Emily glanced around the crowd, searching desperately for David's familiar face.
'He's more popular than I realised', she thought, praying that none of the beautiful women at this party were secret love interests of David.
Emily had met David at a party when they were both studying at Colorado State University. The moment they met, she started having feelings for him - he was tall, dark-haired, and very handsome. She never quite knew why he continued to be her friend; he could do so much better. Nonetheless she was glad for it, but could never quite get over her crush. Every time he laughed she felt butterflies in her stomach, and his smile melted her heart.
After college, both stayed in Colorado for work. David ended up running his own business, to no surprise of anyone who knew him; he was smart and charismatic, the perfect equation for a successful entrepreneur. Emily, on the other hand, worked as a journalist for a local paper. Not the most glamourous job, but she enjoyed her work.
To celebrate his success, David purchased a beautiful house in the heart of Colorado. The house was surrounded by acres of dense forests, and sat right at the edge of a lake, providing the most spectacular views from every window. He had invited Emily, as well as a "few of his close friends", to his housewarming party, which is where Emily now found herself feeling self-conscious in her skimpy bikini upon realising that David's "few close friends" were really "many unrealistically attractive friends".
Music pounding and the sweet smell of barbequed food wafting through the crowd, Emily built up the courage to search for David. She pushed through the group of people by the door, smiling and nodding a "hello" on her way through, and wandered nervously towards the smell of the barbeque. The music increased in volume as she approached, and she looked around to see everyone calmly chatting and swaying to the beat. Her nerves soothed a little when she realised no one was paying any attention to her, but fluttered back again when her observations were interrupted by a deep voice from behind her.
"Emily! I'm so glad you made it." David patted her on the shoulder, and swept her into a hug when she turned to face him. Emily's heart pounded as she felt David's bare chest press against her, his hands brushing her lower back.
"Hey David! Yeah, me too," Emily responded, grinning. "Congratulations by the way, this house is stunning."
"I know, right? I never thought I'd be able to call a place like this home," David said proudly. "I'll have to give you the tour later; I've got to get back to barbequing for now. Let me introduce you to some of my friends, though."
David started heading towards the lake. Emily followed behind him, weaving through the crowd, until they reached a group standing by the water's edge.
"Emily, this is Steve, Michael, Phoebe, and Rebecca," David pointed at each person as he said their name. "Guys, this is Emily."
"Oh it's wonderful to finally meet you!" exclaimed Phoebe, grabbing Emily in a hug and kissing her on the cheek. Emily blinked in surprise, and repeated the sentiment back to her.
"David has told us so much about you," Rebecca explained. "You met in college, right?"
Emily nodded and explained how they met. At some point during the story, David excused himself to get back to cooking, but promised to catch up with Emily later. She felt disappointed at his departure, but was enjoying speaking to his friends, so continued talking with them for a while.
Soon the conversation turned to sport, of which Emily knew very little, and her mind started to wander. She looked around at the other party guests, admiring their toned bodies and perfectly-styled hair.
'Everyone here looks like a movie star', she thought to herself.
It was at that moment that one woman in particular caught her eye. The woman was lying on a lounger on the deck between the house and the lake, and her tanned skin was glistening as though she had just left the water. Her long, red hair flowed off the edge of the lounger, looking like flames when the wind caught it in the sunlight. She looked incredible, and Emily couldn't help admiring her body while David's friends continued their conversation.
In fact, Emily couldn't help admiring her body for the rest of the evening.
Every time a flash of red caught Emily's eye, she would turn to see the woman drinking, or talking, or stretching, or just standing and looking out over the lake, and feel her heart pound.
'She is the most beautiful person I have ever seen', Emily thought, wistfully. 'She looks like a goddess.'
To Emily, she really did. Her hair was fiery, her skin was glowing, and she looked like a human embodiment of light. Emily told herself to stop getting distracted, to focus on getting David's attention, but secretly hoped that the woman had noticed her stolen glances. She had never dated a woman; not for lack of want, but for lack of supply. The newspaper Emily worked for was massively male-dominated, and the only women working there were quite a bit older than Emily. Before that, at college, Emily still hadn't come out as bisexual, as she wasn't sure at the time whether she really was. If there was any uncertainty in her sexuality remaining, however, it had gone completely now that Emily saw the woman lathering herself in sunscreen by the lake.
'I wish those were my hands on her body,' Emily dreamed, before mentally slapping herself.
Shaking herself from her fantasies, Emily spent the rest of the evening trying her best to ignore the woman, but failing miserably. It got even more challenging when the food had been eaten and the sun was setting, and everyone decided to go for a swim in the lake.
Upon seeing David beckoning to her from the water, Emily entered the lake and waded over to where he was standing next to the friends she had met earlier.
"Having fun?" David asked her.
"Yeah, this has been awesome. Thanks for the food by the way, it was so good."
"Sure, no problem. You wanna hang out for a bit?"
Emily's chest fluttered at the prospect. "Yeah, I'd love to."
