Sierra Nevada (XXX)

5

Modesty

Confident that he wasn't watching, I dried off and dressed on the shore. I kept my back to the water out of deference or respect or pretty much just in case. Temptation is difficult to manage and that was no fish I felt.

"I'll go get you that towel," I called over my shoulder. He didn't answer so I turned around to make sure he was okay. I didn't see him at first and my heart started racing. Then I saw first the bubbles on the surface of the water. That was pretty damn scary for the second it took for first his beard, then his face to emerge from the water. He pushed the water away from his eyes then beard before his hand migrated to his hair and forced the water back away from his face. His shoulders peaked out of the water. The water stopped mid-chest. The public had never seen that much of his chest before. I always felt that he hid this part of himself and that he had his reason. I was a member of the public until that moment. I couldn't see any reason that he would want to hide. I forced my mouth to close as he opened his eyes and I turned sideways so that he wasn't the focus of my vision and repeated what I had told him a few seconds ago. The gratitude in his smile was scorching. I nodded and turned to go back to camp to fetch the other towel I had for him with my things in hand.

When I returned, I picked up his jeans and discarded shirt and shook them out carefully to ensure that creatures had not crawled into them I didn't want him getting stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake under my watch. I checked his boots and his socks. Then I brought them closer to the shore and looked for him. Avi was swimming back to where we had entered the water from further down shore. The clarity of the water was as much a blessing as it was a curse in the long moments it took him to move his lean body back to me. I didn't really need to and certainly didn't want to, but I couldn't help but watch the way he cut through the water as if he was an Olympic swimmer. His arms pulled him forward as his legs kicked strongly behind him. I could see the definition of the muscles of his shoulders and arms as they moved. His back was just under the surface of the water. The sun was shining overhead making the thin layer of water over him perfectly clear. I could see the thin patch of dark hair at the top of his shoulders and above his pale white naked butt. His back was actually a touch darker than his butt and legs, but not nearly as tanned as his forearms. I forced myself to avert my eyes. I felt like an intruder, invading his privacy even though logically he could expect none as he knew I was there and it was a wide open space he was swimming naked in.

He stopped when he reached the spot roughly where I had gotten out of the water. He was closer to the shore when he stood and the water only came up to the top of his hips. I forced my eyes to remain with his but he was too far away for all of him to not be in my field of vision. It sure didn't help that the water had about a two feet of visibility. I could see him all the way down to his knees. Staring wasn't an option, but I was only human. I wanted to. The smile that flashed across his face before he took two steps back told me all that I needed to know. He wasn't shy. I glanced down at the water and back to his eyes and shook my head. Those two steps didn't help. The contrast in his dark hair and pale skin didn't help either.

"Should I just get out then and come and get the towel?"

"You could, but I am not so sure that is a great idea."

"Why not?" He questioned boldly. "Surely you've seen a naked man before."

"I have, but--" I looked in his eyes. They were blue, actually blue. I didn't' think I would ever see them that particular color.

"I have never seen you naked."

"I'm just a man."

"That you are. And to me a very beautiful one." It was his turn to blush.

"You are a beautiful woman."

"I thought you'd be shy."

"I'm not always. I'm usually not if I'm comfortable. Would it be easier if I was?"

"Yes. No." I struggled to speak. This man was a lot more than I thought he was.

"Which is it?" I looked at the ground around my feet. He hadn't moved. Then up at him. His face held an interesting expression. Was he wounded?

"I guess it depends. I don't know. I should throw away those preconceived notions and just--" I was at a loss for the right words. How the hell did he keep doing that to me? "Let you show me who you are."

"Can you do that?" Honesty rang true in his voice in a way I had never heard in anyone's.

I wanted to scream yes. Instead, I gave him my truth. "I will try." His eyes held mine for long quiet moments.

He nodded and smiled softly. "That's all that I can ask." His slow smirk returned and the light reflected from his eyes just right to make them sparkle. I didn't know which part of me was melting but some part of me was. "I'm going to get out of the water now. You can set the towel down and leave or you can stay. Either way is fine by me. I am not shy."

"No. You are not." He started moving out of the water and my feet refused to move though I thought they should. Before I knew it he was dripping wet, naked before me. I didn't know what would happen next but I figured no matter what it was it couldn't be all that bad. My knees felt weak and my heart did too. I wanted so much to just give into the draw my body felt for his, but I knew myself better. I handed him the towel and he wrapped it around his waist. I was very grateful he covered that thing up before I found myself staring at it and wanting it too.

His hair was far longer than I would have ever been able to guess. It was still soaking wet and laying down his narrow back. He reached up and wrung the excess water out of its length. I just watched him, watch me. There was nothing to say, besides I couldn't have spoken if I wanted to. The moment he cleared the excess water from his hair and there was less weighing it down it started to curl. I laughed. He looked over his shoulder as he was gathering his clothes.

"I forgot that was how it works."

"How what works?"

"Curly Hair."

"Huh." He went about gathering his clothes There was no reason for me to stay. He was safe and out of the water. I excused myself as politely as I could and returned to our campsite. I wondered if he'd go away now or if he would be more determined to stay. I checked the weather and hoped like hell he had his own tent. A cold front was moving in.