It was a near perfect day along a stretch of trail belonging to the greater Appalachian mountains. Getting out for occasional runs was very important to Ali. Today she happened to be on a more remote, less traveled trail.
The trees in this section of the woods were predominantly oak and red maple and she appreciated the varieties of foliage while she would run. It would help keep her mind occupied on these lengthier excursions.
Living not far from the trail, Ali would occasionally meet hikers and help direct them along their way. Since the trail is so infrequently traveled, she would often opt for a "less is more" approach to her running attire often sporting only a sports bra and tight compression shorts, both of which left little to the imagination.
As a 19-year old, Ali was on the thinner side with cute, albeit small, curves. Her hair was a lighter brunette with streaks of blonde that showed most in the summer. She had a "girl-next-door" type of attractiveness about her but sported a smile that would be contagious.
Just like any other running day, Ali stripped down to her traditional attire, laced to her Hokas, took one last sip of cool refreshing water, and began a warm up walk on the trail. Since it was a weekday, she knew the lake would be fairly unoccupied so she headed in that direction.
As she begins to run, the sun both warms abs glistens off or her sweaty mostly-pale completion. The lake is 4 1/2 miles away and Ali knows she can get there in less than 40 minutes. She knows exert twist and turn, hill and valley, shady retreat and sunny exposure.
Two miles into her run, she encounters a hiker who looks a bit confused. He's a tall man with a medium build wearing shorts, hiking shoes and a Patagonia t shirt. He hears her pace approaching and turns to see this fairly petite, fit, red-faced runner slowing down to see if he needs some help. Ali's hair is back in a pony tail, her breasts are small but but noticeable, her belly is flat but shows some definition with each inhale, and her butt is a well-defined, small bump shown off in her tight compression shorts.
"Hey there. Everything ok?" She asks kindly.
"Hi. Yeah. I think I just got a little turned around by some of the trail markers here" he admitted shyly, not wanting to seem lost. His eyes met hers but also traveled along the rest of her body.
He held out a small trail map that she recognized from other hikers. As she approached to look at it with him, she noticed him looking straight at her sweaty b-cup breasts. "I'm Brendan" he introduced himself. "And you are?"
"Alicia" she replied. Trying to seem approachable she continued "but I go by Ali."
Even though he seemed more interested in her body than her directions, Ali didn't mind. Having been homeschooled her whole life, she rarely got any attention from guys despite being so attractive. Her only real exposure to flirting and sexual encounters were during her time she spent as a camp counselor every summer.
"Where are you headed?" Ali asked.
"Well I was hoping to get to the lake but I don't think I'm even close" Brendan admitted.
"You're heading in the right direction" Ali replied with her usual dose of optimism. "I spend a lot of time on this trail. You just need to head about two miles in that direction and keep the two black dotted trail markers on your right" Ali noted as she pointed ahead of her.
He looked in the direction she pointed and then looked back at her. "Would you mind walking with me part of the way? I really don't want to get lost again." Brendan is more willing to admit he was lost knowing he might have an attractive companion for his art of his journey.
"Ummm sure" Ali said as she paused her run tracker on her phone.
They began walking and Brendan asked "so what do you do? Are you still in school?"
"I am" Ali responded. "I take online college classes. And in the summer I'm a counselor at a camp."
Seeming to relate, Brendan mentioned that he too was a college student and used to go to summer camp as a kid. "Those are some of my best memories. Cooking on a fire, going for hikes, playing in the lake, sneaking out of the cabin at night with my friends." Brendan spoke with a nostalgic tone even though he seemed only a year or two older than Ali.
"Oh so you were one of the headaches I get to deal with every summer" Ali responded half-jokingly. Campers would always sneak out of their cabins at night. They would usually go to raid the canteen for some snacks or participate in the unofficial midnight swim challenge. But sometimes they would coordinate with some campers of the opposite sex from another cabin and sneak out for...other activities.
"So where would you and your friends sneak off to?" Ali asked.
Brendan paused and stammered for a brief moment before replying "Oh you know. A little of this, a little of that." He looked back at Ali who clearly caught on to what he was saying.
They passed under a shaded covering of trees and up a hill. You could almost see the lake from this point.
"Hmmmm..." Ali pondered. "It sounds like you don't want to fess up to what was really going on." She shot a smile back at Brendan.
"Well..." he started, "you could say I learned a lot more than pitching tents and starting fires most summers." He laughed somewhat uncomfortably.
Ali laughed too. "Yeah camp is definitely a place to step outside of your comfort zone...in more ways than one." Speaking of pitching tents, she glanced over and noticed a bulge in Brendan's shorts that wasn't there before. Was it from her? Was it from remembering his glory days at camp? Maybe both?
Brendan continued the conversation, "I doubt I was the only one exploring certain boundaries at camp." He looked toward Ali who looked ahead at the trail. Realizing his question may have been more pointed than she was ready for, he backtracked, "I mean I just remember my counselors also engaging in certain co-curricular activities as well."
As they approached the last tree covering before the lake, Ali thought for a second, and replied bluntly, "Yeah camp counselors are basically rabbits." Brendan stopped in his tracks at that comment, surprised at her honesty.
Ali walked ahead onto the brief stretch of sandy shore leading to the water. Hot from her run, their hike, and the conversation, he waded into the water up to her knees. The lake water soothed her feet and her legs and helped cool her off.
Brendan approached the lake as Ali said "the water feels great. You should come in."