The day was supposed to be hot. But, you sure wouldn't guess it from the typically crisp high-desert morning. It's seven in the morning, not unreasonably early, but the cold air has even the birds and squirrels getting a late start.
The tumbling water in the river is the backdrop over which a few determined birds begin chirping back and forth as they venture out from their pine tree homes. The State Park seems empty and quiet until a car is heard up the gravel pathway. It's got quite a bit of winding and dust-stirring to do before it pulls into a parking spot facing the river. The birds quiet for a moment in observation of this first visitor from the nearby town, knowing that it indicates the beginning of a steady stream. Soon there will be dogs and sensibly dressed hikers dotting the woods.
The car is a Subaru hatchback. It isn't old, but it's not new either. It's simply the right car for the sometimes snowy, and often dusty roads around the small town. And, it bears the marks of loving damage by kicked rocks, potholes, and time spent waiting at trailheads. Basically, it looks like the right car for the girl who emerges.
The girl is young and dressed lightly for the brisk conditions. She's wearing loose running shorts, which look short on her long, athletic legs. She's wearing running shoes, a well fitted synthetic jacket, and her long black hair is tied up in knots above her head. She takes a few steps away from the car, stretching her legs, and her back with her hands clasped behind her. Then turns back to the car to let her dog out of the back seat.
The dog is a medium size, it's fur a short black matte. It looks as athletic as the girl, with long legs and a wild face, somewhat reminiscent of a coyote. The girl bends to scratch it's neck before the dog runs off ahead of her into the trees, doubtlessly to find it's first urinary target.
The girl hesitates in following the dog, holding her unconnected headphones in hand along with her iPhone. She's trying to decide between Punk Rock and Power Pop, when a text appears on her screen.
"Hey, where did you go?" The text reads. It's from Alex.
"I'm on a run. Can't talk." She shoots back. But, instantly feeling bad about being so abrupt, she follows up, "Took your dog too, he's mine now. See you later."
Feeling better about the mood between them, she decides on Rap.
The dog watches her impatiently from up the trail as she pockets her phone, nodding to the first lines of some angry lyrics she doesn't recognize. Before she can reach the dog though, another chime sounds and she stops read the message.
"Sam, I'm sorry for..." Reads the abbreviated text.
Not bothering to open it, Sam stands looking frustrated.
Looking at the dog, she whispers, "What am I doing, Pumba?"
Pumba, tired of waiting, turns to run further up the trail.
Unplugging and winding the headphones around her phone, Sam walks back to the car to leave her phone behind. She hides them in the car, partially from others, mostly from herself.
Pumba, not wanting to be left behind, pushes against the back of Sam's legs.
"Let's go, Pumba!" Sam says energetically, scooping her hands toward the forest to get the dog to run. She turns to close to the car door, and they're off.
Sam isn't someone who runs without music. Usually, the influence of some hyped up singer, combined with the knowledge that she'll be able to see her running times and distance later, pushes her forward. This morning however, she's loving it.
"Why does your mom have to be so great?!" Sam exclaims to an uninterested Pumba.
Running up the first hill, both girl and dog started to feel out of breath. "I mean, she's great!" Says Sam, through heavy breathing. "I think I might even love her... and I definitely love you." She says more loudly toward her running partner. "But, I've never been with a woman, Pumba! I don't even think I'm a lesbian! And yet, here I am. Carrying on with your mother like I know what I'm doing...." Her rant begins to turn into a wheezing mess as she faces another hill, yells at the dog, and allows her emotions to set PR time.
And, she speaks the truth. Sam and Alex have only been together for a brief few months, made to feel briefer still by the intense attraction the two share. Alex is confident, a true lesbian. Sam is curious, just figuring things out. And yet the two pair up naturally. Alex is strong, Sam is adventurous. Sam has begun to fit into Alex's life like a hand in a glove.
"And it scares me!" Sam yells at no-one in particular. But, loudly enough that Pumba turns, startled.
"How can I embrace all these Sam paused at the top of a hill, hands on knees as she forces out the words through struggled breath "... If I think I might just be in some stupid
phase
!"
Pumba, left behind by Sam's aggressive pace, catches up, trudging up the incline past her.
Suddenly, from around a bend just up the trail, another runner appears. Sam's caught off-guard, feeling embarrassed by her obvious exhaustion and worried he overheard her ranting.
She's quickly distracted from herself though by the other runner.
He's very athletic, wearing only small running shorts and trail running shoes. He's carrying his t-shirt in hand and glistening with sweat.
Samantha stares too long at his sculpted form, devouring his abs, shoulders, and straining quads as he bounds her way.
Their eyes meet as he passes and, smiling, he winks at her.
Feigning recovery, Sam puts her hands behind her head and stretches as she watches his glistening, muscled back retreat down the hill and around a bend.
"Son of a bitch, Pumba!" She turns to the dog who's peeing on a bush. "That's why I'm feeling trapped. Alex is amazing, and I want to be with her. I think I love her! But, Good-god, I need a piece of
that
..."
Pumba licks her leg reassuringly though his still-heavy panting and seems to smile up at her.
"I don't think she'll understand..." Sam says down at him.
"Ugh!" She exclaims before tearing her mind away from her lustful thoughts and sprinting farther down the trail, to pound away at her haywire emotions.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The apartment windows are open, letting in the warm, pine-scented breeze. Sunlight is streaming in and it's actually feeling a bit warm. If anyone were home, they might close the curtains and turn on the air-conditioner.
The room is simple, a small studio with a couch, small kitchen, and bed by a large window. There are three doors, one leading to a stairway outside, one to a bathroom, and the last to a sizable balcony. The room isn't messy, but you can tell that it's well lived in.
The faint sounds of the grinder in the coffee shop downstairs is the only ambiance, until a dog's panting can be heard outside the door and, soon after, a key in the lock.
The door opens, and Sam and Pumba come in. Pumba rushes straight toward his water bowl and scarfs down some food.
"Hey, Al..." Sam trails off, realizing that she's alone.
She sees a muffin on the counter, next to a note. "Hope you enjoyed your run. Be back later. - Alex"
Sam smiles, reaching for the pastry. "How does she know what I'll like?" she thinks to herself.
She hungrily tears off a piece of muffin as she trots toward the bed. Chuckling to herself as she kicks a stray vibrator back under the bed, she chews her muffin, and slides her running shorts and panties down her legs. She walks back toward the door, where there's a mirror on the wall and pulls her running jacket over her head.
Standing in front of the mirror, she admires her own body. Certainly a little dehydrated, she's always bad at drinking water in the morning, her body looks long, and perfect.
"Hot-damn, I'm sexy!" she spins on her heels toward an uninterested Pumba as she pulls her sports bra over her head. She cups her own breasts and looks back toward the mirror.
"Now If I could just grow bigger boobs." She mumbles jokingly.
High on endorphins and cinnamon muffin, Sam disappears into the small bathroom to shower.
The room is quiet again for a while, Pumba napping in the sunlight on the porch and the sound of the shower in the background.
After a few moments, keys can be heard outside the door. And then a sigh. And then the door swings open.
Pumba comes running to see who's entered and sees Alex. Who smiles, and kneels down to greet the dog. She's shorter than Sam, with more curves, wearing shorts, sandals, and a baggy denim button-down top, which is covered in paint, as are her hands.
There are running shorts and panties on the bed, shoes in front of the door, a sweatshirt on the coffee table, and a sports-bra on the bathroom door handle, all of which Alex zeros in on and begins to set right. Shoes under the bed, clothes in the bin.
When she's done, she takes off her own clothing, paint covered shirt goes in the bin along with her shorts, she was wearing no panties. She goes to the mirror to find a hair tie to put her long hair up, and examines herself in only her bra. Her breasts are large and perky, fitting beautifully in her bra. Her body is not exactly athletic, but it's perfectly shaped.
She smiles at herself in the mirror, reaches back to unclasp her bra, and, after carefully putting her bra away, opens the bathroom door.
Alex is met with a wave of steam from Samantha's aggressively hot shower. She calls through the bank of fog like steam, "Hey, Babe!"
The shower curtain quickly pulls open, Sam's smiling face revealed, "Hey!" She says through a wide smile.
"Got room for one more?" Alex asks.
"Hmm..." says Sam, letting her eyes roam all over Alex's naked body. "I think we can find some."
Opening the curtain, Alex stepped into the shower. She can't help but immediately run her hands over Samantha's body, slick with soap, red from hot water, her muscles still plump from her morning efforts.
Wrapping her arms around Sam she pulls the taller girl against her body. Intimately, she says into Sam's ear, "I'll never paint anything as beautiful as you."
"Shut up." Said Samantha, playfully. Turning to face Alex, she lets her hands wander, pausing on Alex's breasts. Supporting the two beauties in her hands, she leans down to lick Alex's nipples.
"I'll never play with anything else as beautiful as these." She says, before dipping her head to suck Alex's nipples into her mouth one after the other.
"Ohhh... " Alex moans, leaning back against the wall.
With a glint in her eye Sam pulls away and says to Alex, "Lean back, under the water."
The two women exchange places, their bodies gliding against each other. Alex leans back against the wall, under the shower head. The hot water runs down the front of her body deliciously, over her breasts, down her belly, and off her hips or over her smooth mound.
Sam takes a moment to drink in the sight of her like this before kneeling to kiss Alex's thighs. The water cascading over Alex's body splashing against Sam's face. She tantalizes Alex's inner thighs with her tongue, tracing lines with it's full length and trying not to inhale the Alex filtered waterfall.
"Oh,
Samantha..."
