Polaroids
The heat and haze of summer is like a drug to me. The scorching, near-airless days, kindling to smoky, shimmering nights -- that languid feeling in the air, holding so many unspoken promises.
The summer I graduated -- that strange suspended space between graduating and beginning my first 'proper adult' job -- holds so many of those delicious, unspoken memories. It felt, at the time, like my last shot at wildness. I wanted to make the most of every second, to lose myself in
experience
. In all honesty, I wanted a summer I could remember smilingly months or even years later, while enduring the weight of corporate propriety.
It was in the midst of that heady, intense summer that I met Dan.
*
"Anya, if you're coming out tonight you better get your ass ready!"
The voice came caterwauling from the depths of the house, startling me as I lay on the terrace in my bikini, book in hand. It was evening, but the sun was still stubbornly hanging in the sky, and its warmth felt comforting on my exposed skin. A bead of sweat ran down between my breasts, pooling in the soft crevice of my bellybutton. I couldn't think why I'd want to go anywhere, right at this moment.
A second later, Lois herself caught up to her disembodied voice and frowned at me from the doorway.
"Are you planning to go out in a bikini? I mean, the locals might stare but you'd probably get free drinks all night."
I huffed a laugh, putting down my book and sitting up to look at her properly.
"Hmm, not sure the free drinks would make up for all the perving. What time are you planning to head out? It's still so early, I thought we were going straight to a club."
"Well, Jenna and Carly want to meet up for dinner and drinks first."
"And you didn't think to tell me that
before
you started shrieking at me to get ready super early?"
Lois had the good grace to look a little sheepish, and that was as much of an apology as I was likely to get from her.
"I'm telling you now. So, are you coming or not?"
About forty minutes later, I was good to go. I'd taken a shower at top speed, washing my hair quicker than usual, not stopping to enjoy the water on my body as much as I normally would have. I let my hair air dry, knowing in this heat it wouldn't take long -- and besides, my long dark waves always looked good left natural. I took a little more care with my make-up; smoky eyes and subtly glossy lips.
My dress was a black silk slip-style number, falling just to the mid-thigh. It skimmed my body in such a way that couldn't be considered
obscene
exactly, but certainly gave a good impression as to what lay underneath. I had dabbed a little shimmer in the hollows of my collarbones, and just a little across the exposed upper swells of my breasts. I always liked to stay just the right side of sexy, without verging into 'pornstar'. I took a big enough purse to carry my trusty polaroid camera, which went everywhere with me that summer.
When Lois saw me, she broke into a wide grin.
"So, are you looking to get laid tonight, or is that for my benefit?" she smirked.
"Getting laid isn't exactly my number one priority, but I can't say it wouldn't be a damn sweet bonus," I replied, adding a little wiggle to my butt.
We both burst into laughter. I brought out the polaroid, and we took it in turns to snap pictures of each other, smiling, pouting, looking sexy and silly all at once.
"Seriously though, Anya. You look fucking hot tonight."
I smiled in thanks and looked her over in return; tall, blonde, Scandinavian-supermodel-looking Lois with her perfect breasts and incredibly long legs. She had dressed herself in a skin-tight knee-length red dress, complemented by a scarlet streak of lipstick. Her polaroids could have been on any model agency's wall.
"You look fucking hot tonight too, Lois."
We met Jenna and Carly outside the restaurant they'd picked out -- a mid-level place that liked to pretend it was more upmarket than it truly was, or ever could be, in this small town. The cocktails were to die for though, and by the time our first course arrived we'd already sunk a couple each. I was already getting that jittery, butterfly vibe that promised tonight would have so many wonderful things in store for us.
We chatted animatedly throughout the meal, catching up on everything that had been happening with each of us, snapping instant photos in between courses. Carly told us all about her relationship troubles with her long-term boyfriend and then in complete contrast, Jenna regaled us with all her many, many man-eating conquests. Lois and I fell somewhere in the middle of this spectrum; I'd had a steady boyfriend up until a few weeks before graduation, and while I wasn't quite at the same man-devouring stage as Jenna, I couldn't pretend that I didn't enjoy a good fuck when the opportunity presented itself. Lois, having only recently come out as bi, was enjoying taking time to experiment and figure out what she liked, without being tied down to a relationship. Sometimes I helped with her experiments.
As the meal progressed and we started on dessert, the combination of cocktails, laughter and summer heat had made the four of us giddy, excited for the night ahead of us. We settled the bill, then headed back out into the lush warmth of a sultry summers evening.
It was late now, and the sun had passed below the horizon. The club we were heading to wasn't far from the restaurant, so the four of us decided to walk, feeling the light breeze raising goosebumps on our bare skin. We walked along, arms linked and high heels clicking, savouring the slight chill against clammy skin, giggling together as the alcohol made its presence felt.
When we reached the club, Lois took charge and used her stunning good looks (not to mention effortless charm -- some girls really do have all the luck) to get us in without waiting in line. The club was already packed, the dancefloor crowded with slick bodies moving frenziedly together to the pump of the music. The bar was overflowing with people clamouring for their drinks, but I knew one of the bartenders personally, and waiting was never an issue for us here.
The easiness of entry and getting drinks was only part of this place's appeal for our little gang -- the club was created to replicate a 1920s speakeasy, and the vibe was both glamorous and intoxicating.
Having safely gotten our drinks and said a quick hi to my bartender friend, Joe, we set about finding a table. The polaroid camera came out of my bag once more, and this time we snapped away with not just Lois and I, but Jenna and Carly as well. We giggled as they developed, one by one, showing us in ridiculous poses and facial expressions.
It was at this moment that Lois leaned over to whisper in my ear, her breath stirring the soft hairs at my neck and causing me to shiver. From this new angle I had a direct view down the front of her dress, and found myself distracted by the way her breasts pressed urgently against the fabric. At first, I didn't register her words.
"There's a guy near the bar who can't stop looking at you. Over my right shoulder, be subtle."
Composing myself and dragging my gaze away from my best friend's cleavage, I carefully made my face blank, and looked casually around the packed bar before settling my gaze over Lois' shoulder.
When my eyes met the stranger's, it was like lightning striking. He sat alone at a table a little way from the bar, sitting back against his chair in an almost lazy fashion. But there was no mistaking the look in his hooded eyes. The air between us seemed to spark and surge, and I was caught completely off balance by the strength and suddenness of this connection. Unsettled, I wanted to put some distance between us, and grabbed Lois' arm.
