With two garbage bags hanging heavily from my hands, I walked clumsily out the back door, and down the steps. The weight was balanced, but the effort of keeping them from touching my clothes slowed my walking quite a bit.

I turned at the bottom of the steps and headed for the garden shed, planning to at least shield the house from the smell for the next few days, until I could put them out for collection.

I didn't see her until I was almost at the shed, though I should have known. Her slim tanned body was lying face down on the towel, her top lying beside her on the grass. Short dark hair didn't even reach her toned shoulders, and she was bare from there, down over her perfect back to her hips, and the uprising of her lovely ass. Her already short shorts had been pulled down to reveal the delicious beginnings of her buttocks, and pulled up from the tops of her legs, basically presenting a brief line of green across her body, slightly pale for a small distance above and below, before continuing with a golden loveliness all the way to her small feet.

I stood for a moment in the hot sun, just soaking it in, and then... well, I snapped, I guess. I dropped the garbage bags on the lawn, not caring any more.

"Oh God, Tessa, is there some fucking rule that says you have to do this?"

She turned and jumped, grabbing and holding the top in front of her chest, but not before I got an eyeful. I didn't give her time to answer.

"For fuck's sake, what to you think I'm made of? I know I said I agreed with you. Rule one, you said. Don't screw the crew. I agreed. Flatmates shouldn't get nearly that close. I kept my distance, didn't I?

"And the longer I behaved, the worse you got. First the casual stroll from bathroom to bedroom. You think I can't see your ass wiggling when you walk? That I don't see you when you head to the laundry looking for some of those sexy panties? That your nipples are invisible, no matter how hard they might be? You think when you sit in the armchair, giggling at the TV, dressed only in a towel, that I don't see you? That your crotch isn't on display with the rest of you?

"When you barely wrap that gorgeous ass in a short skirt you think I want to be telling you how nice you look for your dates? And then I have to listen as you bring them home? As you sit drinking wine? You think I like it when you take the fuckers back to your room, and display everything you have to them? They don't even care. You're just another fuck to them. They never come back. Assholes.

"Oh, God, before I met you I never knew that ironing was an erotic sport. Decked out in bra and panties, smiling at me, not even embarrassed? Pulling your skirt on, right there, while I'm trying to make breakfast? I've burned my hand three times trying to ignore you, but really staring at your butt in a thong.

"And even when you're dressed, you fucking smile at me and melt my whole body, and you sway when you get up to make the coffee. Your eyes weep just a little as you tell me about your day, and I have to pretend I don't really care, that I don't want to know all the details, that I don't want to hold you and take the stress away, that I don't want to rock you to sleep.

"You make me watch movies with sexy parts, and I have to ignore your grins, and that exquisite wriggling on the couch. You think I don't know why you rush back to your room as soon as the movie is finished? That I don't know what you do when you get there, with your skirt around your waist, and your fingers between your legs? I can hear the moans, and the gasps and the squeaks. I can see the blush on your face when you return.

"And now. Now you fucking lie out here, half naked, with nearly all of your skin on show, and your beautiful body framed by that towel, your wonderful breasts hot and sweaty in the sun. Your infinitely lovely ass. Your legs just begging to have lotion rubbed on, your neck desperate to be touched with light, airy, needful kisses. Your fucking perfect body in my face all the time, your voice driving me nuts, and your aura keeping me awake every night with my cock so hard I can't breathe...

"Well I've fucking had enough. I'm no superman. I'm just a regular Joe. I'm not putting up with this any longer. Find someone else to torment. Someone else to tease. Someone else who can put up with it all. Good-fucking-bye!

I left her sitting there, with a stunned look on her face, and she still seemed wonderful. I stomped back inside and made a couple of phone calls, knowing I should have kept quiet, and knowing that now I'd have to leave. I managed to convince one of my friends to put me up for a few days, and walked back to my room to pack.

I'd only been there a few minutes when she knocked on the door, taking my grunt as permission to open it. She stood there with the large towel wrapped around her. I noticed she'd been crying, and felt bad for what I'd said. I was about to apologise when she spoke first.

"Jamie, I'm not sure I understand. I didn't do anything to hurt you, did I?"

"No Tessa, you didn't. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken like that."

"Well, let's forget you said it."

"No Tess, I can't. I've said it now. I need to go."

"I'd really rather you didn't."

"Well, I need to. I can't take this any more."

"I'll..."

"You'll nothing."

"I... I never knew it was any kind of a problem, Jamie."

"I know. You were just being you."

"I was."

"I know. I just can't handle it."

"You know, you never said anything."

"Well, how could I?"

"You could have asked me to be less..."

"Uninhibited, Tess?"

"Yeah. I guess. Uninhibited."

"Yeah, but I couldn't!"

"Why ever not?"

I whispered then. "I like it."

"You... oh."

"And I would have thought you'd have noticed."

"Honestly, I didn't have a clue."

"No."

"I... actually, I..."

"What, Tessa?"

"Well, I thought you were gay, Jamie."

"Gay?"

"Yeah. It was... well, you behave gay."

"I do not!"

"You do. You... You're really tidy. You cook. You're... God, that's bad isn't it? I'm applying all these stereotypes."

"Gay?"

Sorry Jamie. But Mike... He said... He told me you were. I'm sure he did."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Does he think you are?"

"Hell no! He just likes to confuse things. You know what he's like."

"Yeah, I... so you're not gay? Not even a bit?"

"Fuck, no! Not a bit."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"Shit."

"Yeah, that too."

"God, I... I wouldn't have... well, I probably wouldn't have done some of those things."

"Uh huh."

"No, really. But I might have because I thought we were really comfortable, you know."

"Well, we are, generally, you know, Tessa."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's just the... well, the sexual things."

"I can see that now."

"Yeah. Other than that, wonderful. Really."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Okay. Listen, you don't... don't need to leave, you know."

"I do. I told you all that stuff. I can't stay now."

"I could cover up more."

"Nah."

"No?"

"It wouldn't work, you know that."

"Well, I guess it... Okay. If you have to."

"I think I do."

"Your call. Well, just... don't rush, then."

"I'm going now."

"Now?"

"Yeah. I think that's best. I'll stay at Steve's for a few days. Sort things out. We can discuss this later. I can still pay the rent for a while."

"It's not about that."

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay. I better... go get dressed."

"No, no. Go back outside. I'm really sorry I upset you."

"No, not in the mood now."

"Okay. Sorry."

"Stop that."

"Okay."

She turned and left then, and I sat in the chair, and tried to think it through. I got nowhere, and ended up just sitting there, doing nothing.

About ten minutes later, she knocked on the door again, and walked right on in. She was dressed in the shorts, and the yellow top that had been lying on the grass. She looked sad, but stunning just the same.

"Hey, Jamie?"

"Yep."

"Ummm... Listen, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, anything. Go for it. I think I'm all out of secrets."

"Seems that way. It's about that, kinda."

"Oh."

"Yeah. You said... well... Oh, never mind."

"No, come on. Ask. Then I'll get out of your way."

"You're not in my way, dummy."

"Name calling now?"

"I'm nervous."

"Oh? Why are you nervous, Tessa?"

"It's... Oh, hell, you said something about my ass. Two things, actually."

"Whatever they were, I meant them."

"You said it was lovely..."

"It is."

"... and gorgeous."

"That too."

She turned then, as if she were trying to look behind herself. She blushed, and turned back, grinning. "Thanks Jamie. Thanks a lot."

"No problem."

"Listen, I know we covered this, but... well, could you consider staying again?"

"How could I? You know now, that I'll be staring at you all the time, watching your butt wiggle, and your breasts bounce. You know I'll be hoping to catch you half naked, or wrapped in a towel."

"Yeah, but... well, this is going to sound insane, right?"

"I have no idea."

"No. Well, lemme try. I... I've never ever thought of you as anything but a flatmate. A gay one, at that. Sorry about that."

"It's alright. I'm going to kill Mike, though."

"Good plan. Can I help you bury the body?"

"Would you do that?"

"Well, maybe not Mike's. Steph would take me apart."

"I'd try to protect you from her."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, Tessa. Yeah."

"Okay. Well anyway, see I thought for a while out on the lawn, and just now, while I was getting dressed... and..."