I first saw her at the pool the week after high school graduation. Two of my friends and I were there just to hang out, swim a little, and basically check out the guys. The three of us walked past the lounge chair where she was sitting and reading. I think I was the only one who noticed her, so after we were safely past I asked who she was. Nobody knew, and since it's a pretty small town we just assumed she was visiting. My friends didn't seem interested at all, but there was something about her that caught my eye. I decided to cruise past again when I was alone.
About a half hour later, after another short swim, we were all laying on our towels, getting some sun but mostly being bored. I got up, said I'd be back, and casually walked around the pool to where she was sitting. I stopped in front of her lounge chair and pretended to be scanning the pool for someone. When I turned away from the pool I saw that she was looking at me.
I said "Hi," kind of shyly. She smiled but didn't say anythiing. So I asked if she was visiting.
"Nope, I just moved here," she said. "I'm Amanda."
"I'm Nicky," I replied.
"Is that short for Nicole?"
"Yeah, that's what everybody calls me though".
"Well then, hello Nicole."
She stood up, reached out and - to my surprise - shook my hand. I think I blushed a little bit.
"Those your friends?" she asked, nodding across the pool. "I saw you guys walk by before."
"Yeah, we just graduated, all going off to college in the Fall; we've been friends since kindergarten. I can't believe we're 18 and still friends! How about you? Do you go to school?"
"Cool. Yeah, going into my Junior year in college, right here in town. My parents just got hired there as professors so I'm transferring."
By this time I knew my friends would be looking at me and wondering what was up. But I didn't want to leave.
"Well, nice to meet you Nicole. I'm sure I'll see you around." She gave me a warm smile and sat back down, so I pretty much had to walk away.
"Bye Amanda," I said as I walked back around to my friends. I told them about the conversation. I left out one part, though. I realized as I was talking to them that I blushed because I had a sudden intense feeling. I really wanted to be with Amanda more than with my friends or even any of the cute guys.
That night in bed, I replayed the whole scene in my mind, and I felt as if I blushed all over again. I'd had a couple of boyfriends, but I couldn't remember ever feeling the same attraction that I felt for Amanda. I so wanted to see her again.
The next afternoon I went back to the pool, this time alone. My friends both had part-time jobs and had to work. I walked in and there she was, sitting in the same chair, reading. As I stood there wondering what to do, she looked up, saw me, and waved. So I went over to her chair and said an embarassed "Hi."
"Hi Nicole. I was hoping you'd be here. No friends today?"
"No, they're working. I thought I'd just come alone."
"I'm glad you did." She flashed that warm smile and pointed to an empty chair next to her. "Have a seat."
I did just that, and we talked about college for a while. When I had smeared sunscreen everywhere, Amanda asked if I wanted to go for a swim. Of course I said yes.
She stood up, kicked off her flip-flops, and pulled her shirt off over her head. She had brown eyes, short dirty blond hair, long legs, and was wearing a bright blue two-piece bathing suit. The top was cut very low and I could see that she had full breasts, not overly big, just beautiful. I tried not to stare, but I couldn't believe how gorgeous she was. I also had on a two-piece, white with pink polka dots, but it was a little bit more modest than hers.
We walked over to the pool and tested the water, then she grabbed my hand and we jumped in together, laughing at how cold it was as we came up for air. We swam out to the middle, which was pretty empty at this time of day. Swim lessons were over and the afternoon crowd had only started drifting in. So we just hung out in the pool and talked. Since her parents had a lot of prep work to do for the fall, she was pretty much on her own for the summer. She didn't seem to mind that at all.
As we floated side by side, just enjoying the sun and the water, she reached out and took my hand. I felt a rush of excitement but didn't say a word. She said "You're very pretty you know."
"Really? Thanks. But I think you're beautiful!"
She squeezed my hand. "Let's get out."
Back at the chairs, as we dried off, she asked if I had a boyfriend.
"No. I did, but nothing serious. He turned out to be sort of a jerk. That's over, thankfully," I laughed.
"Good," she said and smiled at me. "I don't either and I'm not looking to find one."
A little while later I said that I should probably leave to check on my little brother, who was home alone. It turned out that I'd walk right past her street on the way, so she suggested we leave together. I was thrilled. I was more than thrilled; I was excited at the prospect of walking home with her.
She asked about college plans and my friends. It was just so easy to talk to her. When we got to her street, she said, "OK, I'm right down there, third house on the left." As I started to say goodbye, she asked if I would call her later, and we exchanged phone numbers. I assured her that I would. She reached out to shake hands, and I put my hand in hers, feeling a bit awkward. We stood there looking at each other for a few seconds, and I started to blush. Then she let go of my hand and turned to walk away.
