Abbie gets a hand from a new friend

Abbie lay back on her deck chair, enjoying the sun. This is an amazing escape from real life, she thought. Maybe just a weekend, but it feels like a new life!

She was feeling very relaxed, and let her eyes drift closed as the warmth of the sun and the air enveloped her. The smell of the pool, the morning, the chlorine -- it all made her feel very happy.

Her mind blocked out the sounds of the crowd around the pool. She thought of the ride to the hotel last night. She thought of Jake. She thought of her house at home and how far away it all seemed.

The heat of the sun began to feel more intense on her skin. Abbie was very pale, and knew she needed good sun protection or she'd regret it before too long. She shook off the blissful serenity of her daydream, and sat up. She reached down into her bag, and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen.

The green bikini left quite a bit of skin exposed, so she got started. She began with her arms, and as she applied the lotion, became aware of her skin, her freckles, the very faint and fair hair on her forearms. She looked at her own hands, and appreciated the delicacy of her fingers and nails.

She moved to her stomach next. Her skin was smooth and she was in good shape. She wondered if she needed to exercise more, to strengthen her abs. She looked around. Of the many women at the pool, some were bigger, smaller, heavier, more muscular, more tan. It was too easy to get caught up in superficial expectations of what a girl should look like, and Abbie tried her best not to succumb to those pressures. She worked in public relations, so she knew (more than most) what a hideous industry it was, using the media to teach false lessons about self-worth. She breathed in, closed her eyes, and told herself, you're gorgeous ... including your soft, porcelain-like stomach that has probably not seen sunshine in over a year. She giggled at herself. It wasn't a criticism, it was just honesty.

She pulled her knees up and put sunscreen on her legs. She started at her hips, working her fingers underneath the strings of the bikini bottom, and then onto her right thigh. She massaged her leg muscles, which felt good to do. She worked down to her knee, took some more lotion, and attended to her lower leg. She admired the shape of her legs. Thin, curved, long muscles, especially considering she wasn't particularly tall. Her hands drifted down toward her feet, and she took care to apply lotion all around her toes. She smiled looking at her recent pedicure. All in all, I look pretty good, she thought.

Taking another dab of lotion, she went back to her hips, and now worked down the left side. Just as she was working her fingers along the inner edge of her bikini, she felt a shadow on her. She looked up, and a man was standing at the side of her chair.

"Hi," he said, as she looked at him.

"Hello," she replied, waiting for a moment to see what this was about. Did he work here? Was he a guest? Was he going to hit on her?

He took a breath. "I'm sorry. I guess it's not a big deal, but I had been using this chair." He held out a towel. "I thought I had laid this here, you know, claiming the chair?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry," Abbie quickly replied. "Was that --?" She looked behind the chair where she had previously seen a towel on the ground. It was gone. She looked back up at the man.

"Yeah, that one." He indicated the towel in his hand. "It must have fallen. You know, it's not a thing. Don't worry about it."

"Look, if you want the chair back, it's totally fine. I didn't mean to."

The man smiled at her. "Forget it." He took a seat on the chair that Jake had been using, and as he did, Abbie wondered why Jake hadn't returned yet. Abbie continued rubbing lotion into her leg, but a little more hurriedly now. She was a bit nervous with a complete stranger sitting next to her. "I'm Tom." He extended a hand to her.

"I'm Abbie. Nice to meet you." She wiped her hand on her own towel, and shook his.

Tom was about thirty, just under six feet tall, blonde, with a beach tan and the look of a surfer. "I've interrupted you. On a day like today, you definitely don't want to skip sunscreen."

Abbie giggled. "No way. I'll burn up like a lobster."

"You didn't finish your leg. Sunburn on your feet is the worst."

"You're right." Abbie took a bit more sunscreen, and rubbed it into her left foot, wiggling her toes as she did. Tom watched her, slightly smiling. He took another breath, which caught Abbie's attention. She turned to look at him.

"It's going to sound cliché and dumb, but -- do you need any help? Your back ... or neck or ... anything?"

Abbie grinned. "That would be lovely, thank you."