Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Discovering Melanie by Cave

   Discovering Melanie Ch.  3

   Josy stood there in Melanie's room, waiting for Melanie to explain why
she'd run half naked through her garden just a few minutes ago.

   "Ah...what do you mean?" Melanie asked, hoping against hope that she
didn't have to talk about it.  She was feeling light headed.  What did Josy
see exactly?

   "Well, there I was just looking out my window and thought I saw movement
in your garden.  A moment later, I saw you run to your backdoor,
dressed..." Josy was silent a moment. "...or rather barely dressed, I
should say." She giggled.

   Melanie didn't know what to say.  Why was the room spinning?  She sat
down on her bed.

   "What were you doing?" Josy asked.

   "I don't..."

   "Why were you naked?"

   With these few blunt words, the world fell away beneath Melanie's feet.
Josy saw her, even if it was from a distance, she saw everything.

   She turned away from Josy.  She'd messed up so badly, how could she fix
this?  Could she try to deny it?  Her heart was pounding in her chest.

   "I'm sorry", she said in a strangled voice.

   "Sorry?  What do you mean?"

   "Sorry you saw me like that." Melanie fought to keep the tears at bay.
How could she face her friend now?  If only she hadn't panicked from that
stupid cat.  If only she hadn't taken it so far.

   "Melanie..." Josy's tone was soft, kind.  Not at all the laughter or
ridicule Melanie was expecting. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she
initially recoiled at the touch.  The hand stayed on her shoulder and it
sent warmth through her body.  This simple but gentle touch comforted her,
calmed her fears.

   "It's ok, you don't have to be sorry about that.  When I saw you just
now, I guess you were spooked by something, but the way you skipped through
the garden with your hair dancing around your shoulders looked almost
magical, like you were enjoying it."

   Josy was silent for a moment, moving closer and putting her arm around
Melanie's shoulder.  She melted into the embrace, feeling acceptance in
this touch and desperately wanted to move in for a hug.

   "I'm not judging, just curious about what's going on."

   Melanie turned around to look at her friend.  She'd been afraid of being
outed to the world.  The words that came to her ears were kind words,
however. Though they were friends, they had never been that close, mostly
friends of convenience. Yet perhaps Josy could be someone she could trust,
open up to even in this deeply personal matter.  Perhaps it wouldn't be the
end of the world to talk with her about it.  Would she keep it between
them?

   Melanie opened her mouth a few times but no words came out.  How could
she begin to explain?

   They heard the front door being opened, then closed again.  Melanie's
mom was home.

   "Perhaps we can talk about it later.  We need some place we can talk
about this in private." Josy said.

   Melanie was unsure she wanted to talk about it at all, but nodded. 
"We're ok, right?  Please don't tell my parents."

   "Of course, don't worry.  We'll keep it between us, but I think it'll be
good to talk about it", Josy smiled at her.

   "Okay", Melanie nodded.

   With that they went downstairs to greet her mother and after a gesture
from Josy, she followed her out the front door.

   "I think I know a good place to talk", Josy said once they were outside.
"Do you know the park road that runs along the houses near the highway?"

   Melanie tried to remember the spot.  She didn't pass by there often.
"Yes, but there's always people going through there.  Not exactly a place
to talk in private."

   "I know, but there's a little footbridge where you can cross the stream,
just before it joins the river.  On the other side is a small area of grass
and small bushes surrounded by the streams.  The bridge is the only way to
get there, so there's no traffic passing through", Josy explained.

   It sounded like a good place to talk to Melanie. "When?  Tomorrow
evening?"

   "Saturday morning is better, leaving at 10?  Don't worry Mel, I promise
it's okay", Josy said, moving in for a hug which Melanie gladly accepted.
Hugging so tightly let the emotions wash over her and the dam burst as she
felt tears forming in her eyes.  After they broke off their hug, she
quickly went back inside, hoping Josy hadn't noticed.

   After briefly greeting her mom from the other room, she hurried up to
her room.

   That evening, Melanie kept going through the day's events.  Josy had
seemed so genuine, but in school she was the perennial social butterfly,
always talking to everyone about everything. Would it be better to tell
Josy the truth, or make something up?  Try as she might, Melanie couldn't
think of a convincing reason for running through her backyard half naked.

   Saturday morning, that meant Melanie had one more day to figure it out.
One whole day of worrying.  No, she decided that day, she'd face whatever
was coming her way head on.

   That night, it took a long time to finally fall asleep.

   Friday came and went.  The world hadn't ended, so whatever happened
Melanie would deal with it.  Working and socialising with fellow students
and talking about ordinary things helped Melanie regain some semblance of
normalcy.

   Saturday morning, Melanie woke early.  The thought of canceling with
Josy popped into her mind several times.  She still didn't know how she
could begin to explain and whether Josy might understand. Melanie dressed
in faded jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  She wasn't in the mood for shorts
or a skirt.  Besides, it was cloudy and not very warm this morning.  These
clothes were comfort food for her mind.

   Deciding that canceling would merely delay the inevitable, it wasn't
long before it was near 10 am and she got a text from Josy telling her she
was outside.

   On their way to the park, they kept the conversation light, talking
about the week, plans for the weekend, etc.

   Josy seemed casual, while Melanie was anything but.  She went from
thinking about how to explain to making excuses.  Josy should mind her own
business what she does in our backyard, she thought.

   "It's over here", Josy said.

   They crossed the stream into the closed off area.  There were some
grassy spots, as well as some bushy areas.  All in all, it was relatively
open. As Josy had explained, it was surrounded by the small streams that
split before and joined with the river after the little outcrop.  It would
be a nice place for a picnic, weren't it for the noise of the highway on
the other side of the barrier on the far side.

   There were no benches to sit on, Melanie noticed, but Josy took a cloth
out of her bag, spread it out on the grass.  Convenient.

   "Let's sit."

   From here, the view to the path was mostly obscured by nearby plants.
They sat down.  Melanie fidgeted, unsure where to begin.

   "So, how long have you been doing this naked outdoors thing?" Josy asked
in her typical no filter style.

   Melanie turned towards Josy. "What?  I don't go traipsing around naked
in the outdoors all the time, if that's what you mean." Melanie was
indignant.

   "But you were, Thursday." Josy looked and sounded genuinely curious this
time.

   Melanie turned away again, shoulders slumped. "Yes, but...that was an
accident," she said lamely.

   "Uhm, you'll have to explain that one, 'cause it doesn't make sense to
me.  Accident how?"

   Melanie stayed silent for a while.  What can she say?  Josy watched her
sitting there.

   "This isn't easy to talk about", Melanie finally said.  Her thoughts
were a frustrating mess.  Every time she grasped at a thought to put it
into words, it slipped out of reach.

   "Then how about I ask some questions instead."

   Melanie perked up at that suggestion.  That might work. "Okay."

   "Are you a pervert, Melanie?"

   She jumped up to her feet, staring down at Josy. "Josy!  What the hell!"

   Josy burst into laughter, while Melanie stood there in shock.  However,
soon Melanie was laughing along and sat down again.

   "But seriously, Mel, try to relax a little." Josy said, still in
humorous mood.

   "I'm not a pervert", Melanie said forcefully.  She had to admit that
Josy's crude sense of humor made her relax a little.

   "But you enjoy showing a little skin?" Josy asked in a neutral tone.

   Still expecting a ribbing, Melanie sat up a little straighter, intent to
defend herself. "Showing skin?  As in putting myself on display for others?
No, I don't think so." She kept a calm tone, then after figuring out how to
explain it her tone softened.  "I enjoy feeling the sun on my skin..."

   Melanie hesitated before saying the next few words, raising her knees
and putting her arms around them.

   "It's like a craving", Melanie said and then quickly turned her face
away.  She immediately regretted saying it.

   Josy thought back to the previous week, when she'd seen Melanie in a
similar outfit.  Melanie had come from her backyard then as well.  Apart
from her obvious lack of bra, had she been bare below her skirt then as
well? They'd gone into the backyard again, where she'd seen her dad working
on their hedge.  She remembered that Melanie had seemed on edge then.

   "I see."

   Josy was slowly beginning to understand her friend a little better and
was trying to think of ways how she could to help her.

   They sat in silence for a while, lost in thought.

   "Shall we go back soon?  It's getting a bit warm", Melanie said.  The
sun had broken through the clouds and it was steadily getting warmer.

   "I'd like to stay a bit longer, if you don't mind." Josy, who was
wearing shorts, noted Melanie's atire.  "You know, if you're getting too
warm...", She trailed off.

   "What?" Melanie prompted her to continue.

   "...you could shed some cover."

   It took a moment for Melanie before she understood the import of those
words. "Here?  Now?" she turned red at the thought.

   She looked around at their relatively hidden location.  If she were here
by herself, she might think of removing some of her clothes.  In front of
Josy was a different matter.  Talking about it with her was bad enough.
Maybe she could come back here by herself another time.  It was more
secluded than her backyard, despite being an open area.  So far no one had
bothered them there.

   "Up to you, I'm just going to lie down for a while", said Josy.

   Melanie lay back as well and let the idea mull over in her head.  It's
just the two of them.  Could she take off her pants? She looked to her
side. Josy was laying there with her eyes closed, in just her shorts and
blouse.  Melanie was jealous of Josy's exposed skin. Besides, it was
getting hot.

   She unbuttoned her jeans and as quietly as she could she started moving
it down over her hips.  It was Josy's suggestion after all, Melanie
reasoned.  Not like it's her own idea to expose herself to Josy. As her
panties came into view, Melanie was glad she was wearing a nice pair, white
with some lace around the edges.

   After checking that Josy was still laying there with her eyes closed,
Melanie worked her jeans down her legs.  She already felt the relief from
the smothering heat of her tight jeans.  She removed her shoes and socks
and pulled her feet out.

   This is nice, Melanie thought as she laid back.  Not much different than
wearing a bikini to the beach.  Well, panties are not exactly a bikini, but
they covered the important bits, right? She felt herself relax as the
familiar feeling of both sun and surrounding air soothed her skin.

   "Are you okay there, Mel?" Josy said a few minutes later, startling her.

   "Yeah... It was hot, you don't mind, do you?" Melanie asked hopefully as
she pulled her shirt down over her panties.

   "If you're feeling hot, you should remove your shirt as well", Josy
said, closing her eyes again.

   "Wait, what?" Melanie was stunned by Josy's brazen suggestion.  Her
shirt covered most of her body.  By pulling it down, it even covered her
panties.

   Taking off her pants was borderline.  She was still decent, she figured.
Taking off her shirt left her in just her underwear.

   Sitting there with her long sleeve shirt, Melanie was thinking how much
more comfortable it would be if she removed it.

   "Maybe we should go home", Melanie said, staring at her pants.

   "Do you really want that?" Josy asked, raising herself on her elbows.

   Melanie thought it over.  She didn't really want to go home yet.  She
felt that craving she mentioned earlier, but it was fighting against her
inner demons.

   In school she'd avoided showering after gym class, choosing to rush out
early instead.  Behind her back she'd heard the snide remarks from some of
the more popular classmates, making fun of her lack of curves.  Boys never
payed much attention to her at that time.

   Her friends had told her not to worry about it too much, she'd hit her
growth spurt later.  But even though she got some curves later on it had
damaged her self image.  Even in the last few years, she'd avoided team
sports so she wouldn't have to shower in public.

   This past summer, she chose to stay home, making excuses whenever
friends would go to the lake or beach.  She was hoping to make new friends
in college, start over without all the bagage, so to speak.

   Aware that she needed to get more comfortable with her body, over the
past few months she had used moments when her parents were away to go out
into her backyard by herself.

   Bit by bit she had dared herself to uncover more skin in different ways
and found that she enjoyed it.  Every time it felt like she expanded her
horizon, like a quest of personal development.

   But it had all been safe in her backyard.  Alone and unseen, until last
week, until now. She was fiddling with the hem of her shirt.  Baby steps,
she thought.

   "No, we can stay", she said, finally answering Josy's question.

   "Then remove your shirt."

   Not so much a suggestion this time.  So much for baby steps.

   "Can you turn the other way, please?" Melanie asked nervously.

   "No", Josy said, sitting up and turning her way, "and we're not leaving
before you take it off."

   Where did that come from?  Melanie gulped.  This was even worse!  Her
heart was racing and she was trembling.  Is this anxiety, she wondered.

   "Please", she begged.

   Josy seemed to consider it and lay back down.  Melanie watched Josy
close her eyes.

   She could do this, Melanie thought.  With shaking hands, she started
lifting her shirt.  Josy opened an eye at the sound, a smile now on her
face.  It was a kind smile, Melanie realized, not a cruel one.

   Her arms felt weak.  It was a strain to pull her shirt up further and
then it went over her head, temporarily shielding her view.  It scared her
not being able to see and she put more effort into it, taking it off and
pulling her blonde hair out, she held it to her chest.

   Josy smiled again, taking the shirt from her hands before laying back
down again.

   "Good on you, Mel."

   Melanie sat there for a few minutes, face red from more than just the
heat.  It had felt good to hear those encouraging words from Josy.

   As her nerves settled her mind went back to her immediate surroundings.
Sitting there in just her matching panties and bra, she felt the sun on her
skin.  It brought back memories of past days in her backyard and those
enjoyable moments.

   She could enjoy this too.  She lay back down, forcing her arms by her
side. After a moment she felt herself relax in the feeling of the sun on
her skin, releasing tension all over her body.  Occasionally she heard Josy
move around a bit, reminding her she wasn't alone.

   Melanie was happy she could lay there like that.  She felt relaxed,
comfortable and as the sun warmed her skin she felt the familiar stir deep
down inside of her.

   "This is nice, isn't it?" Josy asked after a little while. Melanie,
who'd been relaxed and close to dozing off, was roused by the sound.

   "Yeah, it is." Melanie agreed, she was feeling better and better.

   "You know, I was wondering about something."

   "About what?"

   "You're shaved, right?  Down there." Josy asked it in a calm voice, but
Melanie was instantly alert again.  That came out of nowhere.

   "What?!?" Melanie said, opening her eyes to see Josy sitting up, looking
at her.

   "I didn't get a good look the other day from my window, but I could tell
you didn't have much hair down there."

   Melanie blushed, didn't know what to say.

   "Can I see?" Josy asked.  Melanie turned even redder.

   "How can you ask that?  And why?" Melanie didn't know what to make of
that question.  Why would Josy want to see.

   "Just curious, I suppose.  A learning experience?" Josy asked.

   As strange a request as it was, it intrigued her.  Besides, she'd
already laid bare her secret earlier.  She couldn't ignore the butterflies
that awoke in her tummy. "I guess..." Melanie said, wondering what Josy was
playing at.  However, she didn't move her hands.

   Josy waited for Melanie to say more.  Nothing further forthcoming, she
shrugged and figured Melanie just needed a little push. She moved closer to
Melanie, who couldn't believe Josy was so bold, then took the waistband of
her panties between thumb and index finger, which prompted a sharp intake
of breath, and pulled it up to take a peek down at Melanie's mound.

   Melanie's heart raced, still unsure how to react.  Was Josy really just
looking down her panties like it's the most normal thing in the world?

   "I can't see very well", Josy said after a moment.  She moved even
closer and said "Lift your hips."

   Melanie, feeling light headed by the surreal situation, felt compelled
to comply as Josy took hold of both sides of her panties and slowly dragged
them down.

   "What...what are you doing?" Melanie found her voice.  Realizing her
panties were getting pulled down by her friend, Melanie's head was filled
with conflicting emotions.

   She couldn't believe she was letting Josy do all this to her.  Somehow
it felt right to just let her do her thing and be a passenger along for the
ride.

   It was strange getting undressed like this, in an open area freely
accessible to anyone.  The risk of someone walking in on them fueled both
fear and excitement and somehow being a passive participant in her own
exposure enhanced the experience.

   Yet she didn't think she would trust a guy to do the same to her. She
had no feelings of attraction towards Josy and as far as she knew, Josy was
the same.  What was Josy's motivation in all this?  Could she trust her?

   Josy pulled the panties furter down than Melanie had expected and
stopped short of exposing her clit, letting the waistband rest on top of
it. She slowly reached out her hand and to Melanie's surprise let her
fingers glide over the smooth skin.

   "Nice and smooth.  Did you do this for your boyfriend, or a potential
partner?" Josy asked as she continued to touch her, yet she still sounded
like this was nothing out of the ordinary.  It lit a fire inside of her.

   "No, not for anyone.  I...don't like hair down there, so I remove it."
It was unreal, talking to Josy and being touched like that.

   "Where are your tan lines?  You're a bit lighter down here, but I don't
see any distinct lines." Josy asked, as she looked closely at Melanie's
pubic area.

   Melanie was amazed at Josy's brazen behavior.  The touches and close
attention sent tingles throughout her body.  The question about her tan
made her nervous and she was unsure how to answer.

   "I uh... I may have experimented a little over the summer."

   "Ah", The vague answer seemingly satisfied Josy, as she continued
looking for a moment before laying back down again.  "Thank you for showing
me."

   The sun, the open air, the exposed skin and the touches had Melanie high
on arousal.  She felt herself squirming with her legs and Josy seemed to
notice.

   "Are you okay, Mel?"

   "Uh huh."

   "Is this turning you on or something?" She asked in an amused tone.

   "No!" she lied as embarrassment washed over her.

   "Are you going to fix your panties?" Josy asked, amused that Melanie was
just laying there and not doing anything about it.

   "M... maybe later."

   Being exposed like this was exciting her and while talking about it was
embarrassing, the direct attention to her state of undress increased the
level of excitement she felt.

   "Hmmm, let me then.  Lift your butt." Josy sat up and moved closer
again. Melanie did as she was asked, letting Josy take control again,
though she felt a pang of disappoinment that her fun time was over.
However, instead of pulling her panties back up as Melanie had expected,
she gasped as Josy began pulling them further down.

   "What...what are you doing?" asked Melanie in a high pitched voice as
her bare lips were exposed and she felt her panties go past her knees.

   Josy didn't answer as she pulled Melanie's panties further down and off
her feet, putting them next to her bag.

   "How does it feel, Mel?  To be naked except for your bra, here out in
the open."

   Melanie moaned, her arousal skyrocketed "Oh fff... why did you do that?"

   "Haha, enjoy it, Mel", Josy said, "Wow, it sure looks like you are!"

   "Don't look!" Both hands shot to her pussy, where she felt her own
wetness.  Damn, she was sensitive.

   She lay there like that for a minute trying not to move her hands before
begging "Please put my panties back on."

   "Why not do it yourself?  They're right here.  I Have another suggestion
though, just turn over on your stomach", Josy said.

   "What if someone comes, they'll see me!" Melanie said, as she turned
over.

   "We'll be able to hear them coming." Josy said as she unclasped
Melanie's bra.

   Melanie felt a touch her shoulder and as if understanding the unspoken
command, she lifted her upper body.  After allowing Josy to maneuver her
arms through the straps of the bra, she felt Josy pull it away.

   "Josy!" Melanie exclaimed.  She was now completely naked.

   As she lowered herself back down her hard nipples grazed the cloth sheet
Josy had brought and it sent a wave of pleasure through her body.  She bit
her lip as she barely supressed another moan.

   "You're a strange one, Mel, a naked strange one" Josy said with a laugh
and ignoring the question.

   Melanie let out a long drawn out sigh.  How did she end up here like
this?

   The whole experience had her high on arousal, yet underneath it all it
felt liberating. The fear of someone walking up to them dominated her
thoughts, but Melanie couldn't deny how amazing it felt to lay there in the
sun, completely naked. During all her backyard adventures, she'd never
dared to go this far.  It was new and exciting and still very scary.

   They lay there for a while, in silence except for the noise from the
highway and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

   "Cute butt", Josy said after a while.  "Shall we go home soon?  I'm sure
we both have a lot to do today.  Last chance to get some sun on your
front."

   "Don't look please", said Melanie as she turned over on her back.  She
saw Josy briefly looking her over as she fought to keep her arms by her
sides.  "Stop staring!"

   "If you're like that, perhaps I should take my leave and take your
clothes with me!" Josy threatened.

   "No!" Melanie sat up, reaching for her clothes.

   Josy laughed and then said, "relax, I'm kidding, but maybe we should
take a few pictures to remember this day."

   Melanie shot her an warning look.

   "Maybe next time", Josy said as she checked the time on her phone. 
Melanie kept an eye on her till she put her phone down to make sure she
didn't start taking pictures.

   They lay there for another 15 minutes before leaving. Though Melanie was
extremely nervous someone might walk up to them, she was enjoying every
minute of it.  Somehow Josy's presence didn't bother her so much anymore.

   "I hope you know you can trust me, Mel." Josy said as Melanie was
pulling on her panties.

   "Aside from your cruel jokes?  Yeah, I think so." Melanie said as she
put her bra on her B-cup breasts.  "Hook my bra for me, you know the one
you took off me earlier.  I can't believe you undressed me."

   "I know, but it was fun, wasn't it?  I hope that doesn't make things
weird between us.  I was just trying to give you a little push", Josy said,
blushing.

   "Really?  You're the one blushing?" Melanie asked incredulously.  She
laughed at how ridiculous it was that it was Josy who was embarrassed.

   "Yeah, we're fine", she said as she pulled on her jeans.

   It was time they headed home.  Melanie took one last look around at the
place where she'd been naked just a few minutes ago and shook her head in
disbelief.

   They crossed the footbridge and Melanie checked the time again.  It was
just past noon, lunchtime.

   "So, since we're fine, does that mean photos next time?" Josy teased.

   Melanie shivered as she imagined Josy taking pictures of her in various
states of undress.  Would that be pornography, she wondered. The idea of
having someone take pictures of her naked and outside excited her, but she
would be destroyed if the pictures ended up online or worse, seen by her
friends and family.

   "Absolutely not...maybe...no, stopping putting these thoughts into my
head."

   "I can't wait to tell my friends about this." More teasing.

   "Enough already!" Melanie was getting exasperated as Josy laughed.

   They walked in silence for the rest of the way.  When they were nearing
home, Josy spoke up again.

   "Do you want to come over for lunch?" she asked.

   "Uh, yeah, sure.  I'll just hop in and let my parents know", Melanie
said.  "Wait, will your dad be there too?"

   "Saturday lunch, he usually joins", said Josy, stopped walking and added
in a wary tone "Why?"

   Melanie turned red again as she walked a few steps further.  She looked
back at Josy who was standing there with a stern look on her face.

   Melanie realized she shouldn't have asked it like that.  Why hadn't she
just casually asked if her parents will join for lunch.  Now how will she
get out of this.

   "Maybe it's better I don't join for lunch."

   Judging from Josy's frown, that too was not the right way to get out of
it.

   "Should I run for it?" she asked Josy with a nervous smile.