To know who I am today, I must go back to September 2012. That was when I went away to college. I had just turned eighteen the previous April, and this was my first time away from home. I woke up early that day, knowing my life was about to change. I got out of bed, took off the t-shirt that I had slept in, and looked in my bedroom mirror. I saw someone who was scared but also very excited about a new adventure.

I was lost in thought when I heard my mom yell, “Ashley, are you dressed yet? Breakfast is ready!”

After getting dressed, I came down the stairs, and my dad was reading the morning paper. Yes, my dad was a Luddite. He was the only person in the neighborhood who still had a print subscription. My mom, as usual, was making sure the eggs were perfect and the toast did not burn. We were financially blessed, and my mom had been a stay-at-home mom since my older brother had been born.

Mom served breakfast at the kitchen table, and we sat eating quietly. I knew my mom and dad were remembering two years ago when they drove my older brother to college, and here they were, taking me. They were going to be empty nesters, and although my dad was ready to have his wife to himself, I’m sure my mom was going to have a hard time finding out what the next phase of her life was going to be. Breakfast was done, and while my mom cleaned up, my dad started packing the car. He looked at everything I was planning to take and said, “Good Lord, I hope all your things fit into our SUV.”

It was a three-hour drive to the college I was attending. For most of the trip, I reflected on my past to mask the apprehension that I was feeling. Yes, I was scared to be alone, but I was glad to be away from my parents. I also reflected on my strict Catholic upbringing. Both my parents are devout Catholics, so religion has always been a big part of my life. Although I have always gone to public schools, catechism and receiving the sacraments were mandatory. While most of my girlfriends dated at younger ages, I was eighteen before going out on a date.

That date was with my first boyfriend, Justin. He was the boy who took my virginity. He was six months older than me, and we had similar backgrounds. He was over six feet tall and had an athletic body. He was the starting forward for our varsity basketball team, so it was no surprise that he was accepted to a college in the Midwest on a basketball scholarship. We were together for most of our senior year but only for one month of the summer. By July, he left for basketball camp and made his basketball dream come true. We promised to call and text, but I knew our lives were going in different directions. Although we did not break up officially, we did not commit to being exclusive.

I was sound asleep when I heard my mother call my name. I opened my eyes and saw my dad get off the freeway and drive through a residential neighborhood. That was when I saw the campus. It was exceptionally large, with dorms along the campus perimeter. We were told to arrive at a set time. When we got to campus, we were greeted by student volunteers who helped us carry my stuff to my dorm room.

As we were led to my dorm room, I was incredibly nervous. We opened the door, and I was shocked. The dorm room was tiny. Much smaller than my bedroom. In it, there were two twin beds, two bedside tables, and two student desks. There were also two dressers, but they were part of the closet. I looked at my stuff and looked at the size of my room and said, “Oh shit.”

My mom replied, “Ashley, don’t swear.”

I was glad to be the first to check in so I could get used to my new home. After I made my claim to the bed by the window, I began sorting through my belongings. My dad looked at all the things I packed and said he wanted to see the campus. Thus, my mom and I were left to cram everything I brought into my side of the dorm room. Despite my mom’s best efforts, everything could not fit. When my dad returned to my room, he saw a suitcase filled with clothes and shoes. There was also a box filled with belongings that I now had to part with. He looked at the suitcase and box and said, “I guess you want me to take this back to the car.”

My parents gave me a big hug and left to check into a nearby hotel. Before they left, we made plans for them to return to my dorm and take me out to dinner. As I watched them leave, I began crying. I had been talking bravely for most of the summer about how I wanted to get away, but I was scared. Moreover, my parents were returning home with a suitcase full of my clothes and shoes. For the first time, I was alone, and I wondered if I would survive the next four years without dropping out of college.

After a while of crying, my tears ran dry. I was worn out, and as I began to doze off, I heard the door open. Looking up, I saw a girl who appeared to be older than me walk into the room. She must be my new roommate. To be accepted into the dorms, if I didn’t have someone I wanted to live with, which I didn’t, I had to fill out a questionnaire, and the dorm administrators would try to match me up with someone. This must be the girl they had picked.

The administrators may have made a mistake. The best way to describe my new roommate was to say she stepped out of the 1960s. She was wearing a front-tie floral top and matching floral pants. She was not wearing 1960s boots. Instead, she wore sensible shoes that were more comfortable than fashionable. All she brought was a backpack and a duffle bag.

She saw that I had been crying, and she walked up to me, leaned over, gave me a huge hug, and said, “Hi, I’m Heather. What’s wrong honey?”

I am not sure why I did it. Maybe it was the genuine concern Heather showed. Or, I may have needed to let out the feelings I was holding back. I broke down, and I blabbered for ten minutes without stopping. I talked about Justin and whether we had a breakup. I told her how hard this school was going to be. I told her my parents had taken some of my belongings back to our home. She just listened, and when I stopped chatting, she said, “Everything will be alright.”

There was something about Heather and the sympathy in her voice that made me believe her.

As Heather put her possessions away, we got to know one another. I told Heather about my Catholic upbringing and my strict parents. I then asked Heather to tell me more about her and her family.

She was twenty-two years old. She transferred to this college from a local junior college. Heather’s parents had been married for thirty years. Besides herself, she has an older brother and sister who still live at home. Heather and her family lived on a large commune property. It held four individual-family homes. Even though the families lived in separate houses, they shared food grown on the property. The families were all close. When she was growing up, the families helped take care of each other’s kids so their parents could work outside the commune. As the kids got older, they were all homeschooled. Then she dropped a bombshell. She told me that the commune was a naturist commune.

Completely unaware of the term, I asked Heather, “What is a naturist?”

She smiled and replied, “A person who feels comfortable without coverings not only at home, but also on commune property.”

“You mean a nudist, right?”

Heather replied, “No. Nudism emphasizes the practice of nudity, while naturism highlights an attitude favoring harmony with nature and respect for the environment. Choosing to be nude is just part of an overall lifestyle.”

Then she added, “Naturism is a lifestyle that encourages nudity, and nudists simply undress for a swim.”

Her last explanation made me smile.

It will take some time to get used to what she told me. I had so many more questions I wanted to ask Heather, but there was a knock at our door. Heather went to open the door and saw my parents. My parents looked at Heather with a confused look, but then my mom saw me standing by my bed.

My mother said, “Hello, you must be Ashley’s roommate. We are Ashley’s mom and dad.”

They entered the dorm room, and we chatted for a little while. It was getting close to the time we had to leave for dinner, and my dad looked at my mom. My mom knew what my dad was asking, and she gave my dad a look that said if you must.

My dad turned to Heather and said, “Heather, would you like to join us for dinner?”

Heather gladly accepted.

Knowing how my mom could be, I was worried the dinner would be awkward. I was very worried that my mom would find out about Heather’s lifestyle. Instead, it was a pleasant evening. My mom behaved herself, and Heather was welcoming toward my parents. She told them very little about how she grew up other than being homeschooled. Having spent some time with Heather, I came to believe that we were not paired up by mistake.

After dinner, we drove around town. Since Heather grew up here, she pointed out all the well-known landmarks. My mother was so glad there was a Catholic mission. Afterward, we returned to our dorms. When it was time for my parents to return to their hotel, I walked my mom and dad to their car. I asked my parents what they thought of Heather.

My dad said, “She seems to be a very nice girl.”

My mom had to comment, “Heather appears to be a little Bohemian.”

After my parents left, Heather and I talked some more. She learned about my Italian and Portuguese backgrounds, and I learned more about Heather and the naturist lifestyle. She told me naturism focuses on everyone being perfect the way they are. Respect is the most important aspect of naturism. Respect yourself. Respect others. Respect the environment. There were still so many more things I wanted to know, but I was exhausted from my trip, and we were both ready to go to bed.

I went to my side of the closet and took out a long T-shirt that I always sleep in, and as I turned around, Heather was already naked.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of my clothes,” she said.

I could not help but gaze. Heather was about five feet four inches tall, with chin-length auburn hair. It was her beautiful face that made her attractive. She was not wearing makeup, which gave her a very natural look. Her eyes were big and brown. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was trying not to smile.

She was not overweight, but she was full-figured. Her boobs were most certainly a size D-cup. Her areolas were big and round. Her nipples were dark, and they tipped slightly upward. Looking down, I saw her pussy covered with dark ginger hair.

My eyes moved down her body to check out her rounded hips and legs. My eyes returned to her face, and she had a faint smile. She knew I was checking her out, and she caught me. My face started to redden, but she pretended not to notice. She looked into my eyes and said, “Okay. Now, it’s your turn.”

I hesitated at first, but I remembered that in high school I had changed into PE clothes in front of other girls, so this was no big deal. I could feel Heather’s eyes on me as I took my top off and slipped out of my jeans. I am five-foot-seven, 120 pounds, with long black hair and hazel eyes. My European background gives me an olive complexion. I was about to turn around to unclasp my bra, but I could tell by the look on Heather’s face that she wanted to see my tits. Unhooking my bra, I stood in front of her, wearing only my panties.

I could see Heather staring at my 32C chest, and I got a strange feeling that I could not explain. I could feel my nipples harden. I saw her looking down at my long legs and at my panties. She expected me to remove my panties, but I did not. Instead, I put on my T-shirt and turned around to get into bed. When I looked back and saw Heather staring at my medium-round butt, that feeling hit me once more.

Heather got into her bed and turned off the bedside light. Almost immediately, Heather fell asleep. I, on the other hand, was still trying to process everything about this day. Standing in front of Heather and seeing how she looked at me, brought feelings that I had never had. Nudity had been associated with sinfulness and shame for all of my life; first by my mother, and then by priests. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t feel ashamed. Instead, I felt a stirring as I looked at Heather, and she looked at me. With this stirring, my mind wandered, and I wanted to touch myself. I fought the feeling and eventually fell asleep.

We spent the next couple of weeks getting into a regular schedule. Heather stayed dressed most of the time, but sometimes, she would get naked after returning from class. At night, she always slept in the nude. I was getting more comfortable being nude in front of Heather, but I always sleped in my T-shirt and panties.

This night was no exception. This college town had extended summers, and it was very warm that night. Since there was no air conditioning in our dorms, we were on top of our sheets. The lights were off, but enough outside light came through the closed curtains that I could clearly see Heather. We were both having a difficult time falling asleep when I sensed movement coming from Heather’s bed. Our two beds were on opposite walls, with nothing between us, so I could easily see the other bed. Taking a closer look at Heather, I saw that her eyes were closed, and there was no doubt that her hand was in her pussy. Her other hand was on her breast. Her breathing was heavier, and I could tell she was becoming aroused by touching herself.

I saw Heather take her hand away from her breast and bring it to her mouth, with which she moistened the tip of her finger. I saw the hand that was in her pussy slowly leave her hairy bush and move toward her clitoris. She pulled the hood to expose her clit and moved her fingers down from her mouth and gently stroked the head of her clitoris. I heard her gasp, as one finger moved in a slow, circular motion. Her other hand went back to her breast, and she pinched her nipple, which was now extremely hard.

I was lying on my side, pretending I was sleeping. I could feel myself getting wet as Heather stroked her clit. I wanted to touch myself, but I could not move. Up to this point, her eyes were closed, but suddenly they opened, and she looked right at me. How long had she known I was watching her? She said nothing, but instead, she rubbed harder. We were both looking at each other as I pulled up my T-shirt and put one hand over my wet panties. My other hand went underneath my t-shirt and rested on my nipple. I pressed my hand hard over my panties and continued to watch Heather as she brought herself closer and closer to her orgasm.

With one hand still on her clit, she brought the other hand down from her breast and towards her vulva. Her hand went inside her vaginal opening, and her breathing intensified. She was rubbing her clitoris and pussy at the same time. Still watching me, she arched her back and continued to use both hands to bring herself off.

I began to press even harder on my panties when I heard Heather let out a loud moan, unconcerned that I was also in the room. Hearing her moan was too much for me. I did not care if she watched me. I moved from lying on my side to lying on my back and I spread my legs wide. I used two fingers from my left hand to slide underneath my panties and go inside my vagina. I brought my right hand down from my breast, and gently stroked my clitoris with one finger. My button became fully erect, and I could feel it jutting out from the top of my labia. The more I rubbed my pussy and clit, the wetter I became. I looked at Heather, and she was still watching me.

I heard her say, “Take everything off.”

In an instant, I removed my T-shirt and kicked off my panties. My hands returned to my swollen lips. As I was rubbing away, I could hear Heather’s hand sliding in and out of her vagina, moving faster and faster. Her breathing suddenly got very intense, and then she held her breath. She jerked back against the bed as hard and as fast as she could. I saw her enormous tits bounce as she kept moving. As she breathed again, it slowly changed into a grunt of pleasure. A few thrusts later, I heard her let out a loud moan, and she came. The sound of her voice set me off.

I felt a sudden sensation. My orgasm overcame me unexpectedly. It started slowly, and then it exploded all over my body. I let out a scream that took me by surprise. Heather looked at me and said, “That was intense!”

I felt calm afterward. After a while, my breathing returned to normal, and I noticed Heather was still watching me. The look she was giving me now made sense to me. No further words needed to be spoken, but we were both deep in thought. I did not bother putting on my T-shirt or panties, and this was the first time I slept naked. Eventually, we both fell asleep, but before I did, I thought this night could set the tone for what could be a remarkably interesting year.

It would be another month before either of us spoke about that night. It was not that we denied that it happened. Heather knew that I understood the look she gave me. She also understood that, because of how I was brought up, I was still struggling with the thought that I could be sexually attracted to a woman. It would be up to me to make the next move.

Over the next month, Heather and I settled into a nice routine. My major was Liberal Studies in an undergraduate teacher preparation program. The School of Science and Mathematics, notoriously difficult to gain admission to, was where the program was based. I very quickly discovered that getting in was just the beginning. My fellow students were also very bright, and my classes were difficult, so I spent most of my time studying. Heather was accepted into the History Department and found it easier to adapt, despite the classes being equally challenging.

So, when we were invited to a Halloween party, my first reaction was to tell Heather to go alone. Heather would not have any of that. Not only did she insist that I go with her, but we were going to the party wearing sexy costumes. Halloween fell in the middle of the week that year, so the Saturday before Halloween was a huge party night in this college town. Many Halloween parties were held at fraternity houses within walking distance of the dorms. It was quite a sight to see all these college kids, dressed in the wildest costumes, walk to nearby parties. If you stumbled into this town and did not know what was occurring, you would think you were in the middle of a zombie rebellion.

Once Heather convinced me to go to the party, we had fun finding our Halloween costumes. Heather wanted to go as a seductive hippie. It may sound cliché, but Heather owned who she was, and she loved to show it. We went to a thrift shop and found a print halter top that revealed her wonderful cleavage and a mini skirt that fell seven inches above her knee. Beads around her neck, flower garlands in her hair, and summer sandals complemented her outfit.

That summer, the most popular movie was The Dark Knight Rises, with Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. So, we went to the local mall to shop for a tight-fitting, two-piece, black leotard. I already owned a very thin undershirt, but I wanted the perfect bottoms. We went shopping at Victoria’s Secret for my first pair of G-string panties. I wore flat-slipper shoes and a traditional cat mask to complete the look.