One summer when I was an 18 year old teenager living at home back in the early 80s, my parents told me that my sister had arranged for an acquaintance of hers to come live with us for the summer. I was never really clear on the exact reason for this, but apparently the girl was having some issues with her parents. I don't even think my sister really knew her, I think she volunteered to host her or something.
My sister was four years older than me, so I didn't think much of it. I worked at a restaurant about half the week and the other half I was either at the beach or partying with friends, so there was little chance I'd be affected by the guest. I also had a smoking hot girlfriend that summer, and she kept me pretty busy.
The only substantial difference for me was that she would be taking my room, so I had to sleep on the couch in the living room, which was no big deal.
The house guest's name was Marisa, and I think one of her parents was American and the other was from some Latin American country. The first time I met her I noted that she had beautiful long, curly black hair and dark eyes, but her face was kinda average. She seemed really shy and very awkward. Being several years younger, I made the assumption that like all of my sister's other friends, she would look at me as the dorky little brother.
As it turned out, we both ended up at the house alone a lot, and over time we started doing things together to pass the time. My parents worked, my sister had a summer job, and that left us home together a lot. She liked games, and we started playing a lot of backgammon together. Games have a way of bringing people out, and the more we played, the more she came out of her shell. She had an infectious smile and laugh, and the more I hung out with her the more I realized that she was really very pretty.
She had an exotic look about her, and because it was different than my ethnic background, I guess it had to sink in. The more I hung out with her, the more attractive she became, and she was also very fun to be around. Like I mentioned, I was dating a really hot girl at the time, but she mostly just liked going to the beach. Marisa was kind of a tomboy, cool and fun in ways I had never experienced before with a girl. I was also surprised and thrilled that she would have anything to do with me, being so much younger.
One day Marisa and my sister were going to play racquetball and my sister got sick, so at the last minute I agreed to stand in. I'd never played the game before, so I had no idea how to play. My learning was not assisted by the fact that Marisa wore some very short shorts, and a pretty tight shirt. Instead of focusing on hitting the ball, I was focused on teen-age boy style efforts to steal glances at her body.
She had always dressed modestly before, and seeing her in shorts and a t-shirt was an eye opener. She was toned and trim and naturally tan, and she had a shape that would make your heart stop. She was also really good at racquetball, and had me running around in circles. All the while, I got to enjoy her laughter and bright white smile.
So racquetball became the new game we played. Several times a week, we'd go over to the courts and play. Marisa was the kind of girl you could talk smack to, so we would always talk about who would win. I was beginning to become infatuated with her, but like my sister's other friends, I assumed there was no interest on her part other than having a playing partner. There was flirting and teasing, but nothing that convinced me she was interested.
The court where we played was four walls, no windows, so very private. In between games we would sit our sweaty bodies beside each other with our backs to the wall, chatting about points or shots. Always laughing, smiling. I was starting to get some signals, but a teen-age boy with little sexual experience is not very good at reading signals. There were times when we bumped into each other in mid point. Times when she would stand closer than she needed to. Moments when her hand would brush up against me, during points or even after points. And something about the looks she would give me.
After racquetball, we'd go back home and take showers, and there was something intoxicating about Marisa after racquetball and a shower. She seemed to glow with health and vitality, she never really wore any makeup, and there was something subtle and powerful about the way she smelled. I'm not sure if it was light perfume or soap or shampoo, but her smell was intoxicating and I made all kinds of effort to get close.
Still, I was certain that a beautiful girl four years older than me wasn't interested in a little kid. That didn't stop my growing fantasies.
Our backgammon games continued to become more spirited, and one night we played until everyone else in the house had already gone to bed. We were in the middle of a game and something happened that had both of us laughing hysterically, and we both leaned in at the same time and bonked our heads together pretty solid, which only made us laugh harder.
After we had stopped laughing she spoke. "Did you know that cats kiss by bonking their heads together?" she asked, blushing just slightly.
