I was 21, and a senior in college. During the semester, I lived at school, but when classes weren't in session, I still lived at home with my parents and sister. It was a nice neighborhood -- your average suburban scene that you'd see in thousands of places across America. All the houses were in neat, 1/4 -to- 1/2 acre lots. The larger ones had in-ground pools, everyone kept their lawns nice and green in the summer, and their driveways and walkways clear of snow and ice in the winter.
It was mid-May. My parents and sister had gone to Ohio where a distant cousin of mine was getting married. I was able to beg out of the trip, because final exams started on Monday, and I needed to spend the weekend studying, not traveling half-way across the country to see a cousin I barely knew get married. I didn't really plan on studying until Sunday at the earliest, but they didn't need to know that, and I could use some 'alone time' after another crazy semester in the dorms.
Our next door neighbors were the Wilsons to the left, and the Masons to the right. The Wilsons were a nice enough couple, with two young kids I used to baby sit when I needed extra cash. The Masons were around my parent's age, with a daughter, Emily, who turned 18 on Valentine's Day. She was kind of shy if you didn't know her well -- a pretty face with long brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a beautiful body that she usually kept well-concealed under her clothes. She usually kept her hair up, her clothes too loose-fitting, and wore large-ish glasses, so most guys didn't give her a second glance. I doubt she'd been on more than a couple of dates, and probably didn't even have a date for the Prom yet. But if the guys at school had seen her in her bathing suit - a modest one-piece, of course - they would have been all over her.
Her parents were one of the 'pool houses' and from my bedroom window, I could see into their backyard. Many times I saw Emily in her bathing suit, relaxing by the poolside with her nose in a book, working on a tan. She had developed into a beautiful young woman. Her breasts were full and firm, her waist slim, her hips just the right amount of curve, and she had a pair of legs that could squeeze your life away if she wrapped them around you. Why she kept all this hidden, I don't know for sure, but I know her parents were over-protective of her, which may have attributed to her shyness.
Friday afternoon, when I got home from my last final, there was a message on my machine. It was Mrs. Mason. Her great Aunt had died and the funeral was on Sunday in Oregon. They were flying out late Friday afternoon, and they weren't going to be back until Monday. They were leaving Emily home alone so she wouldn't miss any school, she said, so could I just keep an eye on the place? I called Mrs. Mason back and told her I'd be happy to keep an eye on things while they were gone, not to worry, Emily would be fine. Although she was 18, her parents had never left her home alone for more than a few hours, and their imaginations were going wild. I reassured them she'd be fine, and they left for the funeral.
I called Emily at 5:00, and told her I was getting a pizza for dinner. "Do you want some," I asked.
"I'd love it," she said. "Saves me from cooking for myself."
I told her I was ordering it at around 5:30, and would bring it over when it arrived.
The pizza came right before 6:00. I went over to Emily's house and knocked on the door. Emily shouted down from her window. "C'mon in, Jake. I'll be right down!"
I went inside and made myself at home. Emily came downstairs in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her hair was wet. "I went swimming before and wanted to wash the chlorine off," she said, reading my mind.
We ate the pizza and chatted. She told me about her school plans for next year; I talked about my experiences in college. Things got quiet for a few minutes. Then Emily asked me about the women at school. When I pressed her as to what she meant, she told me she was worried about the parties. She'd never drank before, and thought every night was wild drinking and crazy sex with total strangers.
I told her she'd been watching too many teen movies. "Yeah, there are a lot of parties, and a lot of sex, too." She blushed three shades of crimson. "But people are there to study, so it's not always one long party. But on the other hand, there's enough for anyone to do anything they want."
I knew Emily was shy, and was most likely a virgin, too, thanks to her overprotective parents. In fact, they expected her to go to a local college and live at home. All the more to smother her, I thought.
"Want to watch a movie," she asked, breaking the silence.
"Sure," I said. We headed to the living room to watch TV. Emily sat sideways on her father's chair, her legs draped over the arm, while I sat on the couch. Half way through the movie, I heard some thunder in the background. In addition to being shy, Emily has a lot of phobias. Besides spiders, heights and closed spaces, she was also afraid of thunderstorms, and especially of the dark.
The thunder got closer, and was joined by flashes of lightning in the sky. With each crackle, Emily jumped. Soon, she joined me on the couch, holding my hand. Every time the sky flashed, she squeezed it tight. The skies opened up, and it started pouring. You could hear the rain slamming on the metal air conditioner in a steady rhythm as Emily squeezed close to me. I put my left arm around her, and held her other hand in my right.
I was holding her tight, my cock starting to get hard, as the storm got worse. I tried to lighten the mood by asking "Think we'll have to build an ark?" Emily was not amused. I tried watching the movie, but was more interested in watching Emily as the storm battered against the windows.
The lights flickered...then came back. Just as Emily was saying "I hope we don't lose power..." the lights flickered again...and went out. We were sitting there in complete darkness as the thunder and lighting made Emily even more scared.
"Do you have a flashlight, or any candles," I asked.
"Yeah, the flashlight is in the kitchen, and there should be some candles there, too."
She held my hand and we helped each other navigate the dark house until we found our way to the kitchen. Emily found a flashlight, and thankfully the batteries still worked. Armed with our new light, we found the candles, and some silver candlesticks, which we then carried with us back to the living room. The storm was still howling outside.
We sat down next to each other on the couch, Emily still holding my hand. The thunder cracked, shaking the house. We must have been right in the middle of the storm by now. Emily started to cry softly. I hugged her, and she stopped. Looking at me sweetly, she said "Jake. You've known me my whole life. You know how much I hate thunderstorms, and I still sleep with a night light because I'm afraid of the dark. Normally it wouldn't be so bad because my parents would be home..."
"Emily," I said, interrupting her. "Do you want me to stay here tonight? Would that make you feel better?"
"Do you mind? It really would make me feel a little better if you could stay."
I wiped away a stray tear. "No problem, Em. Just help me find some blankets and a couple of pillows and I'm all set."
"Well...I mean I actually...What I meant..." Emily was stuttering. "When I was a little girl, I would climb into my parent's bed when we had a bad storm. Cuddling with them, things always felt OK. What I mean is..."
"What, Em?"
"I want you to sleep in my bed with me. I mean, not like that..."
I'd never seen Emily so flustered.
"You just don't want to be alone tonight."
Emily nodded.
