Vanessa

The trail dropped off at a quieter part of Lake Tuma and Addison, taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, peeled off her shorts revealing her fuchsia lacey underwear. "It's too damn hot," she complained. "I'm going for a dip. Who's coming with me?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, she kicked off her tennis shoes and ran down to the edge of the water, wearing nothing but her sports bra and thong.

Jeff looked at Matt, a wide grin splashed across his face. He wasted no time in pulling off his clothes too before jogging down to the refreshing blue water to join his girlfriend. Teenage boys, I thought rolling my eyes. They would do anything one asked as long as it involved girls and some form of nakedness.

This is why it came as no surprise when Matt hastily undid the button on his jeans as well. "Eh, what the hell?" I could hardly focus on the words coming out of his mouth as he unbuckled his belt and pulled down the zipper on his pants. Gulping, I took a step back not being able to handle being within five feet of his vicinity as he undressed. Apparently teenage boys weren't the only ones affected by the sight of a little bare skin.

If the warm weather wasn't enough to make me overheat then the sight of him stepping out of his boots and sliding his jeans down his thighs before tossing them aside in the sand certainly did the trick. He began his sprint into the water as though he were a lifeguard on a mission although the only person that needed saving right now was still on shore.

He paused long enough to look over his shoulder and hit me with a broad smile. "You coming?" His voice was as smooth as honey and it was difficult to resist his beckoning.

I swallowed hard as my eyes travelled down his lean but toned frame. I wouldn't have pegged him for a boxer briefs kind of guy but I could so appreciate the fact that he was. Stop it, Vanessa. He's not a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. My hands flew up to cover my face but I couldn't resist peeking out at him from between my fingers, trying hard not to look at that bulge.

"I think I'm just going to hang back here," I squeaked. No way was I going to strip down in front of him. I made a mental note to start doing more sit-ups outside of gym class.

Matt nodded and continued his jaunt towards the lake and I whimpered as I caught sight of his lower half. I had no idea he had a cute butt too. It made me hate that red-haired girl even more for managing to sneak in a fistful of it.

"Come on V!" Addison called from the water. "Think of the potato!"

I rolled my eyes but walked out a little farther, feeling the wet sand between my toes. Addison was right. I was too chicken to even seduce a potato. If I was too afraid to be in my underwear around Matt even though it wasn't all that much different from a bikini like Addison had once pointed out, how did I ever expect to go all the way with him?

If I wanted to be with him, I had to start being a little more courageous. I reached for the hem of my tank top and began to pull it up but before the fabric made it past any further than my navel, my eyes darted out to the lake. They were all staring at me expectantly and I could feel my cheeks go warm from the scrutiny. 

My fingers were still curled around my shirt when my gaze locked with Matt's. His stare was so intense, I momentarily lost focus on what I had been about to do. Then it dawned on me; Oh my gosh, he's waiting for me to get undressed.

Just like that, the same intense wave of panic that I had experienced that night at "the spot" came flooding back over me and I realized I couldn't do this. To hell with this. Dropping the material back down, I raced into the water still fully clothed, instead.

Addison's eyes grew wide as the athletic pants and top I was wearing soaked up the liquid, instantly becoming ten pounds heavier. "What happened to your plan," she mouthed to me.

Shrugging helplessly, I swam in small circles as far away from the group as I could get without making it obvious that I was purposely avoiding them.

She shook her head but her disapproval wasn't going to change my mind. Me refusing to strip down to my undergarments had nothing to do with Matt. I was a modest girl and didn't want to show everything to an audience. When I was alone with Matt, I would have no problem shedding my clothes like I was a snake ridding itself of its skin. I was sure of it. Well, mostly sure.

"Let's chicken fight," Addison suggested, her laser gaze on me never wavering. "Vanessa, get on Matt's shoulders." Uh-oh.

Matt smiled at me, his arms reaching out in my direction. "Up you go," he called but as soon as I felt his hands wrap around my waist, I shrieked.

He quickly withdrew himself from me, his brows furrowing. "What just happened? Did I hurt you?"

I didn't need a mirror to confirm that my face was crimson. "I...I stepped on a rock," I lied my voice shaky. "I think I'm going to head back to shore." I quickly doggy paddled back to land, stumbling my way out of the lake as they all watched with their mouths agape.

"Um... it's ok," Addison improvised. "I can still sink Matt without the help of anyone."

However, no sooner had the words left her mouth did Matt wrap her up in a bear hug plunging into the water and taking her with him. She gasped as she bobbed to the surface, her mascara and eyeliner smudged beneath her eyes.

Matt burst out laughing at the sight of her. "You really are a sea monster."

Her green eyes flashed as she cut through the water towards him. "Get over here, Reaper. I'll show you a sea monster."

He yelped as Addison sank her teeth into his shoulder. "Ow! You bit me."

Grimacing, she wiped her mouth in disgust. "You taste like seaweed. I always knew it would be a horrible experience to let my lips touch you."

She beamed at the insult waiting for Matt to respond with one of his own but only silence hung in the air. Swiveling her body from side to side, she scanned the now empty water. "Matt? Jeff? Where did you guys go?" A look of panic slowly crossed her face. "Come on you two; it's not funny."

Suddenly she let out an ear piercing shriek. "Oh my gosh! Something brushed up against my leg. What the hell was tha-" Before she could finish her sentence, she was yanked under the water, reemerging a few seconds later to the sounds of Matt and Jeff laughing hysterically and high- fiving each other.

She reached out, shoving Matt in the shoulder. "You two are such jerks. I hate you both."

From where I was observing from the shore, I smiled faintly. They all looked like they were having such a blast and here I was, letting my fear hold me back. Sighing, I sprawled out onto my back and closed my eyes letting the sun's warmth blanket my face.

"How's your foot?"

I sprang up to the sound of a deep voice hovering over me. I tilted my head to find Matt staring down at me, the brilliant rays outlining his body. That old familiar but not entirely comfortable heat seeped throughout my insides as he stood before me, his wet boxers hanging low on his hips and clinging to places that would make us both blush if he were to catch me staring at. Water glistened off his abs as he made a move to sit down close next to me.

I clutched the sand, fistfuls of powder white granules oozing out between my fingers. God, he was so hot. He shook out his hair sending droplets flying all over the place. "It's fine...now," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.

It occurred to me that this was the first time we had been alone together since his birthday bonfire and the night that I would spend the next fifty years kicking myself over.

"V..." Matt began staring down at his lap before slowly sliding his gaze back on to my face. "Are we...good?"

"Um..." My heart began to pound so loudly I could hear it in my eardrums. Twisting a lock of hair around my finger, I chewed on my lip. "Of course," I said blowing out a breath. We were fine.

He gave a small laugh as he wiped the palms of his hands on his thighs and my eyes followed his movements. "Do you..." cough cough "...think that maybe next Friday you would like to come over and watch-"

"Oh my gosh! Would you look at my fingers," Addison interrupted as she stuck them in front of my face. "They are completely shriveled. I look like a raisin."

Matt and I shot dirty looks at her causing her to yank her hand back and stop in her tracks. "What? Why are you both staring at me like that?" She gasped before slapping her forehead. "OMG. Were you about to kiss or something? I have to stop doing that."

Jeff tugged on her arm pulling her away from us. "Come with me, Addie. I thought I heard a rumor about there being French fries served with dinner. Let's leave these two alone and go check to see if that's true."

Addie blew kisses at me as Jeff whisked her away from us and back onto the trail. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she called, the sound of her voice growing fainter.

Matt raised an eyebrow at her before turning his sights back onto me. Addie could apologize all she wanted but the moment had been ruined. He cleared his throat, hoisting himself up before extending a hand out to me to lift me off the ground. "Shall we head back? It's starting to get dark."

I took one final glance at the lake as the sun's sinking reflection shimmered in the water. Tones of orange, pink, and purple streaked the sky and my stomach felt a flutter. It dawned on me that night was closing in and it was almost time to enact my plan to seduce Matt.

So maybe the moment had been interrupted but my chances of obtaining another one were far from gone.