Crack. The familiar snap of a fallen branch echoed through the woods as Aria stepped off the beaten path, eager to escape the noise of the world and find some peace in nature. The sun was high above her head, filtering through the trees and casting dappled light onto the forest floor. She breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with the fresh scent of pine needles and damp earth. As she walked, Aria's mind wandered back to her childhood, when she used to explore these same woods with her friends.
She continued up an embankment, her foot slipping slightly as the damp ground beneath her shifted. Being the first person to walk across this particular path gave Aria a deeper connection to the nature around her. It left her with the strong sense of adventure she loved.
The wood was thick with trees. She turned around and, despite being only 15 or so meters from the well-worn path she had left, it had disappeared from view. The fear of being lost excited Aria, especially since knowing these woods so well acted as a safety net. She would never be actually "lost" out here.
She kept moving forward, looking for a familiar clearing. This clearing was where she and her first proper boyfriend, Freddie, had shared their first kiss when she was 15--a first kiss that also saw Freddie awkwardly reach inside Aria's top and squeeze her small but pert left breast.
She shuddered thinking about the awkwardness, even though she had enjoyed it deeply. She would have let Freddie do anything to her at that point. But being awkward teenagers, the gangly pair stood in silence with Freddie's arm stuck at a weird angle while he fumbled inside her training bra. It felt like she went straight to second base but got tagged out as she touched the bag. Not the most enjoyable sexual experience, but her first nonetheless. It left her with a deep-rooted desire to come back with a partner and go all the way. She felt the hair on her body rise; the memories flooding back gave her goosebumps.
As she continued through the foliage, her body ached to be touched. She had been single for nearly three years. Sure, she'd had some dates that went badly, and some that ended in one-night stands, but she longed to share herself with the right guy--one she hadn't yet found.
She wasn't sure why she wanted to return to this spot. She had revisited it many times: sometimes to sit and meditate, sometimes just to stand and enjoy the peace and escape from her hectic lifestyle. Maybe it was the fun of being back in that familiar "first time" spot, or wanting to bring "the one" back here one day. Or maybe she just wanted to check it was still there and not completely overgrown. The excited anticipation of getting to the clearing made Aria fuzzy each time, without fail.
Climbing over the last crest before dropping into the bowl that nature had created for her, Aria heard faint giggling in the distance.
"Strange," Aria thought. She was sure no one else would be this deep in the woods. It was a Wednesday morning in May, after all. There was hardly anyone on the footpath, so bumping into anyone off-piste would be even more rare.
As the clearing came into sight, the giggling got louder--clearly female--joined by the deeper growl of a male voice. Through the trees, she caught sight of what she was hearing. A couple was in her clearing. The woman sounded full of joy; he sounded like a wolf after his prey.
Aria stopped and peered through the woods. She watched as the man grabbed the girl around her waist and pulled her into him. He kissed her neck, and the brunette threw her head back and giggled again.
"Freddie, stop, you're making me want to take my clothes off for you. Not here," the girl said.
"Freddie," Aria thought. Was it? Could it be HER Freddie? She couldn't see his face, but she could see the mid-length blonde hair that could have been her boyfriend from 17 years ago.
"Maybe you SHOULD take your clothes off, Rach," Freddie growled.
"Yep, Freddie," Aria thought as she recognized the voice. It was a tone deeper than she was familiar with, but his, no doubt.
Had Freddie had the same desire Aria had? Had he brought his girlfriend, fiancΓ©e, wife, or whoever Rach was to "their" clearing to finish what he'd started when they were teens? From where Aria stood, it sure looked like it.
She was frozen still, unable to move for fear of being found. She crouched down, making no sound, watching and wondering what they were going to do next, hoping they wouldn't see her. Aria sat back on the slope at the top of the bowl, positioning herself so she had a good view of the couple as Freddie fumbled up inside Rach's t-shirt. He looked more comfortable with what he was doing now; clearly, the years had given him the sexual experience you would expect from a good-looking 30-something.
Aria rested back, her backpack sitting on the root of a tree, acting like the back of a chair she could lean on. Rach kissed Freddie back. She grabbed her top across her waist and lifted it all the way over her head, throwing it on the floor. Only a lacy black bra prevented her breasts from being exposed to the chilly forest air.
Freddie kissed her exposed neck as Rach grabbed at Freddie's t-shirt to lift it up. He pulled his head back to let Rach remove it before dropping his head back, closer to her cleavage this time.
Aria couldn't believe what she was seeing. She wanted to leave them alone--they thought they were alone; they had no clue she was watching. She also didn't want to move. The fear of being seen grew stronger; the longer she waited to move, the worse it would look.
"Stay out of sight," she thought as she watched Freddie unbutton his jeans. She felt her nipples tighten against her soft cotton t-shirt.
She felt a warmth engulf her, quickly followed by a chill.
"Fuck, this is turning me on," Aria thought as the familiar feeling of wetness filled her crotch.
Freddie dropped his jeans and boxers in one fell swoop, exposing his bare ass to Aria. A desire to be in Rach's place overcame her. She wanted to run down to the clearing and bite that firm butt where he stood.
Aria watched as Rach's bra loosened and fell forward off her shoulders. Freddie's fumbling behind her back was clearly an effort to get her as naked as he was. Freddie kicked his trousers and boxers off his ankles. He stood naked as the day he was born, except for the socks in the middle of Aria's clearing.
Engrossed in what she was watching, Aria snapped back to reality--the reality being her hand playing with the waistband of her waterproof trousers. She wanted to be touched by Freddie. She wanted to be touched by Rach. She wanted to be touched by anyone.