She was bouncing a little in the saddle to get more power to the pedals. Her butt cheeks were working from side to side as she was straining against the headwind. The muscles on her thighs and calfs were rippling, eyes on the road, panting slightly. It was not a steep hill, but more than we had encountered so far today.
The road was clear far ahead, so I advanced up to ride beside her. She turned to me with a radiant smile, her little ponytail swishing. "God, I love this. Why haven't I done a trip like this before?" The trees provided mottled shade for a while until we came into the open.
The weather was dreamy. Intense blue skies with a few fluffy clouds. A slow breeze that took the sting out of the sun. It was warm but not hot; the perfect temperature to stay outside with little to no clothes on.
We cycled the empty, undulating country road in silence. The hum of tyres and the clicking of gears mingled with the light breeze as we drifted along. The endless golden fields guided us along, inviting and forbidding at the same time. After a while, sweat starting to drip from our foreheads, we spotted a dirt road leading off ahead.
"Let's take a break. I need a drink."
By the humble road we shared a sip from a water bottle and Molly lifted her ponytail to air her neck.
"You wanna go down here?" She said, slightly out of breath. It sounded like a question but felt more like an invitation. Her eyes were so blue.
"Sure. I have a feeling there's something special down there that we don't wanna miss", I said with a smile. "Perhaps some relic that people have been looking for since the middle ages." She gave me a glance but I pretended not to notice. I think she noticed my red face though.
We started up again, going leisurely down the dusty road. On the horizon we could only see a few small farms, a wood, and the sea, quite far away. We had no idea where the road was going, only forward.
"I meant to ask you earlier, but you must be dying in those jeans on a day like today. What were you thinking? Don't you have shorts in your pack?"
I could feel I was blushing. Embarrassment is such a funny concept.
"Well, it's not ideal, I'm realizing. I just thought it would be, you know, good for later. When it get's chilly and that..." My god, I sounded like an idiot. I was really sweating in my jeans too.
"They do feel kind of sticky." Jesus, I was not making it any better.
My discombobulation had slowed me down, so Molly was now some feet in front of me. She stopped and looked back at me, "So take them off, you dork". I halted slowly, next to her. She looked into my eyes with an intention I couldn't gauge. She was intent on me.
Thoughts were racing through my head. I didn't have shorts in my pack. And I did not have any underwear on... She looked at me with a crooked smile, as if she knew this. But I don't think she did.
"You're right. This is silly. Hold on." I got off my bike and slid my pack off. Shoes went off, then socks. I turned towards Molly, blustering, and unbuttoned my jeans, fixing my eyes on hers. As I slid my trousers down, I noticed a flicker from her. She was leaned on her bike, observing me.
I stood there for a second or two, stark naked from the waist down, then bent down and stuffed all my discarded clothes into my pack. I felt her eyes on my ass.