In silence, Gabe turned back around and picked up his paddle. Together, the pair silently propelled their canoe to the opposite shore. As they portaged through the woods, Hal imagined that he heard sounds in the trees. He told himself it was only his mind playing tricks, but fear wouldn’t completely let go.
As they reached the shore of Lone Cedar Lake a few hours later, Hal asked, “Do you think Levi and his grandma were happy out here? How did they stop themselves from going nuts looking at each other hour after hour? What was there to do? Did they play chess for days?”
“That’s a whole lot of questions,” said Gabe. “She was an artist. She’s still famous after her death, and her work is in big museums throughout the Midwest. I think Levi worked too hard chopping wood and cleaning to spend much time thinking about being alone. So, yes, I think they were pretty happy.”
“But Brandon convinced him to move to town?”
Gabe said, “Levi’s heart brought him to town. If he’d stayed out here, he would have been a hermit. Levi regularly comes out here both alone and with other people. He told me that he can feel his grandparents when he visits here. Sometimes he hears their voices.”
“Like ghosts?”
“I think so, but not in the scary sense.”
Hal and Gabe ate lunch on the dock near the location of Levi’s former home. Gabe set everything out on a blanket. He brought real china and silverware and fussed over the proper placement.
Hal said, “You thought of everything. The picnic is so elegant, and I’m hungry. I can’t wait to dig into those turkey sandwiches.”
Gabe stopped him. “Wait. There’s one more thing.”
Hal watched as Gabe pulled a small bottle from the bottom of his backpack. It was champagne. He handed it to Hal while he reached into his bag one more time. Two plastic long-stemmed glasses emerged.
“Damn, you’re going to make me cry.” Hal reached up and wiped at the corners of his eyes.
“Don’t do that. Pop open the bottle of bubbly and celebrate with me.”
“I hope it doesn’t make me sound too pathetic when I say this is the first time I’ve celebrated anything personal with champagne.”
“It’s not pathetic at all. It just means you need to start a new tradition of celebrating.”
Hal popped the cork of the champagne and poured the two glasses. Gabe reached out and intertwined their arms to drink to, “a new relationship going somewhere uncharted.”
“That means we’ve never been there before,” said Hal.
“Yes. If we get lost, at least we’ll be together.”
After cleaning up from the meal and leaving no shreds of garbage behind, Gabe suggested that they paddle across the lake to the flat diving stone.
“It’s warm enough now that you’ll be able to feel the heat stored in the rock. I like to take my shirt off, rub down with sunscreen, and lie back. It’s nature’s tanning bed.”
“I like the rubbing down part,” said Hal as they climbed back into the canoe.
When they reached the opposite shore, they both left shirts and shoes in the canoe. The amount of heat stored in the flat stone surprised Hal. “It’s like there’s a built-in heater.”
“I’ve been out here at night in the late summer, and it’s still warm. You can lay back and look up at the stars while the heat seeps into your body and protects you from the cool air when the sun goes down. It’s an awesome sensation.”
While Gabe rubbed sunscreen into his shoulders and back, Hal asked, “Did your parents bring you out here into the wilderness when you were a little boy?”
“Oh, yeah, and they were so cool about it. Dad worked out of Ely for the National Park Service. His specialty was studying the bears.”
“You say was…”
“Dad died in an accident when I was only 12.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s awful. Is that why you rarely talk about your family?”
Gabe shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t deliberately leave them out. They did a great job raising me, but my mom moved down to Minneapolis after I graduated from high school, and my sister was already out on the west coast. I’ve got my chosen family here, and you hear about them all the time.”
“Brandon, Elle, and Levi?”
“If I were allowed to pick out the best friends possible, I couldn’t do better than selecting those three. The best thing is it all happened kind of by magic. People always talk about love at first sight, but with my friends, it was ‘like’ at first sight. When I walked into the new office of Arrowhead Adventurers, I knew that Brandon and Elle were going to be great friends.”
“I bet your dad was a tremendous man. He had to be for you to turn out this way. You’re fortunate that you got to have someone like that for at least part of your life.”
Gabe said, “I go down to the cities at least once a month to see my mom, and I try to spend a week there at Christmas. What’s your dad like?”
Hal considered telling a detailed story about his distant father and the long, quiet mornings at the breakfast table in the summer. He thought that he could complain about expectations that didn’t fit his personality or his dreams for the future. Instead, he rejected the opportunity and decided to make only a brief statement. The experiences growing up were all too much, and sharing them risked making him look weak in Gabe’s eyes.
“He’s a little abrupt and impersonal sometimes, but he means well.
When Gabe changed the subject, Hal breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as Gabe lay back on the surface of the rock with his legs bent.
“I brought the towels just in case you were squeamish about the bare rock, but I think they block the full effect. Relax here by me and let that heat soak through.”
Hal had no idea that it could feel as good as it did. While he lay with his back against the stone, the heat slowly radiated through his body. Within a few minutes, he’d spread his legs out straight and rested his arms at his side. Hal started to drift between sleep and wakefulness.
“Hey, buddy, are you falling asleep on me again? I brought you out here for the company, not to let you take a nap.” Gabe slapped Hal’s chest. “Wakey, wakey.”
For a moment, Hal grumbled, and then he laughed out loud. “Life with you would be nonstop energy, wouldn’t it? You’re always running full throttle.”
“Oh, yeah, most likely. Elle described it well one time.”
Hal opened one eye. Gabe scooted close, and he rested on his side, propped up by his elbow. The hand that slapped Hal’s face was starting to knead his left pec muscle.
“What did she say about you?”
“She compared me to a story about kittens.”
The story was going to be a good one. Hal had no doubt. He opened both eyes, raised his head enough to see the kneading hand, and then glanced further down below his waist. There was a bulge in his jeans that would be impossible for Gabe to miss.
“You’re like a kitten? I don’t believe that.”
Gabe stopped kneading and waved his hand in the air. “Oh, no, at least not in the way you think.” He started to tease Hal’s nipple with his fingers, but it didn’t stop his storytelling. “She said that when she was little, her family adopted two kittens from the animal shelter. One of them was always full of energy—until he wasn’t.”
Hal raised up on his elbows. “Oh, my God! Did the kitten die?”
“No, and relax. The kitten story isn’t a sad one. Elle said that it loved to play and run around until it was completely exhausted. Then he fell asleep. Sometimes he zonked out and fell over on his side right in the middle of playtime.”
“And that’s you?”
“Elle also said I have only two settings—on and off.”
Hal chuckled softly and then lay back again. He raised his hand and beckoned Gabe with a bent finger. Seconds later, they kissed.
With Gabe’s shirtless body draped over him, Hal convinced himself that he knew what heaven was like. He wanted to lie there and kiss Gabe until the end
of time.
“Hey, Hal, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do out here. The B-guy was too much of a wimp for it.”
“If you say it’s diving cannonball off the edge, I’m going to decline.”
“Better than that.”
Hal reached up and touched Gabe’s cheek. “Almost anything is better than that.”
“I say we shuck off the rest of our clothes and go for a swim.”
“Skinny dipping?”
“Sure—if you need to give it a name.”
“What if someone catches us?”
“Here at Lone Cedar Lake? How do you think Levi and his grandma kept it a secret for so long? Few people ever come up here. Elle and Brandon bring groups maybe twice a year now, but I’d make a thousand-to-one bet that nobody will show up.”
Before Hal could give a definitive answer to the question about skinny dipping, Gabe stood and started to unzip his jeans. Hal sat up but decided to wait to take his pants off. He wanted to watch.
Gabe turned it into a show well worth seeing. After he’d somewhat awkwardly stepped out of his jeans, he raised them high and whipped them around in his best imitation of a male stripper.
“You’ve still got the underwear to go.”
“Yeah, you want to see it all?”
“Either you take them off, or I’ll rip them off for you.”
As the underwear slid down Gabe’s thighs, Hal got to see his entire body naked for the first time. Gabe had a smooth well-muscled frame, and his cock stood out straight like it was pointing at Hal’s lips. If he weren’t still nervous about showing bad beginner’s technique, Hal would have moved forward to kiss the head that poked out of Gabe’s foreskin.
Gabe said, “It’s your turn, sweetheart. Do you want me to help?”
Hal remembered the skillful way Gabe assisted him in the hotel room and blushed. “If you’d like to.”
It felt like Gabe helped peel the jeans and briefs from his body like he was working with a banana. Hal couldn’t stop himself from moaning when Gabe reached out to cradle Hal’s cock in his fingers as it popped free in the open air.
For a moment, as they stood naked next to each other, Hal worried about whether his body was as pleasing as it should be. He wondered whether Gabe liked a hairy chest on men. He feared that his lack of visible muscle structure in his slim belly mattered.
Gabe interrupted all the self-critical thoughts. “Do you like to dance?”
“Honestly, I love to. I know that might sound weird, but I do. Maybe this is the hidden talent you asked about earlier. I don’t get to do it often. The last time was at a cousin’s wedding reception three years ago.”
Gabe spread his arms in the pose of one partner in dance and smiled.
“But we don’t have any music.”
“I’ll hum.”
Hal’s breath caught in his throat when they moved close enough that their bare chests touched. Gabe started to hum, and Hal knew that it was simultaneously the sexiest and most romantic moment he’d ever experienced.
Gabe led as they slowly rotated in place. He shifted his hips enough that their cocks touched, slowly sliding against each other. Hal gasped.
“Do you always do this with guys you like?”
Gabe chuckled. “I’ve never done this before. You’re the first. It’s good, though. Right?”
Hal was speechless for the moment. He only expected a canoe ride and a lot of fun conversation. Perhaps there would be a kiss or two. All of the fun on the diving rock was a surprise. Hal treasured the moment.
Gabe stopped humming. “The song has come to an end, and thank you for the dance.” He leaned forward to share a kiss. It was deeply passionate but not frantic. Their tongues carried out a gentle sword fight, and then Gabe smiled. Hal wished he had his phone camera. He’d never seen such a captivating face.
“Are we going swimming now?”
“Of course.”
Hal asked, “Do you dive off the edge of the rock? I don’t know that I’m up for that, but I’ll watch you. I can just slip down the side into the water.”
“I could dive. Levi showed me the right place, but I’m still a little nervous about it. If you pick the wrong spot, there’s a rock shelf that juts out about ten feet down. You can usually see it when the water’s clear, but it still worries me that I’ll misjudge.”
“So, should I slide off the edge as I suggested?”
“Come with me,” said Gabe. Hal followed him off the rock into the edge of the woods. He felt soft earth beneath his feet and gingerly picked his way among the sticks and tall grass.
“Don’t go quite so fast.”
Gabe glanced back over his shoulder. “It’s all organic, and you can clean your feet in the water. Don’t worry about stepping on anything. The snakes don’t even bite around here.”
Hal suddenly lifted one foot high and nearly lost his balance. “Snake—what?”
“I’m joking—sort of. I told you about the water snakes last time. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll see one. Do I need to carry you?”
“No, I can make it.”
Fortunately, the spot Gabe wanted to find was only about ten steps from the edge of the lake. “You go about fifteen feet out, and then there’s a drop-off. I know it makes you nervous, but you can swim well, right?”
“I didn’t tell you the rest of the story on that. I was on the boarding school swim team. My school counselor suggested that I compete to help get over my fear of the water.”
“Oh, yeah? What strokes?” Gabe slowly backed into the lake until he found the edge of the shelf. He began to tread water.
“Butterfly and freestyle.” The water wasn’t ice cold, but it was cool. A shiver swept through Hal’s body. “Is the water always this cold in the middle of summer?”
“Buck up, stud. This is warm for us. It’s practically bathtub water.”
Gabe swam a few feet further into the lake, and Hal followed him.
Hal asked, “Did you know that I’ve never gone for a swim in a lake before?”
“It didn’t occur to me. I suppose you were on the East Coast, and you had the ocean beaches instead.”
“I’ve only gone swimming in pools. My mother said I would catch diseases everywhere else.”
Gabe said, “You can catch diseases from kissing, too. Did she warn you about that? You’ve tossed all those fears aside. I guess nothing can stop you now.”
17
Hal
Hal predicted a backlash would come soon after he finished enjoying his time alone with Gabe at Lone Cedar Lake. For every warm sensation that spread through his body, he expected that he would get back twice as much negativity via Trent’s anger.
It took some time to arrive. Trent was quiet and calm over dinner at a local diner. He engaged in idle chit-chat about campaign operatives who worked for other congressional campaigns. “They need to loosen up already. I told them the backcountry isn’t Dupont Circle. You’ve got to expect a few—inconveniences—out here.”
Trent’s stories all bored Hal. He didn’t need to hear about fish out of water trying to relate to small-town residents. Still, he wanted to engage with the comments to keep the conversation steered away from his absence during the day.
“That’s funny, Trent. You are excellent at making yourself at home here in Ely.”
“Well, it’s high time that you figured that out. I’ve worked my butt off to make this a great place for you, my stellar candidate. I know it’s not the Hamptons, but I could live the rest of my life on the pot roast and potatoes.”
The conversation was painfully stilted. Hal couldn’t wait to be alone in his bed after the evening was over. On his own, he could think about the day, and the mere idea of it was enough to make him grow hard all over again.
After dinner, Trent walked with Hal to his apartment. As soon as they shut the front door behind them, Trent let go. He was like champagne shaken first before the cork popped. The bottled-up anger and frustration shot all around the r
oom. No potential target was immune from Trent’s fury.
“What the hell were you doing? I need to know where you are at all times. What if an intrepid reporter followed you out there in a canoe and started sending rumors out on Twitter? They’d take photos and ask questions, and you wouldn’t have anyone around for immediate damage control.”
“If some stupid reporter did that, we’d know he was a lousy person, and we’d know we should avoid him in the future.” Hal seated himself in a chair near the living room window. “Nobody followed us out there. It was only Gabe and me. The two of us. Alone for once. It was great to finally have a conversation about topics other than politics.”
Trent paced around the living room, and his face flushed red. Hal watched as Trent tried to wear a path in the carpet.
“You can’t do that again. Can we have an agreement now and for the rest of the campaign? It’s only 3 1/2 more months to November. You can handle that. It will go by in a flash. You don’t get to be alone right now. Everybody else will start scrutinizing your movements, so I have to be there to watch out for them.”
Hal reached up and raked his fingers through his hair. “All of this time spent under the microscope is driving me crazy. I need time to myself. It’s the only chance I have to feel like a normal person.”
“Climbing into a canoe makes you feel normal? Since when? You’d never been anywhere near a canoe until a few weeks ago.”
“Maybe it’s a new interest,” said Hal.
“The canoe…or Gabe?”
Hal crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from watching Trent. “What are you implying?”
“I don’t know. A whole lot of things come to mind when you start hobnobbing with the enemy. I hope you aren’t secretly a mole.”
“Enemy? Is Gabe the enemy? Why would you say such a thing?”
Trent walked over to the window and turned to point an accusing finger at Hal. “Okay, I understand that he helped rescue you from that crash and all, but I’ve also seen the people he calls friends. One of them, in particular, showed up at a recent rally. He’s a radical tree-hugging troublemaker.”
Crash: Northwoods, Book 2 Page 13