by M. E. Parker
It was probably a waste of energy. No one in their right mind would be anywhere near the camp ground in the freezing weather, on Thanksgiving of all nights. “Help!” I called out the word as loud as I could over and over. I had no idea how long I’d been calling for help, but it felt like an eternity. “Please help.” The last plea came out as a whisper. I swallowed a sob and tried to focus. Every part of my body felt numb. I needed to focus if I was going to try to swim. I needed to calm down and let go of the rock before I used up all my strength. I was terrified.
chapter nine
Chance
I decided to build a campfire just before the sun set. It was colder than I thought it would be. I spread out the old flannel blanket I kept rolled up in my sleeping bag right in front of the fire. Part of me considered making the hike back down the mountain and driving back to school that night. It would be the responsible thing to do. Saturday was a big game, and everyone was counting on me. The responsible thing to do would be to get back to my dorm room and get a good night’s rest before Friday’s practice.
I didn’t feel like being responsible. I didn’t have to be at practice until noon the next day and, as long as I got up at first light, I’d be back on campus with time to spare. I was tired of everyone counting on me. I was tired of being responsible. I was fucking exhausted from hiding who I was. I didn’t even know what compelled me to hike up the mountain that afternoon. The guilt over how I’d treated Natalie was still eating me up inside. I’d felt the same way after I’d broken up with Kara. But nothing consumed me more than the hatred I had for myself for the way I treated Andy.
I guessed that was the real reason for my trek up to Black Bear Camp Ground. I needed to punish myself, just like I had done almost every morning for the last three years when I stood at my window and watched Andy jog past my building. Rarely did a day pass when I didn’t think about our last camping trip. I hated myself for not being as brave as he was. I hated myself for hurting him. I hated myself for losing him. But I had lost him, and I had no one to blame but myself. I reached in my coat and pulled out the bottle of Jack Daniels that I had stashed in the inside breast pocket. I unscrewed the cap and took a long sip and then I laid back on the blanket, searching for stars.
It was so quiet. There were no sounds at all except for the occasional crackle of the fire and the faint rushing of the river; the entire campsite was lifeless. There were no cicadas or crickets singing, no animals rustling in the woods, no laughter, or singing. It was eerie and peaceful at the same time. I closed my eyes for a second and imagined for the thousandth time what I might say to Andy if I ever worked up the nerve to talk to him again. I must’ve drifted off to sleep because I was startled awake by a scream. I sat up. I couldn’t tell what direction it came from.
The next time I heard it, it was clear. “Help.” It was almost completely dark, so I rushed into my tent and grabbed a flashlight as I tried to make out the direction of the screams. It sounded like it was coming from the river, so I sprinted in that direction. When I reached the river bank, I frantically shined the flashlight in every direction. The screaming had stopped and, for a second, I was worried that I had run in the wrong direction. I wandered over to the rock where Andy and I used to sit, and I heard something. It was a muffled cough or something. I looked in all directions, but I saw nothing. I don’t know what made me do it, but I knelt on the rock and looked over the edge.
Fuck! I shined my flashlight downward to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Then he looked up. For a brief second, we locked eyes. It was Andy. I never thought I’d be that close to him again. But there was no doubt those were his green eyes that had little flecks of gold and amber in them. And, at that moment, they were filled with fear. He squeezed his eyes shut and I realized I was shining the light in his face. I tossed the flashlight aside and laid down on the rock. It was the only way I’d be able to reach him. “Andy?” I still couldn’t believe it was him. I wrapped my hands around his forearms. “I’m gonna pull you up. Let go and grab my wrists.”
“I can’t,” he uttered.
“Yes, you can. Let go. One hand at a time.”
He let go of the rock with his left hand and clutched my arm. “Okay, now brace yourself with your legs and grab my other arm.”
“I can’t, they keep slipping,” he said breathlessly.
“Just try. You don’t have to climb, just brace them against the rock and as soon as your feet are on the rock, let go and grab my wrist and I’ll pull you up.” He shook his head. “I promise, Andy. Just do it.” I wasn’t even sure I could pull him up like that, while I was lying down, but there was no other way, and I was gonna die tryin’.
As soon as I felt his fingers wrap around my other wrist, I pulled him towards me. It took every bit of upper body strength I had to keep from going over the edge with him. I didn’t know how I did it, but I managed to get half of his body onto the rock and move into a kneeling position at the same time. He laid there clinging to the rock gasping for air, with his legs still dangling over the edge. I grabbed on to the belt loop of his jeans and he finally managed to swing his legs back up on the rock. He rolled onto his side and tried to catch his breath. I rolled him over so that his head was resting in my lap. “Shit, Andy, are you okay?”
He kept opening and closing his eyes. He didn’t fucking look okay. “Chance?”
He finally said my name, but his voice was barely audible. “Jesus, Andy, what happened?”
He shook his head. “I fell.”
“How the hell did you fall?”
“I slipped,” was all he said.
“Can you sit up?” I wanted to get him away from the water.
He sat up and pulled his knees up to his chest. He was shivering, and I wasn’t sure if he was in shock or scared to death. Probably both. It made me sick to think about what might have happened if I hadn’t shown up. I wondered what the hell he was doing up there, at night, all by himself. “Is anything hurt?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m cold,” he said, shivering. “And my fingers and legs feel numb.” His teeth were chattering.
“Do you think you can stand up?” I knew I needed to get him back to camp. He needed to warm up. He nodded but made no move to stand. I moved behind him and wrapped my arms under his arms to lift him up. I could tell he was struggling to stand.
I wrapped his arm around my shoulder and my arm around his waist. “I got you,” I said, pulling him against me. It was just then that I realized he had on a backpack. I peeled it off him and threw it over my shoulder. It wasn’t heavy, but I knew he didn’t need the extra weight. “You okay to walk?” I asked as I put his arm around me again. He nodded. He was still shivering, and he hadn’t said anything. I was getting worried. “Come on, man, we need to get you warmed up somehow.” Every step we took seemed to be a struggle for him. I wanted to know what he was doing up the mountains by himself without a proper pack, but he was in no condition to answer questions. Darkness surrounded us as we walked towards camp. There were times when I considered picking him up and carrying him the rest of the way, but I thought it would be better for him to keep moving.
The wind had picked up and was frigid and biting. It felt like the temperature had fallen twenty degrees. The freezing air was cutting against us with every step we took. It would have been bearable if it weren’t for the fact that my clothes were damp from Andy leaning against me. It made me wonder how Andy must’ve felt with his clothing soaked with the freezing water from the river. I still wasn’t sure he was okay. “You still with me, Andy?” He grunted in response. “We’re almost there,” I told him. It was a five-minute walk to the campsite but it felt like it had taken an hour. He was still shivering. His teeth were chattering. I wondered if he was in shock.
I breathed a small sigh of relief as soon as I saw the embers burning from the campfire. Andy fell to his knees as soon as he reached it. He stretched out his arms over the smoldering fire. His hands shook as he tried to warm them
. I knelt beside him and put my hand on his shoulder. “Come on inside the tent, Andy. It’ll be warmer.”
He looked up at me again as if he were seeing me for the first time. “Chance?” he said through chattering teeth.
I nodded. “Yeah. Come on inside the tent.” I helped him up and walked him over to the tent and crawled in behind him. I quickly found my camping lantern and turned it on. A pale light illuminated the tent. I pulled my flashlight out of my pocket so that I could take a better look at him. He was still shivering, his face was completely white, and his lips were blue. I was worried. He didn’t look good. I wasn’t an expert, but I knew that hypothermia was nothing to mess around with.
“You can’t stay in those wet clothes,” I said as I quickly unzipped his backpack. There was hardly anything in there. “You don’t have a change of clothes?” I asked him.
“No. I wasn’t p-p-planning on n-needing one,” he said, shivering. I only had the clothes I was wearing. There was no way I would chance trying to get him down the mountain like he was.
I quickly pulled my sleeping bag off my pack. “Andy, you need to take off those wet clothes. You can get in my sleeping bag to warm up.”
“I can’t. I’m too c-cold,” he slurred.
I looked at him. “Listen, you have to warm up. This is the only way. You’ll feel better as soon as you warm up, okay?”
Andy nodded. I could tell he wasn’t completely lucid, but he bent over and tugged on his shoelace. I rolled out the sleeping bag and unzipped it. When I looked back at him, he still hadn’t gotten his shoelace untied. “Shit, Andy. Here, let me do it.” If I waited for him, he’d probably freeze to death before he got the first shoe off. I made quick work of getting off his shoes and socks. I rubbed his cold feet with my hands. “Come on. Shirt,” I said as I lifted the hem of his pullover. “Uncross your arms.” He uncrossed his arms and I somehow managed to wrestle off his pullover and t-shirt. I tried not to look at his body. I’d been around shirtless guys my whole life, but Andy was different and I knew it. “Stand up. You have to get your jeans off.”
Andy shook his head, but I ignored him as I lifted him to his feet. I reached down to the button of his jeans. My hand shook. Andy looked up at me and pushed my hand away. “I can do it,” he mumbled.
“Well, hurry up then. You need to get in the sleeping bag.” I turned my back to him until I heard him stumble. I looked back around and noticed that he was struggling to get the wet jeans off. A pair of wet black briefs were clinging to his ass. I could see the tan line from his running shorts on the backs of his thighs. My dick perked up as soon as I saw him half-naked and I cursed myself for letting my thoughts go there. “Andy, sit down. Let me help you,” I said as I held on to one of his arms to keep him from losing his balance. He dropped down next to the sleeping bag and I peeled his wet jeans off. “Take off your underwear and get in the sleeping bag.”
He shook his head. “Y-you just wanna see my junk.” I looked at him and his lips were turned up a little on the corners. I laughed. Mostly because I was glad he was coherent enough to make a joke but also because it was partially true.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” I said, turning my back to him. “Take them off and get in the sleeping bag before you literally freeze to death.” Once I heard the sleeping bag rustle, I turned back around. He was sliding down into the bag and I caught a glimpse of his sculpted ass. I swallowed hard as I pulled the sleeping bag over him. I didn’t need to be thinking about his naked ass. I zipped up the sleeping bag and tucked it in around him. Then I bent over to look at his face. He was still shivering. His face was still white. His lips were still tinted blue. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked. He nodded. “I’m going to hang your clothes to dry. You warm up.” He nodded again.
I went out and laid his wet clothes over the roof of the tent. I had no idea if they would dry at all in the cold night air, but it would be better than just leaving them wadded up in the inside of the tent. When I got back inside, I sat down beside him and pulled the lantern towards him. His eyes were closed, but his coloring hadn’t improved and he was still shaking. I looked at my watch. “Andy.” He opened his eyes. “I need you to warm up. You hear me?”
“I’m tryin’,” he rasped.
“Well, try harder. You have five minutes.” I put my hand on his forehead. He was still freezing. I checked my watch every thirty seconds, hoping that he would stop shivering and that his color would improve. The last thing I wanted to do was get into a sleeping bag with Andy Michaelson naked, but somehow I knew that it would have to happen. It wasn’t that I’d never imagined how his skin would feel against mine, but none of my fantasies included a scenario where being naked with him would be necessary to save his life.
At four minutes and thirty seconds, I started taking off my shoes. Then I took off my coat and the flannel and t-shirt I had underneath. He looked up at me and blinked. “W-what’re you doin’?”
“I’m getting in with you. Body heat. It’s the only way.”
“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled.
“No, Andy, your lips are still blue and you haven’t stopped shivering.”
As soon as I unbuttoned my jeans, I remembered that I was wearing a pair of compression pants under them. I’d intentionally dressed in layers because I knew it would be cold on the mountain that night. Of course, that also meant that I wasn’t wearing any underwear. I shook my head. This is just getting better and better, I thought to myself. Andy closed his eyes as I stripped off my jeans. I walked around behind him and pulled off my compression pants. Thank God it was freezing; it quickly took care of my half-hard dick.
“Scoot over,” I said as I slid in behind him. I wedged my arm underneath him and pulled him close to my chest.
“Th-this isn’t happening,” he murmured.
“It’s not like we haven’t shared a sleeping bag before,” I said, pulling him closer to me.
He coughed. “I-I think we were like six and I’m pretty sure we weren’t n-naked.”
I chuckled. “Well, quit complaining. I’m not the one who fell off a rock into a freezing cold river. What the hell are you doing up here anyway?”
“I came for a hike and to think. W-w-why are you here?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I just needed a break.”
We laid there quietly for a while. Every now and then I would ask him if he was okay. I wasn’t sure how long it took before he stopped shivering. But a flood of relief poured through me when I finally began to feel some warmth radiate from his body. It felt good to hold him. I loved the way this body felt against mine.
“Chance.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you really here?” he asked.
“Yeah, Andy. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m warm now.”
“Sleep for a little while.” I perched my head on my fist and stared down at him as he closed his eyes. He looked better. Some color had returned to his face and his lips were no longer blue. He looked peaceful. It felt good lying there next to him. My front pressed against his lithe, muscular back. It felt right. It made me wish things were different. It made me wish I wasn’t such a coward.
I laid there for a long time just watching him sleep. For a while, my eyes were glued to his chest moving up and down. I wanted to make sure he was okay. He’d scared the shit out of me. I was worried about him. But, mostly, I didn’t want to miss one moment of being able to hold him in my arms.
chapter ten
Andy
My body jerked and my eyes flew open. I wasn’t sure what had startled me awake. I panicked for a second when I realized I was trapped. I couldn’t move. I wasn’t sure where I was. I scanned my surroundings and then I remembered. I looked over at the camping lantern in the corner that continued to cast a dim light over the tent. A flashback of my fingers furiously gripping the rocks of the riverbank raced through my thoughts. I remembered the icy river water pulling me down. I remembered being terrified, wondering if I was going
to live through whatever happened next. I remembered the strong arms that pulled me out of the water. I remembered seeing Chance’s face looking down at me, his eyes filled with worry.
Slowly, piece by piece, it was all coming back to me. It seemed unreal, like it was a nightmare and a dream put together. I could feel his strong arms wrapped around me. I was pinned to the side of the sleeping bag. His warm chest was pressed against my back. His leg was draped over mine. His forehead was nestled in the back of my neck and I could feel his warm breath brush across my back. And as hard as I tried to ignore it, I could feel his half-hard cock pressing against my ass cheek.
I told myself it was possible that I was dead. Someone once told me that they thought heaven was the best thing you could ever imagine times a thousand. Maybe my version of heaven was being naked in a sleeping bag with Chance Wyrick. I shook my head, trying to erase the stupid thoughts from my mind. I had no business thinking those kinds of thoughts about Chance. Then I wondered if it was possible that I’d just imagined him. Maybe it isn’t him, I thought. I could be naked with a perfect stranger. That last thought was what made me shift my body weight against him in an effort to roll over onto my back. It wasn’t easy considering how tightly I was wedged in the sleeping bag.
Somehow, I managed to roll over. He stirred when I turned over onto my back and he ended up nestling his head against my shoulder, repositioning his body so that he was partially lying on top of me. The hard cock that was pinned against my ass cheek had taken up residence against my thigh. I looked down at him. It was Chance all right. His dark, thick lashes rested peacefully against his cheeks. There was a sexy dark stubble across his face that accentuated his jaw line. His full lips were parted slightly, and I could feel his warm breath against my chest. Somehow, I’d managed to wedge my arm underneath him. Jesus, he was more beautiful up close than I remembered.