Creating Constellations

Alexus -- Nude day early morning

"You're going to pace a rut into the concrete floor if I let you stay here, Alexus." Alejandro shook his head. "It won't do you any good to be here while the construction crew is. You'll just get in the way."

"I know, I know. But why does it have to be today?" Alex flopped onto the stool in the taproom. It was perhaps too dramatic for the occasion. Today's memorable holiday didn't bother her as much as she was letting on, but she wouldn't go along without at least arguing. Losing a long weekend during the busy tourist season wasn't her favorite, but extra deliveries had been made to all the local stores to get them through the hastily planned repairs.

A big window showed off the working brewery's gleaming copper and stainless steel. The only thing askance was the missing third tank. Forty years of loyal service finally proved too long to continue without replacing the oldest and smallest one. We needed to upgrade anyway. Pretty sure Uncle Finn got it secondhand.

"It's the first year. It may be a one-time thing, and some of our friends have a life outside work. Will it really be any different once we get up there? At least you won't worry about how things are going at the competition." AJ joked with his typical, nearly smarmy smile. Once you got to know the man, it didn't take long to realize that there wasn't a hint of insincerity in his roguish grin. "I've never known you to be prudish, X."

Growing up together and being named Alex, they had to do something to differentiate themselves from one another. He was Alejandro Junior, so she called him AJ. If they just called her Alex, they both had the tendency to answer. AJ decided to remedy that by calling her X, not Lex, Alexus, or Lexi, X. It used to irritate her, which is probably why he kept at it. Over the years, she had started enjoying it, at least coming from AJ. Everyone else called her Lex or Lexi.

"Damn right, I'm not prudish..." Alexus groaned. "It's not like you haven't seen all of this." She pointed up and down her body. Even if she was wearing grubby overalls currently, he likely got the point. Her friend group would probably be all over celebrating the holiday. "They've seen it all too." She sighed performatively. "What's the plan?"

"We thought we'd hike up to the little swimming hole we used to hang out at back in college. The one off the main trail. I'll carry the cooler with us." Another toothy grin covered his face. He didn't need to take any time explaining; AJ could only be talking about a single spot outside their hometown. One that the pair had discovered in college and one that became a popular destination for their friends.

"Where we used to go skinny dipping?" She couldn't help a smile forming on her face. There were a lot of good times up at that swimming hole. Many personal first occurred there.

Most of the water in the region was either ice-cold snow melt or hot springs. Neither of those environments led to good swimming. A soak in the hot springs was nice, but it wasn't refreshing on a warm summer day. Even in the mountains, the sun could get oppressive, especially under the heat dome bearing down on them for the last month.

"Would it be an informal college reunion if it wasn't? They're demanding that Alex squared makes an appearance. It's been years since we've been up there. Now we don't have to worry about getting busted for skinny dipping or underage drinking."

The Alexes, Alex Squared, the twins, their friends had numerous nicknames for the pair. At one point, everyone was convinced that the couple was destined to be together, perhaps in another timeline. AJ was her outstanding manager, but it was never romantic, at least after high school. X discovered a year after starting college that she was a lesbian. A single kiss out at the swimming hole on a dare, and she learned something about herself. It connected a dot as to why she lost interest in her boyfriends.

Before that epic moment, X had dabbled in hetero-normative romance, but nothing had really stuck. She thought that perhaps she wasn't that into sex, but that wasn't the reason for her lack of reaction. The woman that Alexus had made out with on a dare had experience. They soon snuck off from the group, and Alexus suddenly knew who she was in more profound depth. There hadn't been a ton of romance in that joining, but it was much better than the three boyfriends she had tried before that day.

"Alright. You can't carry that big cooler by yourself to the spot." Lex teased. "Grab some of the good special reserves. Is someone bringing food?"

"I got stuff to make sandwiches at the apartment. Lucy and Salvy divided the rest of the stuff with the crew. I'm sure Luce is bringing her world-famous cookies." AJ had planned ahead; he knew he could get Alexus in on his scheme. The pair living together was the only way AJ wasn't going into significant debt while working on an MBA. It was also the key reason X got him to be her CEO, as the brewery rapidly expanded into new markets. The tank replacement would be just the start when the annex was opened next spring or summer. It would more than double the size of the brewery.

"Good. If we're going out today, I need to shower and do a little cleanup." Alexus circled her crotch to see if she could get a blush out of AJ. He was usually calm and confident, but Lex could make him stumble.

"You never know if some cute single ladies might be at the swimming hole." AJ's smile gleamed. Her ploy hadn't worked. He was a good wingman and even went with her to the LGBTQ-friendly bars around the area. X liked to return the favor to her best friend, though she didn't have the same luck.

"That would be a nice change of pace outside the all-consuming brewery." Before AJ worked here, Lexi probably put in 80-hour weeks all summer. She would at least take the weekends off only when the snowfall got deep.

"I think we should work that into the name of the IPA you're finally going to make." AJ's eyebrows waggled as he grabbed a few of the best six-packs out of the refrigerator in the taproom.

"Why? Am I suddenly going to whack my head on something and get a concussion?" Alexus was adamant that they didn't need an IPA. Maybe it was just the popularity and a stubborn streak, but her uncle always said that the style was popular as it was easy to cover up brewing sins with far too many hops and various add-ins.

"It would sell, X. I'll wear you down someday. Meet you back at home? I'm going to make a stop on the way."

Grace -- That same morning

Her typical unshakeable confidence wavered momentarily as Grace got out of her car. This is what you wear all the time at home. Celina is used to it. She told herself to calm her heart rate. She grabbed her purse and threw it over her shoulder as the warming sun and breeze caressed every millimeter of her body. Did I put on enough sunscreen? Her skin looked so pale out in the sunlight.

One more lean into the car, and Grace grabbed the two large coffees from the cup holders. I thought the guy at the coffee shop's eyes would bug out. Grace nearly chuckled. She couldn't have been the only one who had entered the café naked this morning. Not with their Nude Day two for one special going. Any attention since Bishop left has felt nice. She eased her front door open, hoping to not awaken Celina yet. She had gotten in from Denver pretty late last night.

Celina had to get through the late dinner service and pack before she could drive almost an hour outside Denver to Grace's place. Cel didn't get out of Denver that much anymore, but evidently, the restaurant business was highly competitive. Grace could identify with that as the only reason she was taking the week off as she was at the point of using it or losing it four years into her job. Her gung-ho attitude had gotten several promotions since she started, matching her bestie's meteoric rise. Cel was now the sous chef at one of the most famous restaurants in Colorado.

Grace couldn't avoid a little squeak as she pushed in the front door of her cottage home. Maybe I'll actually grease the hinge now. The fixer-upper house was supposed to be a project for Grace and Bishop. He didn't even blink when they wanted to move him to the main office in New York. She had honestly been expecting him to propose at any time. They had lived together for a year and were happy. Weren't we? She questioned again. It had been half a year since he broke it off less than a month after getting to New York. She had to delete him from social media when a tall, thin blonde appeared in all his pictures.

Celina was sitting on the couch in the front room watching Good Morning Colorado's coverage of the Nude Day parade in downtown Denver. Whoever was doing the live blurring of the feed was getting a workout in. This was the inaugural year of the state's official holiday recognition. It was also a bit of a trial run. It would continue if it went well and brought an influx of tourists. After buying coffee naked for the first time, Grace prayed that everything went positively.

"Grace!" Celina looked shocked. Four years after college, the woman was no longer used to Grace without clothes.

"I got coffee!" Grace didn't even acknowledge her nudity.

"I should have known this was a risk." Celina shook her head. "Damn, you look good, girl. How do you have time for the gym!?"

"Helps that I no longer have a boyfriend. I already went for a run this morning. Some of us are used to being up at five a.m." Grace shrugged and handed her a coffee. "I got you an extra shot of espresso."

"Thank you. Ten a.m. is early for me. Some of us don't leave work until midnight. You didn't go running dressed like that, did you?"

"Big negative on that one. These two bounce a little too much for that." Grace giggled as she bounced on her feet and shook her large natural breasts. "Some of us don't have artificial enhancements. I thought running bottomless would be a little weird."

"Just because my girls had surgical assistance doesn't mean they don't bounce. You sure you aren't going to burn outside without clothes?"

"It's not my first Nude Day."

"It's the first here in Colorado." Celina looked confused.

"So, it's my first legal Nude Day. It's been an unofficial holiday for some of us."

"You and your fellow nudists?"

"It hasn't been a group activity before other than skinny dipping." Grace concealed a wince. She wasn't ready to give away today's planned activity yet. "Not even Bish went along." Rae had connected with some fellow nudists online but had yet to meet up with any of them in the physical realm.

"Did he know?"

"Oh yeah, you think I can be home for long without shedding my carapace?"

"Carapace?" Celina snickered. "No, you couldn't. You only made it half a semester in school before you let me know."

"You almost caught me like seven times before you succeeded." Grace chuckled. She had tried to build up her courage several times in high school but could never pull the trigger on the conversation. Getting walked in on had been purposeful after several attempts in which she had chickened out.

"It was weird how you were always on the way to the shower."

"SPF 90 all the way. I might go through the whole bottle today." Grace brought the conversation back to the original question. She was a natural redhead with the pale skin and freckles that seemed to come with it. She had tan lines from her bikini this summer, but tan to burnt was a finicky and incredibly narrow band on her complexion. "I hope you brought some of your own, as I'm taking you somewhere special today."

"It's sweet that you think you'll get my ass out in public during Nude Day, Gracie." Celina flopped back against the recliner and visibly tied her robe shut.

"You came up here to hang out with your college friends, and you're not attending the main event?" Grace was incredulous.

The swimming hole was a secluded spot off the trail and out of any touristy places in the parks nearby. It had been discovered by two friends that had yet to be there when Grace and Celina were. Twin Alexes, or Alex squared, were a year older than Grace and Celina, but it was somewhat of a wonder how the only times they had been out at the swimming hole were when the pair of Alex was not.

"It's not like you didn't go skinny dipping back in school with us. Besides, I thought you would want to show off your enhancements." Grace continued.

"Really, Rae, you want to go galivanting out in the woods naked? What about bugs or creepy guys?" Celina was digging her heels in. Grace knew that Celina had some body image issues in high school, but that had never stopped the woman from participating at the swimming hole. Cel had become adept at battling those issues even before taking care of the problem bothering her most.

"We have bug spray and hiking boots. Plus this." Grace pulled a cylinder that resembled a small fire extinguisher out from her backpack that was packed and ready to go beside the couch. "If it works on bears, I'll bet it works on creeps too." She winked at Celina and then flopped onto her sofa. The coffee in her cup sloshed but didn't spill.

"It's just... They want to start advertising with me, and what if someone sees me out there naked?" Celina nervously fidgeted in the recliner.

"On Nude Day? I guarantee anyone up there will be just as underdressed as me. Come on, it's going to be a blast. We're bringing the chips, so we have it easy. Brad and Mel will meet us at the trailhead in an hour. You can stay here alone, but there will be beer, weed, and cute guys. How long has it been since that fuckwit cheated on you?"

"Before Bishop left you."

"See, too long. Grab your hiking boots and a wide-brim hat. I'm not going to let you mope on this trip, Cel. We mourned our relationships enough last time."

"Okay. If I have to."

"You do." Grace was forceful but then thought better. "I won't force you, but I promise you'll have fun."

"Since when did you care about weed being there, Grace?"

"I'm still the family rebel, but I know you used to indulge." Grace's parents were a couple of hippies. It was funny that her act of teenage rebellion was not smoking pot while her parents and siblings did.

"I hope someone brings the good stuff."

"We can stop by the dispensary on the way out of town. You don't have to get naked, Cel."

"Yeah, I do. None of the group would let me hear the end of it if I went to the skinny-dipping hole without adhering to the cultural norms."

"You want to know how I know you were a sociology major before you dropped out to become a kickass chef?"

Alex -- An hour after leaving the brewery

The plan had been to do a minor cleanup of her blonde pubic hair, but she couldn't keep the line straight, and suddenly it was gone. Taking a razor and tweezers to any stray hairs took a while, but AJ making sandwiches and his stop was likely to take longer.

A look in the mirror and Lex took stock of her appearance as she brushed her bobbed, straight blonde hair. It looked better free of the hair net; it was a constant accessory at her brewery. Alex was short, just a single vital inch over five feet. Her breasts were neither large nor small, with small puffy nipples. At least they're really perky. X thought as she smeared SPF fifty all over her pale skin. She was never capable of a deep, luscious tan, and spending nearly all her time at the brewery exasperated the issue.

The moving of heavy sacks of grain and ingredients had toned her body spectacularly. Doing squats with fifty pounds of barley a hundred times a day meant she had little need for a gym membership. Lex might be small, but she was a dynamo. She spun around to examine her pert booty. It seemed to have benefited the most from lugging barley and hops around the tanks. It was a far better workout than all the time she spent at the gym in college.

Try as she may, there was a spot in the middle of her back she couldn't quite reach with sunscreen. AJ will have to help. Staying naked would help with the anxious energy simmering in her nervous system.

After tying on a pair of obnoxiously pink hiking boots, she put on a black cowboy hat and left her bedroom to see if AJ was home yet. She was never one to do anything halfway. If Lexi was going to celebrate Nude Day, she would jump in with both feet.

"Done with sandwiches?" Lex questioned as she walked through the kitchen to get beach towels from a laundry basket.

"I was just finishing up," AJ responded while washing his hands. Several baguettes from a local bakery had been turned into cold-cut filled works of art. The man took his sandwich game seriously.

"Good, I need help with sunscreen." She slammed her high-proof lotion onto a corner of the granite island.

"Oh... wow!" AJ stammered for a moment after he turned around. "You look great!"

"Come on, I can't be the only one participating!" Lex smirked. "I got us a nude-friendly ride share." She was shocked that it was an option on the local rideshare app, but everyone seemed to be going hard on the new holiday. They had to bring their own towels to sit on in the car for sanitary reasons.

"Uh... yeah. Are you sure about that?" AJ questioned but started to undo his belt.

"Like I said, I'm not a prude. You stopped at Big Green's on the way, didn't you?" Big Green's was the closest and AJ's favorite dispensary. It wasn't the place's real name but a local nickname for the giant cartoonish anthropomorphic pot leaf on a light-up sign.

"I did; I got some gummies." He confessed.

"No blunts? That's not like you." Lex teased.

"I've gotten into edibles since college." AJ shrugged.

"You're not driving high, and one beer might get me tanked."

"On account of how tiny you are?" AJ laughed.

"Yes." Lexi stuck out her tongue at AJ. "Neither of us is driving."

"What about getting home? We don't always get reception up there." AJ shucked his shirt.

Alejandro was a tall man with a dark tan complexion that he got from his father. His brown hair perfectly blended his mother's platinum blond tone and father's black locks. Although he was only twenty-six, a small tuft of gray intermingled with the hair of his neatly styled goatee. Over the last few years, a massive influx of stress had made a few stray hairs become something more. Tone muscles on a lean body advertised better for their neighborhood gym than the billboard ever could. He was an attractive man, Lexi would readily admit, even if he wasn't her type.

"Lucy is going to be there, and she's preggers. She already volunteered to play DD."

"I was thinking of taking the tent in case we party a little too hard. It gets cold up there at night."

"Might as well take my pack with some clothes as it won't be Nude Day in the morning. We'd have to get dressed when we hit the trailhead."

"Too bad, but you're right. Uhh... Sorry." AJ stuttered a little again as he dropped his pants. "It's been a while since I've gotten undressed in front of a cute naked woman."

AJ's cock was standing at full attention from a very well-groomed thatch of pubic hair. Although Alexus had only ever been with three guys, AJ being her first and last, she knew he was big and thick. He was also a gentle, generous, compassionate lover who ensured she had a good time even if she preferred ladies. His big straight cock's foreskin was wholly pulled back, showing a straining purple head that looked on the verge of spitting.

The rest of the man looked good. He was tall and toned, which had not come about naturally. He had been mostly skin and bones until AJ was in the middle of college and found weight training as stress relief. His life since had made that form of self-care critical. He had gone to college to take over his father's mill and grain company.