The Natalie Incident

I stopped quickly, opened my eyes and got out of the bathroom as fast as my aching erection would allow me. It was wrong to lust after her and I knew it. We were good friends, and she trusted me. Christ, she trusted me enough to call me infront of anyone else when she was in the shit, and was this how I repaid her, by catching sounds of her through the wall as she engaged in personal habits? What was next, stealing her underwear and jacking off into them? I closed my bathroom door firmly and was glad of the rainfall on the roof to block any further sounds from her cabin. I slipped off my jeans and undershorts and climbed into the bed, the cool sheets reacting against my hot skin.

I thumbed the remote and got the T.V going, and finally settled on an old episode of The Streets of San Francisco with the sound turned down. Michael Douglas, looking bearly old enough to shave, was filling the screen but I was barely watching, the sound of the rain filling my ears and Natalie filling my thoughts. I felt sleazy for my previous actions, but was I being too hard on myself? After all, minutes before she had kissed me in a quite sensitive way, and surely it was only natural for a guy to have a desire for a girl, especially one as beautiful as her. I turned off the lamp and lay on my side, punching the lumps out of the pillow and leaving only the light of the Tube to illuminate the room with flickering patterns. Would Natalie be lying in her own bed by now? Would she be thinking of me? I chuckled softly to myself at that one, thinking how ludicrous that was. Of course she wouldn't. If anything, she'd be thinking of her boyfriend Chris, a guy I had been determined to dislike but had actually ended up getting along with famously. I guessed she'd be lying there wishing she was back in her cosy appartment in the city, safe in his arms, not stuck in the outskirts of the desert in a crummy motel run by a guy with thick spectacles that probably came about from reading too many stroke books.

And yet, that kiss. Was I interpreting it wrongly? Was it more than just a goodnight gesture, or was my mind only wishing it was. Almost certainly the latter. Too many questions. It had been a long day and sleep was approaching fast. I curled into the feotal position I always slept in and listened to the rain lashing against the window. The last thing I remember was a rumble of thunder, echoing like the sound of distant drums across the desert plain. Then I was gone.

What time I awoke I can't say, but it was a loud bang that stirred me back to consciousness, and for a few moments I had no idea where I was. I thought there was a torch being waved in the room until I raised my head and saw the working television, and then the realisation hit me. Just as I was rubbing sleep from my eyes another crash filled the room, and I jumped. Two more explosions hit in quick succession before I realised it was thunder and nothing more serious. It sounded like the storm was right above the tiny motel, and a fierce wind was caressing the walls of my cabin, one of the mats lifting and falling as air rushed in through a small crack in door-jamb. Another huge burst of nature's fury hit, and a second later the TV flickered and cut out. The room was plunged into blackness and I blinked at the sudden change in vision. I wasn't in the dark for long, the lightening cracking down sent a starburst of light through the thin curtains and lit my surroundings like a flashbulb from a camera. It was the that I heard another bang. Smaller, closer, but still outside. And again, competing with the weather. A definite thump on the door.

I threw back the covers and quickly pulled on my shorts, crossed the room and snicked the lock back. I had the door open no more than an inch before two things burst into the room. The first was wind, the second was Natalie. I forced the door closed and turned to her.

'Jesus Christ, Nat. What are you doing outside?'

'I've been banging on the door for the past two minutes. What were you doing?'

'I was asleep.'

'Asleep, in this?' She cried, before throwing herself at me, burying her face into my bare chest. I wrapped my arms around her and only then realised the state that she was in. Her hair was wet and so was the blanket that she was wrapped in. She was shaking in my arms and I could feel a wetness on my chest that I guessed were tears. I raised a hand and stroked her hair.

'Shhh, don't cry,' I soothed. 'What's the matter.'

Her voice hitched as she spoke. 'The storm. I hate it.'

'The storm? I thought something serious had happened.'

'It is serious. I'm terrified of thunder. I know that makes me sound like a little kid but I can't help it.' She pulled away from me and looked up at me, and I could just see in the gloom that her eyes were rimmed with tears. 'I'm sorry I woke you.'

'I had woken up anyway I think. You should have come before.'

'I was too scared. I've been lying in bed with the pillow over my head for the past ten minutes.'

She started to cry again and I pulled her toward me once more, holding her tighter this time. Finally her weeping stopped and she fell silent against me, her breath tickling my chest. The thunder struck again and she jumped, the top of her head almost striking my chin.

'Come on, it's just weather, nothing more.' I said. 'Worse things could have happened tonight.'

'Like what?'

'Well, how about our friend behind the counter coming to offer you some midnight cocoa?'

She laughed at that, and I was pleased that I had managed to lift her spirits. Moments later the tube also sprang back to life as the power was restored.

I pushed her gently away from me and crossed toward the bedside table before turning on the lamp and switching off the T.V. I turned back to Natalie who was still standing in the doorway, and in the light I could now see the state she was in. Wrapped in a gray blanket which was splattered with rain, her long hair was loose and matted to her face and neck. The blanket covered most of her but I could still see her ankles and bare feet poking out from below. She shivered.

'Come on, let's get you dry,' I said, and I went to the bathroom and got a large towel. It was only with the light on that I became aware of my own nakedness. I was wearing only white under shorts and I suddenly felt exposed and a little embarrassed. Nat had never seen me like this before, but if I suddenly covered up now she might feel as awkward as I.

'I'm sorry I left you out there for so long,' I said. She took the towel and sat on the bed. The blanket dropped to her waist as he moved the towel to her hair and began to rub vigorously and I saw that she was still wearing the white vest from earlier. With her arms raised her breasts pushed against the material, but I was in no position in my state of undress to look, so I quickly sat down on the other side of the bed where I couldn't see her front.

She took the towel from her hair. 'Got the worst of it,' she smiled. The colour had returned to her cheeks and with her hair messy from the toweling she looked as gorgeous as I had ever seen. I needed a good reason to pull my jeans on, and I thought of it.

'Give me a moment and I'll go next door and get your shirt,' I said, reaching for my denims. "If you don't get dry you'll catch a cold." Just as I got the words out there was another tremendous crack of thunder that made both of us jump. Nat also gave a little scream

'Okay, just please be quick. I'm scared on my own.'

As soon as I pulled the door open biting rain lashed against my bare skin, causing me to gasp. I ran barefoot along the rough wooden porch that separated the two cabins and leapt into Natalie's room, almost taking the door off the hinges. Once inside I could see that she'd had all the lamps burning, and the bedclothes were strewn this way and that over the mattress. I felt a moment of guilt that she had been in here terrified while I had been sleeping soundly next door. I couldn't understand her fear of storms; there was nothing more I used to enjoy as a kid than sitting in my bedroom window at night watching the lightning fork to the ground and the rumbles of thunder that would follow. Me and my Dad used to count the time that would elapse between the flash and the sound, and Dad would tell me that if you counted to five then the storm was five miles away, count to three it was three miles away, and so forth. It was a habit I got into and in fact still did to this day. I'm sure the meteorological office used a more sophisticated method of measurement, but my Father's old method suited me just fine. One thing was for sure though; tonight the storm was right above us. The thunder and lighting were walking hand in hand.

I grabbed Natalie's checked shirt from where it hung on the back of the door and also a comb from the dresser. I stood in the open door way for a moment and watched the rain blister the muddy ground and the lightning split the clouds, before I slammed the door shut and bolted back to my room.

She was in my bed when I got back, sitting up with her knees clasped to her chest and the covers pulled up around her. My eyes left her and went to the floor, where I saw the wet blanket that she'd had around her earlier. On top of the blanket was also her vest and a small pair of white knickers. That meant one thing; Natalie was nude in my bed.

'I had to get my things off Rich, I was freezing. I'll go in a minute.'

'Don't be dumb,' I said, picking up the towel from the end of the bed and drying myself. 'You can stay there as long as you want. Anyway, I don't want you to go out in this,' I continued, another burst of thunder emphasizing my statement. 'Okay?'

'Okay' she replied, and leant back against the pillows. 'I'm not so scared with you here anyway.'

'I told you, you should have woken me before. I bought you a comb.'

She took it with a smile and I excused myself and went to the bathroom and washed my hands and face, grateful of the hot water after the misery of the rain. I'd have loved a scalding shower but I didn't want to leave Natalie alone for long while the storm was still raging.

When I returned to the bedroom she had combed the wind from her hair and was lying back on the pillow with the covers pulled up to her chin. 'Do you think the storm is going?' She asked.

I told her about the counting method that Dad had taught me and for the next couple of minutes we judged the storm, me sitting on the edge of the bed by her legs. We never counted above two before the thunder hit; it seemed that the weather was here to stay for the time being. I yawned loudly and Nat pulled her hand from under the covers and placed it gently on my wrist.

'I'm sorry about all this, Rich.'

'Please don't keep apologizing honey,' I said. 'None of it is your fault. Anyway, I was only saying to Keith yesterday how I needed more excitement in my life.'

'Something different to this though?'

'Oh, I don't know. Crazy weather, rough terrain, wooden cabins. Just like a trip to the Rockies but without a bear behind every tree. And cheaper.'

She laughed. 'Good company too.'

I'd been looking toward the window, but now I turned and faced her with a smile on my face. 'The best company,' I said, and stroked the back of her hand. 'I wouldn't change that no matter what.'

A silence fell between us then, but it was a comfortable pause where nothing needed to be said. The raging weather was the accompaniment as we sat holding each other's hand. Every time thunder struck I squeezed Natalie's palm slightly to reassure her.

'What time is it?' Her voice was soft with sleep and I could see the fatigue in her eyes.

'Nearly two,' I answered, and shivered slightly. I was still only wearing my jeans and the air was cool after the continual pounding of the storm had taken the humidity from the night. I released her hand. 'Listen. You stay here,' I said standing, 'and I'll crash in your room. Okay.'

'Please don't go Rich.'

'I have to Nat, I'm cold and I'm getting really tired.'

'I don't want to be alone.'

I sighed. 'I either go next door or I'm getting in there with you.'

'Then you'd better get in.'

A look must have crossed my face because she said, 'That suggestion really so awful?'

'No, of course not. It's just, well, erm.' I was mumbling, and it didn't sound becoming.

'Look Rich, we're friends right. Good friends?' I nodded in agreement. 'And this is a big bed with enough room for two of us. I'm scared to be alone, and you're tired and cold, so why don't you just get in and get comfortable.' She paused, and when I didn't reply she said. 'Friends share things, including each other's company.'

I shivered, not knowing if it was from the temperature or from the fact that Natalie had invited me under the covers with her. Covers that she was naked beneath. My eyes flickered for a moment to her tiny knickers lying on the floor. With that, I made my decision.

To Be Continued...