Avoid staring

You decide you'll keep your eyes on the scenery, though you do notice (often) your gaze lingering on her toned legs through her yoga pants, and tell yourself that she probably was giving you those looks because you had been staring at her boobs. Emily neither makes a comment or changes her demeanor, save to still throw a few glances your way. She does start taking a smaller, much emptier rural road, and you all start to appreciate the gentle fields, hills, farms, and forests of the state It's summer, so the air is warm, but still without too much humidity, and you all crack the windows to get some fresh air. Beth and Sarah begin talking about food, music, film, work, and you all join in.

You learn that Sarah and Emily like to cook, while Beth surprises everyone by telling you she visits family once a month for camping and canoeing trips, even in the winter. You exchange several stories and by the time you get to the address, you're at an old, renovated house that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There is a pool behind it, and Emily tells you that there's a small town with a good grocery store about ten minutes south.

The house itself is large, and looks like an old 'New England' house, the type you see in every ad for travel there. It looks new, with blue siding that you guess is aluminum, but is decorated and designed to look like old clapboard. You've almost forgotten the incident with Emily until you get out of the car and move to the trunk to pull out everyone's luggage. It's a tight fit, and so you struggle with a while. You lean over your shoulder to ask who's first in line, and see Emily staring at your ass. When she sees she's been caught, her face flushes, and she looks away, looking probably much like you did in the car. A strange sense of wonder comes over you. You shake it off. Women can look, too, you realize, though you feel a sense of swelling pride when you turn around and hand Emily her luggage.

She lets her gaze linger on your chest before her eyes meet yours. "Thanks, John," she says.

"You're welcome," you tell her, and she spins and walks toward the front door, where Beth and Sarah are waiting.

"You guys want your bags?" you ask.

"Thanks John! That'd be great!" Sarah shouts back. You groan, realizing that you should have expected that. In no time, you grab all three bags and roll/carry them to the front door. Emily looks at you and puts on a playful pout.

"Why didn't you get mine?" she asks. She laughs before you can answer, and Beth opens the door.

The exterior of the house did not advertise the interior. The living room seems bigger than the house, somehow, with tile in the entryway and a huge line of hooks on the wall to the right of the door. The carpet is a pleasant blue, and the furniture seems modern, sleek and light — all black cushions with chrome frame. The shelves and bookcases are made from what seem to be darkly painted wood, and you can see the kitchen with its modern appliances. There's a note on the counter indicating all the amenities of the house, wifi password, and the reveal of a hot tub beside the pool that you couldn't see when you pulled up.

Sarah gushes first "This is amazing. I'm going to unpack. The rooms are upstairs, right?" she asks, zipping up the first flight.