Familiar Friends & Flirtatious Fun

The SUV tumbled through the gravel roads like a poorly made theme ride, threatening to send Kali's uneasy stomach into knots. The road was flanked on either side by thick forests, blocking any view other than the oppressively dense trees. She and her four friends had been trudging down the poorly kept trail for the better part of an hour, following the promise of a half decent lake house so out of the way that most people could not be bothered to travel to, but just as she was beginning to wonder if the trek had even been worth it, Nathanial called out in relief from the passenger seat, "Damn, finally. It's up here on the left."

Rey practically climbed over Kali to get to the window, and she shoved her back with a laugh. The trees slowly thinned and broke, revealing a glimpse of the lakeshore and a beautiful view of the mountains. As they came around the last bend, they got a view of the cabin, sitting just above the waterline with a simple pier jutting out into the lake. The forest cluttered tightly around the cabin, but enough was cleared out to make room for an outdoor seating area, a fire pit, and even an old fashioned timber swing set. All the way across the lake, Kali could see tiny houses and buildings clustered together, the public cabins and campgrounds far more crowded due to the easier access.

As they clambered out of the car, Liz and Rey excitedly ran off to check out the cabin. Kali rolled her eyes and started grabbing her bags as the guys began to unbury them. Tucking her long black hair into a messy bun, she shouldered her heavy duffle, and growled under her breath, cursing her ex, Ian. They had gotten into a huge fight the week before and had broken up practically on the eve of the big trip, leaving her to pay for their part of the cost as well as making her something of a fifth wheel on the vacation. She had debated just not joining them at all, but her friends had insisted that she come, if for nothing else than to have fun without Ian. Buried in her angry thoughts and weighed down by her two heavy duffles, Kali misjudged her step and nearly tumbled up the stairs of the cabin before a hand caught her arm.

"Ope," Weyland said with a grunt as he helped her steady herself, "Careful. It's been awhile since I studied up on my bushcraft first aid. Don't want to crack your head open before you even get into the cabin."

Kali let out a flustered chuckle, "Sorry. Just mentally cursing Ian again. It's where half my mental energy is going these days."

He just shrugged, "Sounds like a worthy focus, but maybe *after* you've navigated the treacherous terrain known as 'stairs'?" She laughed and nodded, grunting as she fought her bags inside. Kali had known Weyland the longest, growing up with him since middle school. He had always been a bit quiet but reliable. He was tall and lean, short dark hair framing a usually nervous expression on his face. They had bonded as nerdy outcasts back then, never really joining the "popular" crowds or trends.

With a screech, Liz shot by, nearly bowling her over in the front doorway, and Kali resisted the urge to trip her friend with one of the duffles. Liz had been the opposite of Kali before they met, always joining social clubs and hanging with the popular crowds. However, she had managed to avoid letting high school be her peak and had actually developed into a decent person, even though she was flamboyantly sociable. Despite growing up a bit since high school, her rambunctious personality was as colorful as her flame red hair.

As Kali muscled her bags inside, Nate came back to help lift them into the dining room. He was taller than the rest of the group, built like a freight train yet steadfast and calm. Despite their near opposite personalities, Liz had been dating him for a couple of years ever since hooking up with him at a friend's wedding. Unlike many of her flings, Nate actually seemed to ground her in a semblance of responsible maturity while still encouraging her playful side. Kali had not thought anyone was capable of taming her friend, but he somehow managed.

With a huff, Kali finally dropped her bags, then collapsed in a heap on top of them, more weary from the long drive than the short exercise of unloading. Liz tore by again, a fistful of bathing suit in her hand and already kicking off her shoes as she giggled and motioned everyone to the lake. Rey followed behind, still tying her long brown hair back and pulling off her shoes, though she managed to shove both hers and Liz's against the wall before following the red headed ball of energy outside. Compared to Liz, Rey was a Tibetan monk. The brunette was always calm and in control, which was probably why Weyland was so fond of her. However, she had a quiet confidence that he lacked, and somehow managed to even pull him out of his trademark quiet comfort zone from time to time. Despite being the newest of the group, Kali felt like she could relate the most to Rey's calm and thoughtful demeanor.

Weyland came over to Kali on the pile of luggage, holding a hand out to her, "C'mon, let's go swimming, it'll be nice after the long drive."

Kali took his hand and smirked, "You think you had it bad? You were driving. I was stuck in the middle seat all the way here!"

He rolled his eyes and dig his trunks out of his bag, "I'll cook dinner. Will that make us even?"

"Deal," Kali replied and left to change.

After a late afternoon swim in the crystal clear lake, Kali dragged herself inside, still tired but feeling far less sore and irritable. The rest of the group followed shortly after, and Weyland started up dinner as everyone else started to unpack. The cabin was rather nice in a modest sort of way, with an ample kitchen and three small rooms as well as a small social space with a couch and a love seat. Clearly, it was designed as little more than a shaded respite from the beautiful outdoors, however it was cozy enough that the five of them did not feel too cramped when they all crashed in the small living room area for dinner: a smattering of bacon, potatoes, and grilled vegetables.

By the time they gorged themselves on the meal, everyone was exhausted and ready for bed. The couples retreated to their rooms, leaving Kali with a pang of loneliness in her gut, but she shoved it down and bid the rest of her group goodnight with a smile.

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The next morning, Kali awoke with the sun, a bit cold and sore from sleeping on an unfamiliar mattress. With a stretch, she climbed out of bed and dug in her bag for something to wear. Lazily, she settled for just a pair of fresh underwear and her baggy t shirt. It was not anything her friends had not seen before. Liz and Weyland had been her friends long enough not to care about a bit of skin showing, and their significant others had joined them for more than a few nights of strip tease drinking nights. Besides, it was a vacation, and they were supposed to be here to relax. Kali stumbled out of her room in her ragged attire, but immediately felt overdressed when she came across Nate and Liz in the dining room.

Liz sat on the edge of the table, bare naked save the robe that barely held onto one shoulder and bunched up behind her. She was leaned back onto her palms, back arched with her bare chest catching the morning light. Nate was still in his boxers, but he was on one knee, leaning into her, face buried between her spread legs. Kali froze as she stepped into the doorway, ready to flee in embarrassment but the sight actually made her pause. Liz was a scandalous flirt and Nate was an attractive, athletic guy, but the view of the pair was actually rather... beautiful. Her body shivering, his back muscles shifting, their bodies moving and twisting into each other, the sunrise pouring into the old cabin... The entire view was magnificent, in that way that being on a mountaintop made looking at postcards seem irrelevant or cheap.

Suddenly, Liz gasped with excitement and threw her head back, incidentally catching her friend's eye. Kali froze and blushed realizing she had been caught staring. However, Liz merely smirked, letting Nate continue for a couple more seconds before tapping on his shoulder and pulling her robe closed. He turned and saw Kali, then laughed nervously as he hurriedly wiped off his face and stood up.

Kali let out a timid smile, "Sorry to... interrupt..."

Shaking his head, Nate cleared his throat, "No! No, sorry. We didn't realize anyone else was up."

"Yeah," Liz growled in feigned disdain, "since when do you get up this early?"

Desperate to change the subject, Kali brushed her hair back and stepped into the kitchen, "I don't know. I think the fresh air makes me more of a morning person. You guys want breakfast?"

Nate nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'll help."

"Don't worry about him," Liz said, "he already ate."

Nate glowered at her, but Kali could not suppress a giggle.

Liz just shrugged, "Geez babe, relax and stop trying to pretend she didn't just walk in and see your tongue half way up my-"

"Liz!" Kali exclaimed, though she still could not fight the smile off her face.

Her friend waved her hands and raised an eyebrow, "What? You two are so wound up. C'mon Kali, you've walked in on me doing WAY worse with guys. Don't pretend like you didn't enjoy it."

Kali stammered and blushed.

Liz waved at her and just prattled on, "We're here to relax. Don't be so uptight."

The other two just stood there silent and awkward.

"Christ on a bike," Liz exclaimed, then motioned to Nate, "Come on, Babe. Let's take a shower, otherwise you'll knock the toaster off the counter with that."

Kali could not help but shoot a quick glance down at Nate's boxers and decidedly agreed with Liz's assessment while he just shrugged and allowed himself to be dragged off to the bathroom.

Once they left, Kali went back to looking for breakfast, but found herself distracted as she stared into the fridge. Liz was right, that had not been the first time she had walked in on her playing with a guy. Kali's friend was far from timid when it came to her sexuality. However, that was not what Kali's mind was stuck fantasizing about. For a fleeting moment when she had walked into the room, her first thought had been... rather sultry. She had not thought of darting away or getting their attention to avoid further embarrassment. Kali's first thought, however fleeting, had been to step in and wrap herself around Nate as he played with Liz. It had been a wildly intrusive thought, like the urge to trip Liz when she had been annoyingly running around the day before, something her unfiltered mind threw into the foreground before her practical side dismissed it. Still, the thought had made her freeze long enough to get caught, which, embarrassing as it was, had been exhilarating enough on its own. Yet, even that had-

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled Kali, and she yelped and spun around to find Weyland looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "You... alright there?" He asked with a smirk.

"Um... yeah..." Kali stammered, "I was just trying to figure out what to have for breakfast.

Weyland stepped forward, tilting his head to one side. He was still in his pajamas, just light flannel pants and no shirt. After a moment, he nodded, "Well, for one, we didn't bring that much so it's not like there's a ton of options for food." She laughed at that, but he leaned in knowingly, "Secondly, we've been friends long enough for me to know when you are mulling over more than just breakfast."

Kali blushed and scratched at the back of her neck.

He leaned in further, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Especially when I find you staring into space in front of the fridge while you... uh... touch yourself."

Kali blanched, then realized he was right. She had not even noticed that her hand had idly began rubbing the front of her cotton panties as she fantasized over Nate and Liz, "I- I just- it's just early you know and-"

Weyland raised his hands up and shook his head, "Hey, don't worry about it. Didn't mean to interrupt your... morning routine or anything." With that, he grabbed a couple of the juice boxes they brought and retreated back to his room.

After he left, Kali all but ran back to her room and buried her face in the pillows, so embarrassed that she wanted to just run to the car and drive off.

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By the time Kali had emerged from her room again, it was closer to lunch than breakfast and she was starving. She had ditched the baggy shirt for her light sundress, and she was beginning to wish she had packed something more conservative to hide away in. Weyland, Rey, Nate, and Liz were already ambling about the house, finishing sorting the last of the bags and discussing what activities they should do first.

Rey caught Kali's eye as she came in and smiled, and Kali just nodded and tried to stay invisible in the background. As quietly as possible, she made herself a sandwhich and settled into the kitchen, hoping to just slowly fade back into everyone's periphery and maybe be able to continue their vacation as if nothing had happened that morning. However, by the time she settled into her seat, she suddenly realized the room had grown dead quiet. Looking up from her plate, she saw her friends looking her way and sharing telling glances between each other.

Liz opened her mouth to say something, but something welled up in Kali, and she desperately spoke over her friend.

"Okay look, I didn't mean to walk in on you and Nate this morning, alright? Honest accident. And you," she blurted, turning to Weyland, "I've had alot on my mind lately. After Ian, I get all up in my headspace, and sometimes it just makes my mind just... wander off you know? I get it! We are on vacation, and we are supposed to relax, but I'm just dealing with some stuff okay. So I'm sorry!"

Frustrated, she glanced around at the silent room, then sat back with a huff, not knowing if the rant had made her feel better or worse.

Liz paused for a second, then grinned with arrogant mischief. Looking about the room, she let out an exaggeratively sigh, "See, I told you. It's even worse than I thought..."

Eyes darting around in confusion, Kali just sank further into her seat, crossing her arms.

The group sat in silence for a long moment, then Weyland piped up, speaking in his usual easy tone, "Hey, we all know that Ian leaving has been rough. It's why we insisted so much that you still come with us."

Rey smiled softly and nodded, "Yeah, it wouldn't be the same without you here, and I'd hate to think of you sitting back at home by yourself just sulking."

"Just cut loose, girl!" Liz added teasingly, "forget that schmuck."

As Kali felt the impromptu intervention closing in on her, she began to feel frustratingly defensive. "I'm not like you, Liz!" She yelled angrily, springing back up to her feet, "for fuck's sake! You two were going full porno in the goddamn dining room, and I'M the one we are talking about?! I can't just throw all inhibitions to the wind and prance around like that. Unlike you, I have to live in the real world. I can't go around acting like the rules don't apply to me!" As she answered, she grew more and more angry, flailing her arms around and jabbing her finger at her friend.

As Kali stopped, heaving to catch her breath, Liz just leaned back amused, arms spread tauntingly, "Why not? Just relax. We're all friends. We all know each other. We've all seen plenty of that stuff. We're in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere."

"Fine!" Kali said, completely enraged. With no one chiming in to help her, she was beginning to feel cornered, "I'll play it your way. To hell with acting fucking civilized! For the rest of the week, you're in charge." She motioned at the room, "All of you. Clearly you all seem to know better than me, so fuck it, I'll just follow along and do it your guys' way."

Liz raised an eyebrow, leaning forward with a mischievous grin, "and you'll actually listen to us? Maybe even let loose a little?"

"Yup," Kali said, throwing her arms out in frustration, "Whatever I have to do to keep you all from giving me shit about 'not relaxing'." As she spoke, her tone grew venomous and she mimed the quotations to emphasize her sarcasm.

Liz sprang up, holding out her hand, "Deal."

Kali raised an eyebrow, then rolled her eyes and apathetically shook Liz's hand.

Her friend squealed in glee, the spun around, hands on her hips, "All of you are my witnesses, right?"

Nate lifted his drink and nodded, and Rey shrugged and smiled.

"Huzzah! A gentle ladies' agreement!" Weyland declared jokingly.

Liz spun back around on her heel, then smiled maniacally, "Good. Let's get started." With a pause, she held out her hand, palm up and stared Kali in the eye, "Give me your panties."

"What?" Kali exclaimed, her anger spiking into appalled panic.

"You said I'm in charge," Liz answered rather matter of fact, "So you are going to pull off your panties, and you are going to hand them over."

Kali looked about the room for help, but no one said anything. Weyland just shrugged, and Rey gave her a plaintive look.

"A deal's a deal," Nate chimed in.

Kali looked at her friend pleadingly, "C'mon Liz, that's not what I meant."

Unwavering, Liz continued to hold out her hand, "You want to do it my way, then we are doing it my way. It's time for you to relax, enjoy this vacation, and forget about that asshole that dumped you. So, you can either trust me and stick to the deal, or you can pout in the corner all week while the rest of us have fun. What will it be?" As she asked, she motioned with her open hand.

Making one last desperate look around, Kali sighed and dropped her head. With a growl, she bent over and pulled her panties down from under her sundress, peeling them off her ankles before shoving them into Liz's hand. As she did, the rest of the group suddenly grew more interested, leaning in with intense curiosity. Rey whispered something in Weyland's ear, and he nodded with a grin.

Liz spun on her heel, striking a pose with one hand on her hip and the other twirling Kali's panties around her finger, "Okay, what's next guys?"

Kali crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, determined to put up with her friend's antics if it killed her. However, she could feel her face becoming bright red from her uncontainable embarrassment.

Nate smiled and rubbed his hands together, "Mmm, the possibilities..."

"Be nice guys," Weyland said, "No need to get power hungry now."

Liz turned to him, "You're saying you don't see the fun this could be?"

"I mean," Weyland acquiesced, "I didn't say that."

"Kali," Rey called suddenly, seemingly ignoring Liz and Weyland's retorts, "Come here."

Kali made a face at Liz and strode over, feigning apathetic confidence with an exaggerative bow, "Yes mistress of mine. What bidding do you command."

Weyland snickered, but Rey seemed unfazed, "Take a seat." As she spoke, she patted Weyland's lap beside her, scooting over to give a bit of space.

Eyes widening, Kali's expression grew cynical, "C'mon! Liz just stole my underwear."

"Yeah, Babe," Weyland said, already shifting nervously, "I don't think-"

His words were cut off as Rey shot him a very telling look, then turned back to Kali, "Either you're following our orders or not. Kind of defeats the purpose if you're just going to listen to the easy ones."

With a pitiful groan, Kali stepped over to Weyland, tucking her short dress under her as much as possible. Turning to face away from him, she sat back onto his lap, trying to keep her legs clenched closed as much as possible.

Rey made a little "tsk tsk" noise, and motioned at her with a twirling finger, "Not like that. Turn around."

Squealing in excitement, Liz ran over and plopped next to her boyfriend on the couch, watching intensely. Rey and Nate both also seemed to be waiting eagerly. Kali looked over her shoulder, but Weyland merely held his hands out in surrender and pursed his lips.