This story, like all my stories, is a work of fiction. All characters are age 18 or older. Any similarities between any character in this story and any real person is unintentional and coincidental. As always, your comments are welcome.
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"You're sure you don't mind?" Nate asked.
"Not at all," Emily answered with a warm smile.
"What about your parents? I don't want to impose on your family," Nate continued.
"You aren't. They won't mind. Relax," Emily said.
Nate tried to relax, but the whole thing made him feel a little bit uneasy. He and Emily had been friends for years. They grew up together in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools until college. Nate had stayed local for college, but Emily ventured out further to a private university on the other side of the country.
After Nate had started college, his parents decided to sell their house and travel abroad for a couple of years. Nate didn't mind very much. It gave him a little bit more independence, and he didn't have to worry about his parents popping up at college or begging him to come home for the weekend.
So far, so good. But now that he had just finished his freshman year of college, Nate realized he didn't have anywhere to stay for the summer. Although he and Emily hadn't talked as much as they used to, they still had stayed in touch during their first year apart. When Emily learned of Nate's predicament, she generously offered to let him stay with her family for the summer. After all, they had known each other for years, and their parents had been good friends during their youth.
When Emily asked her parents, they didn't give it a second thought. Her father brushed it off with an "ask your mother," and her mom readily agreed to the idea. Emily suspected that, deep down, her mom wanted Nate and Emily to get together. After years of just being friends, it wasn't something that Emily really thought about, and her mom never brought it up. Still, Emily wondered if that caused her mother to agree more quickly than she otherwise would have.
Emily wasn't going to question it. For her, it was a way to return to some of the familiarity of her past for the summer. It was also a way to add some excitement to the few months before sophomore year. Emily was an only child, and with her parents preoccupied with work and other projects for the summer, she was looking for something to do. She hoped that her new guest might liven things up.
None of this did much to put Nate at ease. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt a tad uneasy about the whole arrangement. He didn't want to impose on Emily and her family, but he also knew he didn't have a better option. Besides, this option was comfortable and familiar. He figured it might even rejuvenate their friendship to its pre-college form.
"Come on," Emily said to Nate as she motioned up the driveway with her arm. "I'll show you your room, and then we can come back and grab your stuff. Besides, it's going to take a few trips anyway. Looks like you brought everything you own to college with you."
Nate got out of the car and trotted up the driveway toward Emily. He admired her physique in the process. Emily wore some thin green shorts and a white tank top. Her bra straps were clearly visible on her shoulders due to the cut of the tank top. She rounded out the ensemble with some white flip flops.
Emily was of average size and height for a college girl. Like many, she had put on some weight during her first year of college, but it suited her frame. Her thighs were slightly thicker, and her breasts were larger compared to a year before, but for the most part her appearance was similar to what Nate remembered. He certainly remembered the wavy, dirty blonde hair that cascaded past her shoulders to the upper part of her back. And her eyes were still the same brilliant blue.
Emily, too, gazed at her counterpart as he approached her. He wore knee-length khaki shorts and a navy blue t-shirt. Nate also had a pretty average build for a guy, with a little extra girth around his waist from his first year of college. His dark brown hair matched his brown eyes, and he kept his face clean shaven since his facial hair was patchy when it grew in.
Emily opened her arms as Nate approached her. He followed suit, and they embraced in a quick hug. For just an instant, he felt her breasts push into his torso, and she thought she could feel a firmness in his groin, though she couldn't be sure. They broke apart and headed inside.
"The kitchen, living room, and master bedroom are down here on the first floor," Emily said as they walked through the house. "The other bedrooms are upstairs."
Nate followed Emily up the stairs to the second floor. With each step she took, Emily's thin shorts were pulled taut against her butt. Nate thought he could make out the dark fabric of her underwear - which seemed to be a thong since the fabric was only visible in the very center of her bottom - underneath the shorts, but he wasn't sure.
"That's my room," Emily said, pointing to an open door at the end of the upstairs hallway. "And this one's yours."
Nate looked inside the bedroom that would be his for the summer. It was a good size and had a queen bed up against one wall and a chest on the other. There was a small desk in the corner, and two large windows looked out onto the backyard.
"This looks great," Nate said. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here."
"Don't mention it," Emily replied. "Let me get you some sheets and pillowcases for the bed."
She disappeared from the room and quickly returned with fresh linens for Nate's bed. The two of them worked together to make the bed, each sneaking furtive glances at the other. Nate unsuccessfully tried to peek down Emily's tank top once or twice, while Emily glanced up and down Nate's body as he bent over to secure a corner of the fitted sheet.
"I'm going to start bringing my stuff inside," Nate said.
"Need a hand?" Emily asked.
"Nah, that's okay. You don't have to."
"Don't be ridiculous. I saw how much stuff you had in your car. It'll take you half a day to bring it all inside. It'll be much faster for us to do it together."
Nate agreed, and the two college kids returned to Nate's car to move his belongings into the house. Back and forth they went, chatting casually about their first year away at school, their plans for the summer, and other similar things.
By the time they finished, the midday sun was beating down on them. They were both sweaty, and they panted from all the trips up and down the stairs.
"It's hot as balls," Emily said as she slowly regained her breath.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Nate replied, chuckling at the comment.
"Want to go to the beach for the afternoon?"
"Sure! Just give me a few minutes to find my trunks. They're buried somewhere in all these containers."
"No problem. I have to get changed anyway. What do you think, one piece or two?"
"Sorry, what?" Nate asked bemusedly.
"My swimsuit, silly," Emily said as she giggled a little.
"Oh," Nate replied. "Uh, wear whatever makes you happy."
Emily rolled her eyes. Guys are so unhelpful, she thought to herself.
"I think I'll do a bikini today," she said. "I want to soak up as much sun as I can."
"Good idea," Nate answered. "I think I'll wear a bikini, too."
"Oh shut up," Emily said, laughing. "Just find your trunks so we can get going."
Nate started digging into one of his boxes of clothes. After rummaging through the first one, he stopped and looked up. Emily's room was diagonally across the hall from his. If he looked out his door at just the right angle, he got a pretty clear view into her bedroom.
Emily hadn't quite shut the door to her room fully. Maybe she thought she had, or maybe she just didn't realize that the door wasn't closed all the way. Either way, she went about changing into her bikini.
Nate watched. He watched as she lifted her tank top over her head and tossed it on her bed. He watched as she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, letting it gently fall forward off her torso. He watched her tug her shorts down, revealing the dark thong he thought he had seen earlier. And best of all, he saw her remove that, too. For just a short, fleeting moment, his eyes feasted on Emily's round cheeks.
Emily stepped into her bikini bottoms and pulled them up to her waist. They didn't seem to cover as much of her ass as they used to, at least not as far as she could remember. After fastening the bikini top, she experienced a similar problem. Sure, the cups covered her nipples and areolas, but a whole lot more side boob was visible now. The freshman fifteen had turned her bikini into something much more skimpy than before.
She didn't mind, though. Just makes it easier to get a more complete tan, she thought to herself.
After Emily had finished putting her bikini on, Nate turned his back to the door and dug into another box of clothes. He didn't want Emily to think he was ogling her. Soon enough, he found his trunks.
"Hurry it up," Emily said as she walked by his room. She had a thin white cover up on top of her bikini and carried a beach bag with a couple of towels and some sunscreen.
"I'll be down in a minute," Nate said as Emily descended the stairs. He quickly changed out of his shorts and into his trunks. After grabbing his sunglasses, he went downstairs, where Emily stood at the fridge.
"How about a couple of beers for the beach?" she asked.
"Depends on how we're getting to the beach," Nate answered.
"It's nice out. Let's walk. It's only about ten minutes away. You can carry the cooler." Emily winked as she said that, having no desire to lug a cooler to and from the beach herself.
"Okay, then toss in a few beers for sure." He smiled. This was going to be fun, he thought.
"Grab that cooler and fill it with ice," Emily said, pointing at the large plastic receptacle in the corner of the kitchen.
Nate did as he was told, filling it about halfway with ice and submerging the bottles among the frozen cubes.
They left the house and arrived at the beach in short order. They found a good spot, laid out their towels, and opened a couple of beers.
"Cheers to what'll be a great summer," Emily said, raising her bottle into the air.
"Cheers," Nate echoed, smiling.
They clinked the bottles together and took a sip. They sat in relative silence for a few minutes, listening to the ocean waves crash along the sandy beach.
It was early in the summer, so the beach wasn't packed. They had a decent section of sand to themselves, which was nice.
"Mind if I grab some of that sunscreen?" Nate asked.
Emily tossed him the bottle. He squirted the white liquid into his palm and applied some to his torso, arms, and legs.
"Need a hand with your back?" Emily inquired.
"If you don't mind," Nate answered.
