Helena smiled lewdly at him. "Maybe. What is it to you?"
"Is nudism even allowed in these parts?"
"It's not nudism." he was joking, of course, and Helena jokingly protested. "That and skinny-dipping are two completely different things. But okay - no skinny-dipping. You prude, you."
"I'm not a prude." he said. "I'll gladly join you tomorrow night for some skinny-dipping"
Helena gave a throaty chuckle and rose from the table, but let her hand linger in his for an extra moment or two.
"I'll look forward to it. Anyway, I'll go and get my things. I don't think I'll be gone for long."
***
Soon she was walking down the forested path which led to the lake. There were only a few cottages in the area, and most of their inhabitants seemed to be at home watching TV or - as in Lars' case - already sleeping. The air was cool and pleasant and there was a certain freshness to it. The sky above the green canopies was not clear, but neither did the clouds covering it look all that threatening. Once or twice Helena even thought she could see a ray of pure sunlight seep down at the forest floor.
Helena had changed to her bikini in the cottage bathroom before heading off, but kept the skirt and blouse over it. Even if there was no around to see her she did not feel like walking around half-naked. She was not that lewd. Besides her clothes and swimsuit Helena was only bringing a towel and a pair of flip flops, the latter to protect her feet from stones and roots. The walk would just take a couple of minutes, but her soles had not yet grown accustomed to going barefoot. She took deep breaths of the clean air, trying to really fill her lungs and bloodstream. When you live in the city you sometimes forget how pleasant it can be to just breathe. Helena had fixed her ponytail with a scrunchie and checked it briefly, just to make sure that it was still in place.
Soon she caught the first whiff of lake in the air, and not far after that she spotted the water between the trees. It was beautiful scene. As if through a miracle the clouds had parted somewhat above the lake. The sun was slowly heading down towards the dark forested horizon, but its dying rays made the calm water shimmer and burn. The lake had a peculiar shape, and would you see it from the air it would look almost like a comma. The path led out directly to the thin curved line of the comma and the beach where people usually set up their picnic blankets. The 'dot' itself was further out, partially hidden behind the forests of reeds growing along the banks. As far as Helena could see she was the only one that had decided to go for a late swim. It suited her perfectly.
After a moment of consideration she decided against the beach. The path continued around the entire lake; partially on the steeper banks around the 'dot' and sometimes delving deeper into the forest before coming out to the water again. She chose the left route. While she walked Helena admired the serene scenery and kept filling her lungs with the smell of forest and lake. Birds were chirping in the treetops and helped provide a pleasant ambiance.
Helena was not wandering aimlessly. On the contrary, she had a specific goal in mind - a large, flat rock which was resting on the left hand bank of the 'dot' of the comma. Dense forests of reeds were growing around it, but it effectively bridged them and and connected land with the deeper water. It took an additional minute or two to reach it, but it was not like she was in that big of a hurry. Helena stepped out of her flip-flops and was pleasantly surprised by how warm the rock surface felt against her soles. She dropped the towel and then her clothes, arranging them into a neat heap. Helena had been busy working at the office for most of the summer, and her skin was everything but tanned. She was pale to say the least, but with no one around to see she did not care much for it. At least she could be proud over the rest of her appearance. Because honestly - can all women boast of having a youthful and toned body after ten years of marriage and two pregnancies? Helena would never in her life brag about it, but inside she was pretty damn proud over herself. Sure, time had not left her completely unmarked, but those were petty, hardly noticeable details. Her belly and waist were slender and toned, and the few stretch marks reminding her of her pregnancies were barely visible on her skin. The hips were moderately wide and had a fine curve to them, and the ample breasts were threatening to spill over the bikini top. Helena could have definitely have looked worse at this age, and as she now inspected herself she was thankful for all the jogging and exercise she had forced herself through over the years.
She sat down on the edge of the rock and dipped her toe into the water. It was cool but not cold. Helena had her two feet slowly slip into the water and splashed back and forth with them. Despite her love for swimming she had always been a bit of a coward when it came to getting into the water. She sat and watched the splashes glisten as they flew, and Helena enjoyed the warm caress of the sun against her body. God knew for how long the weather would last, or for how long the sun would even be around before it went into the clouds again. Helena looked around again. From where she was she could not really see the beach, but she was almost one hundred percent sure that there was no one else around. The water look really inviting.
Maybe she would just ditch the bikini and go for a dip without it.
Helena played with the thought for a couple of seconds, but now that it had actually stuck in her head she could not get it out. But seriously, who the hell would it hurt to 'go nudist' as Lars had put it? She made the decision. She stood up, threw one final glance around and then undid the top of her bikini. Her breasts, now free from the constraints of the fabric, fell down onto her chest. Round and mostly firm, with only the slightest hint of sag due to their weight. Helena put the top under her pile of clothes and then went for the bikini bottom. She slid it off along her legs and suddenly shivered. The air somehow felt much cooler now as it enveloped her naked body. Faced with freezing there time to hesitate. With a little defiant cry she threw herself from the rock into the lake. The water engulfed her and the cold shocked her. Goosebumps immediately covered her body. Helena kicked her way up and broke the surface in a great splash of water.
A loud "Shit!" involuntarily escaped her lips. Some of her hair had escaped the scrunchie and clung wet and heavy to her face. She pushed it out of the way while her feet kept kicking to keep her afloat.
For a few moments the water felt icy cold, and the shock made her heart thunder in her chest and the blood rush in her veins. But soon, especially when she got into doing breaststrokes, the shock faded. The water was suddenly not as cold anymore, and within the course of a minute or two Helena had completely adjusted to it. It was still cool, but pleasantly so. She oriented herself in the lake and took a few long breaststrokes to try out how she felt. The sensation of water enveloping and running along her naked body was strange. Sure, she had been swimming naked before, but the last time had been a long time ago. It felt unusual now, but also liberating; nothing was weighing her down and no wet fabric clinging on to her skin. Yes, liberating was the right word. And maybe naughty too. She had been a decent swimmer when she was younger, even participated in some tournaments. Quite a few years had passed since then, but Helena dared say that she still had it. She cut smoothly through the water, setting course for the middle of the dot.
The water surface a few metres in front of her exploded. Surprised she stopped dead in her tracks and watched the splashes fly through the air, some of them even hitting her. A pair of arms pierced the water almost like a missile launched from a submerged submarine. But instead of continuing up into the sky with a trail of smoke and fire behind them, they splashed down into the water again and a head appeared in their stead. Helena stared, more confused than startled. Streams of water ran down from the cleanly shaven head and made it glisten in the sunlight. The man - because it was clearly a man, Helena saw it now - that had so suddenly interrupted her leisurely swim rubbed his face and then turned around. When he spotted Helena he halted himself, and now they both were staring at each other.
"Hi there." the stranger said.
"Hi." Helena said back.
They went silent again, staring at each other with a mix of surprise and uncertainty as they stayed afloat. The stranger had dark - almost ebony black - skin. His face was handsome. You could even get away with calling it rather strong. The nose and cheekbones were prominent, the jaw square and manly. The lips were thick, the eyes peering at Helena small but intensely dark.
"Ehm." he who was the first to break this increasingly awkward stand-off. He briefly looked around and glanced over his shoulder before facing her again. "This was a bit awkward."
"I guess you could say that." Helena could not help but chuckle, and when the man saw her do it he smiled as well. "Hello. I thought I was alone taking a bath."
"You know, up to just a moment ago I was thinking the same thing." he said and his grin grew wider. When he smiled he went from handsome to almost cute in a boyish kind of way. "You been here for long?"
"No, I just got in."
Helena's eyes widened in horror as she realized that she was still naked. With heart stopping in her chest she looked down into the water around her. Her body appeared as a pale, smudged thing beneath the waves of the darkish lake water, and thankfully it made it more or less impossible to see anything but the general shape of her. She still instinctively pressed an arm over her breasts.
"Anyway." she quickly continued, hoping that she would be able to divert attention from her sudden silence. Hopefully the cool water would stop her cheeks from flushing red as well. "I didn't see anyone when I was getting in. Where have you been hiding?"
"Ehm." he shrugged his shoulders beneath the surface. His dark body was almost invisible in the water. "I was diving."
"Diving?" Helena's voice grew a bit sceptical. "For how long?"
"I was diving over there -" he pointed at an area of the lake further away and an especially thick forest of yellow reeds. "I hold my breath and try to swim back and forth over the lake."