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.