The Forest

I wondered again, as I had every ten minutes for the last two hours, why 
you had led me on this walk. The forest trail was beautiful, certainly, but 
you hadn't explained any further. Let's go for a walk, was all you 
said. I was a little surprised because you hadn't spoken much to me since 
you started dating Tim, and you hadn't shown any interest in spending time 
with me in a year or more. That was a very confusing year. when your 
best friend for the last twelve years stops visiting, you have to wonder 
what you did to drive them away. You never would speak to me about it, 
though. 

The forest was dark and quiet, crowded with thick trees that shaded the 
forest floor. Spears of sunlight shone through here and there. I could 
almost FEEL the green of the forest. the slow growth that had been growing 
for centuries. The musty scent of moss permeated the air, competing with the 
clean healthy smell of the natural surroundings. The trail wound around a 
grove of trees, and the subliminal little gurglings that had pestered the 
edge of my hearing became a little louder, and I finally realized that the 
sound I had unconsciously been trying to place was rush of a shallow stream
over half-submerged rocks. I still couldn't see it, but I knew that stream 
had something to do with our trek. As the path led over a small hill, the 
sound became abruptly louder, and I saw the stream, a lovely little brook 
that wandered this way and that, as aimless as that silent walk we had been 
sharing. You turned to me, your chest-length blonde hair shining radiantly 
from the small patches of afternoon sunlight that poked through the leaves 
above, and said Not much further. Maybe only ten minutes. Those were the 
first words you had said to me in almost an hour, but what was so wonderful 
was merely the sound of your voice, not the content of your words. 

I began to drift backwards in time again, thinking of all the years we 
had spent together, since that first summer when your family moved in three 
houses down from ours, since that lazy summer when we were 7 years old. I 
had never known any friend who understood me so completely, who comprehended 
the feelings and emotions I endured while we grew up together. When I broke 
up with a girlfriend, you were always there to hold me as I sobbed, and I 
was there to do the same for you when you lost your boyfriends. I always 
wondered why we never dated, but somehow I think we both knew that if WE
were to break up, there would be no-one there to console us, which would be 
far worse than the transitory pain of losing yet another lover. 

The trail followed the brook pretty closely, venturing no more than a 
few feet away at any time. We were forced to go single-file because it was 
so thin. I didn't mind when you took the lead. We never did compete at 
anything, I reminisced. I also didn't mind the view. You were always one 
of the prettiest girls in school, although I was convinced that none of your 
boyfriends appreciated you properly. They only saw the clean, well-defined 
features of your face, the slender but enticing lips and your lovely pale 
blue eyes. They saw your fair skin and your feminine arms and hands (always 
with perfectly trimmed, long nails, unpainted except for special occasions) 
and your slim waist as objects of their desire, to be coveted for personal 
satisfaction. They never knew you as I did, the shy romantic girl who was 
secretly very saddened to have such an attractive body that these men 
never slowed down long enough to love you with their minds and hearts 
instead of their loins. I can remember the pain you suffered as each of 
them turned out to want exactly what all the others wanted, and no more.

As you walked in front of me, I had to admire your courage, wearing that 
lovely light cotton sun-dress on this walk. the forest towered over us like 
some threatening but slumbering demon, and the ground below us was uneven 
and dirty. You always used to be practical about these sorts of things! I 
guess I didn't mind all that much, though, because it showed off your figure 
like no hiking shorts ever could. Even though your legs were hidden 
beneath the flowing cotton. 

You turned your head slightly to face me as we walked, and said It's 
just ahead. Another few yards. Around that hill off to the right. As we 
neared the hill, the path led away from the stream, which made me a little 
wistful. Its constant muttering was very consoling in the absence of any 
conversation from you. I watched the stream recede into the distance, and 
before I knew it, you were slowing down, turning to me silently, and 
pointing. I followed your arm to see a quiet little pond, maybe 30 or 40 
feet across, fed at one end by a three-foot waterfall, and draining at 
another into the stream we had been following for the last ten minutes. A
narrow beach surrounded the grotto, shaded everywhere by the same dense 
trees that had sheltered our walk all the way. Little glints of sunlight 
gave enough light to see your face. Something was wrong, but I didn't know 
what it was. 

I walked closer to you, to hold you so you could tell me what was 
troubling you, as I had done so many times before, but as I got within arms 
reach of you, you held up your right hand, placing it gently on my left 
shoulder, lightly tracing my bones and muscles. Then you slid it around my 
neck, and pulled me closer, and I found your other arm around me, and before 
I knew it, I was looking down into your eyes, as you turned your face up to 
mine. My heart was pounding so loud that the rustling of the trees was 
drowned. Our lips seemed drawn to each others without any will from us, 
and as they met, I knew what it was I had been missing for so long. 

Suddenly panic washed over me, and I pulled away from you, shamed that 
you could see the terror in my eyes, but I could not stop looking at you. 
You looked so hurt, as if you had gambled everything and lost. I stood 
rooted to my spot, unable to move closer or farther. You took a step to
bridge the gap between us, and I still couldn't move as you reached out and 
took my right hand in yours. You pulled it up to your neck, and ran the 
back of my hand over the skin left exposed above the top of your dress, and 
then I felt an electric thrill run through me as you turned my hand over and 
ran it between your breasts, and then over one, pausing for a moment as the 
edge of my index finger dragged across your nipple. It was hard, and I saw 
you shudder gently when it sprang free from my finger. I had lost control 
of my body. My hands were slaves to yours, and I watched with silent 
detachment as you pulled my hand up to the strap on your right shoulder, and 
slipped my finger under it, pulling upward and to the side so that the strap 
fell, limp against your arm. The bare skin exposed on your shoulder 
screamed to me that there was nothing beneath the top of your dress, and my 
eyes were drawn to the shape of your full breasts as I realized that the 
mounds there were covered by nothing but light cotton. 

You repeated this on the left side, and I trembled with expectation, but 
your dress clung to you, glued to your skin by the many beads of 
perspiration that dotted your body. You reached out with your other hand
and put both of my hands on your waist, and pushed in slightly, and 
downward, sliding your dress to the ground. As my hands passed over the 
curve of your hips, I felt only smooth skin, and I realized that there was 
NOTHING under your dress. My hands shook as if gripped in an earthquake as 
the last of your dress slithered away, revealing all of your body to my 
hungry eyes. It was everything I had imagined. The creamy white smoothness 
of your face covered you from head to toe, except for the two strawberry-red 
circles atop your breasts, and the tuft of light blond hair at the 
intersection of your legs. 

You stood there, unmoving, only a foot away from me, as I reached out, 
finally able to move, and I touched your nipples again. I saw you tremble a 
bit, as you reached up and pulled my right hand off of your breast, and 
pulled the left one to you a bit harder. I let you guide my right hand 
downward, still caressing your breast with my left. I felt the softness of 
your hair run past my right hand as you pushed my hand between your legs, 
and finally I took over, sliding my finger gently along the edges of your
lips, feeling the wetness and the heat pouring from you. My desire grew and 
grew until I thought I would burst, but I contained it. I still could not 
believe we were doing this. 

Finally you turned away from me slowly, taking my hand from you gently, 
and you pulled me towards a larger patch of the beach, and downward to the 
soft mossy ground that awaited us. You laid down wordlessly, pulling me 
along. I laid down next to you, hovering over your body, not knowing where 
to start. I ran my hands over you from shoulder to thigh while you shivered 
beneath my touch, and my hand found its way to your womanhood again, and 
this time a finger slipped in, causing you to let out a short, low gasp. I 
leaned my face down to yours, and kissed you again. As my tongue slipped 
gently into your mouth, I tasted the sweetness that was your breath, and 
felt the soft candy that was your tongue. I gently slipped my finger out of 
you, but not all the way, and slipped it back in, and you surged under me, 
almost making our kiss break apart. As our lips lingered against each 
other, I pulled mine away from yours, and leaned farther down to kiss your 
breasts. I ran my tongue firmly around your nipple, and pressed my lips
down against firmly, sucking gently and nibbling lightly, flicking my tongue 
over your nipple. I timed the efforts with my mouth so that they coincided 
with plunges of my finger, and soon I felt your hands grasping the back of 
my head, pulling me against you. I felt your body tense more and more with 
each stroke, until your back arched and you clutched me tightly to your 
chest, with a rush of air inward and a long, trembling hug. 

When you finally relaxed your grip on me, I propped myself up on my 
elbow, looking into your eyes and smiling. You looked at me with the love 
and desire I had always wanted to see in my lovers, but had always missed. 
I want you, was what I heard, unbelieving. This has always been a dream 
of mine, you said to me. Make it come true. I stood up slowly, and 
began to undress myself before you. I wanted to rip my clothes off, but the 
feeling of happiness and the elegance of what you had arranged made me do it 
slowly. Finally I was naked before you, and still not believing what was 
happening. I laid down again beside you, wanting to prolong the moment, but 
as soon as I was settled, you reached down, taking me into your hands, 
pulling me towards our union. I leaned over you, settling my weight onto my
hands, as you positioned my loins to enter you. My arms shook so much that 
I almost fell. As I felt the way my tip brush against the warmth and wetness, 
you stopped me. Be gentle, you said. I've never done this before. 

I was shocked. All those boyfriends. Jack. Markus. Tim. 
you never. Was all I could manage. You looked deep into my eyes. 

I tried, you said, but even when it got this far, I couldn't go 
through with it. They still weren't you. That's what finally broke up Tim 
and me. We got to this point, and he was where you are now, but I had to 
stop him. He never forgave me for that. But I just couldn't go through 
with it. 

I don't know what to say. 

You don't need to say anything. I know how you feel about me. Your 
eyes were shining, almost filled with tears. 

You know this isn't my first time. I felt awful. I knew that was 
the wrong thing to say, but I had to be honest with you. 

You only nodded, and pulled me a little farther into you. I stopped,
and pulled away a bit. This isn't safe. but you nodded your head, a 
tear rolling out of your eye. You managed a weak smile. Yes it is. I 
knew then how thorough your planning had been, and how much this meant to 
you. To me, I realized. 

Then you pulled again, and I slid forward, into you, almost 
effortlessly. I heard your gasp and felt your hands leave my waist and
slide up to my shoulders. Your nails dug into me slightly as our hips
touched, and I raised my head up enough to look into your eyes, as tears
streamed from them in happiness. We kissed the light kiss of intimacy, our
tongues playing on each others, and then plunged into a passionate lock.

I felt joy as I never had with any other woman. I knew then that we
belonged to each other, and always would, and that making love with you
would always remind me of the stream and this pond. I knew that we would
forever be lovers in the forest, not caring if we ever found our way out.