Look Pretty, Play Dirty

It was the time between summer and autumn. The leaves on the towering oak trees lining the pathway were rustling restlessly, preparing to change from green to gold to orange to brilliant red. Flowers of all colors bloomed in neatly arranged beds, the sweet smell of honeysuckle hanging thickly in the air. Vibrant oranges and yellows streaked the western sky like a watercolor painting as the sun hung precariously on the horizon. The campus was nearly silent, except for the soft steps of two people--a young man and woman--walking in time over the brick-paved surface. The silence was peaceful, as if life was taking a deep breath, soaking in the residual evening warmth on one of the last summer days of the year.

College had resumed for about a month now, and even though it was Saturday, it was strange that no one else seemed to be around. It looked like they had the place to themselves.

It was warm enough that he wore a t-shirt and jeans, and she wore a loose, flowing white top, which fluttered elegantly around her body as she walked.

They had known each other for several months now, since when they first met each other by pure fortune just as both of their second years of college ended. He had fallen for her practically right away: Julia, with her glittering eyes of obsidian, her sense of dark humor, and her razor-sharp intelligence and fiery passion for seemingly everything she did. He seriously liked her, but she was way too pretty for him, and he couldn't tell if he liked him back, so he didn't try to risk it, and his guards went up, instead pining for her from a respectful distance.

She thought that he seemed like a real sweetheart, with a pretty face and easy-going attitude that had her thinking about him all summer. They had seen each other a few times afterward, but hadn't had any time to properly catch up so he was quite surprised when she had suddenly arrived at his dorm, slightly breathless, and asked him to go for a walk with her, stating that she needed to go with a friend.

"Ridiculous, right?" she was asking him, complaining about some professor or another. "I literally did everything right and I still got an eighty-seven!"

"That must be frustrating," he commiserated, an amused smile playing at his lips. Her heart fluttered as he smiled at her, and she gulped, drinking in every detail of his upturned lips, the cute little freckles on his nose, how his gorgeous, brown eyes crinkled slightly... Too late, she realized that he was saying something.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, shaking herself from the high from immersing herself in his face.

"I said, why'd you major in mechanical engineering anyways?"

"Okay, Mr. Liberal Arts Guy," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

He laughed with her, secretly enjoying how she teased him. "Looks like it's going to rain," he commented, if only to keep her talking.

She shaded her eyes and looked up at the lead-gray clouds directly overhead. "Let's make this quick."

As they turned onto the path near the edge of campus, she nervously fiddled with the hem of her top, staring straight ahead, telling that he was looking at her. What an idiot she was! Seriously? Asking some boy she had been obsessing over but barely knew to go on a walk with her? What a lame first date idea! Was this even a date? Did he even like her back? She wanted to say something about her feelings for him, but they could only walk for so long, and it seemed like time was slipping helplessly through her fingers. She took a deep breath of the warm, nectar-scented air.

"Hey, Asher, I, uh..." she began, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What's up?"

She glanced at him, and the faint stubble along the hard line of his jaw alone made her stomach tie itself in knots. "Nothing. Sorry."

"Oh," he said, disappointed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He stole a glance at her face, trying to commit every little detail to memory, before quickly turning away as to not stare.

He wanted to talk to her, but the fact that he had been secretly crushing on her made his tongue feel thick and clumsy, and besides, she was way too good--too smart, too beautiful, too outgoing--to be with someone like him. The tension in the air was as thick as the fragrance of flowers. Lovesick nervousness coiled in his stomach.

The path they were walking on approached the little creek that trickled through the campus, then made a left turn and followed parallel to it. Tall, thick stalks of bamboo grew around the path, sheltering it from the view of anyone else. Where the river bent closest to the path, the ground had been dug and churned up, prepared for a new bridge to be installed across the water, making a large patch of brown mud that sloped down to the bank.

As they walked closer to the small, empty patch of ground, Julia got an idea that made her sick with excitement. Just a few steps away, she didn't let herself think about it rationally before she gave Asher a gentle push with her hip, and he stumbled off the brick path, letting out a surprised yelp and slipping in the wet mud, arms flailing comically, and falling ungracefully onto his ass with a wet splat, mud immediately staining his clothes and skin. He stared up at her, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock. His stomach dropped at the humiliation, the wet, brown stuff clinging heavily to his hands and shoes and the back of his jeans.

"Julia... What..."

She giggled behind her hands at how surprisingly helpless and humiliated he looked; somehow, the embarrassment evident on his face just made him so goddamn adorable--that look alone was worth the risk that he potentially hated her now. Satisfaction bloomed in her at the simple elegance of getting him back for... for, well, not just making out with her already.

"I-I'm sorry," she choked out between giggles.

Asher just sat there, staring wide-eyed at her, still frozen with shock.

But she just couldn't contain herself, and she burst out in full, unruly laughter, clutching her stomach. "Fuck it, no, no I'm not sorry," she laughed at him. A part of her felt bad, but there was something so strangely hot about a guy getting covered in mud.

Julia continued cackling, and he tried to save just a shred of his integrity and get out of the mess he was in. He carefully stood up, his ruined jeans sagging under the weight of the mud, but he greatly underestimated how slippery the ground was, and he slipped and pitched forward, trying and failing to catch himself with his hands, crashing onto his side and sliding the few yards all the way down to the river.

At that, Julia burst out in a fresh fit of laughter, pointing at him slipping and sliding clumsily around in the mud, her abs clenching almost painfully. She hadn't remembered anything she had seen that was so funny.

Asher laid there on his side in complete disbelief and mortification. His cheeks heated at making such an utter mess of himself in complete view of such a beautiful girl. Surely now, even if Julia ever had feelings for him, she wouldn't want to date him now, seeing him humiliated like this. Mud had splashed on his face, cold in contrast to the warm evening air; the pungent, earthy smell of the muck rank in his nostrils. He mentally cursed himself. This was possibly his best chance to confess his feelings for Julia. How could he ruin it by making such a fool of himself right in front of her? Idiot!

"Do you need help?" she laughed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he spluttered, anger briefly flaring up.

"I'm sorry," she wheezed, bursting out in renewed laughter, "I couldn't help myself!"

He looked up at her, but upon seeing her beautiful, unrestrained laugh, his anger melted into affection for her; he was thrilled that he had made her laugh, even if it cost him his dignity. Steeling his resolve, he groaned and tried to push himself up, his hands sinking into the cool, soft earth at the water's edge. Shakily, he got to his legs, mud up to his ankles, completely covering his shoes; the cold, dark water lapped at the hems of his jeans. Asher tried to get out of the grip of the mud, but he couldn't find purchase and his feet just sank deeper every time he tried to move. His shoes and jeans were already ruined, but he cringed at the sensation of the mud climbing higher and soaking into his socks.

Julia, on safe dry ground in front of him, gave him a warm but amused smile, her black irises sparkling, relishing how cute and helpless he was. "Stuck?"

"Yeah, um..." He glanced up at her nervously, unsure how he was going to get out of the situation she had gotten him into without getting mud all over himself.

She bit her lip and glanced around mischievously, making sure that no one else was nearby. When she determined that the coast was clear, she quickly cast off her white top and dropped it on the ground beside her, wearing only her light blue lace bra and dark gray yoga pants underneath. Asher caught a quick, guilty glance of her shirtless form, swiftly casting his eyes down, his cheeks reddening.

"Julia--" he stammered, "you--you don't have to--"

She was surprised by the pace of things, too, the rational part of her brain still to catch up with her; she still hadn't even told him that she liked him, but here she was, standing in front of him in her bra. But a secret, perverted part of her enjoyed how much it made him speechless.

"It's okay, Ash, this is my fault, I'll help you."

Holy shit, was she using a nickname for him now? "Can I call you Ash?" she added.

"Yeah, I don't mind," he replied, but secretly he blushed with happy excitement at the intimacy of the pet name.

"Hey, you can look at me, y'know," she reassured.

Asher had almost forgotten that he was still staring straight down, helplessly watching his feet being slowly swallowed by the ground. He glanced up, making eye contact with her, and she made a face at him before she bent down to start taking off her shoes and socks. While her eyes were turned away from him, he just couldn't help himself and looked down at her chest--the light blue of her bra complimenting her pastel skin perfectly. Her breasts were small but soft and round, like on a statue of a Greek goddess, hugged with just the right firmness to show her slight cleavage, glistening with a faint sheen of sweat... Asher shook his head and chided himself. He normally was never the kind of guy to obsess over a girl's boobs. But, this was not a normal situation, he thought--how often was he, or any man for that matter, shoved into the mud by the girl he had a crush on for months? He forced himself to make eye contact with her again as she finished peeling off her socks and stood barefoot in front of him.

"Julia, uh, you know you don't have to get covered in mud too, right? I can still crawl out, or..."

"No," she interjected, shaking her head, "I pushed you into the mud, I should help you out. I'm sorry, I kinda just got ahead of myself, I wasn't thinking..."

"It's hard for me to think when I'm around you, too," he blurted out.

Surprised, Julia grinned broadly at him and tucked a strand of jet-black hair behind her ear. "Did you just say what I think you said, Mr. Liberal Arts Guy?"

"Yes, Engineering Girl," he replied, crossing his arms smugly.

"Oh, you're in trouble now," she laughed wickedly. She took a cautious step forward and tested the ground with her feet, the mud squishing refreshingly between her toes. The ground seemed firm enough up here near the edge, she thought, and planted her foot down, giggling childishly to herself. She loved the feel of being barefoot and connected to the earth.

Julia had only made it three carefully calculated steps when the slope became too steep and slippery, and she shrieked as her legs shot out from under her, sending her falling heavily backward and sliding all the way down to Asher, crashing clumsily into his legs as she tried to stop herself.

"Hey," she said smoothly, staring up at him flirtatiously as if nothing had just happened.

Asher couldn't help himself, and he burst out in wild laughter of his own, laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. There was something so child-like and freeing to be found in the midst of getting dirty. Focusing on the present and the beautiful girl lying next to him, and not on how to get clean again, was quite a novel feeling. He had never gotten dirty just for the sake of getting dirty, to feel the mud sliding beneath his hands and squishing against his legs as he sank into it, to feel the exotic, wet, sticky feel of it in his clothing... And he was surprised by simply how fun it was, now that the shock had subsided, instead enjoying the short present while it lasted, to immerse himself in the earth and let it cover him while he could.

"Help me, please?" he asked sweetly.

"Of course, sir," Julia replied, untangling herself from his legs. She stood up, wiping her muddy palms on her leggings, leaving a thick, brown stripe on each thigh. Despite the fact that there was no way she was making it out of the mess with her clothes intact, Asher noticed a small splatter of mud on her bra, just below her shoulder, and felt compelled to clean it off for her. He gently reached over with his thumb and wiped it across the soft fabric of her bra to remove the offending mud. Julia shivered slightly at the intimate act, making him glow with warmth. However, he only ended up smearing the mud into the fabric, creating a streak that only ruined more of it. She glanced down, then back up at him, smiling knowingly.

"Uh, oops, I--" he stammered, but was swiftly cut off when Julia scooped up two handfuls of mud and slapped them onto his shirt, pushing her hands firmly against his chest.

"Oops," she said, batting her eyelashes innocently as the mud squeezed between her fingers and dripped down his front.

Asher froze again and he could only watch helplessly as she smeared the mud all over his shirt, squeezing and groping his nipples much more than she needed to, the muck making wet, squishy sounds as she squeezed his pecs through the wet fabric.

"Mmm..." she moaned. Julia had no idea what she was doing, maybe being so close to Asher for so long had gotten to her, but she wasn't going to stop now. She loved the way he would let out an adorable little breathy gasp every time she pinched his nipples, the way his mouth was still partially open in surprise. Her hands moved up, up, leaving greasy trails of brown mud over his collarbone, his neck, his shoulders, the soft definition of his biceps. The slick mud caught the last light of the sun, glimmering to accent the shape of his body. There was a sort of artistic, erotic glory in covering him in mud, like she was forming a sculpture from clay.

Asher groaned and strained against her, but it was all just for show, it was no secret that he was enjoying how her deft, strong hands slid over his skin, almost tickling with the mud, creating warmth wherever she touched him.

Light, misty drops of rain began to fall on them, landing coolly on their skin and splashing on the ground. She didn't let the rain stop her, she just picked up more handfuls of the stuff and massaged it into the skin of his arms, legs, and neck.

"Oh my god," he moaned as her slick hands slid across his limbs, her touch gross and refreshing and taboo and healing all at the same time. The rain continued to fall, gently cleaning their skin, leaving intricate patterns of streaks and swirls of dirt behind.

"Julia..." he groaned, throwing away all resolve, tilting his face up to the sky, exposing his pale, vulnerable throat to her, letting the rain fall on his face.

"Yes, Ash?" she said gently, pulling his head back down to stare into his innocent, brown eyes and rub his cheek with her thumb.

"I, uh--I..." he stumbled over his words, still not believing that this was happening. "Um, I--"

And then she was leaning forward, her hands tangled in his hair, and she softly pressed her warm lips against his. Heat flowed into his body like melted chocolate, and he didn't think, just wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Their kiss was gentle and colorful, like a flower blooming. His lips pressed insistently against hers while his hands drew down her back and onto the soft curve of her ass. It didn't seem like she stopped kissing him; her lips trailed down his neck until she was leaning her forehead on his shoulder, panting softly.

Rain began to pour faster from the sky, offering a refreshing cold sting in contrast to the warmth of their kiss, soaking into their clothes and slowly washing away the remaining dirt.

Julia, her wet, shining face radiating warmth and love, looked up to Asher, his face a mask of surprise and awe as if he still couldn't believe what happened.

"What, have you never kissed a girl before?" she asked tenderly, a hint of amusement tingling in her voice.

He shook his head, still staring into the distance, smiling as if his world was complete.

She stifled a snort of laughter at the look on his face. "Have you kissed a boy?"

He shook his head again.

"Anyone?"

He shook his head, raindrops glittering like diamonds on his eyelashes as they dripped off and rolled down his cheeks.

She stared at his drenched face, slightly bewildered but grinning broadly nonetheless. "You're a good kisser."

"You're a coward," he smiled.

"Hm?"

"Kissing me when I can't move," he chuckled, shifting his trapped feet.

"Oh, but it was worth it, wasn't it?"

"I don't know," he teased, "was it?"

"I'll show you what's really worth it," Julia purred. In one fluid movement, she sprang for him, tackling him down onto his back to the ground. He yelped as he went down, landing underneath her body into the velvety-soft silt. She straddled him, pinning him down against the muddy ground with no hope of escape. If he was trapped before, he was really trapped now. Her face was awash in fury-like desire; her wet, black hair plastered to her scalp and shining like oil.

"Julia..." he murmured drunkenly.

"Asher," she growled in return, pulling on the collar of his soaked shirt to raise his head up to hers. Her lips pressed to his again, but this time it was more hungry, more desperate. A tingle rang in their lips as they touched again, quickly turning into a furious mixture of the flavors of teeth and tongues and lips massaging and sucking at each other. Their bodies pressed tightly together, creating a bubble of hot, fiery warmth in the middle of the cool rain. Julia groaned and whimpered at the artistic, beautiful sensations of their bodies. She bit his lower lip and he shuddered and caressed her neck.

Her wet lace bra clung tightly to her chest like melted cotton candy, her hard nipples poking him adorably. The strap had slipped off her right shoulder, the wet skin gleaming like a moonstone, and Asher grabbed it tightly like it was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

She moaned at the feel of his fingernails digging into her flesh, the pain spurring her, heightening her senses to kiss him harder and harder, grinding her hips into his body. They rode the waves of passion, letting them carry each other higher and higher. They rose and rose and rose until they violently wrenched apart, gasping for breath in the pounding rain.

His lips burned with residual desire, his mind swirling.

Julia breathed heavily like a warrior that had just come back from battle, her nerves alight with adrenaline from the thrill. Her disheveled appearance only added to the feeling, her damp hair streaked across her forehead, her dirty clothes in disarray, mud smeared on her skin like warpaint, her eyes smoldering with intensity.

She clamped her hands on his shoulders, staring into his eyes.

"Mmm, Julia," he moaned, sliding his hands up and down the sides of her body.

"Just say it already, idiot."