You feel the tension in your muscles soothe as you submerge your body in the cool water.

"Oh wow, this feels incredible," Laura says, bobbing up and down. "So much better than being all hot and sticky from hiking up here."

"I know, right? It's the perfect way to cool off," you agree, paddling slowly around the edge of the lake.

Laura swims over and smiles at you. "Gotta say, I'm proud of us for just going for it and jumping in. The old me would've been too shy."

"Yeah, same here, honestly," you admit. "But I guess we bring out each other's daring side."

"Clearly!" Laura laughs. "Skinny-dipping on our first hike together – we don't mess around."

You join her in laughter, then splash water at her. She giggles and squeals, ducking the splashes and flinging water back at you.

Laura's expression then turns thoughtful. "For real though, I'm glad this felt comfortable. It's not like me to open up to someone new this quickly, but you make it easy somehow."

You’ve been hiking in these mountains your whole life. You’ve been up here to this secret lake half a dozen times with three different girls. But you’ve never felt like this with any of them. You’ve certainly never stripped off your clothes and jumped in the water naked together! Not even with girls you’d been dating. Somehow, Laura is special, different from all the rest. She makes this familiar place feel new, encourages you – with easy grace, without a hint of pressure – to try new things you’ve never considered.

You swim closer to her, your faces barely a foot apart. If you reached out underwater, you could touch her bare skin.

“I feel the same,” you say. “I sometimes find it hard to connect with people, to open up, like you say. But you make it easy for me too. I like this.”

Laura smiles softly. "I like this too."

You enjoy the cool water and each other's company, words no longer needed. Just a newfound sense of closeness, delighting in the solitude and silence together.

"You know," Laura eventually says, "I was worried this summer, before flying out here, about putting myself out there in college. But this..." She gestures around the tranquil lake. "This is exactly the kind of adventure I’d been hoping for."

You grin, "Nothing like some afternoon skinny-dipping to get the full college experience!"

Laura giggles, splashing water at you. "Hey, I'm trying to have a moment! But really, this is new for me, it’s kind of a big deal.”

You nod, "Yeah, I mean, that’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Get out of our comfort zones? Go a little crazy?"

"Totally," Laura agrees, running her hands along the surface of the lake, "I mean, don't get me wrong - it's still scary! What if someone comes down that trail and sees us out here, totally naked? Like you can see me, but not some random person."

She pauses, looking thoughtful. "And… I know this might sound cheesy, but I hope this sets the tone for the rest of college, you know? Taking chances, putting myself out there, just going for it. But in a safe, smart way of course!"

"That's a great approach," you say sincerely. "College is what you make of it. And if anyone can balance a daring and thoughtful outlook, it seems like it would be you."

Laura smiles, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Thanks, I'm glad you get where I'm coming from. Here's to an unforgettable adventure-filled four years!"

She splashes you playfully again, eyes shining. You splash back, feeling optimistic about the memories you'll create together.

≋ ≋ ≋

“Ok, I’ve officially gone from refreshed to cold. I’m getting out of here,” Laura announces, moving toward the shore. You follow. And you can’t help admiring the curve of her hips, her toned butt, as they crest above the water ahead of you. You’re staring. You want to make a move when you get to shore, to feel her wet skin under your hands, to find the curve of her waist and pull her against you, but something holds you back.

Climbing out of the water feels awkward,vulnerable, but you both keep up a casual conversation, trying not to make it obvious. Despite your efforts, your eyes betray you, seeking her out, only to find her glance meeting yours, a warm blush painting her cheeks.

"So, what's the plan? Air dry or use our clothes?" you ask, not quite looking at her.

"I think air dry would be best. I mean, it's not like we're in a rush," Laura responds, also avoiding eye contact.

"Right, plus the sun feels good," you say, taking a step back from the water's edge and feeling the warmth on your skin.

As Laura runs her hands through her hair in front of you, gently wringing out water, your gaze is drawn to her like a magnet. Rivulets of water drip down between her breasts. You feel yourself stiffening, the rush of blood unmistakable. Panic prickles at the edges of your calm. You're naked, exposed, and now, embarrassingly aroused. You silently plead for control, for the tide of your body's reaction to ebb, but it's futile.

From the corner of your eye, you notice Laura's gaze flickering towards you, flicking down. She's seen it, but she's kind. No words draw attention to your predicament. Instead, she offers only coy glances, a softness in her eyes, and maybe some… interest?

Oh no. That’s not helping. You’re at full mast now, your manhood springing straight and true.

Desperate to conceal your arousal, you shift your position, turning away slightly. You attempt nonchalance, but your movements feel clumsy, transparent.

As you both lie down to dry off, you quickly position yourself on your stomach, the earth cool and firm beneath you. There's a brief, awkward silence as you both lie down on the grassy shoreline, a few feet apart but aware of each other's proximity. You fight down the arousal pressing firm against the ground. Laura, meanwhile, seems to respect your silent struggle. The sun beats down on you, warm and comforting, and you bask in the quiet hum of nature.

For a while, neither of you says anything. You simply soak up the heat, acutely aware of Laura's presence next to you. You can hear the quiet rustle as she shifts on the grass, the small sounds of her breathing.

Eventually, she turns to you. "You know," she says, sounding thoughtful, "It's weird, but I don't actually feel uncomfortable right now. Despite the fact that we're naked."

Her words are a relief. "You're right. I mean, I won't lie and say I'm not aware of it, but...it doesn't feel awkward. Or at least, not as awkward as I thought it would be."

Laura smiles, tilting her head back to look at the sky. "Yeah. I think it's because we promised it wouldn’t be weird.” Her smile turns into a playful grin.

“A promise is a promise!” You return her smile.

The conversation lapses again into comfortable silence. You're both more than aware of the other's presence, the way the sun glistens on your skin, the coolness of the breeze against your wet bodies.

Every now and then, you steal glances at each other, shy smiles tugging at your lips, hearts racing. You feel an unexpected sense of connection that's both exciting and a bit unnerving.

Finally, you feel nothing but warmth on dry skin. You want to stay like this, catching glimpses of her gorgeous body from the corner of your eye. But you no longer have the excuse of drying off in the sun. She seems to sense this too, and starts to reach for her clothes.

Suddenly, she looks up and reaches over to grab your hand, exclaiming, “What’s that bird? It’s huge!”

“Oh that,” you look up and squint. “That’s just a bald eagle.”

She releases your hand. “What do you mean, ‘just’?” she says, “I’ve never seen one before!”

“I guess we do have more here than other parts of the country. They’re all over, really.” The eagle wheels over the distant shore.

She’s bolt upright, craning her neck. The stance arches her back, and you can’t help notice how prominent her breasts are on her fit frame. You try to keep your focus on the eagle in the distance to prevent needing another intimate moment with the grass.

“You’ll probably see them in trees around campus from time to time,” you finally say.

“That’s amazing!” she beams. You fall back into silence, watching the bald eagle circle the far end of the lake.

“What’s it doing?” Laura asks.

“Looking for its lunch in the lake, I suppose.”

“That’s so cool. But that reminds me,” Laura says. “I need to find some lunch myself. I’m starting to get hungry. Sorry again for forgetting my pack.”

“Don’t worry about it, seriously,” you say, “let me grab the food I brought, let’s split it and head down soon?” You’re happy to have an excuse to hold your backpack like a shield over your returning excitement as you dig through it.

She nods, reaching again for the neat pile of clothes beside her. She pulls on her panties sitting down and tugs on her jeans. You follow suit. Half-dressed like this, you’re suddenly both shy again, occasionally glancing at each other, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance.

"I think that's a day well spent," you say, picking up your discarded hiking gear.

"Agreed," Laura replies, grinning at you. "And a day we won't forget anytime soon."

≋ ≋ ≋

The swim and a shared energy bar leave you both invigorated for the hike back down the trail. Gravity takes your feet faster downhill, and you find yourselves out of breath more often. That just gives you longer moments to mull over what just happened, up there at the lake. Laura seems to be in the same reflective mood.

"You know, I've always played it safe and shied away from taking chances," Laura says. She pauses at a bend in the trail, glancing your way. "But I think I'm ready to challenge myself more. Explore new things. Well, within reason."

You nod slowly. "Yeah, I'm definitely wanting to put myself out there more socially in college too. I wasn’t especially popular in high school, though I definitely had good friends. Just a bit geeky, I guess. I still am. But I want to live a bigger life in college."

You both fall quiet. After a few moments, Laura speaks up shyly. "Maybe we could help encourage each other? Even just trying small new things that push our boundaries a little."

"What we did today didn’t feel like a small new thing,” you laugh. “But I loved it.” You turn serious. “Yeah, I'd like to do that with you," you reply. Laura's face brightens.

When you finally arrive back at the parking lot, you linger next to the car, reluctant for the day to end.

"Thanks for convincing me to do this," Laura says. "I can't remember the last time I felt so..." She pauses, searching for the word.

"Alive?" you suggest.

Laura meets your eyes. "Yeah. Alive.”

As you both approach the car, Laura suddenly stops and wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, I feel all sticky again," she says. "My sports bra's soaked in sweat, and I don’t want to get your car gross."

You pause, noticing her discomfort. "Oh, do you want to change before we get in the car? I still have your sweatshirt in my bag!"

Laura nods gratefully. "Yeah, that'd be great. I don't really want to sit through the drive back like this."

You retrieve the shirt from your bag and pass it to her. Laura looks at you, then at the sweatshirt, then back at you. A small, mischievous smile creeps onto her face.

"Well, you've already seen it all anyways," she says, trying to keep her voice light. "I guess this shouldn't be any different."

She keeps her eyes on you, gauging your reaction. It's a moment of vulnerability, but she throws her shoulders back, exuding confidence.

"Yeah, at this point, I think we're past worrying about modesty," you respond, laughing a bit.

Laura grins and swiftly removes her sports bra, turning slightly away out of habit more than necessity. After a moment with her back turned, she turns around and makes eye contact.

Your heart races, unsure of what she’s doing as she looks at you, breasts bared. After a tense moment, she turns back around. When she finally puts her shirt on, the action is quick and functional. When she turns again to face you, big sweatshirt now draped to cover her fit frame, you can see nervous embarrassment on her face.

"Much better," she announces, tossing the discarded sports bra into her bag. She lifts the bag and meets your eyes again with a twinkle. “Just think, if I’d actually remembered to bring this, none of today would’ve happened.” You share a hearty laugh, and then her expression softens. "Thanks for being cool about all of this."

"No problem," you say sincerely. "No weirdness allowed. We promised. I think we've handled today pretty well, considering."

Laura laughs, shaking her head. "Definitely."

≋ ≋ ≋

The drive back passes comfortably as you both replay the highlights of your adventurous day together. Soon, the conversation lapses into comfortable, tired silence. Laura even closes her eyes for a bit, drifting into a half-sleep in the passenger seat.

“I’m really hungry again,” Laura says as we pull off the highway and start heading toward campus. “The cafeteria stopped serving lunch at 2:00, and all I’ve had since breakfast was half of your energy bar. Thank you again for that, by the way.”

“Of course,” you say. “Sharing is caring.” Dork.

She giggles. “Do you want to grab a late lunch?”

You’re tempted to invite her to your apartment. But that seems like pushing it. Instead, you say, “I know a great Mexican place on our way back to campus. How does that sound?” You always crave Mexican food after a hike.

“That sounds awesome. There aren’t a lot of great Mexican places on the east coast.”

“Mexican it is!” you exclaim, somewhat too enthusiastically.

You pull the car into a space in the restaurant parking lot and stop the car.

“This looks great,” Laura says.

You get out of the car and walk through the front entrance. Nobody is at the counter, so you find yourselves alone for a moment as you wait for someone.

“Oh gosh,” Laura suddenly whispers. “I’m not wearing a bra.”

“Don’t worry. Nobody can tell. Except me, I’ve seen it all.” You give her a lopsided, teasing smile.

She laughs and covers her face. “Stoppp! Ok, I’ll brave it.”

A woman comes around the corner, grabs a couple of menus, and seats you in a booth in an empty section of the restaurant – you’re the only ones in here.

“The margaritas here are pretty great, I hear,” you say.

“I…” she starts. “I’ve never actually done any drinking.” Then she furrows her brows at you. “Hey, wait! You’re not old enough to order a drink!”

The server interrupts this revelation by coming back to take your orders. You each order food, and the server asks, “Anything to drink?”

“A margarita would be lovely,” you say, bluffing.

Laura’s eyes go wide.

“Can I see some ID, please?” the server asks, expression flat.

“Oh!” you say, “I, uh, left it in the car. Forget about it. How about two horchatas?”

She rolls her eyes, puts her notepad and pen away in her apron pocket and walks away. Laura stifles a laugh behind a sweater sleeve.

“Hey,” you whisper, leaning over the table. “Worth it just to see your expression.”

“That was hilarious,” Laura says with a grin. “Maybe you can help me pick my first drink sometime.”

“I mean, it’s not like I have that much more experience than you. My parents said that if I’m responsible enough to vote, I should be able to drink. They’ve been okay with me having a drink with them now and then after I turned 18.”

“That’s really nice,” Laura says. “My parents don’t drink at all.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” you say, unsure what else to say.

Things feel a little awkward until the food arrives, and you both dig in with your hearty appetites. You share some of your carne asada with Laura, and she cuts half an enchilada for you in exchange. The simple act feels intimate, somehow. It feels… right.

“So,” Laura gets a devilish look in her eyes between mouthfuls of enchilada. “You thought my profile picture was cute, huh?”

You flush, for once from true embarrassment and not suppressed arousal. “Yeah, well, sorry if I made it weird in my text. You weren’t fishing for a compliment. I can see that now.”

“It’s okay,” she says with a smile. “My question wasn’t super clear.”

“I mean I should know better than to have just started calling you a hottie. That was too risky!”

“You didn’t call me a hottie. You called me ‘attractive.’ Which was very gentlemanly. I…” she blushes and looks down. “I actually liked that. I wasn’t expecting it, but I liked it.” She looks up again to meet my eyes. “I’m glad you said that.”

It’s getting dark outside as you leave the restaurant. Getting in the car, you drive her in silence back to her dorm. It’s a comfortable silence. You glance over at her when you’re at a stoplight, and she’s looking at you with a slight smile on her face.

Soon enough, you pull up to drop Laura off. You put the car in park but neither of you make an immediate move to get out. A hesitance hangs in the air, both of you reluctant for the long day to end.

Laura turns to you, smiling softly. "Thanks again for the incredible hike. And late lunch. I had a really great time getting to know you."

"Me too," you reply. "We'll have to do it again soon."

You both linger another moment before Laura finally gathers her things, reaching back to get her pack from the backseat. As she pushes open the car door, she pauses and looks back at you.

"I'm not normally a hugger, but after today, I think I can make an exception."

Before you can respond, she leans across the console and wraps her arms around you. You hug back, both of you squeezing just a little tighter than a friendly embrace. You feel the softness of her chest against yours. As you pull back, your eyes meet, and it feels like sparks ignite between you. Laura's cheeks flush, but she holds your gaze.

"See you soon," she says softly before exiting the car. You watch her walk away, skin still tingling from that first electrifying touch.

≋ ≋ ≋

Later that night...

[10:04 PM] Laura: I had fun today 🙂

[10:05 PM] Laura: I’m all cozy at home, feeling good after our day out…

‍ [10:06 PM] You: I had a great time today too. I’m glad you forgot your pack in my car…

[10:07 PM] Laura: stop iiitttt! 😩

[10:07 PM] Laura: but im glad I did too 🙂

[10:07 PM] Laura: Good night! 😴

[10:08 PM] You: Good night! 🥱

The next day…

[4:02 PM] Laura: What are you doing tomorrow after classes? Coffee?