My Perfect Cousin
"We'll be back about midnight. Have fun, don't get up to too much mischief!"
Josh gave a hollow laugh as he watched his parents leave for their evening out. He knew they knew he wouldn't get up to any mischief; he would spend the evening with his nose in a book, as usual. Even so, his parents had insisted that at 15, he was still too young to be left alone while they were gone, although Josh's protests about being too old for a babysitter soon fell away when he saw who his "babysitter" was.
"Mischief," repeated the babysitter as she watched the taxi disappear into the distance. The babysitter was Josh's cousin Amy, entrusted with her first babysitting job having reached the ripe old age of 17. Josh was delighted to have Amy there; they got on like a house on fire, always had done. They shared the same temperament: quiet, bookish, geeky even. Josh's mother knew her sister's daughter would be the very model of good behaviour and the perfect babysitter. Of course, she didn't know Amy's little secret. Nor did Amy's parents, nor her friends, nor did Josh. At least, not yet.
"So..." Amy began, sitting down next to Josh on the sofa. "What do you get up to when your parents are out?"
Josh shrugged. "Nothing much. Read a book, watch telly, go online for a bit, y'know..."
"Uh-huh." Amy nodded, her mouth becoming a little dry. "So, d'you wanna do that, or... we could get up to the 'mischief' everyone thinks we're incapable of." She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked at Josh, whose mouth had fallen open. "Not that, you dirty boy!" she grinned. "It doesn't involve getting naked."
Josh blushed furiously and looked away. How did she know? Of course he thought about sex pretty much all the time, but Amy was his only real female friend and inevitably he had a huge adolescent crush on her. "I... didn't think you meant that," he mumbled.
"Of course not," giggled Amy. "It's just good, clean fun. But it has to be a secret. You can keep a secret, can't you?"
"Course I can," agreed Josh. "But... it's not something bad, is it?"
"No," Amy assureed him, "there's nothing bad about it at all. It's just... something a bit rebellious." Now she was becoming a little embarrassed. "It's something I've done a couple of times when my mum and dad have been out. It's not a bad thing, but... I just don't think they'd understand."
Josh was fascinated. "Well, what is it?"
"You'll see in a minute," Amy told him, getting to her feet. "But you need to promise you won't tell anyone, and that you'll join in with me."
"I promise," said Josh, breathlessly. "Just tell me!"
"It's better if I show you," Amy told him. "Follow me."
Puzzled, Josh followed Amy out of the room and upstairs. He expected Amy to lead him into the bedroom, but to his great surprise she walked into the bathroom instead. Without a word, she reached into the bathtub, put the plug in and turned both taps on fully. Josh was desperate to know what Amy was up to, but the noise of the water cascading into the tub made it impossible to hold a conversation. He watched in silent confusion as Amy dipped her fingers into the water to check the temperature. Satisfied, she turned off the taps, leaving the bath half full of warm water.
There was a moment's hesitation. Amy's heart raced with the anticipation of what she was about to do. Savouring the moment, she ran her fingers through the water again, then perched on the edge of the bath and began to remove her shoes.
"Hang on," said Josh. "You told me in no uncertain terms that this didn't involve getting naked."
As calmly as she could, Amy placed her shoes by the door, then took off her watch and placed it on the shelf over the bathroom sink. "That's right," she confirmed, taking her phone from the pocket of her jeans and placing it next to her watch. "It doesn't."
Josh couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stood gaping as Amy steadied herself on the side of the bathtub and climbed in, still fully dressed.
"You're going paddling," laughed Josh. "That's your big secret, you're going paddling. Indoors."
"Not exactly," Amy grinned. She stood for a moment, calf-deep in the water, savouring the adrenaline rush of what she was doing. The water grabbed at the legs of her jeans and swirled them around.
Josh gave a hollow laugh as he watched his parents leave for their evening out. He knew they knew he wouldn't get up to any mischief; he would spend the evening with his nose in a book, as usual. Even so, his parents had insisted that at 15, he was still too young to be left alone while they were gone, although Josh's protests about being too old for a babysitter soon fell away when he saw who his "babysitter" was.
"Mischief," repeated the babysitter as she watched the taxi disappear into the distance. The babysitter was Josh's cousin Amy, entrusted with her first babysitting job having reached the ripe old age of 17. Josh was delighted to have Amy there; they got on like a house on fire, always had done. They shared the same temperament: quiet, bookish, geeky even. Josh's mother knew her sister's daughter would be the very model of good behaviour and the perfect babysitter. Of course, she didn't know Amy's little secret. Nor did Amy's parents, nor her friends, nor did Josh. At least, not yet.
"So..." Amy began, sitting down next to Josh on the sofa. "What do you get up to when your parents are out?"
Josh shrugged. "Nothing much. Read a book, watch telly, go online for a bit, y'know..."
"Uh-huh." Amy nodded, her mouth becoming a little dry. "So, d'you wanna do that, or... we could get up to the 'mischief' everyone thinks we're incapable of." She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked at Josh, whose mouth had fallen open. "Not that, you dirty boy!" she grinned. "It doesn't involve getting naked."
Josh blushed furiously and looked away. How did she know? Of course he thought about sex pretty much all the time, but Amy was his only real female friend and inevitably he had a huge adolescent crush on her. "I... didn't think you meant that," he mumbled.
"Of course not," giggled Amy. "It's just good, clean fun. But it has to be a secret. You can keep a secret, can't you?"
"Course I can," agreed Josh. "But... it's not something bad, is it?"
"No," Amy assureed him, "there's nothing bad about it at all. It's just... something a bit rebellious." Now she was becoming a little embarrassed. "It's something I've done a couple of times when my mum and dad have been out. It's not a bad thing, but... I just don't think they'd understand."
Josh was fascinated. "Well, what is it?"
"You'll see in a minute," Amy told him, getting to her feet. "But you need to promise you won't tell anyone, and that you'll join in with me."
"I promise," said Josh, breathlessly. "Just tell me!"
"It's better if I show you," Amy told him. "Follow me."
Puzzled, Josh followed Amy out of the room and upstairs. He expected Amy to lead him into the bedroom, but to his great surprise she walked into the bathroom instead. Without a word, she reached into the bathtub, put the plug in and turned both taps on fully. Josh was desperate to know what Amy was up to, but the noise of the water cascading into the tub made it impossible to hold a conversation. He watched in silent confusion as Amy dipped her fingers into the water to check the temperature. Satisfied, she turned off the taps, leaving the bath half full of warm water.
There was a moment's hesitation. Amy's heart raced with the anticipation of what she was about to do. Savouring the moment, she ran her fingers through the water again, then perched on the edge of the bath and began to remove her shoes.
"Hang on," said Josh. "You told me in no uncertain terms that this didn't involve getting naked."
As calmly as she could, Amy placed her shoes by the door, then took off her watch and placed it on the shelf over the bathroom sink. "That's right," she confirmed, taking her phone from the pocket of her jeans and placing it next to her watch. "It doesn't."
Josh couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stood gaping as Amy steadied herself on the side of the bathtub and climbed in, still fully dressed.
"You're going paddling," laughed Josh. "That's your big secret, you're going paddling. Indoors."
"Not exactly," Amy grinned. She stood for a moment, calf-deep in the water, savouring the adrenaline rush of what she was doing. The water grabbed at the legs of her jeans and swirled them around.