Developing Friends

Spring may have arrived. The warm air on the skin after months of chill and rain was welcome, so Robert and Anna decided to go for a little walk, take in the fresh air and see how the local wildlife was coping.

The nature reserve was close by, but a bit too far to visit daily. It was also slightly dull and cold in winter, the exposed banks, no longer shielded by the trees and bushes, meaning the wind whipped off the river and chilled you to the core if you stood still for just a few moments.

She sat on the bench as he scanned the lake below for anything interesting. It was mainly winter birds still, the spring migrants still miles and miles away, heading from the tropics to their summer homes. Still, he was excited to see some insects buzzing around the trees as the branches had began to push new life into the warmer air.

"Anything good?"

The stranger was tall and slim, but older that Robert. He had a wiry body and a slightly leathered skin, clearly spending many hours under the sun.

"No, not yet" answered Robert, "too early."

Anna looked up from the bench, shielding her eyes and moving her head so that the older man's head now blocked the sun. "Hi" she cheerily said.

"Hello young lady" and the older man tipped an imaginary hat to her. "How are you on this lovely day?"

Robert continued to look through the binoculars as Anna began to chat to her new friend.

"Oh, isn't the weather lovely? I do love the sun on my skin. So lovely after the winter. I cannot wait to go to a beach and just lie in the warm sand and soak up the sun."

"I love the sun" the older man stated, rather obviously. "I love it when it gets warm enough to feel it on your body. I do like to feel it all over my body."

Robert stopped scanning the water upon hearing this. Maybe he misheard, but had this stranger just admitted he liked naturism within minutes of meeting them?

Anna didn't quite get the reference, so maybe Robert has got it wrong.

"Yes, I love the sun on me. Being on a beach is good. More sun!" she giggled.

"You don't have to go to a beach" the stranger knowingly said. "When the plants grow there are plenty of places to go."

Robert was convinced now, this man was suggesting naturism. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it was just strange as a conversation starter.

Anna looked around at the bare trees. The road across the lake was visible, as was the river path behind. She looked somewhat confused by the conversation.

"Go where?" she finally asked.

The stranger looked around and waved his hand vaguely. "Lots of spots away from the public. Gaps in the bushes. Paths that go nowhere, unless you know better."

Anna looked at him as if he was talking in riddles. Robert kept the binoculars to his eyes to avoid joining in.

"You could just sit on a bench." Anna replied.

"People might not like that."

Anna thought about this, but still had missed the point and missed it by a long way.

"Why?" She quizzed.

The man looked down at her, the sun still behind him, giving a mystic look to Anna as she blinked up at him. "Some people have objections to skin."

The penny teetered on the edge and then finally fell.

"Oh"

"You see, there is your answer, you are shocked by that."

"No. No" Anna stumbled to extract herself from this, "I just didn't realise. I mean, who would sunbathe in a crowded area? I only do it on a beach and then with my costume." She tried to explain away.

The man sighed gently. "Such a shame, the sun on your body is so wonderful, it makes you feel alive" and he exhaled loudly.

Anna thought about this. Her voice was small and shy now "I don't have the body or confidence. I could never do it."

The stranger looked long and hard at Anna and turned so he was facing her, his outline visible with the light behind him.

"I do not have the body, but I have my body" he waved a hand down with a flourish. "Everyone has their body and it does not matter if another likes or dislikes it. You should be free to embrace your skin and not care of others. Looking at you, it seems there is nothing wrong with you, you have a perfectly good body that should see more sun and feel the warmth on your skin." He then turned sideways again and stared out over the water.

Robert was still silent. He agreed with all the man said, but he also knew he would never be naked in public, even if hidden by vegetation.

Anna sat and pondered. "So" finally she spoke "you come here and sunbath nude?"

"Yes" the man turned to her again. "There are area where you cannot be seen easily, once the bushes bloom. It is very liberating, especially after hard times at work or in life. The sun takes the worries away."

"Apart from the worry of being caught." responded Anna and her and the man chuckled.

"The worst that can happen is someone laughs at my naked body." and the pair giggled again.

"I would worry someone would scream at seeing me" sighed Anna.

Again the man turned to her and looked stern. "Why? Why would they do that? They would be an idiot." He then bent lower to see her face better. "Do not take this the wrong way, but to these old eyes you look great. As I said, everyone should be happy with their skin and not care for others." He stood straight again, sighed and then spoke into the distance, at no one in particular, "but people are strange and hurtful. They mock and laugh at others instead of being kind. I would never laugh at a naked person, only look for something good to say, to look for the positives." Then he turned to the girl again and continued "Also, I am so grateful to see anyone else naked, I am in no position to complain!" and he laughed, Anna joining in slightly nervously.

Robert felt it could be time to join in and try and get the conversation going somewhere else. "I will have to be careful where I point my binoculars when i come in summer then."

The older man chuckled and then leaned towards Robert. He pointed down to an area closer to the water with dear reeds close by. "When those reeds grow, it is VERY secluded" and he winked.

Now all three were giggling and slightly more relaxed.

A few moments of silence followed until Anna broke it "Maybe I will bring my binoculars next time." and, for once, the older man was lost for words as Robert glanced at his girlfriend. She laughed and the two men followed suit.

"I could send you a message when I'm here" giggled the stranger, before realising that may be entirely the wrong thing to say.

"I would not do anything like that close to home" Anna replied, luckily not taking the comment the wrong way, "what if the landlady saw, or someone I knew?"

"Just invite them to join you" answered the naturism veteran.

All three chuckled again. Luckily for the older man the young couple had a sense of humour and hadn't been outraged at his line of chat. The young woman even seemed to be enjoying it now.

Anna was now in the flow "Do things, erm... how to put this?" The two men looked at her. "Well, you know. You are naked and enjoying it. When a man is enjoying things... A woman doesn't really have the same problems." she was red faced now, having started a conversation she wished she hadn't. "Oh, forget it, I was just curious."

The stranger understood and, continuing his theme of kindness, didn't mock the young woman. "Sometimes things come up, yes" he said, matter of factly. "If you are alone, it is OK. If there is a hot person there, it can be.... awkward."

"Oh." Then Anna thought. "You said a hot person, but have also said people shouldn't be concerned about their body. Hmmm?" she glanced up at him and tilted her head, quizzically at the man.

"Well spotted, young lady. The fact is, having anyone next to me would be hot! I do love seeing a body. Any body. It is thrilling. Human bodies are lovely" and he sighed into the distance again.

"What do you do when that happens then?" Anna was very curious now. "A man cannot hide that. I guess women are luckier."

Now it was his turn to ponder. Another sigh. "It does not happen often. I cannot remember the last time it did. Well, I can remember it, but it was years ago. Anyway, some woman do show... nipples, for example." and now he blushed at having said that.

Anna looked down "Yes" she sighed. "They can be a problem even with clothes" and Robert turned to look at her as she began to reveal a lot with her words.

The man looked down at her and cocked his head. "With clothes? Why?"

Anna glanced down at her chest and wondered about continuing this conversation with the stranger. "Well" she began and stopped. Another sigh from her. "Mine can show without my armour of a bra."

The man smile at her. A warm smile of a friend, not a stranger that had been in her life for ten minutes. "And?" He glanced down at her chest briefly. "So what? The body should be free, not cooped up in 'armour'. Yes, people may look, but they cannot touch, right? It is your body, not theirs. Yours to do what YOU want. If I was this young man I would tell you to take the shielding off" and glancing at Robert, he added "right?"

Now Robert was firmly in the conversation. "I say that, but..." and he shrugged. Now he spoke across the water to no one in particular. "I always tell her how great her body is" and the two other turned to see where the direction the words went.

A lone Robin sang from near them.

Robert scanned the water again as the bird song filled the empty air.

Anna's voice was soft, almost apologetic for asking. "What did happen last time?"

He sighed, looked down and spoke quietly "It was nice. We were in a quiet spot. He was younger, probably about your age" he nodded towards Robert. "We were lying there and I stirred because someone was near. He liked that I found him nice and he stirred too." the man blushed when he said stirred, trying to find a word that wouldn't offend the couple, but would convey the situation. "We both admired each other and the reactions. " he stopped suddenly, his brain searching for suitable words.

"And?" probed Anna and then, for clarification she wasn't missing something this time, "by stirred, I assume you mean you were aroused?"

The man nodded, cleared his throat and continued. "We were both very aroused. So, we looked at each other and took matters into our hands." He smiled at the memory.

Anna looked at him and he sensed more questions, so decided to be crystal clear, or as clear as the water in the lake, at least "I took his in my hand and he took mine in his... Then we relaxed in the sun."

"Nice." Said Anna, which surprised the man. "What would happen if it was a woman though?"

He cleared his throat again. "Well. Mostly it depends on the person. Not all men do what that one did. The last time a woman joined me, she watched."

"Watched?" Again, Anna wanted to be sure nothing was lost.

"Yes. She saw my 'stirrings' and looked at me." He laughed as the memory returned. "She said something about me having a sundial in my pocket and it casting a shadow. So I started and she watched."

"She did not join in?" Anna was so curious now.

"No. She stroked her breasts and asked if I liked them to help me. I took care of myself and she helped by talking to me. She did not touch at all. Shame."

"Yes, shame." concluded Anna.

Robert was intrigued by this conversation, it was far from anything Anna had ever had before.

The Robin sang again.

Anna chuckled, looked at the man and giggled some more "So, if i sunbathed next to you, there would be a strange tan line from the 'sundial.'"

The man felt some stirring at the thought of this girl beside him as he sunbathed.

"It might be a problem, yes" he giggled, trying to get his mind off her body next to his naked one. "You could always wear a bikini," he said, for no real reason other than to keep this conversation going.

"True. But I could sunbathe in a swimming costume anywhere. If it was bra and knickers, that would be different. Why is that?" Anna was getting into that now.

"It might depend on the underwear, I suppose" Robert joined in. "Lacy knickers might attract attention, but swimwear not so."

The Robin continued to fill in the gaps.

"So" the man's voice, now louder after the recent subdued conversation startled the couple, "when will you be joining me?" and he laughed, but the intent was serious to him.

They both laughed and Anna was first to respond "When the weather is better and there are more places to hide!"

Both men looked at her and she continued "but I would not get my clothes off in public. I could not. Even if you think every body is great, I am not that sure." and her eyes were downcast again.

The Robin began to sing, but the man spoke over it. "Maybe when the weather improves I can find out."

The Robin didn't come to the rescue this time, even it was stunned.

Anna snorted quietly as she looked down. "I doubt I would show in public. Not how you would want anyway. Sorry."

"Never say never. I am just a dirty old man that loves bodies. I don't like it when a person thinks they should hide theirs. Everyone should be able to be naked if they want. I swap naked photos with friends from around the world. I love taking photos, when I was younger I would attend life model sessions for drawing and photography. It is not about the sex, it is about loving the human form. I loved seeing a model through the viewfinder of my camera, focussing on aspects of their body they might not have noticed. Having them show themself to me. It was beautiful."

He sighed deeply after his speech.

This time Robert broke the silence. "Photography? You like photography?"

"Yes, years ago I was very keen. Now not so much. I lost touch with it. I would not know where to get film for my cameras and I find digital ones too... well, too complex and fiddly!"

Robert reached into his bag on the bench and pulled out his old film camera and the man's eyes lit up. "My my!" I had one of those. A Pentax K1000?" Heavy as a brick, but reliable."

Anna rolled her eyes as the men started to talk cameras. The older man was intrigued why Robert still used film and also about processing "The problem I had was where to get my naughtier photos developed" he explained. "I did black and white at home, I had a little darkroom, but colour was a problem."

"I have done some colour processing at home. Black and white is all done by me. I scan the negatives as I have no darkroom."

"I had access to a studio, years ago. It was great, fabulous models, cameras and a studio. Now I just have an old camera" and his voice trailed off with a hint of sadness.

"I have cameras, film and a scanner." Said Robert, slightly envious of the studio and darkroom setup.

The man looked at Anna. "You have a model!" and she blushed.

"No, No, I am not a model. No."

"Anyone can be a model, you just pose for the photos. I bet you pose for him when you go out."

"That is different, I do not pose in a studio. I am not a real model." Anna was defiant on this.

"You are a model. I would love to have such a model. No one wants an old man taking their photos now. People joke about no film in my camera, suggesting I am just there to see the young girls. I would love to take photos again." Again the sadness wrapped around his voice as he spoke.

The Robin sang again.

"We should go out and take photos some time." Robert suggested. "I prefer nature photography, I am not so good with humans."

"That is a nice idea, young man. Maybe this lovely model can accompany us"

Again, Anna blushed. "I am not a model!" she emphasised.

"I will need to find my cameras and see if they work" the man said "maybe you can help me check them over, young man." and Robert agreed he could. "I had some medium format ones, a Rolleiflex and the Pentax 35mm." The man seemed excited about restarting his hobby. "Then we just need a darkroom!"

Robert laughed. "I can develop the black and white, maybe colour too. I scan the negatives. You can get prints from the scans. I know it's not the same, but it is a start. and will get you back into the swing of it."

The men swapped telephone numbers and agreed to chat soon, once the older one had found his cameras. They were about to part when Anna spoke.

"What's your name? I'm Anna and this is Robert." Typical men, she thought, agreed on stuff and don't even exchange names.

"Sam. Sam I am," he said and bowed at Anna. "Very pleased to have met such a beautiful couple."

They both blushed then as they said their goodbyes and turned and walked in opposite directions.

The Robin carried on, alone now, singing it's plaintive song.

Anna and Robert chatted as they walked home, she looking back to make sure Sam wasn't there. "That was a bit odd" she said "I mean, he was quite suggestive, yet charming."

Robert agreed "I didn't know what to make of him. He was hitting on you, but then it felt as if he was just a bit lonely and was enjoying teasing a young woman. He seems quite harmless really. Maybe a bit of a perv, but a safe one" and they laughed. Anna had often teased her boyfriend about being a safe pervert.

"It's odd to think that people are naked sunbathing around here" she said and waved her arms towards the budding bushes. "Be funny to stumble across them!"

"I think he'd like it if you, or someone, did."

"Yes. I think so too. Be careful when you go taking photos, he might strip off" and they both laughed at the thought.

"Well, I'll have a model if he does" chuckled Robert.

A few moments of quiet descended as they wandered along the path towards their flat, both deep in thought about their encounter.

Anna broke the spell. "He said a lot of nice things. Things you have said about me too, but it is hard to believe" she looked down at her body "Maybe he just wanted to see my tits" she laughed.

"Who wouldn't?"

"Maybe i should be braver and comfortable with my body."

Moments later, as if to help Anna along, a woman walked past with a tight t-shirt and no bra. Her breasts bounced beneath the cotton. They were sagging slightly, but she clearly didn't care. Moments later another, this time with smaller breasts, the nipples pointing out.

When they had passed, Anna remarked "Wow. But, that didn't look that bad, just breasts. Would you get upset if I looked like that?"

Robert turned to his girlfriend "No, yours are SO much better. I love seeing them and you look great. If you are comfortable, I am ok with it. Besides, I am the one who gets to touch and kiss them, who cares if other see them?"

"See, you ARE a pervert. OK. Maybe one day I will go out without a bra. I will wear three layers though" and they laughed again.

The couple had finished dinner and were relaxing when Robert received a message.

"FOUND MY CAMERAS" then a follow up "some of them."

He replied to congratulate Sam and asked what the condition of them was.

"They look ok. hard to tell. The lenses are clear. Want to see them?"

Robert thought that was a silly question. They were cameras! "OF COURSE!" was his reply.

The whatsapp number rang and Robert answered to see Sam holding up a lovely old camera. It was the Rolleiflex, a bit battered, but still looking great.

Sam said hello and then began to explain that the camera looked ok, the glass was clean and the focus worked, but he couldn't get the shutter to work. He held the camera up so Robert could see.

"Hmmm, that is different to my old one. It may have shutter lock feature, so it will not fire unless it has been wound on."

Sam peered at the front of the camera, checking everything was ok there, then opened the back and held that up so Robert could see. "It all looks good inside" he explained "but I turned the winder and pressed the shutter ok, but now won't do anything."

Robert and Sam chatted as the latter held the camera up for viewing. Robert decided to switch to his laptop, so he could get a better view.