The Summer Rental

[jackk78]

"It's huge," I said.

"Wait till you see the pool," said Ben.

"There's no way we can afford this," insisted Ethan.

"I told you," said Ben, "my uncle's letting us stay gratis. He won't be using it, so it's all ours."

It was our first summer back from college. My best friends Ben and Ethan had gone to different schools, and we hadn't seen each other since Christmas break. We'd been dreading living back with our parents for the next three months when Ben's uncle had offered up his spacious home an alternative.

"Want to see your rooms?" asked Ben. Ethan and I both nodded.

Ben led us into the house and upstairs. We each had our own room with a private bathroom. Ben had taken the master bedroom. We started unpacking. Ethan finished first and came into my room.

"Can you believe this place?"

"I know, awesome, right?"

"Totally."

Ben walked in with a towel around his waist.

"I'm going to hit the pool. Want to join?"

"I kinda want to look around first," I said. Ethan agreed.

"Suit yourselves," Ben said.

We took our time exploring the house. Spacious was and understatement. This place was a mansion. Two more bedrooms we weren't using. Huge kitchen and living room. We where overwhelmed.

Ethan and I went outside to check out the pool. Ben was padding around. He swam over to the steps and got out.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's great, but...umm, what are you wearing?" I said.

"Nice speedo," added Ethan.

"What's the big deal. We used to skinny dip together all the time."

"We were, like, 7," said Ethan.

"When did you start wearing speedos?" I asked.

"I started swimming laps at school. My roommate wears them and got me into them. They're actually really comfortable. I got you guys some to wear too."

"You serious?" asked Ethan.

"Look, I was always shy in high school. Going to college gave me a chance to open up. When I found out my floor had an open shower, I freaked out. But, over time, I got used to it and found I like being free. I was hoping you guys would be open to trying something new."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"When it's just us at the house, clothing is optional. And for the pool, it's speedos or less. You're my best friends. We've got nothing to hide."

Ethan and I looked at each other.

"You said you got us speedos?" said Ethan.

Ben grinned. "Come on. They're inside."