"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"
Carson swatted away a mosquito while tromping through the brush under the oak and cedar. For all the fond memories he had of running around his friend's wilderness backyard while growing up, playing their imaginary games as alien hunters or fugitives on the run, he never could quite shake his fear of stumbling upon a rattlesnake, scorpion, or even the odd tarantula. They'd rarely ever seen any such creatures, but it wasn't impossible to come across one in this part of Texas.
"Almost there," Wes said. "Gotta keep it a surprise."
"Ugh," Carson said as a small branch caught him across the cheek. "Better be a good one. Are we even still in your yard?"
"Probably not," Wes said. "Just hope we aren't let down. The...let's call it a show...has been regular as clockwork the last couple days."
"Show?"
"You'll see."
Wes led on in silence for another couple minutes until a large house began to resolve itself up ahead from among the trees. Carson didn't remember having ever seen a house back here before, meaning it was probably a couple years old at the most. This far out of town, the difference in houses from one neighbor to the next could be substantial. Trailers rolled in next to ranch houses that could pass for small mansions, and this new house fell into the latter category. The residents all shared a desire for the peace, quiet, and privacy that came with the large tracts of relatively cheap land in the rolling hill country. Carson, in spite of having enjoyed the perks of growing up in town within walking distance of school, fast food, and the public swimming pool, still found reason to be envious of his friend's place.
"New neighbors?" Carson said. They were now close enough to see a well-tended backyard replete with gorgeous in-ground swimming pool, patio, grill, and vegetable garden.
"Yeah," Wes said, lowering his voice. He slowed his approach and tried to utilize the undergrowth as cover from the house. "They built the house last fall and moved in over the winter. Pretty sweet place, if I do say so."
"And what, now you've taken up spying on neighbors?"
"I prefer the term 'passive observation.'" Wes was clearly a little sheepish at being called on his behavior, but it wasn't enough to deter him from sharing.
Carson followed as his friend moved closer to the yard. Wes finally stopped when he found a small clearing behind some dense bushes, dropping his backpack and crouching down behind the cover. Carson followed suit, though he felt a flutter of nerves and fought down a strong desire to just head back to the house and play some Playstation. Nothing good could come of whatever Wes had led him here to witness. It might have flown when they were kids, but they were both adults now, on the doorstep of graduating into the real world.
"Water?" Wes said, offering him a bottle from his backpack. Carson gratefully accepted it as he was already hot and sweaty from the short hike. Despite only being early May, the late afternoons were flirting with mid-summer like temperatures.
"How long we gonna have to wait for this surprise?" Carson said.
"Shit, get down," Wes whispered, waving him down with his free hand. "She's a little early today."
Carson followed Wes's gaze toward the back of the new neighbors' house and saw a young woman emerge through the back patio doors. She was wearing a bright yellow beach cover-up type shirt and carried a towel and book. Her legs were long and lean, while her hair was cut to about chin length. Carson could appreciate the view, but still felt a little sullied at his complicity in Wes's voyeurism.
The woman stopped by one of the lounge chairs to lay out her towel and set the book down. It was when she removed her large-framed sunglasses that Carson's heart skipped a beat.
"Is that Emmy?" Carson squinted to try to get a better look. They were still quite a distance from her, but he was now almost certain that he was right about her identity.
"Uh huh," Wes whispered smugly. "Your sweetheart."
"Shut up, dork," Carson said, blushing slightly. Once again, he regretted sharing his secret crush on the new girl in school. Wes's teasing had only gotten worse when Emmy was partnered with Carson in their AP Physics lab. Every time Wes brought up the crush, it made him realize what a coward he was for not having the courage to ask her out. She was a polite girl, though when they worked together it was almost entirely focused on the task at hand. She was rarely forthcoming about herself and Carson always took that to mean a lack of reciprocal interest. Still, she seemed to shy away from most everyone else at school, but that could just be a result of being a new transfer in her last semester of high school.
"I can't believe you've been spying on her," Carson said, unable to avert his own eyes as she set her sunglasses down beside the chair as well. "What the hell would Gracie say if she knew?"
"Oh, she broke up with me last weekend," Wes said, clearly not distraught over the short-lived relationship.
"Oh."
"Anyway, I wasn't really trying to spy on her at first," Wes said. "Didn't even know she lived back here. But you'll understand why I brought you. Just...about...now..."
Carson felt his mouth involuntarily drop open when Emmy pulled her shirt over her head and revealed a gloriously naked body. Stark. Freakin'. Naked. There was no way, he thought, that in the real world any girl from his school would do that sort of a thing. Not a nice girl like Emmy, at any rate. She tossed her shirt aside with the same casual ease and stretched her arms above her head. He was doubly smitten and knew he now could never, ever hope to find the courage to ask her out. Simply talking to her during class would be a nigh insurmountable challenge.
Emmy walked around the edge of the pool with uninhibited, casual grace, her narrow hips swaying gently. Her breasts were modest-sized, fetchingly conical and tipped with slightly puffy aureolas. She had a flat tummy leading down to a well-trimmed patch of pubic hair. And, as she turned around to let herself down the ladder into the pool, the girl revealed an invitingly perfect ass.
"You can breathe now," Wes said, tapping Carson on the leg.
"Wow." He still felt dirty for spying on her, but couldn't fault his friend for wanting to share. "It's been like this all week?"
"Couple days in a row," Wes said. "And, judging by the complete lack of tan lines, I'd say she's been doing this for quite a while. And by that, I mean years."
"You think she's a...?"
"Nudist? Yeah, that's my guess," Wes said. "They're never the ones you'd think, eh?"
"No, guess not," Carson said. He continued to watch her, though as she swam there was little to see other than her slicked back hair and sparkling eyes. It was enough.
"Plus, yesterday I saw a guy come out to call her in for dinner or something," Wes said. "Must have been her dad. Didn't even bat an eye at her lying out naked, nor did she make any effort to cover up or anything."
They watched on in silence for some time, Carson only shifting his legs the minimum necessary to keep them from cramping up. Emmy swam only for a short while before climbing back out and returning to her lounge chair. Every curve of her body, each highlighted by the late afternoon sun glistening off the beads of water, entranced him completely. He wondered at how he could be so completely oblivious to something this big about his lab partner. Did anyone else in school know she did this?
"You know, you have to ask her out now," Wes said, breaking their extended silence. "She's sweet, smart, and obviously likes to take her clothes off."
"I don't think I could ask her now," Carson said. "I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it. I'd probably freeze up."
