The Last Hike Ch. 01

CHAPTER ONE

Naomi's beaten-up Subaru honked twice in my driveway. I gave my pack one final check over even though I'd already gone through everything a hundred times over the past few days. Naomi and I had done countless multi-week hikes before, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking to think about accidentally leaving behind the bear spray, headlamp, or extra socks. We'd be stopping through a handful of trail towns as we made our way through the Appalachians, thankfully, but it was still a major annoyance to forget anything important.

I quickly made sure all the lights were off, windows closed, and doors locked, before heading out the front to Naomi's old blue car that I'd helped her pick out for her high school graduation. She was standing outside of it, opening the trunk and making room for my gear. We wore nearly identical outfits: Black bike shorts, sports bras, oversized sweaters tied around our waists, and our matching hiking boots. She preferred bright colors while I wore muted neutrals.

At 22, I could still remember the pimpled, lanky versions of us that had met back in middle school. Now, I'd filled out into feminine curves while she'd toned into lean willowy muscles. It was spring break of our senior year at UPenn, which meant one precious week we could spend together before graduation. In a few months, for the first time, Naomi and I wouldn't be living up the street from each other. She'd scored a position at a law firm in downtown New York and I was heading out to California to start as a production assistant for a new streaming service show. Not much, but a stepping stone into the industry I wanted to work in.

With us about to head onto vastly different paths, it felt fitting to hike a literal path through the woods together. I knew, logically, it wouldn't be the last time. That we'd meet up for vacations and weddings and birthdays. But this was the end of one life and the start of another. It felt important.

I shoved my heavy pack into the trunk and wrapped Naomi up in a hug. Like always, she smelled like the white citrus body mist she'd been wearing since her first boyfriend gifted it to her years ago. She leaned into my shoulder and we took a deep breath together. It had been a tough semester, and a tough winter before that, and so on and so on. This would be a much-needed, hopefully meditative, adventure through the hills and mountains.

She pulled back and held my shoulders. Her brown eyes, warm like a summer creek, searched mine. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

I gave her a little shove. "It's not like we haven't before. Remember the John Muir Trail? You were peeling off that sunburn for weeks after we got home. And that month on the Pacific Crest?"

She snorted and shut the trunk. "Yeah, I really thought you were going to lose that toenail like Reese Witherspoon did in that movie."

"Not our best work," I snickered in agreement. We walked to our respective doors and slid into the car. As she checked her mirrors and pulled back onto the street, I added, "Compared to those, this is going to be a piece of cake."

"You're right, you're right."

"As usual."

We settled into light conversation under the brilliant blue early April sky, heading from our childhood homes in Philly's suburbs north. We'd drive all day today to New Hampshire's Appalachian ridge edge, where we'd park at her aunt's place, sleep together in a twin bed, and then head out early in the morning. It was ambitious, but we wanted to hike the whole roughly 90-mile trail across the state through the rolling hills and cliffs. Border to border. It was an intense schedule for six days, but doable for us. We both stayed pretty fit and snuck in as many hikes as possible during the year between bigger projects that we planned through fervent texts and late-night abandoned study sessions.

Being with Naomi was easy, even packed into the Subaru with our gear for 12 hours between fast food meals and roadside pee breaks. We'd been best friends for more than a decade, and it was more like we were family -- without all the fighting. With both of us being only children, our parents were more than happy to let us romp off together whenever we wanted as long as they knew what we were getting up to. Of course, we didn't always tell them what we were getting up to, but they never seemed to mind much.

As the miles rolled by, we watched the scenery change from our simple suburb to the open highway lined with green hills. She rolled down the windows as the air turned crisp. We took turns picking out songs from an old mix CD we made years ago when we lost cell service. Eventually, the conversation tapered off, giving way to a comfortable silence. The anticipation of the adventure ahead hung in the air and we both processed our mix of nerves and excitement in our own minds.

As the sky transitioned from blue to hues of orange and pink, Naomi finally spoke, breaking the silence. "We're almost there," she said, her voice filled with a mix of thrill and exhaustion.

I glanced at the GPS, confirming that our destination was just a few miles away. We turned off the main road and onto a smaller, winding path that led us deeper into the New England woods. Aunt Lydia's house emerged from the trees, a quaint cabin that exuded warmth and familiarity. I'd been here a couple times on weekend trips with Naomi's family. The air was filled with the scent of sweet pine and spring flowers as we got out of the car, stretching our limbs after the long drive.

We walked up to the front porch, the dusty yellow light welcoming us for the evening. I pulled in a deep breath, preparing myself for the overwhelming attention of one of Naomi's many eccentric relatives. Naomi knocked on the door and pushed it open.

"Aunt Lydia!" She called out into the small house, "We're here!"

Lydia's excited shriek sounded from the nearby kitchen. "Yay!"

She emerged around the corner, frizzy white hair tied up in a messy bun and peasant skirt brushing the faded wooden floor. Lydia squeezed us both at the same time. "Naomi, Van, it's so good to see you, even if I only get a few hours in."

"You, too," Naomi said as she extricated us both from the hug. "Alright, what's for dinner? It smells absolutely amazing in here."

"I know you girls have a big day starting out tomorrow, so I made that sausage ragu you loved so much as a kid, over some homemade tagliatelle."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble," I said even though I knew she would've done so no matter what. "Thank you for having us."

"Oh, of course, Vanessa." She waved her hand dismissively and we followed her to the kitchen, which did, in fact, smell incredible, like fresh simmered tomatoes, spicy Italian sausage, and crisp wine that sat in glasses for us on the table. "Now you two sit down and I'll serve up some plates for you."

We did as we were told, and the evening unfolded around us. At Lydia's insistence, we ate until we were beyond full and then ate some more. She told us all about the local gossip: Which neighbors were having affairs, which church ladies had worn something scandalous, the sorts of things that occupied her life. We insisted on helping to clean up the kitchen. She served us desserts by the fireplace, we sipped on white wine, and it was late enough to go to sleep soon enough.

Lydia headed upstairs, tipsy and smiling, leaving me and Naomi to the small spare bedroom by the front door. We didn't want to wake her up at the crack of dawn getting ready to go, so we'd rejected her offer of giving up her nice king-sized bed several times in the last few weeks of planning. Soon enough, we had our teeth brushed, our pajamas on, and our phones put away to charge for the night.

Naomi curled up against the wall, always the person who slept away from the door, and I scooted in next to her. I pressed my face into her shoulder, soaking in her gentle scent and the feel of her soft silky pajamas. In an instant, she flipped over and kissed me. My hands went to her waist. Her leg wrapped around my hips.

Oh, yeah. The sex part.

Naomi and I had a system that worked for us. When we went on trips together, we fucked. It wasn't complicated or messy despite our friendship, just a nice way to release pent-up energy between boyfriends and girlfriends. We were both bisexual and it had always just made sense to us. Now, though, Naomi was getting really, really serious with a guy -- like "move in together and start saving links to rings" serious -- so we'd agreed this would be a last hurrah of sorts.

Which meant I planned on making every moment with her count.

Our kiss deepened as my hand moved to her thigh, which was gripped around my hip, and I felt her grind against my hip. Her skin was soft but it was the even softer breathy moan leaving her lips that sent a shockwave of desire throughout my body. It had been a few months since our last trip over the holidays and, unlike Naomi, I hadn't had sex since. Her desire was electricity to me, flipping the switches in my every nerve to 'on.'

Her fingers trailed down my side to my shorts, which she eagerly and easily flung away from us both. I urged her on by ditching my shirt, not sure why we'd even bothered with the pretense of pajamas in the first place. Soon enough, her hot pussy was pressing against my leg, already wet, and only the frontier of her tits remained unavailable to me.

I found the hem of her silky top and pulled it off easily, discarding it on the floor by the small bed. When her breasts met my palms, I couldn't help letting out a groan. My breasts might've been bigger than hers, but hers were perfectly perky and full and her nipples were always mere moments from becoming rock hard at the slightest touch. My thumbs brushed over them and I felt her back arch in response.

I caught her lower lip between my front teeth to elicit another quiet moan. I released it, still circling her breasts with my hands, and sighed, "I can't wait until we're out in the middle of nowhere and you can scream for me like I know you want to."

She giggled, a little embarrassed, and said right against my ear, "Me too. Now let's fuck."

I sucked in a sharp breath and flipped her onto her back. I teased, "So demanding."

"I want to actually get some sleep tonight, Van, so we need to be quick."

Grabbing her neck, right below her chin, I replied, "I'll take my time if I want to."

Naomi strained against my hand, a sly smirk on her lips. "Like you could resist getting me off."

"Oh?" I removed my hand and straddled her chest. "How about this: I'll get you off if you can make me cum in the next two minutes."

She gave me a mischievous grin. "Deal."

Naomi yanked me forward so that I was on my knees, my clit millimeters from her mouth. She looped her arms around my thighs and pulled me down. She'd been between my legs so many times that, frankly, two minutes wasn't exactly a challenge. When her lips wrapped around my clit and began to suck, the familiarity had my cunt throbbing right away. Her moan vibrated against me and I leaned my head back, letting myself ease into the pleasure of her attention.

She started to suck on my clit lightly at a fast pace and my body quickly caught up, needy and frantic. Her tongue was an expert at finding exactly the place beneath the hood of my clit that begged for her mouth. The swift, sweet pulsing of her tongue made my inner thighs twitch. My clit was a beating drum that echoed around my whole body. The hairs on my forearms prickled as my skin got more sensitive, feeling everything from the quilt beneath my knees and the slight breeze of heat through the nearby vent.

Before long, I was grinding ever so slightly on her mouth, guiding her tongue back and forth on the groove of my clit's hood. Faster. Harder. I braced myself against the wall with my palms to get more leverage. Naomi's fingernails dug into my ass, surely leaving pink half moons behind as a souvenir, as she matched the rhythm I was urgently setting. We raced each other, my legs beginning to shake and her tongue flicking fast.

When I came, unable to control my legs any longer, she kept at the same pace, not speeding up, just lapping at the fresh stream of liquid that came from me. Her strong arms eased me lower, onto her chest, and she craned her neck to keep at my clit a few moments longer. Her moan was constant until the waves of orgasm stopped and

I collapsed next to her.

Still breathing heavily, I kissed her and said, "Good job, gorgeous."

She snickered against my lips. "I could've done it faster if my toys weren't in the car. I can make you cum, like, ten times with a vibrator."

"There's plenty of time for that." When my breaths slowed back down, I trailed my fingers down from her face, over her chest, and down to right above her cunt. "Now, I've got to hold up my end of a very important deal." I hooked two fingers inside of her, sighing contentedly when I found her slick with wetness. My fingers slipped inside effortlessly; we fit together. "Christ, I have to taste you. It's been way too long."

She smiled and scooted upward onto the pillows, getting into the position that we both knew well. I spread her legs and nestled in between them. Her pussy smelled so clear and clean like all of the valley lakes we'd be hiking next to over the next few days. She'd had a recent wax, keeping a neatly trimmed bush above her perfectly smooth lips and tight pink asshole. God, she was perfect. I leaned down and greedily took her clit in my mouth.

As soon as her tart, warm taste touched my tongue, I was in heaven. I closed my eyes and relaxed and the only thing on my mind was her. Tasting her. Exploring her. Needing her. I reached up to play with her tits. I took her nipples between my fingers and gently caressed them. Her skin was blushing and easy. With her level of sensitivity, Naomi bucked against my face just how I wanted. I knew not to go overboard with her -- we had opposite sensitivity levels -- so I kept it to my thumbs lightly and precisely circling her nipples.

I took my right hand, leaving my left on her chest, and slid my first two fingers to the opening of her cunt. I held them there for a moment until she whined and rolled her hips forward, begging without words to be filled. My fingers entered her wet, welcoming pussy. Immediately, I felt her clenching and tightening around me as I licked her clit in time with curling my fingers against her walls. A third finger joined the first two and Naomi groaned at the extra girth. I wanted to have as much of myself inside her as possible.

Naomi rocked her hips back and forth on my fingers, fucking herself, using my hand as a toy. She controlled the pace. I longed to fucked her with the strap in my bag as soon as we had the chance to get away. For now, I followed her lead as her soft moans traveled downward and kissed my ears. She was trying to stay quiet, but that had never been Naomi's strong suit. With her lips pressed together, her sounds were even more urgent and slutty, uninhibited and out of her control. When Naomi's thrusts reached a fever pitch, I slowed down. My mouth eased almost all the way off of her clit, keeping her so, so painfully close to getting off but not quite letting her.

Naomi whined, "Fuck, Van, quit it!"

"Quit it?" I teased, beginning to pull my fingers out of her. "If you say so."

She huffed, reached down, grabbed the back of my head by my short blonde hair, and pulled my face into her cunt. I let my tongue go soft and flat and she ground on it hard. My eyes fluttered closed as I enjoyed the pure ecstasy of being used by her. Finally, she got quiet, grinding fast and whimpering. I knew she was about to cum from the twitch in her thighs and the curl of her fingers in my hair and the urgent, intense movements.

When Naomi came, the milder, slicker juices that coated my tongue were like the first bursting bite of a fresh pear at the beginning of summer. I savored every fleeting second. Her fingers loosened in my hair and her legs shook. I tried not to grin while she worked out the very last pulses of her orgasm, knowing there would be many, many more before the week was over.

She finally released me and I crawled up to her. We kissed softly.

She giggled and said, "You taste good."

I kissed her one more time, making sure our tongues tasted one another, spreading the perfect taste of her pussy around. I rolled away from her and tucked back under the covers.

"Yeah, my compliments to the chef."

Naomi laughed quietly and curled up against my body, her bare leg holding down mine. "Now let's actually get some sleep; we've got a big morning."