Title: Misadventure
Summary: Three city slickers camping in the (not at all remote) wilderness, what could possibly go wrong? Everything, apparently.
Notes: Picspiration from the Scruffy Rafa and Liv pic on Twitter. Story idea from Amanda Langdon's interpretation of the photo. Follow me on Twitter to know more lauri_fern
No doubt, it was doomed from the start.
What did either of them even know about camping?
Absolutely nothing, that's what. Being born and bred city dwellers, it was unsurprising.
The lengths Rafael was willing to go to make Noah happy, to impress Olivia, had him questioning his sanity as they drove up to the Adirondacks. Noah begged them to go, having heard tales from his friends about camping trips with their families. Rafael did not have the heart to say no despite the utter repulsion that overwhelmed him at the very mention at the idea. So, an SUV was rented and loaded up with camping supplies a thorough internet search told him they needed yet he had no clue how to use. He kept the directions for everything tucked away in the glove box for safe keeping until needed.
"Relax," Olivia whispered from the passenger seat, her hand resting on his thigh while he drove. Rafael spared her a quick glance before focusing his attention on the road. She added, "This will be fun, you'll see."
His eyes flicked toward her once again. Her warm smile was his undoing, and his hands loosened their death grip on the steering wheel. He dropped his right hand to tangle his fingers with hers. "I hope so, Liv. I have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't exactly spent a lot of time in the great outdoors."
"Me either, but we'll figure it out."
The drive north took over five hours and they arrived at the campground around mid-afternoon. Olivia checked them in at the Caretaker's Office and returned with a map depicting their secluded tent site along the Ausable River. The campground was sparsely populated with a few tents and trailers scattered along the dirt road leading to their site. Rafael wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.
Rafael pulled the SUV off the dirt path at the marker for Campsite 49 and parked the SUV in the shade of the towering trees. "Well, this is it."
"Can I go explore?" Noah asked, eager to get out and burn off some energy after the long drive. His hands were already on the door latch, ready to spring from the vehicle.
"Sure, sweet boy. Just stay where we can see you," Olivia replied, dark brown eyes twinkling at her son's excitement. They watched the young boy bound across the campsite for a few minutes before unloading the SUV with a mix of dread and determination.
It took them a half hour longer than the instructions said it would, but they were able to get the tent setup without too much fuss. Rafael used a battery-powered air pump to fill the queen- and twin-size air mattresses while Olivia sorted and arranged the supplies they would keep in the tent with them. In all, it took a couple hours for the novice campers to get settled in and they finished just in time for Noah to complain that he was starving.
"I don't have the energy to figure this thing out right now," Rafael stared at the shiny new camp stove and groaned. Camping was never ending work, it seemed.
Feeling just as exhausted as her boyfriend, Olivia wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "It's okay, Raf. We'll eat the sandwiches I made. We can start a fire and have s'mores after."
"I like s'mores!" Noah declared from his spot at the picnic table where the cooler of food and beverages sat.
"Oh yeah?" Rafael replied, eyebrows raised. "You'll have to show me how to make them. I've never had one before." He listened intently while Noah described, in excruciating detail, how to toast the marshmallow on a stick over the fire before smushing in between graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. The whole process sounded unnecessarily messy to Rafael, but he would not disappoint Noah by saying such a thing aloud.
"Here are your sandwiches, boys." Olivia handed them each a simple turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo and they shared a bag of chips. The three of them ate in peaceful silence and Olivia sealed the bag of chips, stowing it back in the SUV when they were done. When Noah and Rafael stared at her in confusion, she explained, "We can't leave food out or it will attract bears."
"I wanna see a bear!" Noah exclaimed while Rafael simultaneously squeaked, "There are bears?!"
She could not contain a chuckle at their warring expressions. "Yes, there are black bears in these mountains and no, we don't want to encounter them, Noah. We must keep the food sealed and packed away at all times."
"Fucking bears," Rafael murmured to himself. He was not mentally or physically equipped to be an outdoorsman and the mere mention of possibly encountering a bear had him ready to flee back to the city.
"Come on, help me start a fire," Olivia cajoled him knowing that he was on the verge of panicking about wild animals. It took them a few tries and a hefty dousing of lighter fluid, but they were able to get a small fire going. "Not bad for city folk," she teased.
The sun was setting behind the mountain peak and a chill spread through the spring air. The three of them sat around the fire in foldable chairs, enjoying the crackle of the wood as the flickering flames burned it.
"Can you tell us a scary story, Rafa?" Noah asked, wide-eyed. The young boy stopped calling Rafael 'Uncle' when his mom started dating the man and settled on just Rafa or Raf when addressing him.
Glancing at Olivia for approval first, she whispered to him. "Nothing too scary." He nodded in return and wracked his brain for a story appropriate for the young boy. After a few minutes, he settled on an abridged version of the plot for the movie The Goonies. He was delighted by how enraptured Noah was with his storytelling and he felt the heat of his girlfriend's gaze on him as he spoke. Midway through the story, Olivia gathered the supplies to make s'mores. By the end of the story, Noah's cheerful face was covered in melted chocolate and graham cracker crumbs.
"That was a great story, Raf!" the young boy declared, causing Rafael to smile as a wave of pride washed over him.
"Maybe we can watch the movie that story was based on when we get back home," he offered much to Noah's excitement.
"Ok, time to clean up and go to bed, Mister." Olivia escorted Noah to the nearest restroom to scrub his face while Rafael secured the supplies and let the fire burn out.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Olivia asked a short while later as they cuddled on the air mattress, Noah already fast asleep on his own air mattress on the other side of the large tent.
"I will admit that it could have been worse," Rafael replied before placing a tender kiss on her lips.
Indeed, it could have been worse, and, in fact, it got much worse for the small family by the time the morning sun dawned.
Rafael woke to an odd tickle on his forehead and his fingertips encountered wetness when they scratched the itch. His eyes shot open to see the tent roof on the verge of caving in, weighed down by a puddle of water that was leaking through, drip by painful drip, right onto the spot where he had been sleeping. The blanket covering them was wet to the touch in places, as were the tee shirt and boxers he wore to sleep in.
"What the fuck," he whispered, nudging Olivia to wake her.
"Mhmmmm, what Rafa?" Her sleepy voice was not entertained by being shaken awake at an ungodly early hour and she tried to snuggle further under the blanket. Olivia bolted to an upright position when the cool wetness touched her bare shoulders. "Why is everything wet?"
Olivia's eyes widened when Rafael merely pointed upwards to the bowing tent roof. "Oh! That is not good. Not good at all." He could do nothing other than nod in agreement. Distracted by the tent leaking, neither of them realized that the air mattress deflated significantly during the night until they tried to struggle to their feet.
"God dammit!" Rafael blurted in a frustrated whisper. "Have I mentioned that I hate camping?"
"Perhaps a time or two," Olivia replied with an exaggerated eye roll. Trudging through the obvious puddles on the tent floor, she bent down to Noah's still inflated air mattress and ran her fingers through his curly hair. "Come on, sweet boy. Time to wake up."
The little boy fussed for a few minutes before climbing off the air mattress. No sooner than his socked feet touched the wet floor, he flung himself back onto the dry bedding on his air mattress. "Why is the floor so wet?"
"Looks like the tent leaked, buddy." Rafael slipped on his shoes, which were also drenched, and tugged the zipper open to exit the tent.
Absolute chaos met his gaze as he looked around. The river must have flooded as water covered half of the campsite. The picnic table was shifted from its original location and a plastic bag which must have contained marshmallows that they forgot to put away the night before lay shredded on the ground. Leaves, twigs, and small branches from the overhanging trees were scattered everywhere.
Within moments, Olivia and Noah stood by his side surveying the damage. "What happened last night?" Liv questioned.
"It must have stormed, though I have no idea how we slept through it," Rafael replied. "Let's see if we can get changed into some dry clothes."
Before their eyes, the tent collapsed beneath the weight of water on the roof, the thin poles holding it up snapping in half. They just stared at the aftermath in disbelief.
"I absolutely loathe camping." Rafael threw his hands in the air with a frustrated huff.
"What do we do now?" Noah asked with wide blue eyes, worried that their trip would be cut short.
"Well, there was a bed and breakfast back near town. I can call and see if they have room for us," Olivia suggested. At Rafael's expression, she added, "Unless you want to just head home?"
Rafael was ready to bolt for the SUV at that idea, but Noah's sharp cry of "NO!" kept his feet planted. Sharing a pleading look with Olivia, he knew he was lost when her beautiful dark eyes stared back in hope.
Heaving a deep sigh, he gestured toward the mess surrounding them. "Fine, call the B&B. I'll try to sort this shit out."
Noah gasped, shaking his head. "You have to put money in the swear jar when we get home, Raf." Rafael waved the boy off, not caring about his colorful vocabulary choices at that point, stomping off toward the collapsed mess of a tent.
Olivia worked her magic on the phone while Rafael salvaged their limited belongings from within the ruins. Without much care for the money wasted, he bundled up the deflated air mattresses, sopping wet blankets, and the tent before shoving it all into the garbage barrel at the campsite entrance near the dirt path. The entire time, he grumbled about the piece of shit equipment, wet socks, and the fucking mosquitos. He did this all while cold and wearing only the boxers and tee shirt he slept in, which only served to increase his irritation and misery.
Seeing that Rafa was clearly in a mood, Noah steered clear of the man and waited for his mom to finish her phone call. This trip was definitely not as fun as his friends led him to believe it would be. He kicked at the twigs and branches littering the ground in frustration.
"Ok," Olivia called, tucking the phone into her pocket. "We have a room at the inn for the next two nights." She smiled at Noah knowing he was disappointed in how the camping adventure turned out. Her expression crumpled when she turned to her boyfriend, though.
"Fucking fantastic!" Rafael declared in utter disgust. He was drenched and his clothes were spotted with wet leaves and dirt. There were streaks of dirt on his face and down his toned arms and legs, and his hair was completely awry. Worst of all, he was covered in itchy bug bites and just the sound of mosquitos buzzing around his ears made him twitchy.
"Rafael!" Olivia hissed, shocked at his outburst in front of her son. "I know you're unhappy but can you at least…"
"What, Liv?! What can I do, at least?" he snapped back, his tone far more biting than anything he'd used with her before. The itching was driving him insane, and he had never felt so miserable. Everything combine was causing him to lash out.
Taking a few deep breaths, Olivia centered herself before responding. "Let's just go to the inn and get cleaned up. We'll feel better after that," she soothed, trying to appease the frustration felt by both her son and her boyfriend.
"Fine, but you're driving," Rafael replied, stalking to the passenger side of the SUV. "I have half a mind to just drive straight back to Manhattan."
She climbed into the driver's seat with a heavy sigh.
An hour later, Rafael exited the bathroom in their room at the inn feeling like a man reborn. He was clean, dry, and dressed comfortably. The kind woman running the B&B gave him cortisone cream for his bug bites which provided some glorious relief to the itching and he felt more human now.
His newfound happiness dwindled upon meeting Olivia's wary gaze. He owed her an apology for his irrationally frustrated behavior earlier. Sitting on the bed next to her, he slipped his hand into hers, tangling their fingers.
"Carino, I'm sorry for earlier. Everything just overwhelmed me, and I couldn't control my anger." Rafael placed a kiss on Olivia's temple, nuzzling her hair. "I'll make it up to you, and Noah, I promise."
She could never stay mad at him for long, and she wasn't really mad either, just… not pleased with his outbursts and colorful language in front of Noah and she told him so. Rafael promised to do better and apologized to Noah for making him uncomfortable.
"It's okay, Rafa," the young boy replied, hugging him tightly. "Can we go explore now?"
Sharing a questioning look with Olivia, Rafael nodded at the boy with a grin. "Of course, buddy. It's about time we had some fun, don't you think?"
"YES!" Noah exclaimed, jumping off the bed to lead the way out of their room. They grabbed a light lunch from the kitchen before heading outside.
There were trailheads on the property, and they picked up a trail map in the lobby before heading out on their adventure. The air was crisp, and Rafael was glad he slipped a long-sleeved flannel over the tee shirt he put on after his shower. He and Olivia followed Noah, letting the little boy interpret the map and set the pace for their explorations. He stopped them occasionally to read the various signs describing the fauna and flora found in the area, excitedly wondering if they would see some of the animals mentioned.
They walked for a couple of hours, heading back to the inn around late afternoon. When they walked in, the woman running the B&B, Anna, stopped them to share that evening's event.
"Hope you enjoyed the trails! We are hosting a movie and pizza night for the children so the adults can enjoy a relaxing evening meal in the dining room. I hope you will join us," Anna explained with a warm smile.
"Can we, Momma? Rafa?" Noah bounced on his toes, glancing between them awaiting their response. Smiling indulgently, Olivia nodded.
"I think that's a great idea, sweet boy." The idea of some quiet time with Rafael sounded wonderful after the events of the morning.
Olivia watched Noah join several other children in the great room of the inn, sliding onto a blue bean bag chair placed in front of the large flatscreen TV. He immediately jumped into conversation with the other kids, sharing details about where they were from and what they've done on their trip so far. Confident that Noah was comfortably settled for the duration of the movie, she joined Rafael in the dining room where he already secured an intimate corner table.
"Is he all settled?" Rafael asked, standing from his seat to pull Olivia's chair out for her.
Flashing him an adoring smile, Olivia nodded. "So settled I think he's already forgotten who we are and no longer needs us." She watched, heart swelling with love as he slipped into the chair next to her rather than the seat he previously occupied on the other side of the table.
She tangled their fingers together on the tabletop, sharing sweet glances. "It's been quite a roller coaster of a day."
Rafael ducked his head, once again feeling bad about his frustrated outburst that morning. "It has. I'm sorry for my part in making it worse than it needed to be, Liv. I'm glad we're here now though, having a quiet dinner together."
Other couples were trickling into the room, taking seats at the other small tables scattered about. Olivia watched them for a moment before turning back to Rafael, her shoulder gently bumping his.
"It's okay, Raf. It was a stressful morning and you already apologized. Let's enjoy dinner and maybe we can have some alone time in our room before the movie is over." Her voice was a whisper against his ear so that the other couples would not overhear.
Green eyes sparkled with arousal and delight. "Let's hurry up and order, then."
The couple shared a laugh as they perused the limited menu. Once their orders were placed – steak for Rafael and salmon for Olivia – they chatted quietly enjoying the warm feeling their glasses of wine spread through them.
"I love this flannel on you," she said at one point, leaning closer to Rafael's side to enjoy the softness of the fabric. Her dark brown eyes roved over his handsome face, admiring in the scruffy beard he'd taken to wearing. Her fingers moved of their own accord to graze over the facial hair. "It's sexy to see you so casual."
Rafael's lips split into a broad smile, nose crinkling slightly. "Well, let's take a picture so you can cherish this memory forever," he teased, pulling his phone from the pocket of his jeans. Olivia wrapped her left arm around his shoulder and leaned close, a closed-mouth smile upon her lips and their heads touching as he held the phone in front of them to snap the photo.
"That's lovely," Olivia breathed, looking at the photo. They looked as happy and in love as they felt. She immediately sent it to herself and make it her lock screen.
"I love you," Rafael blurted, vibrant eyes sparkling with emotion. Though he long felt it, that was the first time he uttered the words aloud. His heart fluttered at the tell-tale brightening in Olivia's dark eyes and the spread of her lips into a broad grin.
"And I love you, Rafa," she replied, kissing him soundly.
Upon arrival, their meals were quickly devoured. After checking on Noah and the progress of the movie, the pair moved upstairs to their room for some quiet time. They mad love in front of the fireplace, basking in the warmth of both the fire and their love for each other. Though the trip was initially dreaded and nearly disastrous, it turned out to be something truly amazing as they spend the rest of the weekend at the inn, enjoying all the small mountain town had to offer.
FIN