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Hey y'all. Here's the sequel, coming at you. It's immense! Which means it's got... 

...cute boy-meets-girl romance! 

...witty banter!

...love conquering all inconveniences! 

...descriptions of camping in places I've never been! 

...character growth by peripheral characters we'll never meet again, just 'CAUSE. 

...oh, and some desperation. I wedged it in at the end. (Also hetero sex. If you haven't read my stories before, know that there's almost always het sex.) 

 

Actually -- I'm actually pretty proud of the desperation in this one. But it is all the way at the end. That particular scene was the first idea I had, and I started to write it out. But then my addictions kicked in. I just can't quit character development, y'all. Plotting is a hell of a drug. And Bree and Tam emerged, holding hands, and demanded their story be told. 

I will try to be on here a little more frequently, and so I'm not going to dump it all on you at once like last time. So there will be more to this, including that desperation I mentioned. But here goes: 

 

MONSOON

 

--------------------------------------------

It hit on their way back from their first overnight.

The heat had been almost unendurable. Even guzzling water, almost nobody took pee breaks: they were sweating too much. But the clouds had formed up in the distance, moving closer as the afternoon wore on. And just as they got into sight of the vans, the skies opened up.

“How is it raining?” Little Lyn demanded, between the squeals. They weren’t getting drenched anymore—that had happened instantly. Now they were just standing in the rain totally soaked. The rain was pouring off of them because it had nothing else to sink into.

“It’s New Mexico in the summer!” Tam declared. He stretched out his arms and flung back his head. When he looked up, he met Bree’s eyes. And Bree fell in love with him all over again. From the huge grin he got, the feeling was pretty mutual.

And, well, she was getting a pretty good look at him. His shirt was plastered to his skin. He might as well not be wearing it…

She was suddenly conscious that he was gazing at her just as intently, and that her shirt was plastered on pretty well too. Her sports bra had to be showing, traced out perfectly under the wet shirt. She wanted to cover up, but how? Anything she did would just draw attention to her.

And then again, why? Let him look.

He threw her an air high-five, and she returned it. And felt her knees getting a little weak. Which was awkward, since they still had a few hundred yards to go.

Bree, of course, was the van driver. Sitting down in her wet clothes felt disgusting at first, but she couldn’t take anything off. If she’d been alone, maybe she would have stripped off her shirt. And if she’d been alone with Tam she might have taken off more than just that. But as it was, she had to remain decently clad.

Driving through pouring rain on unfamiliar roads in a van that had a real high roll hazard was not Bree’s idea of fun. She was sweating as she inched along—from nerves, this time. But luckily, before they were even halfway back to camp, the downpour had stopped and the sun was coming out again.

“This weather is nuts!” Fiona said.

“Actually this is normal,” Tam said. “I don’t understand why, but summer is actually the rainy season around here. It’s actually nice—feel how cool the air is!” And this was true. The baking heat of the day had been broken by the rain, and it was incredibly nice.

“Usually the cloudburst only lasts half an hour or so,” Tam added. “Still, this is why we had you bring rain gear.”

But when they returned to camp the first order of business was to head back to the cabins and change clothes.

It hit as Bree was removing her sodden sports bra from under her even-more-sodden shirt. The girls were getting so comfortable with each other that they were just changing openly, but Bree never felt comfortable getting down to bare boobs with them. So she was half-in and half out of her clothing when Sandy blurted out, “Do you like Tam?”

Bree took refuge in literalism. “Of course I do,” she said. “He’s a great team leader, and he’s teaching me a lot about being a counselor.”

“No, I mean like-like!”

Literalism having failed, Bree tried humorous deflection. “Oh, well, if we’re talking like-like…!”

But Sandy was tenacious. “So do you?”

“She does!” Gina shrieked. “Look at her blushing!”

“He’s sooooo cute!”

“Are you two gonna kiss?”

“Ohhhh, look at that, they already have!”

This was not going to plan at all. “Ladies, ladies—calm down,” Bree said. “Yeah, we like each other…”

This set off more gales of joy.

“Calm down, okay? It’s not a big deal—”

Giggling denial.

“Well, maybe it is. But, and this is important, we’re not gonna be holding hands or making out while we’re working with you. That’s not what we’re here for.”

“Why can’t you hold hands?”

“Because, to be honest… if we did, we might be getting distracted. And it’s our job to keep you safe. We can’t do that if we’re all over each other. So we won’t be.”

“That makes sense,” said Little Lyn, and when Angie agreed, that seemed to settle it.

But then Sandy launched into the logistical questions: “How did you kiss him? He’s so short!”

“Well, to be honest… no. No, I’m just not going to be talking about this,” Bree said.

“Awwwwww! Come on! Tell, tell!”

“No. And that’s final.” Because there’s no way on earth I’m gonna explain how he caught me with my pants down and was a real gentleman about it.

This realization helped keep her determined, and eventually the girls gave up, or at least decided to bide their time. And since they were eating with their cabin teammates instead of their trail teammates, there was no chance to bug Tam about it. But instead the gossip flew with the other girls in the cabin, and Bree became deeply, mortifyingly conscious of her fellow counselor in the cabin. But the other counselor didn’t say anything.

The mortification got even worse the next day, when the girls gleefully informed Tam’s team what they’d discovered. Tam grinned and shrugged: that’s life with middle schoolers. Whattya gonna do?

Except that was a real question, and a good one. Bree was feeling very much like she was out in deep water on this, not certain what she could stand on. One kiss—well, really a bunch of them, but only one time—didn’t make a relationship. There were things that did make a relationship real, but which of them could they do? Bree felt like she was blushing constantly, that every move she made was under a microscope. Her tension and confusion was mounting by the hour.

This was their rest day, between the two big overnight hikes. There were the usual games, but there were also some long pauses where everyone just sat around. During one of these, in the heat of the afternoon, Tam plopped himself down next to Bree and said, quietly, “How ya doin’?”

Bree felt like every single one of the kids was now paying total attention, though nobody had really moved. “I feel like we’re being watched,” she said, honestly (and just as quietly).

“That we are,” Tam answered. “Shall we show them how grown adults do this?”

“Do what?”

“Talk things out. Set boundaries. Not flounder around in the dark trying to read their partners’ minds. You know, all the stuff we hated in high school.”

“We’re not floundering? I feel like I’m floundering.”

Tam nodded. “I thought you looked a little lost. Only natural, we haven’t talked yet. We should do that.”

“Here? Now?”

“Perfect time for it. We need to get it worked out before tomorrow or we’ll both snap from the strain. Kids are otherwise occupied.”

“Yeah, by watching us!”

“So we better set a good example, huh?”

“Huh. Hadn’t thought of it like that…”

“Yup.”

“So. Um. Boundaries?”

“Let’s get the most important stuff out of the way first, then work out the details,” he said. “What are you okay with in front of the kids?” When she didn’t answer for a moment, he suggested, “I mean, can I hold your hand in front of the kids?”

“Out on the trail,” she said. “Not in camp.”

He nodded.

“It’s because—”

He held up a finger. “You don’t have to justify your boundaries,” he told her. “I’m gonna respect that because you asked for it, not because of whatever makes you ask.”

A wave of admiration swept over her—admiration and relief. The tension in her shoulders was ebbing rapidly. “Oh. That’s nice.”

He grinned. “You look better already. So let’s figure out more. All our clothes stay on in front of the kids.”

“Well, duh.”

“Yeah, duh, but it’s still good to say out loud. Especially since my next question is, do you wanna keep all our clothes on when we’re alone?”

The blush came back with a vengeance. “Um.”

“I’ll tell you right now,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “I’m fine either way. My boundary is no intercourse, because I didn’t bring any condoms. Everything else is on the table for me—in private—so it’s down to what you’re comfortable with.”

“This conversation is getting a little past hand-holding,” Bree whispered.

He grinned. “I know. Figured we should talk about it right away. Everything else will be easier.”

“Um. Can I decide about the sex later?”

“Of course. And the clothes?”

“…Off.”

He grinned.

“I can’t believe I just said that,” Bree said.

“Is it what you want?”

“Yeah. Yeah.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“But… like, what would people think to hear me say that?”

“Who cares? We’re adults. We like each other. We think each other’s pretty cute and we’d like to see more. Everyone else can butt out.”

“Wow.”

He grinned again. “See? And now everything else will be a lot easier. Like, can I call you cute in front of the kids?”

“No,” she said at last. “But you can imply it all you want. And you can call me cute when we’re alone.”

They hashed it out, bit by bit, and the stress and tension ebbed away—replaced by excitement. Now that they’d said it out loud, Bree suddenly felt an absolutely burning desire to get him alone and naked. To see what she’d gotten, of course. “When can we be alone?” she asked.

“Not till the kids are gone. Saturday night. We’ll do something after dinner,” he said, eyes alight.

But first they had a hike to manage. The kids had mapped out their route, and it was going to require quite an early start. They enforced early bedtimes, which allowed Bree to suppress any gossiping, and then rousted everyone out before sunrise and got them into the van. The kids dozed while Bree drove. As usual Tam was in the seat next to her, and they seized the opportunity to talk a little. Just normal we’re-into-each-other talk.

“So that song you played…”

“Oh, ‘Sideways’?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Did you like it?”

“Well, it helped me figure out what was on your mind, so—yeah, I liked it.”

“Was I that obvious?”

“Pretty much.”

She blushed.

“Nah, don’t be embarrassed. That’s when I made up my mind to get you alone somehow.” He cocked a head. “You get embarrassed a lot.”

“Well, it’s just…” she flapped a hand. “It’s all this baggage.”

“Oh, am I stepping on your scars?”

“It’s not that, although that’s a great way of putting it. It’s that…” she swallowed and checked the rear-view mirror. Most of the kids seemed out like lights. “I’ve always been a good girl. And now I’m… um… trying to be less good. Let myself be… uh… an adult. Doing adult things. Sexual,” she managed to get the word out.

“Sounds like scars to me,” Tam said. “Just scars that you share with a lot of other people.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s it. I feel like I’m being shameful. But then the flip side is, when I behave, I feel I’m no fun. Inhibited. I mean, I wanna be GGG, but I’m having to fight all this history. All these expectations.”

“Good reminder. We shouldn’t have any expectations.”

A chill ran through her. “We shouldn’t?”

“Nope. ‘Expectations are resentment waiting to happen.’”

“That sounds to me like we’re not going to… like we’re giving up.”

“Oh! I see. Yeah, not my intention. I wanna kiss you. A lot. But I won’t expect you to make out with me. I’ll grab my chances when the chances come, though.”

“I think I see. That’s hard.”

“Yup.”

“As for the baggage… you wanna be GGG, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“And you feel like you’ve got to choose between being the good girl and being GGG?”

“Right.”

“You remember what the first G is, right?”

“Yeah, ‘Good.’ What are you—oh.”

“Figure it out, huh?”

“You!” she said, deliriously happy. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

“I’ve picked up a few tricks here and there. I’ve had some good teachers.”

“I’m grateful. To them and to you.”

“Same. To them and to you.”

“To me? What have I done?”

“Aside from being a really wonderful, beautiful human being? Well, let’s see—for starters, you’re doing all the driving…”

“Right, and you owe me for that.”

“Remember what I said about expectations.”

“No, I meant like counselor chores.”

“Oh, right. Balance. Uh—doing the dishes?”

“We’ll make them do that.”

“Okay, then I’ll be the bad guy and do the making.”

After nearly an hour’s drive they arrived at the trailhead at last. They’d been here before, but for shorter hikes. There was a pit toilet by the little parking lot, but Bree had no intention of using it. And apparently, neither did anyone else. Fiona outright announced that she was going to go pee in the trees instead, and headed off with both Lyns and Sandy to do just that. Tam and Bree’s eyes met. Another moment of little victories. But also, underneath that, was the memory of how they’d first kissed.

When the girls returned, they unloaded the van, distributed the gear, checked boots and straps, and headed up the trail. Over the course of the day they got much, much farther than they had before, truly out into the backcountry. They were headed to the peak of a mountain the kids had picked out.

The journey was hot, tiring, and an absolute delight. The kids were all extremely enthusiastic and working together well—even Xavier the lone wolf. The Lyns and Angie, with a little support from Ian and Nate, were brilliant trail bosses, setting the pace and checking on everyone. Fiona was helpful. Bradley smiled. Nobody was getting blisters, everyone was drinking water, all was well. The hike was actually going so well that Bree was starting to get nervous: what would go wrong?

Breakfast and lunch were basic backpacker fare, mostly energy bars and trail mix. But for dinner they managed something a little better, building a fire and frying up some pre-prepped food. Once again Gina was in charge of the kitchen, and again all Bree and Tam had to do was sit back and watch. And as Angie and the Lyns got everyone else to make camp, Tam slipped his hand into Bree’s.

And then they watched the sun set, and watched the crescent moon go down, and watched the stars coming slowly out. They kept an eye on the kids, too, but their happy campers seemed entirely self-propelled, or at least Angie-propelled. In fact the whole gang seemed to be making a determined effort to not come over. Bree could have sworn that Madalyn actually shoed some of the boys back to camp. Ricky and Bradley were watching the fire like hawks, far more intent and serious than when Tam had been with them. And she thought she caught Angie and Ian and Nate in a huddle, trying to work something out. It was when she noticed Nate setting up her tent that she knew something was up.

When she pointed all this out, Tam chuckled. “They’ve got eyes. Or at least our leaders do. They’re giving us space.”

“I feel bad, though…”

“Look. Do they need help?”

“No. They’ve got it.”

“Would they be asking for help, if they weren’t giving us room?”

“Probably…”

“See any goofing off?”

“Nope.”

“They’re giving us space, and it’s making them step up. Be responsible. Pretty amazing, really. We lucked out.”

“I know! I can’t imagine another group like them…”

“We won’t get one. Not this good. We won’t have Lyns and Angies and Nates in the next bunch. We’ll have somebody else, though.”

“I already miss them.”

“I know. Savor the next three days.”

Sudden motion in the sky caught Bree’s eye. “Falling star! Make a wish!”

Tam’s hand tightened on hers. “What did you wish for?” he asked.

“Same wish I always make: that tomorrow will be beautiful. What did you wish for?”

“That you’d be sitting here beside me. And look! It already come true!”

She pulled her hand free and wrapped him in a hug. They sat like that for a moment.

“I can’t rest my head on your shoulder,” she said at last, complaining.

“Just rest it on my head.”

“Won’t that hurt?”

“Most things hurt eventually. Sometimes it’s worth it.”

“Oooh, I can rest my chin on your shoulder if I sit behind you…”

“Are they actually putting themselves to bed?”

“Sounds like.”

“Dang, what a crew.”

“We should probably go check on them…”

“I agree. Just one thing we need to do first.”

“Hmm?”

He leaned a bit, turned his head. His lips found her cheek. She shifted so that he wasn’t the only one kissing.

This lasted a long time.

“Okay,” she gasped, coming up for air. “We’ve got to go do our job…”

“Yeah.”

They walked the ten yards back to camp, and found an exhausted, exultant team waiting to show off all their hard work. They duly admired the kids’ handiwork, and encouraged them all to bed down. As Fiona headed to her tent, she high-fived Bree with an ear-to-ear grin. Angie gave Bree a hug. The giggling commenced as soon as the girls were zipped up, as if they were waiting for a door to close. A tent, of course, was in no way soundproof.

Tam came over and handed her something.

“What’s this?”

“Flashlight,” he said. “I’m going over that way, y’see, and you can go over there, and there’s no risk of bumping into each other in the dark.”

Bree laughed. It was a new kind of laughter in her vocabulary. She took his hand firmly and led him into the woods.

“Um, what are we doing?” he asked in a whisper.

“Oh, what you were planning on doing, but no reason to split up like that.”

“Didn’t know you were looking for an audience…”

“I’m not. Just the company. This is good. Turn your light off and step over there.”

They peed in parallel again. When they were done (Bree again took a little longer) they found each other once again in the dark. And they made out until Tam got a crick in his neck and had to stop.
 

 

 

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What a story - it's one that you have to sit down for to read. Heavy on the character development, lighter on the desperation, as you mentioned. I guess that's not's a bad thing. Or is it? I'm so mixed. Filling every chapter with pee-related events would destroy this kind of story... so why am I somewhat dissapointed by the lack of it. Argh! I'm so sorry for the comment that is coming out of my testosterone-filled brain. It is truly a great story. I like your mindset, Weasel. First and foremost, since you're not making money off it, you have to write the story for your own pleasure, or you'll probably just quit writing all together. And that would be a shame, you're such a brilliant writer.

Thank you for writing this piece, Weasel. Great writing as usual.

Edited by Flush (see edit history)
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