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The Picnic Blanket

The Picnic Blanket

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 Two guys, two girls, a camping picnic on the beach. By Cybotic. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. This was her Friday. Rosalie was looking forward to two days off. There was a movie on Netflix she’d been planning to see. Her bathroom needed some painting. She had been thinking of getting a cat. As she sat, sipping coffee in the break room, eating her jalapeno tuna fish sandwich, her phone rang. Irritated, she checked the number. Her friends all knew better than to call her during work hours. But this was Celia, her next-door neighbor. They weren’t especially close, but they did enjoy each other’s company. They had started a garden on the apartment building’s rooftop. And Celia had a key to Rosalie’s apartment in case of emergencies. “What’s up?” Rosalie asked. “I got invited on a camping picnic. Two guys from my hometown visiting for the weekend. But I don’t feel comfortable being the only girl. Would you be interested in joining us?”Rosalie thought about it. A picnic sounded fun. “Where? And what’s a camping picnic?” “Carmichael Beach. A camping picnic means no tents, no sleeping bags, no fishing, no living off the land. We take some blankets, some already prepared food. We eat. We get drunk. We fall asleep on the beach. You in?” “I’m at work. If you can wait until I get off, then I’ll go.” “Fabulous,” Celia said. “And you don’t have to hurry. We’re still getting ready.” “Grab anything you need from my apartment. I’ve got some old blankets and some Spam and tuna and rum.” “Perfect. See you in few hours.” Rosalie went through the rest of her shift in a slight haze, already thinking about the trip to the lake. She hadn’t been on a picnic in ages. One of the customers threw a little fit right before closing time because he wasn’t allowed to enter the store without a mask. Instead of arguing, they just locked the door early and shut down. Rosalie got home fifteen minutes earlier than usual. She changed out of her work clothes, packed a backpack with some necessities, and jumped in Celia’s car. And they were on the road ten seconds later. “So, who are these guys?” Rosalie asked. “Old boyfriends?” “No. Friends of my brothers. When I was a teenager, I had giant crushes on both of them. But I was just the pesky little sister of Frank. But now I’m living in the big city and once or twice a year, these guys come out for some fun and girls and maybe a little business.” “So, this is a summer holiday trip?” “Exactly,” Celia said. “And you’re not hooking up with either one?” “No… but…” “Yes?” Rosalie asked. “Is there one you’re interested in?” “I’m still interested in both of them. Either one of those boys can have me with a snap of his finger. I’ve been too shy to encourage them. But if, by some miracle, you see me trying to get close to one of them, I would appreciate it if you would distract the other.” “Distract how?” Celia laughed. “That’s up to you. And it goes both ways. If one of them attracts you, go for it. I won’t be jealous. They’ve had lots of girls. Lots and lots of girls. Even close friends of mine. And neither will be sticking around afterward. They’ll go back home and I’ll stay here. No point in being jealous. But if you’re not interested like that, then just talk about music or movies or something.” “Maybe I should know their names first.” “Maybe so,” she said. “Jason and Charles. Jason is the one with the military buzzcut. Charles shaves his head.” Celia told a few stories about the two men as they drove out of the city. And Rosalie talked about her own past boyfriends. And as they got to know each other finally, after being neighbors for over a year, Rosalie felt herself relax from the tension of the day, all her work anxieties draining away. By the time they arrived at the lake, Rosalie was already feeling as rested and refreshed as though she’d already had her weekend. This had been a marvelous idea. The boys pulled up in a pickup right behind them and she made herself useful, helping unload. As Jason and Celia built a fire, Rosalie stared out at the lake wistfully. She’d forgotten to bring a swimsuit, but she didn’t want to soak her clothes by going in fully dressed. It was an isolated location, but she didn’t know any of these people well enough to go skinny-dipping in front of them. If nothing else, she’d at least do some wading. Then she turned around, noticed the blanket Celia was spreading out over the ground. Rosalie realized that Destiny had just decided what she’d be doing on this trip. “Why did you bring that blanket?” she asked Celia. “Did I make a mistake? You told me to get anything we might need from your apartment. This seemed like a nice, sturdy blanket, but old enough to not worry about if it got a little stained.” That was true enough, Rosalie thought. It had been stained plenty. “That ...
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