Page 9 of Chasing the Dream

“I was just about to take a shower, but you can put on the TV if you want.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want anything to drink?” (At least, he remembered being polite.)

“Sure.”

“Come into the kitchen.”

She’d followed him but kept her distance, almost as if she were afraid to get too close. It wasn’t often that they were alone together, but he hadn’t wanted her to fear him.

Bending his head into the refrigerator, he rattled off the choices. “We have Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, lemonade, and Snapple.”

“I’ll have a Snapple.”

He pulled one out, twisted off the top, and handed it to her. She licked her lips when she took it from him, her eyes zoning in on his chest again. He might have puffed it out some, being a typical teenaged boy with raging hormones and a desire for female attention even if she was Maria’s friend.

He leaned against the kitchen counter and watched her drink, thinking she was pretty in an understated sort of way. She had long, natural blonde hair that looked like she’d tried to tame it but the curls had won out. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, unlike a lot of girls he knew, but her blue eyes popped against her creamy complexion. Growing up with a sister, he noticed her mascara and some lip gloss, but that was about it.

“Do you want some cookies or anything to go with it?”

For some reason, he’d felt obliged to play host that day, but she hadn’t seemed to mind his company. In fact, she’d smiled at him, and it was the first time he’d noticed her straight white teeth. She must have worn braces, but he couldn’t remember seeing them on her.

“You don’t have to hang out with me. Go ahead and take your shower.”

“Are you sure?”

“Um-hmm. I’ll just wait out here.” Then she laughed and said, “I mean, where else would I wait? Duh!”

He chuckled. “Okay. Help yourself to anything you want while I’m gone.” With that, he squeezed past her and started to walk away. For some reason, he was compelled to glance back, and he swore she was staring at his butt. Her eyes were focused below the waistband of his gym shorts, and when she realized she’d been caught, her cheeks flamed, and she scurried out of the kitchen and into the living room.

He sauntered off to the bathroom, feeling pretty damn good about himself, and when he got into the shower, he glanced down at his semi-erect penis. He was shocked that their simple encounter had aroused him that much. It wasn’t like she was the only girl who’d ever looked at him that way. As he washed, he blamed his reaction on the fact that she was off-limits. The idea that she was forbidden fruit taunted him, and the more he thought about it, the harder he became.

He closed his eyes and vigorously rubbed some shampoo into his scalp, desperately trying to think about something other than Morgan staring at his chest and butt and looking like she wanted to lick him.

Then he thought about them being in the house alone and what it would be like if she joined him in the shower. Of course, that was ridiculous since his family could come home at any moment, but it was his fantasy, and he went with it.

He imagined her opening the bathroom door and peeking her head in, eyeing his wet, soapy body through the fogged-up shower glass. He took his penis in hand and stroked it a few times.

“Can I join you?” she’d say, her voice sweet and innocent in contrast to the hunger burning in her eyes.

“Hell, yes.” He and his friends swore a lot in those days. For some dumb reason, it made them feel more like men.

She stepped inside and locked the door behind her. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she started removing her clothes. First, she pulled her tank top over her head, her blonde curls settling around her bare shoulders.

His hand was moving faster now, and he leaned back against the shower wall for support.

Then she unhooked her bra and slowly pulled the straps down, revealing the tops of her supple white breasts and then her taut pink nipples. He’d never really paid attention to her body before, for obvious reasons, but now he looked his fill, pleasantly surprised at how full her breasts were on her slender frame.

“Keep going,” he said, anxious to see more. In the meantime, his hand kept working, his body humming with desire.

She unsnapped her denim shorts and tugged down the zipper. Tucking her fingers into the waistband, she slid her shorts and panties down her legs in one fluid motion.

He sucked in a breath as he perused her beautiful naked body from head to toe. When had she gotten those womanly curves? How had he not noticed them? Gone was her shyness as she moved toward the shower door.

The vision of her nakedness overtook him, and he pumped out his release, muffling his sounds against the shower wall and praying that she couldn’t hear him.

Afterward, he rinsed off again and stood under the spray until his heart rate returned to normal. Inwardly he cursed himself for getting off to the fantasy of seeing his sister’s best friend naked. It was the first time that had happened, but it wouldn’t be the last.