Six Feet Under the Stars

I still couldn't believe what was happening.

Alex had convinced me a while ago to hop the guardrail next to the makeshift campsite. With mud packing into the soles of our shoes, we had stumbled down the inexistent path using the reflections of the stars off of the water as our compass. The two of us cut through underbrush and across rocky patches of ground.

Ironically, it was the two of us that were searching for a place to be alone for devious purposes. My joke about Jack and my's fictional relationship seemed that much more hilarious. Alex held onto my hand and pulled me along behind him. His smile glowed like a crescent moon when he glanced back, "How about behind those bushes?"

I laughed loudly, "I am not in the mood to get poison ivy on me."

"We'll be fine."

"Go back there by yourself then."

"What am I supposed to do with myself behind there?"

Holding back any comments about self-pleasing, I said only, "I'm sure you can come up with something."

"Creativity takes too much out of me. I need someone to brainstorm with me. That's why you should find a place and I'll just follow you. I trust your judgement." Alex looked at me expectantly and stopped walking. "Well?"

My eyes scanned the terrain around us. There wasn't much to see except for a group of tall trees hung back in the shadows like secret agents. And anyway, the green foliage around us seemed much too thin for any lewd activity.

"How about a swim?" I teased looking at the midnight blue water. There was a deflated tire taking space on the shore next to an abandoned Fanta bottle. Somewhere out in the distace, a lone owl hooted.

"Okay. Let's go." Without further adieu, Alex began to shrug off the T-shirt he was wearing, revealing a chest that was as pale as the moon overhead.

"Don't tell me you have on a bathing suit."

"Don't be ridiculous; of course not. We don't need any." He replied, while I watched him struggle to removed a striped sock from his right foot.

I was still confused about what he meant until he started pulling his jeans off as well. That was when the lightbulb in my head clicked on. "Oh. Skinny dipping?"

"Sure. What's wrong with that?" His answering grin was enormous.

Shifting uncomfortably, I looked off towards the water, "Well, there's probably some weird chemicals floating in there that'll make us mutants."

"I'm prepared to be part of the X-Men team." He answered readily. When I turned to make a reply, the words got caught in my throat; Alex stood there in the nude, completely unabashed.

It was much different seeing Alex rather then Jack naked, and not only for the obvious reasons of them being two different people. But it was the feelings that came along with it. When I had walked in on Jack, there was only embarassment and unwanted attention. However, it was completely opposite with Alex; I felt nervous and my stomach filled with overzealous butterflies.

"You're staring." Alex said softly.

"What?" I shifted my gaze to his eyes slowly. Pink colored my cheeks.

"You're blushing too." He also pointed out while turning his back to me, hiding his smile. "Come on. The water's great. I won't even look at you if you're embarassed."

I rolled my eyes though he couldn't see. Working my shirt over my head, I said, "Do you know how trite this is?"

Keeping his word, Alex didn't turn around. "Well, I don't care. This is fun. If it's something you want to do then you shouldn't care if the rest of the world is doing it too. Just do what you want."

"Be a motivational speaker." I suggested while unclipping the clasp on my bra. Quickly, shucking my jeans, I stripped my underwear off as well. "Really. Do it."

"I'll add it to the list." Still, he faced the lake giving me privacy.

"Alex, I'm done."

"Can I look at you?"

I debated for only a moment. "Sure."

Eyes shifting to me, Alex kept a poker face when seeing me naked for the first time. The two of us stood there completely exposed and vulnerable. He took a moment to look at me and then I cleared my throat audibly. "So, on with it?"

Nodding, Alex headed into the unknown water first. It took only a moment for his pale body to disappear under the water. Only his head bobbed above the surface. For once, indecision didn't invade my mind and almost immediately I rushed into the lake behind him.

My body reacted wildy to the cold water. It was a complete temperature shock. Goose bumps broke out and I stood on the sandy ground with arms folded across my chest in order to maintain some body heat. Teeth chattering, I accused, "You didn't tell me it was this cold."

"You wouldn't have come in if I did." He answered lightly. Alex's eyes looked almost black in the night and his hair was soaked with lake water. Swimming over in my direction, he grabbed my hand from where it covered my breast and pulled me along into deeper waters.

"I'm not a good swimmer." I warned, treading water laborously.

"Don't worry about that now. Just enjoy the experience. I mean, honestly how many times do you have the chance to skinny dip next to a rest stop? Not many."

"Probably never again."

He took an exaggerated breath. "Ah, nothing like a man and the woods coming together again. It's like reliving the dawn of time." Suddenly, Alex shot me a look, "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"Maybe."

"I'm disappointed in you. I thought you came to see the good things the wilderness had to offer like I did." He joked.

Playfully, I splashed water at him, "Shut up."

"What was that? Did you just splash me?" Alex questioned me while drifting closer.

I held back a smile. "No. And if I did, maybe you deserved it."

"Questionable." The laughter shoned in his eyes as brightly as the stars. After a moment, it faded and a new emotion of affection took its place. His hand brushed against mind under the water and he entwined our fingers like puzzle pieces.

Sliding me forward, we bobbed up and down right in front of each other. Taking a hand, I brushed a wet strand of hair off of his forehead and lingered my fingers on his face for a few seconds. He scooped his head down and kissed the palm of my hand before I moved it back to help me stay afloat.

Mostly we looked at each other, but every now and then the two of us would stare up into the sky's limitless plain and study the stars feeling like specks of dust in comparison. "This is nice." I told him very quietly.

Alex nodded minutely and water droplets hung to his eyelashes like morning dew. "I almost forget what the stars look like when I'm away in the city so much. It's like they don't exist back with all the lights and noise."

"You should get away once in a while."

"I haven't in a long time." Alex admitted. "Sometimes I feel like a robot, just going through the motions with all the concerts and everything. It's a lot sometimes. Every hotel room feels the same. Every venue too."

"Have you thought about taking some time off?" I asked concerned.

"I don't want to do that. I love making music and I love meeting the fans. Just sometimes it gets overwhelming. But there's nothing I'd rather be doing with my life." He said honestly, giving me a glimpse behind the mask every person wears.

"If you like it, than it's where you belong." I smiled encouragingly. "Just don't forget to live while you're still alive."

Creating ripples in the water between us, Alex chuckled, "Looks like you should be the motivational speaker. Or at least writing a book on philosophy or something."

"I'll get on that. The modern day Aristotle."

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks."

"For writing philosophy?"

"No, for coming down here with me. I really needed this night. Things were getting to be too much. There's even talks about adding on more tour dates and I'm not sure I can handle the stress. So, moments like these help me keep going. You're so refreshing."

That made me laugh hard. "Well, I can honestly say I've never been called refreshing before."

"That's surprising." He studied me with a speculative look in his eye.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm debating if you'll let me kiss you or not." Alex grinned hopefully.

"I'm already skinny dipping with you, so letting you kiss me wouldn't be that much of a stretch." I told him running my hands along the surface of the water.

Laying his hands on mine, Alex stopped their movement and cut off the comment I was about to make with his lips. They pressed on mine softly but with an underlying edge of eagerness. He was kissing me like he had just realized he was alive for the first time. Or perhaps it was like the final kiss of a dying man.

Either way, it had me shivering from more than the frigid water temperatures. The emotions stirring between us was like a tidal wave that didn't subside when he finally pulled away. Alex leaned forward and planted his lips on the peak of my slick shoulder. Against my skin, he murmured. "Let's forget our clothes."