Beyond the Fence

Each time she showered her hand went straight between her legs, and her mind straight to Lukas. She imagined him naked, using what little experience she had of seeing guys without their clothes on to fill in the details. She imagined that it was him touching her, that he could hug her, hold her. And almost every time she achieved what she later found out was an orgasm.

The others in the village noticed something was going on. Elina was walking round with a constant smile on her face, and disappearing somewhere on a daily basis. People became increasingly suspicious. They started to insist that she participate more in village life, cutting down her opportunities to escape into the hills. On some occasions people tried to follow her, but she always gave them the slip.

Elina knew that her relationship with Lukas was becoming increasingly dangerous. It was only a matter of time before someone successfully managed to follow her. She dreaded to think what would happen if she was caught, but she feared more for Lukas than herself. The men from the village still often carried guns around, and if they saw her and Lukas together they may well shoot him through the fence. Elina could not take that risk.

One day, with the heaviest of hearts, after hours of talking about everything and nothing, she told Lukas of her concerns and her decision. They could not see each other anymore. She would not be coming into the hills. She told him that there was a guy in the village that her mother wanted her to marry. He wasn't quite as bad as the others. So she would marry him, and she would keep the house and bring up the family.

Lukas took the news well, much better than she had expected. His life, as it so often did, was mirroring hers. The people from his village were becoming suspicious of his long periods of absence. And he too was coming under increasing pressure to marry. Whilst Elina had always had the excuse that there was a shortage of men, that fact worked against Lukas. There were numerous girls who wanted to be his wife. He said it modestly, not boasting. Elina was not at all surprised to hear it.

"Including me," she said, quietly.

Now Lukas did look surprised. Elina was surprised at herself for saying it, but she knew it was true. She had always thought of marriage as a bad thing, committing herself to a man she couldn't stand for the rest of her life. But over the last few months she had started to see it very differently. If she could marry Lukas, she would be the happiest girl in the world.

"Can I see you one last time?" Lukas asked.

Elina could not refuse.

"On Friday, at midday," he said.

Elina told her she would be there. They touched through the fence, their now traditional goodbye.

"Elina?" Lukas said, as they started to head in their separate directions.

She turned.

"Can you cover your eyes next time, wrap some cloth round your head or something? I'll try to bring a surprise, but I don't want you seeing it until I am ready."

It was a strange request, but it was the last time she would ever see him. She'd do anything he asked.

She nodded.

Elina was at the fence in plenty of time on the Friday, a thick piece of fabric with her that she had practised over and over again tying over her eyes. As soon as she was there she put on the makeshift blindfold and waited to hear Lukas' voice.

The wait seemed to be forever, and she wondered if Lukas had been unable to come for some reason. Or perhaps he had decided that it would be too hard saying goodbye. Perhaps she never would see him again. She told herself that she would wait by this fence until he arrived, even if it was days, months, years.

Then suddenly she felt something behind her head. Someone was taking her blindfold off. Her body went into panic. The very last time she came and she had been followed. How could she possibly explain what she was doing here? She leapt up, thrashing around, making contact with the person who had been fumbling with the knot. Finally she composed herself enough to pull off the blindfold and stare at her assailant.

Her mind struggled to process the image her eyes were sending back. She looked through the fence then back into those brown eyes that were but a few centimetres from her own.

It was Lukas. She looked through the fence at the empty field on the other side. How was this possible? In her mind the fence had been built up to be an impenetrable barrier, a permanent divide between her and him, but here he was, large as life, stood in front of her.

Lukas spread his arms and she wrapped herself around him, holding him so tight, desperate never to let go. She didn't understand how or why. Perhaps it was a dream, that could be the only explanation. But she was going to enjoy every second of the dream until she woke up. She squeezed him so tight, his body warm against hers, feeling his heart beating a fast rhythm.

"But... how?" she asked.

Lukas did not reply immediately.

"We have a saying in our village," Lukas replied, slowly. "Nothing is forever. I've been thinking about it a lot recently. I thought it meant us. But then I realised it must mean the fence too."

Elina looked back at the barbed wire stretching as far as she could see. The fence still seemed to be there.

"So I walked and walked," Lukas continued. "I knew it must end somewhere. And about 5 kilometres down there the fence runs into thick forest and then... just stops."

"How long have you known about this?" Elina asked.

"A few weeks," Lukas said. "But I didn't want to risk coming round. I thought... it might be different if I was on this side. Maybe without the fence between us... who knows what would happen? But... today was my last chance."

Elina had still not let go of him. She had never been held by a boy before, but she loved it. All those months of him on the other side of the wire, of dreaming about him but never being able to do anything more than touch fingertips. Yes, it was different now he was on this side. It was so, so much better. And so much worse too.

"You... shouldn't have come," Elina said, worried, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lukas looked concerned. He loosened his hold on her, but she did not do likewise.

"How can I ever leave you now?" she asked, tears now streaming down her face.

There was a long pause. Lukas looked as if he didn't know what to say.

"If we never see each other again, at least we've shared this moment," he said at last. "Many people never get to experience something like this."

It wasn't enough for Elina, and the tears continued to flow.

"And besides, nothing is forever," Lukas said, repeating his mantra. "One day this fence will fall, and I will be able to walk across these hills to your village, and propose to you in front of everyone, and everyone will be happy for us."

The thought was no consolation. The villages had been separate for the whole of Elina's life. The war might be over, the peoples officially at peace, but nothing had changed. The fence remained, and the divide between her village and Lukas' was far greater than any length of twisted metal. Perhaps one day when she was old she would see it, but she could not wait that long.

The two walked hand in hand across the hills that Elina knew so well, Elina making sure that they kept well away from her village and any path on which anyone might be walking. The feel of her hand in his was exquisite, and once again she felt that urge between her legs. It had something to do with Lukas she knew, but she wasn't quite sure what. Was it her body's way of telling her this was who she should be with?

Eventually they came to the pool, that beautiful twinkling pool of perfect aqua blue, surrounded by trees and flowers, a little oasis from the troubles of the outside world. The sun shone brightly and warmly, reflecting off the ripples. Elina had not been here for a few months, so much time had she been spending with Lukas at the fence. But now she was here with him. It was so much better. She didn't want to think about the fence, about everything it meant. This would be her forever memory of him.

If she had been here alone she would have stripped off and gone for a dip. She couldn't swim, but the water was not too deep, just right to submerge your body whilst still keeping your feet on the bottom. But today she couldn't, she was too shy to undress in front of Lukas. They lay in the sun together, but Elina kept glancing over at the pool. Lukas gave her an inquisitive look.

"It's so hot, isn't it?" he said.

"Yes, it is," Elina replied, smiling. Was he thinking what she was thinking?

"Is it deep?" he asked, glancing over at the water.

"Not too deep," she replied. "Just right."

"Must be nice on a day like today," he hinted.

"Yeah, it's perfect," she replied, smiling.

"I will if you will," he said teasingly.

Elina thought about her village, about the man her mother wanted her to marry, about the drudgery of married life, about the constant struggles, the fear, the sadness, the hatred. She looked at Lukas, who should have been the embodiment of everything that was wrong. It was his people who had ruined everything, who had killed her friends and family, who had brought so much trouble to her village. That's what she had always been told.

But right now he summed up the exact opposite. He was hope and love and happiness. He was everything she didn't have in her own village. He was everything she had come to this oasis for. He was the green of the grass and the blue of the water, the rays of the sun and the smell of the flowers. This might be her last day of true happiness, and she was going to seize it.

Elina pulled off her threadbare dress, letting it fall to the ground, the bright sunlight illuminating her bare skin, her thin body, her grey underwear. She kicked off her shoes and reached behind her to unfasten her bra. Now was not the time to be shy. The buzz between her legs was radiating out, affecting her thinking, giving her the confidence to expose herself for him. She let her bra fall and made no attempt to cover herself.

Finally, hoping he wouldn't be able to see the fact that her lady parts were moist and swelled she dropped her knickers, glad of the thick fuzz of hair which covered her crotch and let her keep her secret. She looked down at Lukas who was still lying on the ground, his eyes wide, taking in her exposed body. She thought she could see something protruding inside his trousers. Her mind raced as she called on her rudimentary understanding of male biology to understand why.

She ran over the soft grass and lowered herself into the pool, the water cold but not freezing, the chill taken off it by the warmth of the day. The pool was shallow around the edge and as she stood in it and faced him her whole body was on show to him. She didn't mind at all.

"Come on!" she urged.

Lukas stood and pulled his own shirt off. His body was lean but rippled with muscles. He was heavily tanned. It was clear that he spent a lot of time working in the fields with his shirt off. If she lived in his village she would spend all her time in the fields. She'd seen guys working in the fields shirtless before, but she'd never felt any attraction to them. But the sight of Lukas' bare upper body stirred something inside her she had never known was there.

Lukas kicked off his shoes and removed his socks. That bulge in his trousers was all the more obvious now. He pulled his trousers and underwear down in one motion, and now Elina could see what had been causing the protrusion. His penis was hard, large and erect. She couldn't help but stare, fascinated by it.

Lukas joined her in the water and they splashed about, laughing and joking, making the occasional accidental contact and then, as they grew more confident with each other, rather less accidental contact. His hand brushed her boobs and she felt that strange urge again that she couldn't place, pleasant but unnerving at the same time. Her eyes kept running over his body, distorted below the waterline.

His penis had started to contract once he was in the water, but as they got closer and made more contact it started to stiffen again. She wondered if he was feeling the same glow in his penis that she was feeling between her legs. She wondered if he had the same urge to touch himself that she was having to touch herself.

The contact became more frequent and more intimate, the two making less and less effort to pretend that it was inadvertent. Elina had a good feel of his penis, and his hand found its way between her legs, sending a jolt up her body. She had fantasised for so long about having him touch her down there, and now it was happening she knew it was the right thing.

Eventually they ended up in an embrace, and for the first time their lips met. Elina had seen people kissing before, but her own experience had been limited to kisses on the cheek from family members. This was altogether different, their naked bodies pressed against each other, her boobs compressed against his chest, his penis pushed against her stomach, his arms holding her tightly, her lips tingling as he kissed her ever so gently.

It was awkward at first, neither experienced in the art, but they were willing learners, and, wrapped in the curtain of trees, they had nobody to disturb them. They kissed gently but with passion, looking into each others' eyes, neither worrying about their lack of technique, both focussed only on showing the other their feelings in a way that until today had been denied to them.

The two lovers eventually climbed from the pool and lay in the sun, allowing the warmth to dry their bodies. They were so close to each other, closer than they had ever been able to be before, no fence between them now, not even their clothes to form a barrier. Elina's body pulsed with anticipation, but of what she wasn't sure.

After a while Lukas rolled onto his side, and indicated that she should do the same, so that he was behind her. She did as he asked, and he wrapped her still damp body in his strong arms, instantly sending her happiness up a further notch. He started to gently rub his hands up and down her body, and her skin felt a special kind of sensitive, his touch making it come alive everywhere his hands went.

He massaged her boobs gently and she let out a sigh of pleasure. None of this made sense to her, but it didn't matter. Things didn't need to make sense today. His hands ran down her body again, and one ran through her pubes, her legs parting slightly as it did. His fingers ran the length of her lady lips, gliding easily over her moistness, sending a feeling of pleasure rushing to her head.

He started to stroke gently, not with the expertise that she had mastered, but still giving her a lovely feeling washing up her body. She placed her own hand on his and guided him, focussing his attention slightly higher on that little nub that seemed peculiarly designed with no other purpose than to feel good when touched. She could feel her face contorting with the pleasure and excitement, but she didn't care. This was her, and it was a her she wanted him to see.

"Do you know why you get wet down there?" Lukas asked.

Elina had some ideas about the reason, but was embarrassed to say what she was thinking.

"So that my penis will slide inside you easily," he explained, still rubbing her between her legs, letting his fingers slide between her lips up to her opening, but not inside her.

In her state of pleasant relaxation, giving in to the pleasure, it took Elina a few seconds to process what he was saying. Was he really suggesting that he put that huge thing inside her, that they have sex?

"It is what men and women do when they love each other," Lukas reassured her, clearly detecting her uncertainty. He kissed her tenderly on her neck. "I'm told it feels good."

Elina could feel his erect penis pressing into her back, and it was certainly true that her body seemed to lubricate itself down there when she was around him, or when she thought of him, as if it wanted her inside it. She had never had anything inside her before, but if it felt anywhere near as good as his fingers on the outside...

"OK," she whispered. "I'd like to try it."

Lukas pulled one leg over her gently, pushing hers slightly further apart. She felt exposed but safe, her lady parts tingling with anticipation. He pressed the head of his penis between her legs, against the opening, without applying enough pressure to push it in. The unfamiliar sensation sent a thrill of nerves and excitement through her body.

Her rubbed her incredibly sensitive lips gently with his fingers, the pleasure now feeling like torture, so desperate was she for more. It teased and aroused without satisfying, every stroke making her body demand more, demand fulfilment. For the first time ever she had a feeling of being empty, of needing something inside her, and she knew what that something was.

"Please," she asked, hoping he would understand.

At first she thought he had not heard her, or had ignored her, but then she felt him gently slipping inside her. It felt like a tight fit but not unpleasant. She wriggled slightly, pushing herself back against him, wanting to be as close to him as she could, wanting to feel the warmth of his body.

He slipped further into her, and she found that the inside of her vagina was as sensitive as its surroundings. He fitted snugly, like she had been designed for him, and she knew instantly that this was right, that this was how it was meant to be, that this is what her body had been demanding since she had met him, but she hadn't understood.

Lukas started to gently slip his penis in and out of her, the gentle thrusts feeling strange at first but settling into an uneven rhythm, giving her a feeling she had never even knew she missed. His hands worked up her body, eventually settling on her chest. She had never seen her boobs as a source of pleasure before, but he was teaching her plenty today. She knew nothing now except her body and his, melded into one.

Elina could hear Lukas breathing heavily, making the occasional sound of pleasure, and could tell that he was feeling good just as she was, that they were sharing the rewards of his actions. He was not the strange creature she had been told to expect, but was just like her, and together they were so much better than apart.

His thrusting picked up speed and confidence, his hands roaming her body, his lips on her neck, kissing, nibbling. She could feel her body heating up, in that state she had only experienced in private before, focussed only on more and more pleasure, blocking out the world around her.

Suddenly she felt a twitch inside her, and Lukas let out a half-sigh half-groan. At first she was unsure what had happened, but as she felt his body relax around her, his thrusting slow, she realised that he must have climaxed, and felt a rush of delight that she had given him that ecstasy that she knew the climax brought.

His penis slipped out of her, and his pleasure was replaced with frustration that swelled and filled her, a sudden feeling of emptiness, of loneliness even though he was still holding her. The frustration subsided and her body still tingled, not so aroused now but still sensitive, begging for more. She turned to face him and their lips met, sharing a tender kiss, the passion having drained slightly but the love burning hotter than ever.

They lay in the beating sun for a long time, a cocktail of emotions mixing and distilling in Elina's head, but their talk keeping a safe distance from any topic of importance. Eventually Lukas challenged Elina to climb a tree, teasing her for being a girl, telling her that she would be too scared, too weak. Still naked he ran to the nearest tall tree and climbed confidently, disappearing up into the branches.