Alex had been looking forward to his first leave for quite some time. To be sure, it wasn't his first true leave, but it was the first time when he'd be going home. That made it all the more special. It wasn't that he disliked his position with the cruise line, rather the job hadn't quite been what he'd expected. Sure, the hiring agent painted a picture of exotic locales and a life of adventure. What Alex hadn't been told was that many of the cruises catered to older couples and he wouldn't get to meet a lot of people his own age. Besides, there were very strict rules in place about fraternization with the passengers, and it only took one crew member getting fired to drive that lesson home.
So there he was, almost nineteen and far away from home with no real possibility of finding a girl. That irked him a bit, for although he wouldn't admit it to his shipmates, Alex was still a virgin. At least he was able to immerse himself in his job once the realization that he wasn't going to get laid every night sank in. The work itself was pretty mundane, waiting on tables and such, but all in all Alex had enjoyed himself. Besides, landing a job like this one had gotten his parents off his back about postponing college, even if it was for only a year. The way Alex saw it, working the cruise line had been a golden opportunity, and he knew that once he completed his education, the option of taking a year off would be virtually nonexistent.
Arriving home had been the usual affair, his parents greeting him warmly, and Alex getting settled back in to place. He'd only be home about a month, then it was back to sea for him. By then, he figured he'd be ready to be away for a few more months. That idea turned out to be prophetic, for his sister arrived home just a few days later. Immediately, the rivalry with her started. She'd always been mommy and daddy's little angel, doing everything they wanted and casting Alex in a less than perfect light. It wasn't all her fault, of course, Alex was quite strong willed and refused to let his parents push their own ideas on him most of the time. Still, here she was, back from her second year at the university, and an Ivy League one at that! Alex knew he couldn't compete with that, and while he loved his sister dearly, there were times that little Miss Perfection could be downright annoying. Like now. She nearly had Alex wishing he was back at sea washing dishes in the galley mere hours after she arrived. The only thing that held Alex back was that her roommate Barbara had come along with her.
Alex had met Barbara only once, that had been a couple of years ago when his sister first started school. Her name would come up occasionally in letters or emails to his sister, and that had been that. Besides, back then he had been too absorbed in his own life to pay attention to one of his sister's friends. Upon seeing her again, Alex wondered how he could have been so stupid. He was up in his room, straightening things out when they arrived, and she had come in by mistake while looking for the guest room. Alex directed her down the hall to where she would find it, but on second thought he decided to help her out with her bags. That gave him the chance to talk to her for a bit and get reacquainted. Surprisingly, she remembered him rather well, and she was all smiles towards him. That actually irked Alex, for he feverishly searched his memory for impressions of the girl. Had she always looked so damn good?
It had been a bit of a shock when the willowy brunette had entered his room, immediately Alex wondered if this was the same girl, even though he knew it had to be. How he could have ignored her all this time was well beyond his comprehension, but he thought of her constantly as soon as he had gotten her settled in. She was quite tall for a girl, only a couple of inches shorter than he. Her hair was a golden brown color that went so well with her twinkling hazel eyes. That was a relief for Alex, so many women he'd encountered on cruises were so obviously dye jobs. Barbara's body was lithe and supple, her figure petite. That wasn't so much a concern for Alex these days, his qualifications for being interested in someone had gone down to 'female'. She mentioned that she'd be going to the beach during her stay, and Alex could only fantasize how good she'd look in a swimsuit. What he'd seen of her legs already had gotten him hard, and he wondered what the rest of her looked like. Most importantly, she seemed to have a certain air about her that drew him in close, and while Alex knew he could be imagining things, he believed that she was actually happy to see him. Her visit was going to be an interesting time, to say the least.
Like everything else seemed to do in his life, Alex somehow missed opportunity's golden knock. This time, it was the beach trip. By his own action, Alex forgot to inquire when his sister planned on hitting the beach, he was under the mistaken assumption that the girls would want to rest a day or so first. So he had gone out with some friends, not even thinking about Barbara and when he got back home, she was gone. He took the news that he missed out rather well, and he had asked about her in a very casual way. That didn't mean he wasn't stewing over the entire incident, and he spent the rest of the afternoon secluded in his room. A little while later, the girls hadn't yet returned when his mother announced that she'd be going off to the mall. Alex declined her invitation. Not long after she left, he got the crazy idea to sneak a peek at Barbara's luggage, and he wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps it was his desire to see what she hid under her clothes, or perhaps is was curiosity on his part to learn all he could about his sister's friend.
Even though he knew the house was deserted, Alex was cautious enough to walk through the entire place before making his way to the guest room. He was careful to step softly despite all of this, and he noticed his breath rate increasing as he approached her door. Before he reached out to turn the doorknob, Alex found that he even had to wipe a thin sheen of sweat off his palms. That made him think for a moment, but he just had to know. Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and gently pushed the door open. It felt a little strange, to be sneaking around in the house he grew up in, but Alex tiptoed into the room. He looked around for a moment, then spied Barbara's open suitcase laying next to the bed. Even better, it appeared that she'd been piling up her dirty clothes on the floor next to it. Alex's hands were almost trembling in anticipation as he sat down next to the suitcase and started to rummage through it.