Reflective

Steve looked at the two girls getting out of the car, and somehow knew the last week of the summer would make the rest of the summer he'd had seem boring by comparison. He'd been hired by his Aunt and Uncle to do a variety of construction projects around their lake side summer cottage. Aunt Tess and Uncle Jack only came up weekends. And other than the one week Steve's parents spent there on their vacation, he'd been alone.

There seemed to be a lot of girls around the lake that summer, and they enjoyed checking him out as they glided by in canoes while he worked, shirtless, building the new dock. Most were too young, but a few were, like him, eighteen, or older. Some would call to him. He'd wave back, but shyly didn't respond more.

The two girls getting out of the car were his cousin Sara and a friend of hers. Sara had worked all summer as a counselor at a kid's camp. Her friend, another counselor, she introduced as Maddy. They were both ready to start their sophomore years in college in a few weeks. Steve would be starting his Freshman year.

Since his projects were done, Steve was able to spend time with the girls. They water skied, canoed, and just horsed around in the water together. Steve had always liked his popular and energetic cousin, and Sara liked to think he came out of his shell when she was around.

The second night the girls were there, Steve stayed up late as he normally did, watching a movie on cable. He was lying on one of the couches when Maddy came in. "Watch ya watching?" she asked.

"Young Frankenstein. I love Mel Brooks."

"Never seen it. May I watch with you?" Of course Steve said yes. He started to sit up, to offer her a seat on the couch, but she waved him off, and instead laid on the lushly carpeted floor,.

Steve enjoyed watching Maddy watch the movie. She shared a similar sense of humor with him and laughed throughout the movie. He also kept sneaking glimpses of her. She was dressed in a tight gray t-shirt. Her dark red hair was cut short, ending just below her ears. Her shirt had hiked up a bit, showing tanned, flawless skin and an enticing curve of her hip. Her body was trim and athletic. That day, swimming together, the site of her in bikini had been exciting. He supposed Sara looked hot too in her bikini, but Maddy had been a definite and delightful distraction.

When the movie ended, Maddy stood up. "I guess I should be getting to bed." Still she stood there, expectantly.

"Yes, I guess I should too." He walked past her. "Goodnight."

She flashed him a smile, "Goodnight Steve." Aggressive guys flocked to women that looked liked her. Shy was nice. she decided.

She joined him again the next night, after Sara had gone to bed. They found another movie to enjoy. This time, she sat next to him on the couch, close to him, but not touching. Maddy lost interest in the movie after the first hour and started asking Steve questions. She found out things he was interested in, and that he didn't have a girlfriend. Finally she asked, "Has Sara told you anything about me?"

"No." Steve had answered, his honesty apparent. "Should she have told me something about you?"

She seemed hesitant, but finally answered, "I was afraid she'd told you about the reputation I had at camp." When he didn't respond, she added "I'm afraid I got the reputation of being a slut. I wasn't. Early in the summer, I made the mistake of going out with a real jerk. When he came on to me, I said no. When he persisted, and got physical, I had to kick him in the nuts to get him to stop." She blushed. "The next day, he told all the guys I was a great lay. I didn't know that, so when the next guy asked me out, he too got aggressive. Of course, I said no to him too. Apparently when he was asked the next day how it was, he couldn't admit he hadn't gotten any, so he said it