Chapter 8.
"Where are you going?" Mariana whispered, lifting her head up from her pillow.
Callie turned to her, startled. "Uh, to the bathroom."
"Oh," she said. "Hold on. I'll go with you."
"N-no," Callie stammered. "I'll be fine. Really." The last thing she wanted was a chaperone on her romantic meeting with Brandon.
"Moms said we have to go in pairs," Mariana insisted. "It's okay. I don't mind." She started to get up.
"Wait," Callie sighed. She had to tell her the truth. She had no choice. "Look, can you keep a secret?"
"Depends on what it is..."
"Brandon and I are back together," she admitted. "We want to spend some time alone, and we haven't come out to the family yet. I'm going to meet him. Please, Mariana. I need this... don't narc on me."
Mariana sat back down, an expression of concern on her face. "Well, I guess technically you won't be alone..."
"Please," she pleaded again.
"Okay," Mariana finally nodded. "Have fun, and remember to use protection."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I owe you."
"I'll hold you to it," Mariana teased. "Now... can I get back to my beauty sleep?"
"Of course," Callie laughed. "See you later." She slipped out of the tent, into the darkening night, her flashlight guiding her. The short walk to the restrooms was filled with long shadows and strange sounds. She hurried, looking out for anyone who might be awake. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Brandon just ahead, waiting for her.
"There you are," he breathed, leaning in to kiss her. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."
"I wouldn't not come," she told him. She would go to the ends of the earth for Brandon.
"Come on," he said, clasping her hand in his. "Let's take a walk."
She let him lead her down a path that took them to the lake. They walked along the shoreline until they reached a small dock, slightly concealed by trees. The moon reflected on the dark water, and stars twinkled in the velvety sky. "It's beautiful here," she breathed.
"Yeah," he said, tossing a stone into the water and creating an explosion of ripples. "You can see a lot more stars here than at home."
Callie put her hand back in his and looked upward. She tried to count each sparkling dot, but she couldn't. It was impossible. She turned to him, and put her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. "Brandon, I love you," she said, quietly, as if her voice might interrupt the stillness all around them. "I'm sorry I wouldn't kiss you earlier. I wanted to."
"It's okay," he replied. "I get it." He swept back a chunk of her hair that had loosened from her messy ponytail. "I love you too."
"I wouldn't mind if you kissed me now," she told him, hiding her smile. Brandon nodded, and leaned in, cradling the back of her head with his hand as their lips met.
When they parted, Brandon kicked his shoes and socks off, then sat down on the dock, imploring her to do the same. She did, dipping her feet into the lake; it was still fairly warm from the sun beating down on it all day. They kicked their legs in the water for a while, then Brandon took her in his arms and kissed her hard, their noses smushing against each other's cheeks. Soon, they were laying parallel on the dock, kissing hungrily, their hands running down each other's bodies and tangling in each other's hair.
"Let's go for a swim," Brandon panted, his lips swollen.
Callie raised an eyebrow. "We don't have our suits."
"Actually, I was thinking we could go skinny dipping," he said. Even in the dark, Callie could tell he was blushing. "If you don't want to, it's okay," he assured her. "No pressure."
She sat up and looked out at the water. "It's kind of cliche," she laughed. "But I guess it would be fun."
Brandon stood up and pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his toned chest. Then, he dropped his shorts. Callie shrugged, then kicked of her own shorts and tossed her t-shirt on top of the growing pile of discarded clothes. They stared at each other, dressed only in their underwear.
"You okay?" he asked, his face shadowed with concern.
"Yeah," she nodded. "So far." And she was, in her modest panties and bra.
Brandon nodded, then tugged his boxers down, letting them drop to his ankles. He was now completely naked, and Callie couldn't help but let her eyes travel downward to his penis. Her cheeks burned.
With a sigh, she struggled out of her bra, then slid her underpants down her thighs. Her heart sped up, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment when it hit her that she was stark naked, and completely vulnerable to Brandon. But she swallowed her anxiety. He would never take advantage of her. He stood a few feet away, studying her up and down, just as she had done to him.
"I'll go in first," he said. He took a few running steps, then dove into the water. When he surfaced, he held his arms out to her. "Jump, Callie. I'll catch you."
She took a deep breath, then followed him into the water.
It was invigorating on her skin; cool, but not freezing. She felt her skin tighten and her nipples harden. Brandon did catch her, loosely holding her around the waist. "I've never felt so free," she said, kicking to stay afloat.
"Agreed," Brandon smiled, pulling her closer for a kiss. Their bodies bobbed against each other, and Callie could feel him, hardening against her stomach. She wrapped her legs around his torso as they kissed again, until they started to sink. She let go of him, and they rose back up again.
"You're so beautiful, Callie," Brandon whispered, his hand on her hips. "Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?"
She held onto him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Do you seriously want me to answer?"
"No," he laughed. "I'm just... in awe."
Speechless, she lifted her head up and studied his face, the water droplets caught in his eyelashes. His face was so serious, his green eyes sparkling from the reflection of the water. Wanting to lighten the mood, she reached down and splashed him, a devilish grin playing on her lips.
Taken aback, Brandon chuckled, then sent a rainfall of water at her. She held her arms up to block it, although it was pointless, considering she was already soaked. They splashed each other for a little longer, trying to stay as quiet as possible, containing their giggles.
"I'm getting cold," she finally gasped, her teeth chattering.
Brandon nodded. "Here. Let's get out." He climbed up on the dock, then held his hand out to help her.
Once she was safely standing before him, she let herself sneak a peek down at him again.
"In my defense, that water was cold," he joked, following her gaze. He bent down to open his bag. "I brought towels." He tossed her one.
"So you had this all planned?" she giggled, her teeth chattering.
"I thought it would be fun," he shrugged, helping her wrap the big beach towel around her. "Something to cross off our bucket lists."
They went to the grass, where it was warmer, and laid down, huddled under their towels. Brandon kissed her, and next thing she knew, they were making out. She sighed with pleasure as he trailed wet kisses down her neck, sucking the tender skin.
"Brandon," she breathed, her blood pounding in her ears.
"Hmm?" he muttered.
"I want you to do... something..." she winced as he nipped at her neck. "To me."
"Like what?" he whispered, looking up.
She didn't want to go all the way. Not yet. But she was definitely horny. "Suck my nipples."
Brandon nodded, and dipped his head down, kissing her breasts thoroughly before taking a tip between his lips. He suckled it gently, so careful not to hurt her. She ran her fingertips down his back, excitement coursing through her. She moaned softly when his mouth left one side and moved to the other. "Th-that feels good," she managed to choke out.
When they both had enough, he rolled away. "It's getting late, baby. We better get dressed and head back now."
Callie was sorry to see their meeting end, but she knew it was well after midnight. "You're right." She grabbed her clothes, and began to get dressed. He did the same. Just as she was tying her shoes, she heard a loud rustling, the snapping of twigs, in the thicket nearby. The thicket that stood between them and the campsite. A small bear cub walked into the beam of light coming from Brandon's flashlight and sniffed around.
Brandon shot up like a bullet and grabbed Callie's hand, signaling for her not to talk. "Where there's a cub, there's a mother," he whispered, his eyes wide.
"Omigod," she breathed, panicked. The last thing she wanted was to be mauled to death.
"On the count of three, run," he said. "One... two... three." Gripping each other's hands, they made a run for it toward the woods without looking back.
Callie followed him blindly, her heart racing so loud and hard that she thought Brandon must be able to hear it.
"I don't think it followed us," Brandon finally panted, his hands shaking, causing the beam of the small light to sway unsteadily.
"I'm scared," Callie whispered, bending over to catch her breath. "What do we do?"
"We need to find our way back to the campsite," he told her. They looked around. Everywhere they turned was trees. Everything looked the same.
Callie wasn't sure how far they had run, but they'd run quite a long way, weaving through the trees, desperately trying to lose the bear. She couldn't even see the lake shining in the distance. And she'd dropped her own flashlight back at the dock, so all they had was the diminutive light Brandon was holding. With a sinking feeling, she turned to him. "We're lost, aren't we?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have to. He pulled her into a protective hug and kissed her damp hair, then the middle of her forehead. "I don't want you to worry, Cal. The important thing is that we're safe. We'll find our way back."
An owl whoo'd in the distance and she shivered, remembering Jesus's ghost story. She buried her face in Brandon's chest. She felt like crying, but she had to be brave.
To Be Continued- Happy Valentine's Day!
