The Australian Summer

The Australian Summer - Chapter 10

Welcome back dear reader! The last time we saw our characters, Isha and Cooper's affair had escalated significantly after New Year's Eve. Oral sex in the kitchen, mutual pleasure in the sauna and shower, everything except penetration, which remains her one arbitrary line Isha had drawn for herself. When Cooper asks when he gets to truly be with her, Isha decides to go camping with him - "no lines, no rules." She manipulates Ankit into suppressing his jealousy and accepting her overnight trip with Cooper, while Ankit goes to Perth alone. Let's continue...

~BhagiRath

ONE MONTH TO THE WEDDING

Great Western Highway, en route to the Blue Mountains, Australia

The highway stretched in front of them...short, flat buildings on either side. The warm January air was rushing through Isha's hair, yet her glasses held steady on her head.

Isha was sitting in the passenger seat with her feet pulled up, knees hugging her chest. Wearing tight denim shorts, shortest pair she owned, her legs bare and tanned, a light gray crop top, showing her stomach.

She stared at the road ahead, but wasn't really seeing the sights. She was thinking about the previous day, and her conversation with Ankit's mother.

"But Isha beti, I don't understand," Ankit's mother seemed distressed. "You both are supposed to leave for India in four days. Why are you traveling now? And why separately?"

Before Isha could say anything Ankit jumped in. He was sitting next to her on the bed. Both of them in a video call with his mother.

"Maa, it's the finals," he said. "Realms of Ruin tournament in Perth...and my team has an actual chance of winning. Do you know how big that is?"

"I don't care how big it is. My question is...why is Isha beti not going with you? What is this camping trip?" She turned to Isha. "Isha, why are you going without Ankit?"

"Don't worry aunty," Isha said, keeping her voice calm. "I'll be safe. I'm going with a friend. I'd just be bored at the gaming event, so camping is much better. I'll get to see some sights."

"Trust me beta, I understand, I'd be bored too. I don't understand what Ankit gets out of this gaming silliness." His mother waved her hand in a dismissive way. "Which friend are you going with? Do I know her?"

There was a momentary delay in Isha's response.

"Aunty, I think I left the stove on," Isha said, getting up from the bed. "You talk to Ankit, I'll be back."

She stepped out of the camera's range. Gave Ankit a look, as if to sayyou handle it, and walked into the kitchen. Ankit continued talking to his mother, the topic of her travel companion successfully diverted.

---

"Hey." Cooper's voice broke her out of her deep thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

Isha blinked. "Nothing. Just...thinking about Ankit."

"What about?"

"Whether he reached Perth yet. What he's up to right now."

Cooper glanced at her and then back at the road. "That's all?"

"Yeah."

She turned her face toward the window. Watched the eucalyptus trees rush by in a blur.

Isha didn't tell Cooper what she was really feeling. Guilty.

Not for cheating on Ankit with Cooper.

No...she was already past that - justifying it as a desire, a need, something she had no control over.

It's physical...it's emotional. I need Cooper. No point in pretending otherwise.

But what she truly felt guilty about was how she manipulated Ankit.

When she asked himCan you handle your jealousy, for me?. While jerking him off in the shower.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

And Ankit did exactly what she expected him to do.

She'd said the words, put her hands on him. His body responded to her touch, while she asked him to surrender the one thing he had every right to fight for.

And he had. Of course he had.

She knew he wouldn't push back. That's what Ankit did. That's who he was.

Isha knew exactly what to say, and how to handle him. She knew Ankit better than anyone and she took advantage of that for her own selfish reasons.

All so she could have an uninterrupted weekend away with Cooper.

She'd used him.

Just like her mother used to do to her.

The thought felt like a slap.

No. That wasn't the same thing. Right?

Her mother had been cruel...calling Naina a whore, making her feel leaving was her only choice. And making Isha promise to be "a good girl" as if her worth depended on it...as if that was her only choice.

Isha wasn't doing that to Ankit, she wasn't trying to hurt Ankit. She was just...

That's when she remembered...forcing Ankit to say "I will handle my jealousy."

The realization dawned on her.

I was cruel to him.

She'd manipulated the man she loved, her boyfriend of ten years. And now he was flying to Perth, alone.

But this realization wasn't enough. The guilt was there, heavy and real.

But she knew the worst part.

She'd do it again.

Because being with Cooper was like a drug. And she didn't know how to quit.

For a second, Isha got irritated with Ankit...for making it so easy. For never putting up a fight, never giving her a reason to stop.

For being gone - physically, emotionally - leaving gaps that Cooper somehow kept filling.

But then the thought soured in her head, almost immediately.

Sure, Ankit was the one who was gone in the beginning. But she was the one who manipulated him out of the Perth trip. She was responsible for the fact that they were separate right now.

The car turned a corner on the highway. And she saw it.

The landscape had changed. The flat suburbs had disappeared, replaced by sandstone cliffs rising up on either side of the road. The trees got taller, denser...eucalyptus everywhere.

Far in the distance, she could see pale shapes, green and gray, almost blue in some places. The air had changed too, cooler. And the smell of eucalyptus was everywhere.

"The Blue Mountains," Cooper said. "We're here."

"It looks..."

"Blue? Yeah...we're quite literal around here. It's the eucalyptus mixing with the air, gives it that blue haze."

Isha lowered her feet from the seat, sat up straighter, took in the scene.

"Wow," she whispered.

Cooper glanced at her smiled. His hand moved from the gear shift and onto her bare thigh. He squeezed.

Isha closed her eyes. Tried to let the warmth of his palm push everything else away, for now.

But her guilt still lingered.

---

The general store was at the edge of the trailhead. An old weathered building with a faded white sign -Marge's Supplies & Essentials.

Cooper pulled up next to a dusty old Land Cruiser parked outside. "Need to grab a few supplies for the trip."

They walked in, a small bell rang announcing their arrival. Isha looked around in awe. It was an old shop, but every inch of the shelves was filled, packed with camping gear, canned food, dried herbs, local honey. The place smelled like cinnamon and fresh earth.

"Coop! Finally...you remembered ol' Marge!"

It was the voice of someone behind the counter, an older woman - late sixties, Isha guessed. Her white hair was tied up in a bun, sun-weathered skin and pale grey eyes, and a kind smile. She was wearing a flannel shirt rolled up to her elbows and jeans.

"Marge." Cooper walked over and gave her a hug. "How've you been?"

"Oh, you know. Same old. Knees giving me trouble." She pulled back and looked him up and down. "You look good. Less stressed than the last time I saw you."

"Sold the business, remember?"

"That's right!" Marge shook her head. "Still can't believe you gave that up. You were the best guide in the mountains, Coop. Best I've ever seen."

"Got tired of chasing tourists up cliffs."

"Mmm." Marge's eyes landed on Isha, standing near the door, taking in the store. "Oh my god."

She walked around the counter, her eyes wide. "Your girlfriend issobeautiful."

Cooper glanced at Isha, who was now looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Thanks, Marge." Cooper smiled, his eyes on Isha.

"I mean it." Marge was standing in front of Isha now, looking over her with an appraising eye. "That hair! The skin! Where are you from, love? Got that beautiful golden coloring."

"Indian! Well, of course you are." Marge laughed at herself. "Should've known. I don't get to see a lot Indians in these parts."

She turned to Cooper. "You bringing her to the falls?"

"Yep."

"Therealfalls, or the tourist one?"

"You know me."

Marge gave an approving nod. Then she reached out and squeezed Isha's arm. "You are in very safe hands with Cooper, love. He knows these parts better than anyone else. Won't let anything happen to you."

Isha smiled. "That's good to know."

"Right then." Marge shuffled back behind the counter. "Firewood's out back, the dry stuff. I'll throw in some of my damper mix, on the house."

"Thanks, Marge."

Cooper paid for the supplies, Marge throwing in extra this and that - "you'll need this, and this, and definitely this" - until his arms were full.

"You kids have fun," Marge called after them as they walked out. "And Coop, bring her back to see me before you leave!"

"Will do."

Isha and Cooper loaded the supplies into the trunk. Isha was quiet, helping Cooper arrange the bags.

Cooper closed the trunk and turned to her. "Ready?"

"So," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm your girlfriend, huh?"

Cooper paused, a slow smile spreading on his face. He came and stood in front of her, Isha's back pressed against the car's side.

"That's what she assumed," he said, putting an arm on either side of Isha. "And I didn't correct her."

Isha's lips parted. She was smiling too, feeling Cooper's chest press lightly against her.

"Why not?"

Cooper leaned in, giving her a deep kiss on her lips. Then he pulled back.

"Because I don't want to correct it."

Isha started at him. She could feel her heart beat faster, harder.

"Isha." Cooper's voice was low. Serious. "Just for this weekend. Forget everything else. Forget..." He gestured vaguely towards the direction they came from. "Forget all of it. Be my girlfriend. Get the full Cooper experience."

"The full Cooper experience?" she repeated, her smile turning wider.

"Every bit of it."

Isha looked at the rising mountains surrounding them. The blue foggy haze. The eucalyptus. The dirt road leading somewhere only he knew.

Girlfriend.That's what she was to Ankit for over a decade. Ankit's girlfriend. That's how she saw herself.

Cooper was looking at her, waiting.

Could I be his girlfriend too?

Could I be two people's girlfriend at the same time?

She didn't have an answer for this. Didn't have a rulebook to follow. All she knew was that she keptchoosingCooper. Every time. Even when she knew she shouldn't. Especially when she shouldn't.

Cooper's girlfriend.She found that exciting and scary at the same time. It was just for the weekend, of course.

She took a breath and let it out.

"Okay," she said.

Cooper's smile widened. He pushed himself off the car and opened the passenger door for her.

"Let's go, girlfriend."

Isha rolled her eyes. But she was smiling as he got in.

---

Cooper brought them to a small parking lot, nestled between two large cliffs. A small trail in front of them, climbing up. Steep.

"We're on foot from here," he said. "Hiking straight up, and then down to the falls."

Soon, they were an on their way, backpacks on their shoulders. Cooper's significantly larger than Isha's. Cooper pointed out the shrubs and trees along the way, which ones could help, which ones to stay away from.

The trail had narrowed, winding through trees and sandstone. Isha's calves were burning.

"Coop." She stopped, hands on her hips. "How much further?"

"Bit."

"Bit? That's not an answer."

"Sure it is. Just not a helpful one."

She glared at his back. He didn't turn around. Just kept walking.

"I'm serious," she called after him. "You said something about me being your girlfriend. And the full Cooper experience. So far you're just making me hike up a mountain."

He stopped and turned. A smile on his face.

"Ah," he said, "To get the full Cooper experience, you'll need to do something first."

She stared at him, panting. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Everything I ask of you," he said. "Do whatever I tell you do this weekend. No questions asked. That's when you get the full Cooper experience."

She opened her mouth in mock surprise.

"You already boss me around in the gym," she said. "How much more control do you want? I hardly say no to you as it is."

Cooper laughed.

"True. But it's not about control," he said. "It's about trust. Put yourself entirely in my hands, and I reckon you'll enjoy it."

"That sounds dirty."

Cooper laughed again. "It can be."

"Shut up."

Cooper was a few meters ahead of her, standing atop a small hillock.

"This is what you get," Cooper called out to her. "When you put your trust in me."

Isha looked up at Cooper. He was pointing to something in front of him.

She came and stood next to him to see what he was pointing to.

Through the trees. Over in the distance. A waterfall. A white, silvery ribbon of water cascading down rock into a pool so clear, she could see the bottom. The stone was almost golden in color, ferns all over.

"Coop," she whispered. "That's so..."

"Beautiful...I know."

After a moment of silence she said. "Fine. Full Cooper experience. I'm in."

---

Isha and Cooper hiked over to the waterfall. Put their backpacks on the ground and just took in the view. The air was cool and misty. It smelled like rain and eucalyptus.

Isha's hand was in Cooper's. They were looking at the waterfall in front of them, standing a few feet from the pool.

"What's it called?"

"Doesn't have a name."

"Everything has a name."

"Not this." He was watching her face, not the waterfall. "Very few people even know of its existence. And those who do, don't tell."

"Why not?"

"Because then, it wouldn't be this anymore." He gestured towards the waterfall.

Isha nodded and looked back at the water. The way the sunlight hit the falls, lighting it up as if the light was coming from inside it. The absolute silence, except for the rush of the water falling.

"Come on," Cooper said, releasing her hand. He was already pulling his shirt over his head.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like," he said, bringing his shorts down his legs. "Time for a dip."

"It's going to be cold..."

"Only for a bit," he said, pulling his underwear down his legs. "It'll feel nice after a while."

"Coop!" Isha exclaimed as soon as she saw his cock exposed. "Why...why are you getting..." she lowered her voice. "...completely naked? What if someone sees?"

"There's no one else here, Isha," Cooper chuckled. "Besides I don't want to lug around wet underwear around. Come on. Hop in."

"NO. WAY."

Cooper shrugged and walked into the water and then dove under.

He surfaced a few seconds later, pushing his wet hair back. He looked back at Isha, standing on the rock with her arms crossed.

"Come on," he said. "Water's great."

"You're lying."

Cooper swam closer to the edge. Rested his arms on the flat rock where she was standing.

"Isha," Cooper looked up at her. "You're my girlfriend this weekend, remember? Girlfriends trust their boyfriends."

"Boyfriends don't make their girlfriends freeze to death."

"Full Cooper experience." He raised an eyebrow. "We had a deal."

She stared at him. He started back.

She looked at the water. Then at him.

"Fine." She pulled her crop top over her head. "But if I die of cold..."

"You won't."

She unbuttoned her shorts. Pushed them down. Stood there in her underwear - simple black bra and thong panties.

Cooper was watching. Not subtle about it.

"You're staring," Isha said, unclasping her bra, letting it fall. "It's not like you haven't already seen..."

"I have," Cooper said, his eyes moving over her slowly. "But the way the light hits you right now..."

"Okay," she said. And then she narrowed her yes. "I'm not taking my underwear off, though."

"Your call." Cooper smiled, pushing off the rock with his feet and floating on his back.

---

The cold hit her.

"OH MY GOD..."

Isha swam towards Cooper before she could think, searching for warmth instinctively. He caught her. Pulled her into his arms.

"See?" His voice was low. "Not so bad."

"Shut up and hug me tighter," Isha said with a shiver. "It's so damn cold."

Cooper laughed and tightened his arms around her. She could feel his chest against hers - warm despite the cold water. Her nipples had hardened immediately from the cold. Now they were pressing against his chest, just the wet fabric of the bra between them.

Cooper's hands were on her lower back, holding her close. She could feel his cock against her stomach, pressing against her bare skin, just above the waistband of her thong panties.

"Better?" he asked, his lips close to her ear.

"Getting there," she murmured, her arms around his neck.

They floated like that for a minute, treading water, their bodies pressed together. It was cold still, but fading quickly, replaced by the heat between their bodies.

Isha looked up at Cooper. Water droplets on his eyelashes, his hair slicked back, making his face look even more handsome. His lips, as kissable as ever.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi yourself."

Isha looked at him for a second, and then kissed him.

This kiss was different from their previous kisses. Not quick, not stolen, not in the fear of someone seeing them.

It was slow. Deliberate. Like they had all the time in the world.

Cooper's tongue found hers. She parted her lips further, welcoming him in.

Her hands drifted lower. Over his stomach, down to his waist, and then lower.

She found his cock under the water. It was hard, thickening in her hand as he wrapped her fingers around him.

Cooper groaned into her mouth.

"Someone's eager," she murmured against his lips.

"Can you blame me?" His voice was rough. "Look at you."

Suddenly she released him with a chuckle. "Okay, enough now." She started swimming to the shore.

"What!? Where are you going?" Cooper complained. "Was just getting good."

"We'll have plenty of time for fun," Isha said. "Right now, I'm cold."

"You're missing out on the full Cooper experience," he called out.

Isha just laughed. Cooper groaned and followed her to the shore.

---

The rock was warm from the sun, smooth and dry. Isha could feel the warmth of the stone against her back.

She'd removed her wet bra and laid it next to her wet panties on the rock...to dry them. And she herself was laying on the stone, completely naked.

Her fear of someone coming was long gone. They hadn't seen a single soul in over two hours.

She was enjoying the feeling of the warm sun over her skin. Cooper was sitting next to her. Also completely nude.

"You should've stripped entirely," Cooper said, looking ahead at the water. "Now you have wet underwear."

"It's fine," Isha said, without looking. "I've found something to wear."

Cooper looked at her. She had his flannel shirt in her hand.

"That's my shirt."

"It's mine now."

Cooper laughed. "Okay, time for us to head out again. There's a beaut spot, not too far from here - we'll camp for the night there. Let's go."

Soon, they were packed up and on their way. Hiking uphill again.

This time though, Cooper was shirtless, wearing just his shorts. Isha was wearing his flannel shirt, and nothing underneath.

---

One moment they were climbing up through narrow sandstone corridors, tree branches scraping their shoulders, the next...Isha stepped out onto the edge of a cliff.