“This is a nude beach,” she said, sensing that I was gradually coming to realize this.

How had I not noticed this before? How had I managed to ignore this?

What was I going to do? I couldn’t very well get naked. Right here and now this was the most exposed I’d been in my entire life. I couldn’t just strip off the rest of this. I’d die of shame.

And yet I didn’t want to go. I’d had such a good time here. I’d felt so calm and at peace.

I’d come so far.

When I thought about going home and going back to that tiny apartment and that ordinary doldrums I couldn’t do it. I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t turn back now.

I took a deep breath, not even remotely believing that I was actually going to do this.

But something took over my body and made me get to my feet. It made me untie my top and let it fall from my body. It made me slip my bottoms over my hips and down my legs.

I was standing there, naked in front of two strangers.

It wasn’t embarrassment I was feeling then. I was too far gone past embarrassment to actually be embarrassed anymore. I was just radiating with this feeling of warmth then and there, the blush creeping over my body and making my skin burning to the touch.

I tried not to make eye contact with either of them, but I could feel their gaze on my body, taking me in.