A note from last summer

Since, he has appeared, approaching me at our friend’s birthday which we celebrated sprawled along the bank of the Langer See. As I was entering the lake alone the second time around, the water felt cooler after I’d been sitting in the shade of the trees for a while. I took my time, lingering in the shallows as I allowed the water to climb up to my belly button. He was hanging off the branch of tree submerged in the water and asked me how the experience of getting into the lake was going for me. We picked up a conversation – nice, easy and fun. Lost in it, I didn’t notice as a group of his friends arrived around us, emerging like sprites of the forest or nymphs of the lake – young, attractive, cheeky. As one of them (long, shiny hair and the humble confidence of toned cute) dove into the water right in front of us, his trunks slid down and the rest of us chuckled at the smooth, scrumptious shapes he uncovered. We moved around one another and spoke in a way which cast spells of the young who have missed each other; who are keen to play but are now careful how quickly they approach.