Everybody Is Sleeping

(Author's note: My name is Jessica Tang Von Harper and I hope you enjoy my entry into the Nude Day story contest!)

*

Chloe and Marianne lay on deck chairs next to each other beside Chloe's backyard swimming pool. Chloe wore a green bikini and Marianne wore a black one. They both wore sunglasses.

"So your parents are back tonight?" Marianne asked.

"Yes. Along with Tony and his friend."

"I thought Tony was going to New Zealand."

"Tomorrow. He and his friend Ben are catching another flight tomorrow morning. But they'll stay the night."

"Ben?"

"Yeah. He's from New Zealand. Tony's going to stay with them in New Zealand for a few weeks."

"Too bad. I probably won't get to see Tony."

"No, he'll hardly be here at all. He's just passing through. But he'll be back in a few weeks, though."

A few minutes passed in silence as the girls lounged in the sun.

"Did we waste this?" Marianne asked.

"Huh?"

"Your parents were gone for two weeks. Two weeks, you had the house to yourself. Shouldn't we have done more?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. A big party, maybe?"

"We had a party two nights ago."

"A dozen people, and we sat around watching movies. That's not what I call a party. That's a get-together."

"Okay. So what are you talking about then?"

"You know...A party! People in every room. Music. Alcohol. Mysterious but handsome strangers giving us meaningful looks from across the room."

"Mess. Damage. People getting drunk and throwing up everywhere. No, thanks. You can meet your mysterious stranger in someone else's house. I'd rather know everyone who comes in my house."

"But how do you meet someone new if you already know everyone?"

"I don't know." Chloe shrugged languidly. "It's too late for that kind of thing anyway. My parent's are back tonight."

Marianne sighed. She sat up and began to wiggle the straps of her bikini top up toward her shoulders.

"Whatcha doing?" Chloe asked.

"Skinny dipping, while I still can." Marianne freed her breasts from the top and pulled the black tangle over her head. "You coming?"

"Nah. I'm nice and toasty." Chloe turned her head, watching as Marianne peeled the bottom of her suit down her legs. Marianne stood and approached the side of the pool, pausing at the edge of the water.

Chloe smiled, admiring her friend's slender nude body and long legs. "That jogging is paying off, beautiful..." she called out lazily.

Marianne didn't turn around, but acknowledged the compliment by giving her rear end a wiggle. She gave a quick hop at the lip of the pool and then jumped forward, disappearing into the water with barely a splash. Chloe closed her eyes, feeling the warm sun beating against her skin.

Marianne burst to the surface of the water. "It's so cold!" she wailed.

"Told ya." Chloe giggled. She cracked an eyelid, peeking at Marianne's head bobbing in the water, her long blonde hair floating on the surface of the water behind her like a bridal train. Chloe thought the world looked better through her sunglasses, the greens greener, the blues bluer. She let her eyes close again. She felt like she was drifting away into the air, her body melting into nothingness.

***

Chloe didn't hear her parent's car pull into the driveway, but she heard their voices outside, and she could hear the sound of Petey's toenails tapping on the kitchen floor as the elderly dog scampered to the front door. It was shortly after five o'clock in the evening, and Chloe had been watching TV. She turned the TV off and sat, waiting and listening.

A key turned in the front door lock. The door opened. "Hey, Petey!" Her father's voice greeted the dog, and she could hear the dog's tail slapping against the wall. Her father called, "Chloe? We're home!" She could hear her mother and brother talking to each other as well. Someone spoke in a low baritone, a voice she didn't recognize, and then she heard the sound of her mother's laughter.

Chloe slid out of her chair and headed to the front hallway, her bare feet padding silently on the carpet. "Ah, there she is!" her father said, smiling broadly when he noticed her walking towards him. Chloe hugged him, looking over his shoulder at the others who were passing through the front door.

"Hi, mom!" she said, releasing her father to give her mother a welcome-home hug. She grinned at Tony, then snuck a peak at his college friend. So this was Ben? Tony hadn't told her he was so cute! He was tall, probably about four inches taller than she was, with a short mop of thick dark hair and an easy grin on his face. Chloe suddenly wished she had something more flattering on. She'd been lounging around the house in a loose pair of shorts and a tank top.

"Hey, sis... been a while," Tony said as she hugged him next. "How's everything? You good?"

"Yeah. Glad you're back, Tony, even if it's just for tonight." Growing up, Tony and she had experienced their fair share of sibling fights, but since Tony had moved out to go to college on the east coast, they seemed to get along a lot better.

"Hey, this is Ben." Tony waved at the handsome boy behind him. "Ben, meet my sister Chloe."

Ben grinned. He had gorgeous brown eyes. "Hey, Chloe," he said as he leaned forward to give her a casual one-armed squeeze. "I recognize you, kind of. Tony had a picture of the two of you on his desk... from San Francisco? You're standing in front of a trolley?"

"Oh, yeah. I know the one."

"Yeah. You're older now, but I still recognize you. Tony says you just graduated from high school?"

"Yeah. Just a few weeks ago."

"Are you following Tony to Penn State?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. University of Washington."

"Ah. That's a good school, too." Ben flashed his grin at her, and Chloe felt herself melting inside. She adored his New Zealand accent, which sounded sophisticated but not difficult to understand. Her mind had already started to dictate a future text to Marianne, describing this cute college boy who was going to spend the night at her house.

"I'm starving!" her father proclaimed. "What do you say we order a bunch of pizzas?" Chloe stepped out of the way, letting herself slip into the background as her mother and father fussed around the house and Tony and Ben carried their suitcases upstairs to Tony's room. She considered going up to her own room to change clothes, but thought it would be embarrassingly obvious if she came downstairs all dressed up for a dinner that consisted of delivery pizza. Tony would see right through her and would definitely tease her.

Instead, she disappeared into the living room and jumped on her phone. She quickly described the situation to Marianne in a rapid exchange of texts. Marianne, of course, wanted to come over for dinner.

"No point," Chloe texted back. "Everyone's tired. They'll probably just crash."

"You just want to keep him for yourself!" Marianne texted back.

Chloe sent back a quick "LOL". She added, "I'll sneak a pic and send it to you."

The doorbell rang, and Chloe's father answered. It was the pizza delivery. Her father paid for the three large pizzas and brought them to the dining room table. Tony and Ben descended rapidly down the stairs. "Smells great!" Tony said, eagerly grabbing a slice of pepperoni.

Chloe emerged from the living room, feeling shy, and quietly sat across from the two boys at the table. She took a slice of veggie lovers. Her father sat at the head of the table, and her mother took the opposite chair.

It was good to have Tony home, even if it was just one night. The dinner table seemed brighter and more alive with him there. He had always been loud and boisterous, and now it seemed like he had a whole semester of college stories to tell. He and Ben almost seemed like a comedy duo, the way they alternated their narration, and Chloe could barely eat because she was laughing so hard at their adventures.

They talked with enthusiasm about their upcoming trip to New Zealand. "Ben's place is in a beautiful area," Tony said. "You should see his pictures. It's like he's got a mountain range in his backyard."

"I told Tony he's welcome to come visit anytime he wants," Ben said. "My family is happy to give him a place to stay." Ben smiled at Chloe. "That goes for you too, Chloe. If you ever want to visit New Zealand, you can come stay with us."

"I'd love to go to New Zealand some day," Chloe said. She felt like her pulse increased in speed every time Ben smiled at her.

"You can come with me next time, Chloe," Tony assured her. "I think you'd love it."

Chloe thought to herself, "Yes, I'm sure I'd love the scenery," as she peeked at Ben's handsome features. As if he could sense her gaze, he looked her way and flashed her that easy grin. She shifted her eyes quickly away.

"What do you say to watching a movie?" her father asked after the leftover pizza had been put away. "We could see what's available to stream."

"Sure, sounds great," Ben said.

"I'm too tired," her mother said. "I might turn in."

"Mom always likes to go to sleep early," Tony told Ben.

Her mother nodded. "I'm a morning person. You two shouldn't stay up too late either. Your flight leaves pretty early."

"We won't," Tony said. "Good night, mom."

They all said good night, and Chloe's mother went up the stairs while the rest of them went to the living room to sit around the enormous television screen. After browsing the movies, they settled on "Bridge of Spies."

Her father barely lasted five minutes before he was snoring loudly in his chair. Tony grinned. "Dad? Dad?" Tony poked him in the arm and their dad snapped awake.

"What... did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. You didn't miss much, the movie just started."

Her father rubbed his eyes. "Maybe I need to go up with your mother."

"Cool," Tony said. "See you in the morning."

After their father left, Ben glanced at Chloe. "What about you, Chloe?" he asked. "You tired too?"

"Me? I'm not tired at all. I slept in until ten this morning."

The boys chuckled. "We were up at four thirty," Tony said. "And that's after we stayed up until one in the morning packing the place up."

"Did you sleep at all on the plane?"

"I tried to," Tony said.

They continued watching the movie. Chloe kept her eyes on the screen, but she secretly watched Ben out of the corner of her eye. She wished she could chat with him some more, but he seemed to be interested in the movie and she didn't want to distract him.

After an hour, Tony said, "I have no idea what's going on in this thing. Are you guys following this?"

"Yes," Chloe said. "I mean, mostly..."

Tony shook his head. "I'm nodding out, I think. This is too complicated a movie when I'm this tired. We should have found some stupid comedy instead. Or a horror movie. Something where we don't have to think too much."

"You want to watch something else?" Chloe asked.

"Ben?" Tony looked at his friend for the answer.

"Ahh... we should probably just call it a night," Ben said. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Tony said. "We're going to head up."

"Okay." Chloe nodded.

"Good night." Ben smiled at her. "If I don't see you tomorrow, Chloe, it was nice to meet you."

"Oh... I'll wake up tomorrow morning to say goodbye," Chloe said.

"Okay. Then maybe I'll see you tomorrow morning." Ben nodded at the television. "Enjoy the rest of the movie."

"Good night," Chloe said. She listened to them stomping up the stairs, then followed the sound of their footsteps passing above her as Tony walked Ben to the guest bedroom. She moved to the couch, settling into the spot where Ben had been sitting, feeling his warmth still on the cushions. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps above her again, Tony's most likely, heading from the guest bedroom to his own.

Chloe pulled out her phone. She texted to Marianne, "Everyone's sleeping already."

Marianne texted back almost immediately. "Already?!? It's not even nine!"

"I told you," Chloe sent. "Nothing happening here."

"Did you get to talk to him at least?"

"Yes... he's so funny. I was laughing so hard at dinner."

"LOL. Send me his pic!"

Chloe watched Tom Hanks on the screen for a few minutes. She texted, "I didn't get a pic of him. I'll get one in the morning."

"They're leaving early?" Marianne sent back.

"I'll wake up to say goodbye," Chloe sent. She gazed at the phone, waiting to see if Marianne would reply, but the phone sat quietly in her hand. She returned her attention to the movie. After a few minutes, the phone buzzed. Marianne's message: "Set an alarm!" Chloe set down the phone without bothering to reply.

She watched "Bridge of Spies" to the end. Afterwards, she flipped through the channels, watching bits and pieces of things, never staying on a channel for long. The house was very quiet, and it was easy for her to imagine that she was still alone there like she'd been for the previous two weeks.

Finally, she turned off the television. She spent a few minutes wandering around the downstairs turning off lights. The clock in the kitchen read 11:08. That late already? Chloe decided she would take a quick shower and try to go to bed. She'd been staying up past 2 AM every night while her parents were out of town, but it was a bad habit to be in.

Chloe walked up the stairs. She could hear the low snore of her father as she passed their bedroom, muted by the closed door. Chloe could see a red glow emanating from her bedroom, generated by the lava lamp she kept on her dresser. It was the only light upstairs, but it was enough to see by.

Chloe retrieved a towel from the hall closet. The door creaked, and she could hear Petey's dog tags jingle from her parent's bed room, as the dog no doubt lifted his head towards the sound. Chloe closed the door gently. She stepped into her bedroom, finding her dresser by the red glow of the lava lamp, and pulled out a clean pair of panties and a long sleep shirt. Bundling these items along with the towel, she crossed the hall and entered the bathroom. She made sure to close the door before flipping the light switch. The overhead light flickered on and the ventilation fan hummed to life.

She hung the towel on the shower door and dropped her new clothes on the floor. She reached in past the shower door and turned on the water. It came out cold at first, but soon started to fill the room with steam, despite the efforts of the ventilation fan. Chloe peeled off her tank top and removed her bra. She discarded these clothes on the floor by the door, followed swiftly by her shorts and panties. When she slid open the door to the shower, a cloud of steam enveloped her, warming her. It felt nice.

She stepped in, leaning into the spray, letting it wet her dark hair. She ran her fingers through the long strands, looking for tangles. After a few minutes of relaxing under the hot water, she put some soap onto a pouf and started to scrub.

A knock came on the door. Before she could speak, the door opened. She was astonished to see Ben's head poke in.

"I'm in here!" she protested, although she was stating the obvious.

"I know. Do you mind if I take a quick leak?" Without waiting for her answer, he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

Fortunately, the towel hanging on the door blocked her body from his view, but Chloe was still shocked that he would enter so casually. He noticed the look on her face and shrugged. "Sorry... I guess I'm used to being casual about the bathroom. I'm sure Tony told you, our bathroom was co-ed at the red apartments?"

"Yes..." Tony had told her that, but hadn't provided any details of what that meant. "There's another bathroom downstairs..."

"Don't worry... I'll be quick." Ben stepped up to the toilet and put up the lid. Chloe's eyes went wide as he nonchalantly undid the front of his pants and fished out his penis. It was thick and long, like a snake with a bulging pink head He didn't seem to care that she could see him. He pointed the thing at the toilet, and after a moment a stream of urine launched out of the tip and splashed into the water.

Chloe stood under the spray of the shower, her arms crossed over her breasts, staring at Ben's penis through the glass. She couldn't look away, watching in awe as the stream of pee gradually ebbed until a final few drips trickled into the toilet. He bounced it up and down, shaking off the last few drops. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. What would Marianne say when Chloe told her?

Ben held his penis between his fingers and tucked it back into his pants. He went to the sink and started to wash his hands. "Tony's asleep," he said to her. "I tried to sleep... I think I got an hour and then I woke up. I always have trouble sleeping before a flight."

"Aren't you going to be tired tomorrow?" Chloe asked. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she wait for him to leave before she continued her shower? She still hadn't washed her hair, and she felt very vulnerable standing under the water naked while he was in the room.

He chuckled. "Yeah, no doubt. But I can sleep on the plane."

"I always have trouble sleeping on planes," Chloe said.

He wiped his hands on the hand towel. "Really? Why?"

"They're so cramped," she said. "And loud."

"Loud? Well, you could always put on headphones." Ben leaned against the sink. "It's a pretty long flight to New Zealand. I think I'd go crazy if I didn't sleep through some of it. I'd sleep through all of it if I could. Wouldn't that be nice? Close my eyes, get some rest, and wake up twelve hours later when the plane is landing?"

"Yeah," she said. "That would be nice. Um... the co-ed bathroom at your apartment..."

"Oh, yeah." He grinned at her. "Six guys and six girls sharing one small bathroom. Three stalls and two urinals, two showers. We pretty much had to learn to share everything if we were going to survive. Tony told you about it?"

"No... I mean, not much..."

"We tried to be proper about it, but that lasted for about half of the first week." He chuckled. "Then we were just too tired and too busy to care. I'd walk in early in the morning and find three or four girls in their panties putting on make-up at the sinks... but what could I do? I couldn't say, 'pardon me, please let me know when you're done', because I had class in half an hour. I'd just squeeze in beside them at the sinks to brush my teeth and do my own thing."

He seemed content to lean against the sink and chat with her. Chloe started to relax. She was hidden behind the rectangle of towel on the shower door, and Ben wasn't showing a great deal of interest in her nudity anyways. When he talked to her, his eyes stayed on her face, and he hadn't tried to position himself to get a peek around the edge of the towel.

"You know Joanne, right? Tony told you about her?"

"Yes. I mean... you told us that story about her, at the dinner table... about the performance art...?"

"Right, right. Well, a couple months ago, I applied for a spot on this professor's research team. Professor Wick, a very serious older man. He came by to interview me, and we were sitting in the common area of the apartments. Suddenly, halfway through the interview, here comes Joanne, walking to the bathroom, totally naked. I don't know if you've seen her picture... she's got an amazing body, very athletic, kind of like you... and she passes by, with her towel slung over her shoulder, totally unconcerned. I look at Professor Wick, and he just shrugs, and says, 'Penn State'... and he keeps going with the interview like nothing happened." Ben laughed.

"Did you get onto the research team?"

"I did. Maybe Joanne's little walk-by had something to do with it. Who knows." Ben smiled, shaking his head. "That's just how college is, though. Everyone questions everything, everyone experiments with acting in different ways. Nothing is out of bounds. You'll see next year. I'm sure University of Washington has the same sort of things happening."