best friends at an outdoor table at one of our usual lunch spots when Sarah's face suddenly lit up with shock. Monica quickly matched it and they both exclaimed some form of oh my god.

"Elizabeth, turn around, you've got to see this," one said.

So I did. And saw the naked man walking casually towards us, right through the crowds and past the tables full of diners. What on earth was happening? He acted like he was taking a normal mid-day walk, just with his dick out for everyone to see.

"Whoa. Everyone else sees the naked guy, right?" Monica joked as we all kept our eyes on him. Some people around us were also just as fascinated, but plenty of people either didn't notice or didn't care. How odd.

"Oh look, look. There's a cop over there, starting to walk over to him. Oh this is going to be good," Sarah said as she pointed.

"Never thought that our study abroad trip would include watching a streaker get arrested!" Monica said with a laugh.

But then we watched that cop walk towards and the right by the naked guy with not even a look. We all reacted with some shock. Why does no one care about this naked man? Back home in the United States, that guy would be in a police car already. We continued to watch with stunned expressions as the guy kept going, passed us, and walked around the corner and out of sight.

Turning to each other, none of us knew what to say at first.

Sarah eventually broke the silence, saying "Ok I have questions. Can you just do that here?"

"Even if you can, why would you do that?" I added.

We briefly kept the confused conversation going, but after a minute, the waiter came by to take our order. After finishing, Monica asked him if he could answer a question. "Just a minute ago, we saw a nude man walk by, and no one seemed to act like it was a problem. Is that normal here?"

He laughed. "Oh you saw one of our nudists. Yes that happens. That is legal here, so there are some people who take advantage. Not many, but you will see an occasional nude walker if you are around enough."

We laughed as he left and joked about it for a minute more, but then went back to our previous conversation, nearly forgetting about the very weird occurrence.

But I know now that it was definitely not completely forgotten, because it was the inspiration for an event a few weeks later that changed my time in Barcelona.

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Outside of our time in classes, we had a lot of time to really become residents of the incredible city of Barcelona. We were there with about 18 total students and were living in a couple apartments in a building just to the north of the Gothic Quarter. It was most of our first times really living on our own in a big city, so there were some challenges, but we loved it. My apartment was just Sarah and Monica and I, so we were constantly together.

One thing we quickly found ourselves enjoying was football. We went to a FC Barcelona game one weekend and were hooked. Over the first month or two of the semester, we made it to maybe 3 or 4 games and watched a bunch more when we had time at various bars near the apartment. I don't think any of us were big soccer fans before we got there, but something about how important it was to the city made it much easier to get into and so much more fun to watch.

Another way we had fun with the games was that we would make occasional bets between each other. Not every time, but if one of us thought of something fun to wager on, we would. Who would win, or the score, or first player to score. Almost always at first it was for who would pay for the round of drinks while we watched the game at a bar. That was a compelling enough payment for us to want to win, but not really too challenging. Of course, that was how it started.

Now years later, I honestly don't remember what led to us changing it from drinks, but we did eventually. Likely we just got too boring to make the same bet over and over. Probably Monica suggested we spice it up. She was always that type, always looking for some kind of new thrill. So by month 3, we were set on our new usual. Loser does a round of truth or dare. Again, I don't remember how that was decided. Likely, we were drunk one night and truth or dare naturally broke out, and we decided it was fun and worth continuing. We were 20 year old college girls, living life far from home where we could drink for the first time. Decisions were not always made the most clearly.

Usually truth was taken, but dare too sometimes. It was simple stuff like make a prank call to one of the other student apartments, or order a gross item at dinner and eat it. Certainly nothing like what was about to happen.

So all this setup leads to the momentous event that I remember much more vividly. We had our standard bet going on the game one Saturday, and decided to pick which player would score a goal that day. This was a fun and easy one, since we could each pick someone different. It was also a little bit of a weird day between us because we had had a big roommate fight the night before, about cleaning the kitchen or something like that, and it was almost entirely my fault. So things were a little tense between me and them, but we were trying to use the game to get back to normal. We'd be ok I thought, just needed a day to move past it. The beers we were drinking helped too.

Halfway through the game, both of their players had already scored and mine hadn't, so I was preparing myself for the loss, but hoping something would still change. At one point, I went to the bathroom but came back to find Sarah and Monica whispering to each other and holding back laughter once I got close.

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

"Oh nothing, just talking about how we're probably going to win the bet today," said Sarah. "And deciding what you'll have to do," Monica added.

"No way, I'm coming back on this one" I said. "He's going to score. Definitely," I joked back at them.

He did not. I did not come back. So I lost the bet that day.

We started our walk back to the apartment, through the not very crowded street. This area of town was much busier in the day than at night, and since the sun just set, the streets were light. We were all a good bit tipsy, nearly drunk, and having fun, so I was glad to see that the friction had passed. Then they brought up the punishment.

"Ok what'll it be Elizabeth? We've got some great ideas." Sarah and Monica looked excited.

It was probably the alcohol that inspired me to take the dare. Some unexpected confidence flowed in me, and maybe I also just hoped that playing along would continue to get us past that little fight. So I did it, and said "Let's do the dare. What am I doing?"

Their eyes lit up and both immediately chuckled.

"Well Elizabeth. We had a crazy idea. Super crazy. Do you remember a couple months ago, what we saw walking by when we were eating lunch? And the unexpected thing we learned about this city?" Monica started.

My mind raced for a moment, unsure at first what she meant, but then realizing what she might be talking about. They continued to smile and hold back a laugh as my face changed.

"I think she remembers," Sarah said to Monica. They had a teasing tone to their voice, not mean, but having fun with this.

Before they could say more, I loudly refused. "No way. Nope, you could never make me do that."

"Well you lost the bet and picked the dare. That's how this works," Monica said back to me with a laugh. "We decided that you have to go for a quick naked walk with us one night. Just 1 block. That's nothing. It's not going to be that bad!"

"Hell, I'd do it right now no problem if you gave me that dare!" Monica said, laughing drunkenly. She mimed lifting her shirt up as she grinned at me. I thought she was going to do it at first.

Sarah laughed, but I kept my shocked face and continued to refuse. I couldn't walk around naked like that! There were so many people around that day we saw the nude man, what if that was what they were going to make me do? "You are literally never going to be able to make me do that," I told them with force.

Unsurprisingly, they rejected my statement, and said we had rules, bringing up some of the past things they didn't want to do but did. "You made me order eels at the restaurant a few weeks ago, and I ate them!" Monica reminded me. She did eat them.

We kept going back and forth the rest of the way home before finally reaching an agreement on a new rule that we had never discussed before. I was going to go for double or nothing. Next soccer game, there would be a new bet, agreed ahead of time to be something not overly easy. And if I won, it was over. If I lost, I was doing the dare.

I felt good about my chances.

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I felt much less good a week a half later, as I stood naked in my room, trying to pick out what clothes I was going to wear to take off in public a few hours later. I lost the second bet. It didn't even end up close. I still fought it at first, but relented because I could see there was no getting around this. I was going to be taking a naked walk that night, a brief walk, but still. Since losing, I had done some research to confirm that yes it actually was legal to walk naked in Barcelona and that yes, I would not get in any trouble. That was at least a burden off my mind, but the embarrassment was still heavy. Really, I knew that I could just say no and refuse if I really felt like I couldn't do this. But I felt the duty to keep up with my friends and honor the dare, no matter how much I hated the idea.

I debated my dressing choices. Something that is on and off quickly? Something more comfortable? Something revealing or covering up? Did it really matter at all I thought?

Sarah opened the door and walked in. It was a shared bedroom, so there had been some quick casual nudity between us before, but with what I was going to be doing, I decided to not even try to be modest and just kept looking through my clothes as she began talking.

"The plan is leave for dinner at 6:30," she said. "Then we will show you where the walk is going to be after that."

"So you are really not going to tell me anything?" I questioned. I had been pleading for any info to start preparing myself, but they were being silent about it.

"Nah, this is more fun. It is a punishment after all," she joked. I groaned, but accepted it. She left me to finish getting ready, naked and nervous, and then half an hour later, the three of us walked out the door.

Dinner was at a restaurant about 10 blocks away, a seafood place that we had liked before. I was nervous and didn't eat quite as much as normal, but I did have a big drink the ease the stress as the dinner quickly flew by. Before I knew it, the check was paid and Monica and Sarah were leading me out of the restaurant. Walking out to the street put me on edge because this was a more popular area and there were plenty of people around. If they had told me to start there, I would have died of embarrassment. But luckily no, we started walking back towards the direction of the apartment.

Halfway there, I had a new nervous thought. Were they going to make me do it right at our building, where there are other students that I know living? That would be even worse, I thought! Thankfully, no, I realized, when we turned right at a street when we should have turned left.

This was an area I wasn't that familiar with. Some restaurants, but not a lot. Some people, but not a lot. I was looking ahead and thankfully seeing partially empty streets when suddenly Sarah and Monica stopped walking and turned to me.

"You ready to do this Elizabeth?" Sarah asked.

"Whew, my heart is racing, and I don't even have to do anything," Monica said, as I silently looked back at them. There were some people around, but I guess I don't have much choice here, I thought.

"Ok. To complete this dare, we have decided that you should undress right here, and then we will walk one loop around this block together until we are back here," Monica said before I interrupted her.

"Wait a loop around the block? You said I just had to walk a block, like one intersection to the next?"

"Oh I don't think we got that specific," said Sarah. "Anyway, the dare for the double or nothing has to be bigger. So one loop around the block."

Like I said, I didn't know the area, so I didn't know what was on the three other streets. That added to the anxiety of knowing what I was about to do. But I was going to do it. So I said "ok".

They both took a step back, giving me my space to begin removing my clothes. I did end up deciding on the comfort of the kind of clothes I normally wear, so it was a slow undressing at first. My arms shaking, I slipped out of my shoes first. No socks, I had realized those would get dirty in the undressing process. I gently pulled the long sleeve shirt up over my head and slid it off my arms, revealing a bra clad upper body, already more skin than I had ever imagined showing on a city street. Shorts were next, those slid quickly down my legs when I undid the clasp.

I handed the collection so far to Monica, who had produced a small bag to carry it all in. They were both giggling at my hesitance, and then told me to keep going.

I decided in a split second to just get it done. I yanked my panties down with one move and then slid the bra off immediately, leaving me fully and totally naked right there on the sidewalk. There were people nearby but no one right by us thankfully. I felt mortified. And cold. And motivated to walk as quickly as possible, so I started walking straight ahead.

Those first moments really were an indescribable experience. There's nothing to compare it to. It's not like getting undressed in private. It's not like a shower. It wasn't like being naked in the apartment earlier that day. It's not like getting naked for sex. Those are all private experiences where you have control. This was something else, something out of body where I just had to keep walking. Monica and Sarah just behind me to the left were silently watching and walking. I was sure they could see me slightly shaking with each step, and hoped that they would see I did it and call it off. But when I soon reached the corner and stopped, they pointed right, and I had to continue.

There had been a few people pass me so far, but not a single reaction from any of them, which was unexpected. Are they really that comfortable with nudity here that they wouldn't even look at me, I thought? I realized that I had no idea what to do with my hands when naked and instinctively started stroking my hair. Maybe that looked weird, so I stopped, and just held my hands to the side and kept walking.

Halfway down this block, and past a few more people and a couple cars, I made the mistake of looking at the building and seeing my naked reflection in the glass window. I was naked! In a street! I freaked out a bit internally at that, but kept walking, seeing that halfway was just ahead. But at the corner, I looked right, down the next street, and almost screamed out loud. This side of the block had a restaurant on it, with an outdoor patio full of people right on the edge of the sidewalk. Right where I was walking. Unreal, I thought, there was no way to not be seen up close. This was going to be deathly embarrassing. New shakes started up in my legs as I turned and started to walk towards the restaurant.

As I was approaching, all I could think about was how close this situation was to the original day when we saw the naked man. I imagined sitting on that patio ahead and watching a naked girl walk by. Astonishing that I was now stuck on the other end of that fantasy. Quickly, it was time to stop imagining it because I was a shop or two down from the restaurant and could tell that at least a couple people noticed me.

My plan was to keep my head down, walk fast, and just ignore the people. That went well at first, until my ashamed curiosity made me steal a glace and discover that a whole table of men were staring at me, eyes locked in on my exposed body. That was another indescribable feeling. But shockingly, for some reason a feeling that I instantly enjoyed for just a brief moment before coming back to my senses. I powered through and made it past the restaurant without incident, minus the knowledge that maybe a dozen people just had an up-close view of my nakedness.

I noticed that my two friends had fallen a little farther behind me on that stretch of the walk, maybe 20 feet back, making me look much more like a solitary streaker. A thought crossed my mind that I would really need to think up some kind of payback for those two. Another corner was ahead, and thankfully there was very little activity on that last new street of the walk. I just had to make it to just around the next corner to finish this dare.

Halfway down that street, I looked back to find that Monica and Sarah were now a good 30 or more feet back. Now I felt so alone on top of so exposed. But my only motivation was to get to the corner. Approaching the corner, I crossed a pedestrian going the other way who finally did give me a full up and down look. Finally, someone actually as surprised as I was! It was another quick moment where I felt good to have someone look at me, and this time it didn't quite go away as fast. As I made it to the corner, all I could think was, Elizabeth, why on earth are you getting any enjoyment out of this?! This is the most embarrassing thing you've ever done in your life. You should be hating this!

That thought continued until I realized I was standing back where I started. I did it! Unfortunately, I turned around and discovered that I still had 30 more seconds of waiting as my friends, and my clothes, slowly made their way to me. The smile on their faces showed that they were absolutely getting a thrill out of watching this. Oh yes, I needed some payback, and needed it soon, I thought. The shame was starting to come back, and I needed this to end.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of nudity but was really about 4 minutes, I was handed my clothes and I could cover back up. I scrambled to get them back on, and then scrambled to start walking away, so that I could get away from anyone who saw me.

There was laughter and talking on the walk back, but something like shell shocked silence from me as I continued to process it all. It wasn't until I collapsed in bed that I truly felt like the ordeal was finished. It was over I thought. It was not.

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The next development in this story came a few days later, when the dreams started. I never had the trope of the naked in school dream before. I had plenty of other dreams, but not that one, at least not until my body and mind had actually experienced public nudity. Now that it had a taste, the dreams were going to replicate that experience nightly for some reason. Sometimes it was brief, some long. Some were typical naked in a classroom, some were in a restaurant, or walking around a city. Wonder where that idea came from?

The unusual and terrifying part of these dreams was that my dream state mind was enjoying them. A lot. My dream mind didn't feel shame or embarrassment, it felt free and thrilling. I would wake up excited and aroused before the real world reality of the situation coming down on me, and making me realized just how insane the dreams were. But they continued sporadically for the next few weeks, until the point that the message started to get to me. Each time, I felt a little less bad about enjoying it, and started to wonder if I actually did want it again. No, that's crazy, I would say. But then a dream, then the arousal, and then the thought of being naked in public again.