The weeks since that night had been a haze of responsibilities and unsatisfied urges. Stephanie threw herself into finals prep like her scholarship depended on it--because it did. Jeff, meanwhile, was buried in AP tests, senior projects, and the looming countdown to graduation. They barely had time to breathe, let alone be alone.
But that didn't stop them. They stole what they could.
Mom didn't help their cause. She hadn't worked for as long as either of them could remember. Dad did well enough to support them all. They weren't rich, but he was good at what he did, and they were certainly comfortable.
If there was even the hint of an opportunity, they took it. Hurried kisses in dark hallways. Frantic touches exchanged behind doors that never stayed closed for long. Stephanie would grab Jeff's shirt and pull him into her room for a breathless make-out session--only to shove him away the second footsteps echoed down the hall. Jeff did his best to move like a ninja from one of his anime, learning how to sneak, or how to time things. He was also trying to mask his raging hormones with casual conversation whenever their parents were home--which felt like
always
.
The constant buildup of unsatisfied want was becoming a pressure cooker of need. And in turn, they started getting bolder. But also, more reckless.
One night, while their parents sat watching a movie, with mom in sprawled out on the couch and dad sitting in his recliner, Jeff and Stephanie snuggled in on the love seat behind them under a blanket. Her leg draped over his, when her hand slid beneath the fabric of his sweats with no warning, completely shocking him. But there was no way he was going to object. After the initial shock and looking over to see the slight smirk she was clearly trying to keep off her face, while watching TV as though nothing was happening, he responded in kind. After a moment of arms bumping and shifting to accommodate, he slipped his fingers beneath her pajama shorts, finding her already wet and eager.
They didn't speak. They didn't move above the waist. They just sat perfectly still, staring at the screen, with nothing more than the occasional peak at the other out of the corner of their eye.
Then dad stood up.
The froze under the blanket with no way to untangle themselves before he turned in their direction. Weeks of sneaking had at least trained them to
look
normal. They sat as though they were just watching the movie, except for a quick glance from Jeff up at his dad with a token smile, and getting a forced smile in return. In an attempt to avoid further eye contact, Jeff quickly looked back to the TV.
Once the coast was clear and their dad had left the room, they both slowly withdrew their hands--too afraid to push their luck.
Still denied. Again.
But now there was a new problem: sticky hands and no discreet way to wipe them. Mom's throw blanket was definitely off limits, so they just sat there in silence, hands still hidden, hoping they'd dry under the cover of the blanket.
It was reckless, the way they'd touched each other on the couch while their parents watched TV feet away. It was idiotic. Dangerous.
And completely addictive.
Another afternoon, with their mom busy in the kitchen making plenty of noise, Stephanie had come into Jeff's room and with no preamble, she was in his lap, straddling him in his desk chair. Their urgency knocking one of Jeff's gaming controllers to the floor as their lips collided and his hands roamed under the hem of her tank top. In a futile attempt to reach into his pants, her hands had immediately gone towards his waistband, only to be thwarted by the unyielding denim and his belt. Leaving her questioning why a high school boy would even be wearing a belt with jeans in the first place.
As her hands stroked his abdomen as she contemplated trying to make another attempt to free him, or snake inside, but before it could go further, the hardwood floors sounded the alarm of mom coming. It was a scramble to part, hearts racing, and pretending like she was trying to help him understand a lit question. When she finally reached the door asking what the clatter was she'd heard a moment ago, Stephanie was casually semi bent over pointing in a book as though nothing was going on.
And so, they waited. Again.
Jeff couldn't help thinking things would be easier if they didn't live under the same roof. It was hard enough coming up with reasons to leave the house when dad expected him in his room every minute of every day studying--but coming up with reasons why Stephanie had to leave with him? Nearly impossible.
They kept telling themselves that freedom was close. School was nearly over, summer was on the horizon, and today, the weekend had arrived wrapped in warm, glorious sunshine.
Typically, Jeff wasn't too concerned what the weather was outside, as long as it wasn't a storm that'd knock out the electricity or his internet. And it certainly hadn't been warm enough long enough to warm up the pool to Jeff's liking, but Stephanie thought it was just right for stretching out and soaking up the sun.
Stephanie lay stretched out on a lounger in her red bikini. Never had she been so bold as to wear anything like this before today. Sure, she'd worn bikinis, but always with some modesty even, when sunning, but if someone was around to see her... She wouldn't dare go beyond a bottom that covered nearly as much as her leotard. And that essentially covered her whole butt. And as for her breasts? She always chose full-support tops--compression-style--like she was heading to the gym, not the backyard.
Not today though. She had pulled together every ounce of courage she had, went out as soon as the stores opened and bought a brand-new bikini.
Already becoming accustomed to Jeff's constant words adoration and looks of wonder, she wanted more. As cliché as it may sound, the only way to describe his looks was like that of a kid looking at a pile of presents under the Christmas tree. While many of the guys at college looked at her with similar thoughts of what they wanted to do to her as Jeff did, she was always to self-conscience to have ever been aware of it.
So today was different. Today she came home from the store, went straight to her room and put on her new bright red bikini that yelled "look at me." There was no support in the top, just a soft lightweight material that did nothing to restrict, or hide, any movement her full breasts chose to make. The bottoms were cut high on the legs, drawing attention to her hips, didn't even make it halfway across her well-toned butt. On her, it felt like she was lucky if they covered a quarter of her butt. Where her usual suit hit right at the base of her cheeks, this one left them near fully exposed. There was no hiding the fullness of her backside in this. She only wished she had eyes in the back of her head so she could see the look on Jeff's face whenever she managed to walk in front of him.
She wasn't ready to dive into a thong. Not enough confidence for that yet. Besides it'd be weird for mom or dad to see her in that. These were bad enough. A lifetime of gymnastics already had her cheeks trying to make even this bit of material disappear between them when she walked.
When Jeff didn't even realize she'd come back home, he was so engrossed in a raid on his game. But when he saw her walk past his bedroom door in that new bikini on her way out to the pool, he tried to log off from his game as fast as he could, telling his friends his dad needed him for something and sounded upset in the hopes they wouldn't be mad he was bailing on them. It still took him nearly 5 minutes, and then nearly tripped over himself getting changed into swim trunks.
Stepping outside, Jeff just barely managed to keep from slamming the sliding door behind him in his rush to join Stephanie. She was already lying mostly reclined on one of the loungers, and it looked like she'd put on sunscreen. Or was it suntan lotion? He wasn't sure, but what he did know is that it made her skin look wet and slick to the touch, and his brain was already imagining his hands sliding over her.
Stephanie never moved as he walked across the patio, taking the seat beside her. She was stretched out, with her head tilted back and her sunglasses on. He'd never seen her look like this. Her red bikini nearly made him forget how to function.
Looking in the direction of the pool, he offered "Pool's still cold," trying to sound casual even though his voice cracked halfway through.
Stephanie lifted her head just slightly and peeked over her glasses. "Good thing I'm not in it, then." Fighting her lips from forming into her signature smirk before she laid her head back down. "Sun's perfect though."
Jeff sat on the second lounger eyeing the little brown bottle on the ground next to her. He was close enough to smell her, thinking he'd never wanted to eat coconut more in his life than he did in right now.
"Did you... uh, get a new swimsuit?" he asked, despite knowing full well she had. It was impossible not to notice. The top barely kept up with her curves, and the bottom--he was trying not to stare, but God, the bottom. From the front he could inches beyond the bend in her thigh where as her normal bikini would've started right at that bend. And while it was no string bikini, middle fabric running up was relatively narrow as well considering her typical preferences.
Stephanie chuckled softly, not opening her eyes. "You mean this old thing I've definitely had for all of... two hours?" She finally turned her head to look at him albeit bashfully to find him overtly staring. "Yeah. I thought you might like it."
Jeff's mouth opened but no words came out. He just nodded, a little too fast.
"I mean, it's probably too much, right?" she added, in a moment of weakness as her nerves started to get the better of her. A nervous fidget drew her hand to the thin strap on her shoulder, which only made things worse, shifting the little material that was there. "The tops a little difficult to keep in place," she complained, instantly regretting saying it out loud.
"No! I mean--not too much. It's..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You look amazing."
Stephanie turned her head toward him. "Thanks," she said softly. "I was hoping you'd think so."
He looked away, tried not to make her feel self-conscious, as well as hide his own nerves, but he couldn't help the way his eyes kept drifting back. "I like it," he said, quietly.
Stephanie had laid her head back down and didn't answer right away. Finally replying, "Thanks. I mean, it's kinda a lot. Or kinda not a lot? You know what I mean," she finally finished with a nervous sigh thinking of how exposed she was and that she just needed to stop talking.
"It's not. It's perfect."
She couldn't fight the smile that reached the corner of her lips.
A few more seconds passed with only the sounds of birds and the faint buzz of a neighbor's mower in the distance. Jeff sat with his elbows resting on his knees, unsure of whether to keep talking or let her be. He still struggled to talk even with her, in moments like this. As he sat there, he watched a bead of sweat trail from her collarbone down the valley between her breasts and forced himself to look away.
She shifted, adjusting the strap on her shoulder once again. "It's hot today," she said, almost to herself, fidgeting more than adjusting her strap.
"Yeah."
