Diva Dismayed 12: Chapter 12 – A walk in the park
The next morning I woke to find that Rachel was up before me. When I surfaced I saw that she was engaged in looking through my closet.

She noticed my wakefulness straightaway. “Sorry if I disturbed you. Sleep well?”

I nodded drowsily. There seemed to be a golden haze about her and I heaved a sigh of deep content as I gazed. My friend however was in a more practical mood.

“I hope you don’t mind but I need to borrow one of your dresses so I can get back to my room.” She indicated the dress she’d worn to the dance which lay folded over a chair. “If I were to be seen by Miss Nosey-Parker in evening clothes the cat would really be out of the bag!”

She took out a day-dress in a blue stretchy fabric “There. That ought to fit at a pinch. Can you lend me that one?”

“Of course. No need to ask.”

She pulled it over her head and slipped her arms through the sleeves.

Once she had emerged from its folds, she stood for a moment in front of the glass and smoothed the garment down. Then, with a nod of satisfaction, she rummaged for her key in her purse and departed, leaving me to my reverie. It was a pleasant one. After indulging myself sleepily for some minutes however, I stirred myself to action. I got up and dressed myself quickly. Once I was presentable I ran upstairs to see how my erstwhile bedfellow was faring. Mindful of the need for discretion I carried with me her evening clothes wrapped up in a parcel to hide their nature. As it happened there was no need. I didn’t encounter anyone on the stairway.

I let myself into her apartment and found my friend still clad in the borrowed dress. It felt good that I’d been able to do something for her. She was already busy preparing breakfast and looked relaxed and happy and a smile lit up her face when she saw me. I helped her setting out the food then we sat together at the table. After we’d eaten, I cleared away and washed the dishes while Rachel changed the dress for her uniform. Then we spent the morning together. Though we seemed particularly close, instinctively I avoided any reference to what had occurred in the night and my friend appeared to have put it out of her mind too. Perhaps I might have regarded what happened as all a dream except for a glint in her eyes when they met mine. No, it had been real enough.

This particular Sunday had dawned as a glorious summer morning, with skies of the brightest blue and a delicious breeze. I was keen to get out and enjoy the day. I’d learned that only twenty minutes’ walk away lay the local park. I had been planning for my friend and I to take our lunch and spend a pleasant few hours there, but when I’d suggested it to her I’d found that her afternoon was already otherwise arranged. She had been roped in to do an additional shift at the hospital. It was a welcome opportunity to earn some extra money.”

After lunch I took my leave to go and get changed. She put her arms around my waist and embraced me, giving rise to the usual bodily reaction in me. Memories of the previous evening heightened the sensation. How much Rachel was aware of my emotions, I couldn’t tell.

“I will try not to mind too much when I think of you enjoying this wonderful weather” she exclaimed, laughing off the disappointment. “Now, as you are going on your own, you must promise me to take good care, or I will worry about you. Be especially sure to avoid any lonely places where there aren’t many people.”

I readily gave her the required assurance. I’d already been put on my guard against solitary walks through unknown neighbourhoods. In this case I reckoned that the park ought to be full of leisure seekers on a Sunday and therefore was likely to be safe enough. The next question that occupied my thoughts was inevitably… what ought I to wear?

Since arrival of my clothes I had a fair selection of my own dresses, tops and skirts to choose from. The drawback was that the focus of the wardrobe which my mom had picked out for me majored on eye-catching little numbers, and I mean little! This would have been okay if my life had consisted of a succession of parties and glamorous evenings but that was far from the case. Conspicuously lacking were the everyday types of attire which would have served my more practical needs, like earning a living and blending in. It figured! From the earliest days of my transformation, Mom’s dress choices for me had always featured skimpy pieces of clothing guaranteed to cause me the maximum of discomfort and which seemed to provide my devious parent with the maximum of delight!

On this particular afternoon, the weather dictated that a sundress would be most appropriate and I had just such a one. The frock I had in mind, with its strappy top and figure hugging style, would certainly command attention. It was in a floral patterned blue brocade, and its saving grace was that I had a little cardigan in a coordinating colour which would help preserve my modesty. True, the length of the skirt was shorter than my ideal, but this choice was likely to be my best one. Once I’d completed my change, I checked my make-up in the mirror, and then with my heart beating high, I set off. It would have been so much more enjoyable if Rachel had been with me, but I was keen to take advantage of such an idyllic day.

A few minutes later I found myself strolling through a leafy suburb. The intermittent shelter from the trees which lined the sidewalk was very welcome. The road wound gently uphill and after some time I began to get warm with the exercise. I removed my cardigan and sought as much shade as the trees provided. Not too many people were out in the heat of the afternoon so my walk was solitary until I reached the pleasure ground itself. Just then I noticed a young woman going in the same direction as myself. Her figure was somehow familiar. When she turned to cross the street in front of me I recognised Della, our co-resident. As I came up with her she saw me and waved.

Her company would be a poor substitute for that of my best friend. I have to admit that my heart sank but I tried not to show any reluctance as I returned her greeting.

“Taking an afternoon walk?” she called, waiting for me to approach. “Very health-giving. Shall we explore together?”

I smiled, trying to show more enthusiasm than I felt at the invitation. For one thing we must have made an incongruous pair as we fell into step. Here was I apparently all dressed up in my Sunday best complete with hose and heels, while my companion was as casual as you please and bare-legged, in sandals, a crop top and a faded cotton skirt.

“You are very smart today, I must say.”

“Overdressed you mean” I laughed trying to enter into a spirit of friendly conversation. “I don’t have too many clothes to choose from. You must be much more comfortable in all this heat.”

“Well I think you look just perfect. That dress really accentuates those curves of yours.”

She stopped and ran her hand over my hip. “Mmm That material’s so slippery! That must feel very sensual to wear.”

Judging it best not to appear unfriendly, I quelled my instinctive reaction to recoil from her touch. Della gave that disconcerting smile of hers then she took my hand and held it against her skirt.

“Plain ole cotton for plain ole me” she remarked. “Never mind. Only one of us needs to be beautiful.” Then still holding my hand she turned so we fell into step side by side.

It was difficult to know what to say. My companion broke an awkward pause. “We should do this more often, don’t you think, just you and me? We need to get to know one another.”

I still didn’t know how to respond. The woman was being extraordinarily nice to me but that didn’t engender trust to any great extent. On reaching the park she led me though the entrance. We were immediately among a crowd of pleasure-seekers and I started to feel better. As we walked we passed couples seated on the grass and families playing ballgames or picnicking. It made a relaxed and colourful holiday scene.

Venturing further on we reached a more wooded area where leafy boughs promised a respite from the strong sunshine. There were less people here.

“Let’s find somewhere cool and quiet to sit” Della suggested and led the way. Walking on the soft grass in heels was tricky so I halted to take them off. My companion kicked hers off too and we walked on. She stopped in where a low-growing thicket would screen us from view from the pathway. Here the trees were spaced thinly enough to allow the grass to grow green but still provided a welcome shade.

I stooped to lay my cardigan, shoes and purse on the sward and when I straightened up again, the next thing I knew was that I was in Della’s arms. She squeezed me tightly against her and reaching her head up, closed her mouth over mine in a passionate kiss.

I was completely shocked and simply froze. It seemed like the kiss went on for ever. Though there was no way I’d wanted it I didn’t find it at all unpleasant, so I didn’t resist. In the past I’d been kissed by some good kissers, so I knew a bit about the subject. But… Della wasn’t in that category. No, she wasn’t a good kisser. Instead she proved to be a great kisser! I was so far from resisting her that I may have kissed her back a little. Okay, perhaps more than that. I opened my mouth and when I did so her tongue darted inside as quick as a snake. I’d never been kissed as thoroughly as I was now. My knees went weak and there was a tingling sensation in my nether regions which became so powerful that I was hardly aware of what was happening.

Vaguely I realised that my admirer had slipped her right hand down to cup my butt and was pressing me against her thigh. It was time I did something. I tried pushing her away only to find that she was a lot stronger than she looked. Finally I managed to pull my head away and we broke apart.

“Mmm. Dreamy!” she exclaimed and flopped herself down carelessly under a broad-leaved tree, grinning widely.

She motioned me to do likewise. I wasn’t sure about this so only hesitantly obeyed. For one thing I wasn’t ideally dressed for sitting on the damp ground. It would have been discourteous to refuse, so more cautiously I seated myself beside her. Her skirt had ridden up, treating me to a grandstand view of her panties. I tried to appear not to notice but it was hard not to look. My eyes seemed to be magnetically attracted to the top of her legs.

This was unfortunate. I wanted to discourage any further intimacy between us, but found that my wayward glance had given rise to an immediate misinterpretation of my feelings.

“Well I can see it’s not only me that’s interested” laughed the girl, drawing attention to my confusion.

Interested? No way!