My Daughter's Best Friend

I was a fairly ordinary middle aged man, I was married with a child and had been happily so for many years. I was just approaching my middle forties, slightly on the young side among parents of an eighteen year old, but nothing too unusual. Both my wife, Alice, and I tried to keep ourselves in shape and I had thought of myself as a fairly decent catch back before we settled down. These days whatever effort I made was very much just for my own satisfaction, but, as I sometimes checked myself out after a shower, I thought I was still presentable. No real flab and fairly defined but not huge muscles, at least on my stomach and arms. My neatly groomed, if slightly silver tinged dark hair and hazel eyes would still turn the eye of a good looking woman, wouldn't they? Maybe, maybe not, I'd smile to myself after a few moment's serious contemplation. It didn't really matter.

Or did it?

It all started innocently enough. Lily was my daughter Chloe's new best friend and had been since they'd met a few months back at college. She lived in the next village over but it was an easy enough drive or cycle so she'd soon become something of a regular visitor to our house, often spending several evenings a week with us after school before either being picked up or making her own way home.

Despite their great friendship they were not that alike at least in terms of academics. Chloe had decided relatively early that she wanted to become a doctor and so, when it had come time to decide on a university, that meant she was going to a larger town a little way away. Lily, on the other hand, hadn't really decided much about her future life and wasn't that attracted by the suggestion of more pressure and work, and so decided on a hairdressing course in a local college in our village. The girls were a bit sad about it, but they weren't worried about their friendship as they saw each other outside of college so much.

Although Chloe was going to university it was sadly out of the question for her to live away from home, we just couldn't afford it and she had decided to go to somewhere she could travel to daily, rather than try to work long hours during her studies. She would get enough of that as a young doctor. For her first year, however, Lily would still be strolling out of the gates at four o'clock or so and have a good few hours to kill before her parents were heading home. Like Chloe she was also eighteen and a capable young woman so that wasn't a big problem, but her usual plan had been to hang out with Chloe as the buses were extremely infrequent. That often meant being at our house until she got picked up. The request, when it came then, was casual and not that unexpected.

"Er, Dad, could Lily still hang out at ours after her course next year?"

Chloe was hovering at the door to the front room and I could see Lily herself stood almost sheepishly behind her. It was mildly unusual behaviour but mostly consistent with them wanting something they weren't quite sure I'd agree to. I was somewhat nonplussed by it at first, though.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Well, I wouldn't be back when she gets out, so, you know."

"Oh, right. You mean you want to come here anyway?" I addressed Lily who stepped forwards.

"Yeah, if I could." She smiled.

I thought about it briefly, it didn't seem a problem really. "I guess you can, but wouldn't you rather just go home or hang out with another friend?"

"If I miss the five past bus then there isn't one for ninety minutes, so." She shrugged "I wouldn't come every day, it's just I'm not sure when I'd know people there I could hang out with, and sitting in the library or whatever would be boring if I did it every time."

"Yeah, I'm sure it would be." I paused, I couldn't think of any reason to say no but, as the parent of a daughter myself, I still felt a little strange about it.

"Well, it would be fine with me, and I know you're eighteen, but get your parents to ring me so I know they know about it, OK?"

"Great, I'm sure they'll be fine." Lily smiled. "And it definitely won't be every day or anything, I will make some other friends!"

I laughed. "I know, Lily." She blushed slightly at the very mild teasing and then the two of them went off.

I didn't think much more of it until a few days later when Chloe told me Lily's mum would ring later. As I'd anticipated there seemed to be no issue whatsoever and she was obviously glad Lily had somewhere reliable to be.

From that very low key beginning, though, over the next few months my attitude to what was going to happen slowly started to change. There were a few reasons, but the primary one was Lily herself. For most of the previous few months that she'd been a visitor I'd only seen her in college clothes, fairly sober jumpers and trousers that saw her through a somewhat damp and unusually cold spring and early summer. When July got into its step, however, the sun came out and Lily could wear anything she liked.

I didn't expect it, but the first time I saw her on a hot day, wearing a light top and shorts, I couldn't help doing a genuine double take. It came slightly out of nowhere but almost without thinking I found myself trying to get better and longer glances at her body. I hated myself for it almost as soon as I did it and I tried to resist but it was pointless, she was over regularly so if I resisted this one time I would just face exactly the same temptation again three or four days later. I soon settled into a routine of allowing myself the odd lingering glance when I was absolutely certain neither she, my daughter or my wife could notice.

Lily was short, around five foot three and had long-ish, straight auburn hair which she usually wore down or occasionally pulled back into a ponytail. I could now see quite easily that she had a slim waist that filled out nicely into a not that large but very pleasingly round and firm looking bum. In shorts that hugged her body somewhat it was a gorgeous sight. She also had fairly large breasts, around a C cup but which seemed to have gained prominence now I could see her thin waist and gorgeous, complementary curves elsewhere. She had brown eyes, a few freckles around her small and slightly upturned nose and a way of smiling that seemed to brighten up her whole face. I'd always found her slightly cute, if forced to have an opinion, but I realised after a few weeks of this that I was developing a real affection for her.

It seemed somewhat unimportant, though absolutely inappropriate. She was a little young and a friend of my daughters, but it obviously wasn't the first time I'd noticed an attractive woman who wasn't my wife. I would sneak a few glances but that was that, and I wasn't in any danger whatsoever of wanting or trying for more. After a few days of worrying about it, it all became pretty normal. If Lily was around I'd make sure to say hello, note if she was wearing anything particularly appealing, sneak a few looks and then go about my business elsewhere. It ended up seeming like a few pleasant bursts of harmless fun in my life.

As summer progressed, though, that was starting to change. For a start I maybe wasn't such an expert at looking without being seen as I thought. There was more than one occasion where my gaze lingered and it seemed as if Lily had noticed. I wasn't sure, I told myself that it was perfectly normal that I look at her given we were saying a casual hello or making small talk. That it could have been anything that provoked her expressions which seemed at odds with what people around us were saying, and that she surely had no idea what I was thinking about. I told myself that, but I didn't quite believe it.

Then, one day, it became unmistakable. I was walking up our drive and it seemed as if Lily had just arrived on her bike. Probably the girls were going for a ride somewhere, and she was doing something with it in preparation. She was again wearing a pair of shorts, not overly tight or short as shorts go, but given she was now bent over the bike presenting her bottom to me along with acres of slightly tanned leg, she was a vision. I slowed my pace and drank her in, her hair was hanging down and danced around her body as she moved her head. She was turned toward me ever so slightly so I could just see the outline of one of her breasts wobbling slightly with the effort. I suppose I thought I was completely in the clear, I was innocently walking up my own drive and she didn't even know I was there yet anyway. My thoughts drifted as I simply enjoyed the moment.

"Oh, Mr Hill, I didn't know you were there!"

Lily's ever so slightly shocked voice snapped me out of my reverie. Helplessly I looked up from her body and saw she was now looking back over her shoulder. Without quite knowing it I'd stopped and was stood more or less stationary a few yards behind her.

"Ah, yes." I sounded nervous, so I tried to correct it. "Hi, Lily. Got your bike, I see."

As I talked she began to straighten up. I saw her take an obvious glance down to her still gorgeous bum and then back across to my face. There was no doubt she had realised exactly what I'd been doing.

"Yeah, we're, er, going for a ride later."

I couldn't help but notice she was blushing and it felt possible I was blushing too. There was an awkward edge to the conversation and clearly we both knew why. I wondered if I should just walk away but that felt awkward too. Without really first considering it I tried to smooth things over.

"I, er, didn't know you were here, obviously. Sorry if I, um."

My sentence trailed off as I realised I didn't know how to end it, and also that I had just openly admitted to ogling her bottom.

"That's OK, I, er." She made proper eye contact with me for the first time. "I guess I was in your way, so." She also trailed off, but I saw maybe the smallest hint of a smile before she looked away.

"Do you need any help with the bike?"

"Oh, er, yeah. Maybe. The chain slipped off halfway up your road and it's a bit awkward."

I didn't know why I'd chosen to prolong the situation, except I knew that if this had all been totally innocent that's exactly what I'd have asked. I couldn't back out now.

"OK, let's see."

She stepped back and I looked and quickly confirmed what she'd said was true. I took hold of the bike and set it upside down on the handlebars and seat, and then knelt to one side of it.

"That should make things easier."

I smiled at Lily and then looked back at the bike. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her make her way opposite me and then start to crouch down. I glanced across the bike at her and again I was caught utterly helpless.

Her top was light and largely covered her breasts, except it was loose at the neck. As my eyes found her she was tilting toward me and millennia of male instinct kicked in before I knew it. My eyes dropped to her cleavage and were delighted by the unobstructed view of both well filled bra cups. I was even able to take in part of her beautifully toned stomach. I dragged my gaze upwards as soon as I realised what I'd done and it could only have been a millisecond's glimpse, but it was already far too late.

Lily was smiling but as our eyes met a moment of doubt flickered across her face and she quickly reached down to the neckline of her top and pulled it up and towards her body. It seemed like she had also acted largely instinctively.

She looked back at me and we held eye contact for a few beats. She again knew what I'd been doing but after a moment settled back on her feet and looked at the bike.

"Can you fix it, do you think?" Her voice sounded neutral but there was still a very slight flush to her cheeks.

I paused for a second, I knew I had nothing I could say and so it was best if I just got out of there. I really didn't know what might happen if I was caught looking again, and given my current lack of self control it seemed extremely likely I would be. I quickly did the necessary to the bike and stood up.

"Right, well, I'll just go back in." It was a pointless thing to say but I had nothing better, by now my own face felt unmistakably warm.

"OK, thanks Mr Hill."

I allowed myself one look back at her as I went inside, making sure to not stray from her face. She smiled back and looked to have regained her normal composure. She seemed massively more comfortable than I was feeling.

From then on two things happened. I made every effort to avoid Lily, while Lily seemed to do almost the opposite. Given we were in the same house for an hour or two every few days it was pretty clear whose tactics would win out. Nevertheless I stuck strictly to looking nowhere even mildly inappropriate. Even when she stood at the doorway to my office, leaning against the wall and driving an empty conversation for minutes on end, I stared at my screen with only occasional glances towards the top of her head. The mental effort was terrible though, and I knew something had to give.

Two realisations helped me. The first was that Lily didn't seem to mind if it happened again, indeed, as weeks passed and she still seemed to welcome opportunities to talk to me alone, it seemed as if she quite possibly wanted it to. Initially that terrified me, visions of what my wife or daughter would do if they found out about it played through my head. I wasn't sure if it would be catastrophic but it would definitely be excruciatingly embarrassing.

The second realisation, though, was that she probably had already decided to keep the change in our relationship secret. Her new behaviour was that she now often spoke to me alone, coming to my office or the front room when Chloe and Alice, if she were around, were elsewhere. Also, if Lily had wanted to tell on me then she already had more than enough ammunition. There hadn't been the slightest doubt between us that I'd tried to enjoy as much of her body as I could get a look at, I'd even carried on after I'd been caught red handed. She obviously hadn't passed that on though, as there was no way my wife or daughter would have let that information pass without comment.

Those two ideas percolated in my head for a few days. I wouldn't say it started to feel like a situation I was delighted by, but it did appear almost manageable. It did also appear that the next time she came to see me I maybe wouldn't have to stare at my work quite so hard. Which, when I was able to think about it without much attendant fear, seemed far from the worst thing in the world.

A few days later I had the opportunity to test my theories. I worked from home most of the time so I was again at my desk while Chloe and Lily were doing their thing. Just after lunch I heard someone approach the door.

"Hi, Mr Hill, everything going OK?"

This was Lily's normal opening gambit now and it never usually got more exciting or involved than that.

"Yes thanks, Lily, what about you?"

So far so normal, but as she launched into a story about her morning I tried something different. I pushed my chair back from my desk and turned it towards her, finally giving all my attention to her. I saw her notice after a few seconds, and although I wondered if it were just my imagination she seemed to smile more broadly and hold herself with a little bit more poise.

I listened to her story, adding in a few encouraging comments where it seemed appropriate, and slowly let myself notice what she was wearing. She had on a fairly tight skirt that was tweed patterned and mostly beige. It ended just over halfway down her thigh and was paired with a simple white t-shirt. It all looked good but especially the skirt, which was a little more dressy and even sexy than she normally wore.

I didn't obviously point my gaze anywhere outside of her face, but we were far enough apart that I was able to take in and enjoy an overview of her body. It did seem like her stories were more animated than usual and she lingered for perhaps ten minutes or so. I didn't think she could have anything inappropriate to comment on, but I had definitely acted as if I enjoyed her company much more than previously. After she left it seemed like things had gone very well indeed. I'd had fun talking to a very attractive young woman, which wasn't something I got to do very often at all. Though it seemed possible I would have more opportunity going forwards.

That proved to be true and we soon settled into a rhythm where she almost always found the time to drop by my office if she was at the house. I started to take an interest in her life and what she was doing and thinking, how she felt about the upcoming course and the normal concerns of an eighteen year old girl. Given this was all done as she stood in front of me wearing either very short skirts or shorts, and light, summery tops that always gave at least a hint of her not inconsiderable cleavage, it was very pleasant stuff indeed.

I stayed completely innocent for a few weeks until she wore the tweed skirt for a second time. It was both the tightest and shortest she'd worn and I found myself wanting to give her legs some close attention as she leant against the wall a few feet from me. I knew I didn't want to be totally blatant and risk the awkward atmosphere of a month or so back, but the idea that she wanted me to look was playing around in my brain.

"That's a great skirt, by the way."

Her conversation had been winding down and I'd said it more-or-less as the idea occurred to me. In my head it had seemed far more innocent than it now sounded, an older man, a father of a friend even, commenting, out of the blue, on a very obviously short and skimpy item of clothing, but it was done now.

"Oh, thanks!" She sounded genuinely pleased, which was a good start. She looked down at herself in the skirt. "You really think so?"

The excuse to look was of course exactly what I wanted and I took it. I dropped my gaze down her body and she stood up straighter.

"Yeah, of course. It's very elegant on you." It seemed a safe enough adjective.

As I looked up from her beautiful legs she had obviously watched me looking but the atmosphere stayed completely normal.

"Elegant. I like that." She smiled. "It's pretty new actually, I still wasn't sure about it, but it sounds like I should definitely wear it round here again!"

Although Lily was at least half joking I knew I couldn't stop myself from agreeing, so I tried to sound as if I was just carrying on her very mild gag. "Oh, yes, absolutely!" We both laughed a little.

She left shortly after that and I watched her go, hoping that I wouldn't stare too openly at her bum in the skirt, or that at least she wouldn't catch me doing so. Somehow neither happened.

As September approached we had a few conversations with Chloe involved where the logistics of Lily's hanging out at our house were discussed. Although it had always been obvious, that was the first time anyone said out loud that she and I would be there alone given my wife would be at her job most afternoons. The emphasis was on how Lily would keep herself to herself and not be any trouble. I always said that, as long as she was quiet if I was on a call, there was no issue with her doing whatever she wanted. She first brought it up just between ourselves the week before her course started again.

"I really won't bother you if I come round in the afternoons, will I?"

"No, of course not."

She took a few more reassurances but it seemed as if it was largely just politeness. She carried on chatting about her new life.

"..and another thing is, I won't have to wear a uniform any more."

"A uniform? I didn't think your college had one of those?"

"Well, they had a load of guidelines, no bright colours, no t-shirts, loads of stuff. It was pretty strict really."

"Oh, right, I never noticed." It was true, Chloe didn't tend to chat to me about her clothes these days and I'd figured they had had a pretty much free hand. "I suppose it will be nice to wear whatever you like"