My first confirmed, "witness," to KK's cheating, an event in which I was truly physically present, in close proximity, took place while we were still dating. We were in a committed relationship by most standard definitions, allegedly exclusive to one another. We were contemplating our engagement, planned for later in the year, before starting college.
The context: We'd gone on a camping trip with a group of friends; me, KK, Laurie (her "BFF"), Laurie's boyfriend Allen, another committed, dating couple, Anna and Paul, and two other guys, acquaintances that the girls were hoping to find female companions for among a larger circle of friends at an outdoor camping event.
So, there were eight of us in total, three couples, along with third and fourth wheels, so to speak.
KK was pissed at me from the onset - she hates, loathes camping, protesting about going on the outing even before we left. Even then, "camping" in her mind meant a sacrifice at a 4-star quality hotel. I always thought it odd however, as we spent about 80% of our sex time, using the back seat of a car as the venue. While not "camping out," hardly luxurious in terms of places for a rendezvous.
The long weekend trip was in late summer/early fall, the weather unpredictable. A cold front moved in, none of us were prepared. We ended up in an "emergency" overnight situation; gale force winds, intermittent rain and sleet, such that all of us packed into the borrowed station-wagon I was driving.
Piled in blankets, coats, sleeping bags, we did our best on sleeping arrangements. Front to back, the two single guys were relegated the front seat, forced to sleep upright.
Paul and Anna ended up in the middle seat, sandwiched under piles of coats and a sleeping bag.
Me, KK, Allen, and Laurie were in the back of the wagon - luxury accommodations by the standard in that moment, sleeping 'boy-girl-boy-girl' on a pad of blankets, with zipped together sleeping bags as a cover.
There was drama over the latter sleeping arrangement. It was orchestrated by KK, a bit of a tiff with Laurie. We'd originally laid down with KK in the spot I ended up occupying; girl-boy-girl-boy, the totally "wrong order" according to KK. Her obsessive jealous would not have me lying adjacent to Laurie all night, certainly in the domain of irony given everything.
The wind roared, rocking the wagon, while rain and sleet pelted the roof. It was white noise in excess... Eventually the windows fogged up, opaque with condensation. It seemed like forever, but the sounds of deep breathing, snores, the usual signs of sleep, permeated the interior.
I was restless, sleepy but horny, feeling confined. I was still wearing my jeans and a windbreaker over a T-shirt, fully clothed, lying next to KK. She, on the other hand had changed into a set of thick fleece warm-ups and a couple of pairs of socks. I'd helped her change outfits, in a rush before the rain set in, using the stall of the campground restroom.