It was a good day to be nude.
That's what I thought to myself as I stood in the milling crowd. The sky was blue with just the perfect amount of puffy white clouds. The air was warm without being oppressive, and it carried the scent of flowers and freshly-mown grass. I raised my arms out to my sides and felt my robe hanging off of me, keenly aware that I had nothing on under it save a sturdy pair of sandals. I smiled in anticipation of the moment I'd be able to toss it aside and feel the warm sun on my skin.
I was surrounded by a few dozen other people dressed the same way. Most stood in clumps of two or three people, amiably chatting. Some were clearly nervous - laughing too quickly and glancing around with a bit of panic. But most were old hands at this. The crowd skewed older, with some members clearly well into retirement while the majority were middle-aged. At twenty-four, I was one of the youngest guys there - but I didn't mind. This wasn't an event for hooking up. It was all about the walk.
Nude Walk had been an unofficial event in the little town of Savoy for the last seven years, despite the vague efforts of the town council to discourage it. The community had become a home to the more free-wheeling professionals of the greater Chicago area. They brought substantial property tax revenue with them, so the council was reluctant to push back too hard. If a bunch of those taxpayers wanted to strip down and march around a few blocks once a year, then that was something they'd just have to tolerate. But they did insist on prohibiting any kind of advertising for the event, which was fine by the participants as well since it kept down the crowds.
I counted maybe a hundred spectators around the town square. The grass was lush and green, with tasteful landscaping all around the newly-refurbished courthouse. Every storefront was occupied with boutique shops and trendy restaurants. It was more like a theme park than an actual small town, but none of that mattered today. It was a Saturday in mid-July, and it was National Nude Day.
I'd attended this event on a whim the year before. That was the first time I'd ever done anything involving public nudity and it was like I'd found my calling. Walking naked down the street, surrounded by others doing the same, made all of my stress and worry just fall away. I'd tried without success to explain it to a few of my friends, but they just made jokes. I couldn't convince them that it wasn't a sexual experience. Eventually, I gave up and resolved to come back this year on my own. That way I could enjoy this day secure in the knowledge that no one here had the slightest idea who I was.
"Aaron, is that you?"
Startled, I turned around at the question. Two girls stood their robes. The one who had asked the question was short, with black hair that just reached her shoulders. Her face was pretty and striking, like a doll. Her nose was just a bit too sharp but the careful way she'd applied makeup to her eyes and cheeks gave her an ethereal quality that was quite alluring.
All of a sudden the memory hit me. This was Melodee Cable. She'd been one year ahead of me back in high school, but I hadn't seen her since then. We'd had drama and band together. It was fair to say I'd had a crush on her, but then when I was a teenager I'd pretty much had a crush on all the girls. Still, she was near the top of the list.
"Melodee," I managed to stammer out. "Hi. How are you?"
She broke into a grin at my consternation. "I'm great, thank you for asking. I told Darby that was you. It's been so long!" She reached out and grasped my wrist in greeting. Her robe was white and fluffy - much fancier than mine. My brain was throwing up alerts about what she'd just said, but I couldn't seem to gather my thoughts until the other girl gave me a small wave and I allowed myself to focus on her. Then it became clear what my subconscious was screaming about.
This was Darby Woodbury. If Melodee had been near the top of my crush list, Darby was the peak. Tall and graceful, she had blonde hair that fell to her waist. Her eyes were the calming blue of a mountain lake, and she had a habit of looking directly at you when she spoke. It made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. Where Melodee became beautiful through effort, Darby had a natural beauty that could not be imitated. The years since high school had only enhanced this effect. She was no longer a teenager, but a young woman.
"Ghhk," I said by way of greeting. Melodee giggled at this, but Darby just gave me a friendly smile like I'd said the most appropriate thing. This was the real reason she'd always made my heart flutter back then. For all her looks, her most beautiful quality was how she treated everyone with respect and earnestness. That had meant a lot to me. I was always the nerd in school and I often felt like an outsider, especially around girls. But Darby made me feel like I was normal and special at the same time. Even though we weren't close friends - when we talked she would always make me feel like we were.
I started again. "Darby, it's good to see you! How have you been?"
"I'm wonderful, Aaron. You look great by the way! I almost didn't recognize you without your glasses." She still had that method of looking directly into my eyes as she spoke. Her eyes were even bluer than I remembered, and the day began to feel even warmer.
"Yeah, contacts," I explained. "I should have done it earlier. They're so much easier."
"They show off your eyes better, too. You have pretty eyes. You shouldn't hide them." She didn't say this like she was flirting - just being honest about something she thought I should know. But I felt a flush in my face and couldn't stop growing a stupid grin.
"So do you come to these things often?", asked Melodee, with a feigned-innocence. I looked at her upturned-face and sly grin. She
was
flirting; or at least teasing. Still, I'd been fielding questions about Nude Walk from friends so I was well practiced at answering without getting embarrassed.
"Just last year, but I really enjoyed it," I said. "I find it very relaxing. It relieves a lot of stress and brings me a sense of peace." After a moment I countered, "How about you?"
Melodee glanced at Darby before answering, "We went to a nude beach in Jamaica last year, but I think I liked it more than she did." My mind tried to picture the two of them on a nude beach and I went into a bit of vapor lock. From her expression, I gathered this was intentional on Melodee's part. She continued, "We just heard about this thing the other night and I dragged her along with me."
Darby was standing there with her arms crossed. I realized for the first time that she was intensely nervous. She hid it well, though. Trying to reassure her I said, "It's really not a big deal. We just walk around a few blocks and back. You're mixed in with the crowd, so you don't feel like you're standing out. It's just like going for a stroll."
"Naked," added Melodee after a pause.
I waved my hand, "But everyone is naked, so it's fine."
Darby took a breath and visibly forced herself to relax. "Thank you, Aaron," she said. "Dee, quit trying to make me flustered."
Melodee countered, "But you're cute when you're flustered." This seemed to be some kind of running joke for them because it made Darby snort with laughter.
We spent the next few minutes catching up on our lives, which mostly meant college. All of the talk about classes and majors made it feel like we were back in high school again. Before long I forgot all about where we were or what we were doing until a woman with a bullhorn announced that we'd be starting in one minute. There was a ragged cheer and a fluttering of cloth as people began to strip, and a middle-aged woman with several robes on her arm stepped up to us and offered to take ours. We all three just stared at each other, frozen.
Somehow in the surprise of meeting them, I'd not followed the implications all the way to the end. Darby and Melodee were about to strip in front of me - and I in front of them. This was nothing like the "relaxing" and "calming" event I'd described to my friends all year. It was one thing to be part of a large crowd of people who were all naked. But this felt very different.
Darby was looking carefully up at the sky and blushing. Melodee was grinning widely and staring at me. I decided I needed to go first since I was one who'd been here before. I forced myself into nonchalance and casually untied my robe. Shrugging out of it, I folded it over once and handed it to the volunteer who would be holding them for us during the walk. This part at least I was not too shy about. I was hardly buff, but I kept myself in better shape now than back when I was in high school.
Melodee was staring openly at my body. She looked down from my chest to my waist and I realized I had a problem - tumescence. Events like this were not meant to be sexual situations, and having an erection was a severe faux pas. This hadn't been an issue last year, but today I was semi-hard. On the plus side, this had the effect of making me look more endowed than I actually was - but I needed to get control of this before my half-staff became a full-staff. This was difficult to do with Melodee staring right at my semi-engorged cock and grinning like a cat eyeing a treat.
Trying to ignore her gaze, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let the feel of the sun wash down my body and forced myself to remember why I wanted to come here. I tried to banish the sexual thoughts from my mind, and I felt my erection start to fade. I also figured this would give the girls time to disrobe without worrying about me watching them do it.
When I opened my eyes, I found that neither of them had seized that opportunity. They were both still dressed, and the volunteer was looking impatient. "Who's next?", she asked.
I looked at Melodee and her eyes locked onto mine. She seemed to have been waiting for this because as soon as they did she untied her robe and pulled it open. I ended up staring as she slowly lowered it from her shoulders. She was tan, with visible lines forming the shape of a bikini bottom, but none anywhere else. Her breasts were revealed to be larger than I thought they would be, especially for her small stature. Her areola and nipples were dark - almost black. Her pubic hair was black as well and trimmed into a small patch above her pussy. The lips of her vulva were peeking out. Her hips were very round and her legs, though short, were quite shapely. She was wearing running shoes with barely-visible white socks and - as she handed her robe to the volunteer - nothing else.
I looked back up to meet her gaze and was struck by the contrast between the almost artificial beauty of her face and the raw sensual energy to her body. Her face was also still grinning. She seemed to be taking great delight in my appreciation of her naked body. My dick started rising, and I was forced to close my eyes again and take another breath. Once more, I concentrated on the feel of the sun and the sounds of the crowd.
This is not a sexual situation,
I told myself. When I was under control, I opened my eyes again.
Darby still had her robe on. She was the only one I could see in the crowd who hadn't stripped. I suddenly realized that she might just refuse to do it. If that happened, I figured Melodee would put hers back on as well and they'd both leave. Preventing this became my number one priority.
I commented to the volunteer, "The sun feels so good today. Much better weather than last year, don't you think?"
She turned her impatient gaze from Darby to me. "Oh yes - much better. I was cold last year!", she added with a laugh.
