Tennis in the Park

Hi. It's me, Emi, again. Hope you are doing well.

Near the house I was staying in Oceanview, there was this park. I guess Brandon was the first one to tell me about it, the 19-year-old son in my home stay. Brandon is a bit of a gawky one, black hair, beady blue eyes, wiry arms, but I guess he has his charms. Yuuki from the mall says he's cute.

Anyway, this park has a splash pad, so Brandon, his sister Jennifer and I would go there on hot summer days to cool down. Inside the park on the way to the splash pad, we passed a couple of tennis courts, and deeper in their park, there are even more courts. I had fun that day, and when I mentioned it to my boyfriend Ryosuke, he suggested we play some tennis.

I'm more of a swimmer than a tennis player, but I did play a bit of tennis growing up. There is a tennis court near my parents' house. In Japan, tennis has a bit of a romantic reputation, a place where princes meet their future wives at courts with panoramic views high up in the mountains. In Oceanview, there are even more tennis courts than in Japan. There's one near Kenta's condo for instance. Tennis did sound like fun, so both Ryosuke and I bought some tennis wear and rackets and such, and went to go check it out.

This one park is quite beautiful really, fountains, picnic tables, a wading pool, a spider's web for climbing and large fields of green grass with trees along the edges. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think the fresh air and greenery inspires people, gives them the freedom to kick back, relax and let loose a bit. This park was like a little oasis, a respite from the busyness of the town around it.

Brandon, Jennifer and I would go in our swimsuits, and run around, dashing through the spray from the fountains. The wading pool wasn't deep, but there was a lifeguard there watching over everyone. Brandon seemed quite taken with her. She was Asian American, maybe 19ish, long black hair, brown eyes, a cute face I guess but a bit heavier set than me. She wore this fire engine red one piece swimsuit, normal enough from the front, but fairly high cut at the back, showing off her quite sizable rear end. Whenever she bent over to help someone, Brandon's eyes would dart over in her direction, checking her out.

When I came with Ryosuke, we saw other strange things. One time we saw this American woman, maybe 25 or so, lying out in the middle of the grass sunbathing in a bikini. She was reading a book, but Ryosuke glanced over at her as we walked by. I was a bit annoyed, but let it go.

A bit later, we walked back that way. She'd taken off her top, and was lying face down. She saw us, and peered over at us kind of nervously. She was hiding her nipples with her towel, but we could definitely see quite a bit of her largish breasts. I was so shocked at the time, because there were like all these big apartment buildings just above looking down over where she was lying. Ryosuke gave me a toothy grin. After that, he was all over me trying to get me to go topless! Can you imagine? That would be so embarrassing.

A different day, we went back to that park. On the first set of tennis courts, we saw these two muscular guys playing tennis bare-chested. There were both kind of hunky-looking. Ryosuke was more interested in something at the side of the court. There was a woman lying there on a lawn chair, and I swear her swimsuit was so skimpy. It was a one-piece, but it barely covered her back at all. She was a petite woman, especially compared with her massive friends, and her pert little backside was sticking up in the air. It almost looked like she was naked. She had dark sunglasses on, but she noticed us, and gave us the most wicked grin. I guess one of the guys must have been her boyfriend. She seemed to be getting a real kick out of showing off her body. Ryosuke got all excited again. It took forever to get him to calm back down.

After that, Ryosuke kept trying to convince me to do the same kind of thing, lie out topless or naked by the tennis courts or wherever. It did seem like this park was a place where people feel free to shed their clothes, and enjoy the warm sun. I guess I can admit I did find the idea exciting... but I don't know. At first, I thought it would be kind of weird if I up and stripped right in the middle of the park. I do try to please him, push things, maybe play into his fantasies a bit, but I kind of want Ryosuke to think of me as pure, innocent, not wild or anything. It's sometimes hard to know how much is too much, you know?

When September rolled around, school started again, and Ryosuke had less time to come play. I decided to go back to the language exchange on campus. It was being held in a new place, this newish white building across from Satomi's dorm. The room was long and thin, but had big windows letting the sun shine in. Ayumi, this girl I kind of knew, was sitting at a table with a tall handsome western guy, an Asian man in a wheelchair and another Japanese girl, so I went over, and joined them.

The girl was telling them that she stayed in a home stay in the Philippines before coming to Oceanview. In their house, the bath was outside, so she'd strip naked, and bathe out there in view of the road apparently. Both the handsome guy and the wheelchair man got these big grins on their faces imagining her frolicking around in the nude next to the house. I'm pretty sure she liked the handsome guy, and was trying to get him interested. (I later found out that the guy's name was Paul. He's British, and I met him again at the outdoor barbecue).

Break time came, and the girl ran off. I asked Ayumi what she made of this other girl's story.

"Um... I guess I can see the appeal. In all the ads, Cebu has such beautiful beaches. Must be very freeing, exhilarating." Now I think Ayumi was just kind of musing out loud, not really meaning anything by it, but I tell you I was quite surprised by how open she seemed to the idea of stripping naked outside the house she was staying at. I just kind of stared at Ayumi. She is a cute girl, hair dyed brown, long eyelashes, arched eye brows, adult lips, but not that different from the other girls here. She was different though, both of them were, from my friends like Satomi for instance. I always have to push Satomi to get her to dress sexy, tease the boys or whatever. Ayumi on the other hand, didn't seem to see anything strange about this Philippines girl.

Ayumi noticed me marveling at her reaction, and rushed to change the subject.

"So... Emi, what have you been up to?"

I shook my head, and tried to snap out of it.

"Um, Ryosuke and I were playing tennis over the summer. We've kind of stopped though now that school has started again."

"Um, Masashi and Eric are playing tennis, and looking for people... women to join," she noted.

"Who's that?" I asked. She pointed them out. Masashi had a deep tan, a funny face, hair dyed red, not handsome exactly, puppy dog nose, but was obviously trying. Eric was tall, black hair, Anglo-American.

"Do you want me to introduce you? They invited me to come play too, but I haven't gone yet."

"Um, sure," I shrugged. We went over, and got talking with them about it. It turned out they played at the same park Ryosuke and I had been going to.

"Do you girls want to come?" Masashi asked straight away. I looked at Ayumi, and she seemed game. So that next Friday, we headed to the park, and met their whole group. Different people show up each week, but Masashi and Eric were the core. They brought rackets for the beginners, and tried to include everyone, get them up to speed.

A lot of us were Japanese, but one time this blonde woman came, Sally. She was something else. She came dressed in tennis wear of sorts, a pleated grey mini-skirt with a preppy sweater tied around her neck. None of it matched, and I didn't know quite what to make of her. When we took a break, and went to sit on the curb, she sat with her legs wide open letting us all see her panties. In Japan, women don't usually sit like that. I kind of wanted to warn her that we could kind of see the outline of her cooch, but I hesitated. Masashi's voice went up an octave, excited I guess at the sight of her bare thighs. It was kind of funny.

In December, the weather turned cooler, so Ayumi and I stopped going, but then in March, it warmed up, so Masashi messaged me asking if we'd come back. I was kind of looking forward to seeing them all again. After class, I popped home, and grabbed my tennis whites, before heading to the park. On the way in, I passed a few cherry trees. The flowers were in bloom, sending this flurry of pink petals floating down, covering the ground almost like snow. It reminded me of Japan. There people often go to parks in the spring, and sit under the cherry trees, laughing and making merry. Hanami we call it, flower viewing.

Down at the far end of this park, I found Ayumi, Masashi, Eric and a few new people outside the courts getting ready. There was a guy named Taka and a girl named Rina and one other Japanese girl whose name I didn't catch. I'd kind of seen Taka around at the exchanges, a big head, but kind of attractive, a bit edgy, streetwise, a hustler. Rina was just a slight willow of a thing, quiet, polite, wide-eyed, but maybe angling to be Taka's girlfriend.

"Hey, you made it," Ayumi smiled when she saw me.

I still needed to get changed, but when I checked the washroom door, it was locked up tight.

"I can't get in," I came back, and told them.

"It's a civic holiday," Eric noted.

"Maybe there's a place to change near the station," Masashi suggested. "I think there is a bar or something there... although that is a long way to walk."

We didn't have that much time, and I did want to get playing.

"Um... maybe I can just go around the corner, behind the washroom building, and change there," I mused thinking out loud. Masashi raised his eyebrows, clearly picturing me stripping naked. Eric laughed, imagining the same thing. I hadn't really planned to get naked, but now with them getting all excited, I began to wonder if maybe I should, just to tease them. Ayumi didn't look as keen, but she herded the rest of them away from that side, and then came back around the corner to help keep me safe.

"I don't know why they've locked the washrooms," I complained. "They are usually open."

Ayumi nodded, her lush lips pressed together, but the way she was looking at me, I think she could tell I was remembering the Philippines girl's story of getting naked outdoors next to her home stay. Ayumi just looked at me, wondering I guess if I actually had the nerve to strip out in the open like this.

I looked all around. The wall of the washroom was blocking the view from the east. North were the empty tennis courts behind a chain link fence. West was grass and trees (not cherry) and beyond that apartments. South there was this little side street with houses on it. The leaves on the trees were kind of blocking the view from the houses, but there were cars parked on the street. It was hard to tell if anyone was over that way.

It did look fairly safe, so quickly, before anyone came, I pulled off my fluffy white crop top over my head. Ayumi laughed, surprised I was being so brave. She didn't try to stop me though. I squatted down, and put that top away in my bag, and then undid my belt, and took off my beige shorts. I was starting to get all excited from being out here in broad daylight in just my undies. The set I was wearing was lace and a bit frilly, but I'd brought a sports bra and plain white panties, so I should probably change into those.

There was still no sign of people, so next I undid my frilly bra, and stuffed it in my bag with my other clothes. Here I was topless now, just like Ryosuke had asked. My face was flushing hot from the embarrassment. Ayumi kept glancing back to make sure Masashi wasn't coming. Ignoring her, I took off my panties, and packed them away, squatting here naked now. The wind was whipping all around my body, tickling my skin, getting me even more excited. Ayumi squealed,

"Wow!" surprised I'd actually got naked.

"Yeah, exciting," I admitted shivering a bit in the breeze. I dug my smartphone out of my bag, and held it out to her. "Could you take my picture?" I asked, hoping to get some proof that I'd actually had the nerve to strip naked out in the park here.

Ayumi rubbed her eye, laughing, but eventually, took my phone from me. I had to show her how to call up the camera app, and set it up. I motioned for her to move away with her back to the sun, so she could get all of me in the shot. She took a couple pictures, sexy, but the grey stone of the wall wasn't that interesting as a background.

"Where are the cherry blossoms?" I mused, wondering if we could get them into the shots somehow. Ayumi shrugged, so I padded down the opposite way, peering out from behind the building at the street just a few yards away. There were lots of trees on this side, but not cherry. Those must be back east towards the entrance where I came in.

On the street, I could see a couple of people, but I think they were walking away, and hadn't seen me. I looked down again at my naked body. The sunlight lit up my pink skin, really making me stand out against the greys and greens of my surroundings. It was still early in the year, so I didn't really have a tan. I hadn't trimmed my black pubic hair, so it was fairly thick, making me stand out more. Maybe if I'd shaved, I wouldn't look so indecent.

Ayumi peeked out round the north corner, and then came back to warn me,

"They are still over by the entrance, but Masashi and Eric are acting strange. I think they know that you are naked."

She was right of course. I knew I was taking a terrible chance. I was quite nervous, my whole body shaking, but I still kind of wanted to get a shot by the cherry blossoms. The street seemed clear now. I motioned for Ayumi to follow, and then rounded the corner on the street side, and walked all the way down to where I could hear Masashi and their voices. I listened trying to hear what they were talking about.

"Emi! Where are you going? They'll see you!" Ayumi called after me. I waved for her to shush. It was true that I was kind of out in the open here. If someone came along from either direction, they'd see me for sure. There was something so deliciously naughty about the situation though. Masashi et al had wanted me to get naked, and now here I was just a few feet away from them. My heart simply would not stop beating away.

"Do you want them to see you?" Ayumi scolded.

"What? No...," I countered. "I mean, that would be pretty funny..." I laughed trying to get her to see the humor. I felt for my lucky necklace only to realize I wasn't wearing it. Was it back in my bag? I turned to go get it, but Ayumi made it to the corner first, and peered out.

"There's a couple there, a guy on his bike and a girl with a dog," she warned.

Oh oh. I hadn't heard them come up. I didn't want them to see me naked like this.

"What are they doing?" I asked Ayumi.

"Not much. Just walking the dog... but the dog is sniffing your bag... It's so cute, a little chihuahua."

"Can't you just get my clothes?" I urged her.

"OK. I'll try. Wait here... or hide or something."

I tried the door of the girl's washroom again, but it was locked up tight. There wasn't really anyplace to hide, not here at least. Now what do I do? I can't just stand here. I couldn't hear Masashi and Eric's voices anymore. I went back to the far corner, and peeked round at the entrance to the courts. It looked like Taka and Rina were playing tennis already, but Masashi had maybe gone with Eric to look for me. There were some trees along the fence, and up the hill, the cherry trees I'd seen coming in. But if I make a dash for it, Taka and Rina will see me. Hurry up, Ayumi. Bring me my clothes.

I waited, and listened, but back where I'd left my bag, I could hear a whole group of them talking now. I can't just stand here. Ayumi had told me to hide. I glanced out again. Taka had his back to me, and Rina had run to fetch a ball, so I took a deep breath, and made a dash for the trees. This took me away from Eric and them, but as I rounded the last tree, I suddenly saw that up the hill there were other people playing tennis on the courts up there. This rush of excitement pulsed through my body, heating me up, enveloping me. It was getting hard to think straight. I could hardly believe I was out here naked with all these people around. I stopped, and tried to hide behind this tree from Taka at least. The players on the courts at the top of the hill seemed to be focused on their games, not noticing me yet.

Eventually, Ayumi came, and found me, but she didn't have my bag.

"What happened? Where's my bag?" I gasped, confused.

"Masashi got it before I could. You have to hide somewhere. I think he's looking for you!"

If I went up the path, those other tennis players would see me, and there didn't seem any other way out.

"Should I just give up, and go back like this?" I asked, showing her my naked body. She frowned, not liking that suggestion.

"No, you'd better not," she warned. "You've seen them, seen how they act." She looked around, and finally, said, "Here, just climb over these rocks, and hide in the bushes," pointing towards the side street with all the cars and houses.

"OK. Just hurry, and get my bag!" I pleaded, climbing up onto the rocks. I hopped down onto the grass below, and then followed the bushes along till I found a place I could kind of hide. This was getting silly though. Is it really such a big deal that I'm naked? Those American girls we saw were almost naked. I had half a mind to go out there, and show Masashi and them, but maybe Ayumi was right. They'd probably freak out. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

While I was cowering here in the shade of the trees, the cyclist and dog girl came, and sat on the rocks where I'd just been. They were lost in their own world, so I don't think they realized I was down here. The guy looked kind of cool, long curly black hair, black cap, cargo shorts. They'd probably be fine with whatever, don't you think?

Before I could do anything though, Ayumi came back with my bag.

"Oh thank god. You got it. You are such a life-saver," I gushed, hugging her for her help. I knelt down, found my clothes and my necklace. I took it out, and fastened it on around my neck.

"What are you doing?" Ayumi asked.

"It's my good luck charm. Ryosuke gave it to me. When I wear it, nothing bad ever happens."

Ayumi scowled.

"Masashi is right over there, looking for you," she reminded me.

"Here. I just want to get one last picture... by the cherry blossoms?" I pointed at them up the hill. The couple was still there though. I was debating stepping out, and letting them see, but luckily, they got up and walked away. Ayumi was bouncing up and down, motioning for me to be careful, but the coast was almost clear now. I couldn't see Masashi or them, but maybe if I just dash out quick we can get a picture, before anyone realizes.

I came out of the bushes, and beckoned for Ayumi to follow, but a more serious problem was how excited I was. The warm spring breeze was nipping at my naked flesh, setting my hello kitty all atwitter. There was this sweet rush of joy welling up inside me. I kind of knew I was taking an awful chance coming out here naked like this, but the cherry blossoms were just a few steps more. Doing my best to ignore the alarm bells that were going off in my head, I forged straight up the hill to this beautiful spot with an ornate wrought iron fence with vivid pink cherry blossoms just behind. Unfortunately, that was right next to where all these couples were playing. I tried to stay out of sight, hide behind the trees, but they were right there. I was so worked up I swear I was on the verge of coming.