19. Ford #2
I stepped to the side of the trail to let them pass. The younger one was pretty – he reminded me of a sandy blond Dylan – and he definitely checked me out as they passed. It was obvious Dylan had noticed. During our pause, he had moved closer to me and his hand was currently resting on my ass.
“Enjoy the rest of your hike,” I called after them, earning myself a pinch. “What?”
“A little friendly there, huh?”
“Was I too friendly?”
“The young one almost got on his knees when he passed you.”
I started on the trail again. “Jealous?”
“A little.” Dylan jogged to catch up to me. “Do you think they’re a couple?”
“Do you?”
“I think so. I felt a vibe,” Dylan answered.
I had to laugh. “You think any two guys are a couple. Maybe they’re father and son?” I paused. “Careful, there’s a big root here.”
“Thanks,” Dylan said, taking my hand. “More like grandfather and grandson.”
“Do you think they thought we’re a couple?” I asked. “Maybe they thought I was your dad?”
“Um, you kind of were.”
Not where I expected this conversation to go, but here we were. “But I’m not.”
“Well, I might not have your DNA, but I certainly like having your DNA inside me. Keep it up and maybe you'll change my 23andMe results.”
“That’s both funny and hot, but genetics don’t-”
“And to answer your other question, they better have. I hope the young one thought you were railing me.”
“Well,” I suggested, “for the next couple we see, just pull your shorts down and I’ll fuck you right in front of them?”
“Really?!”
“No! I was joking.”
"Aww, you had my hopes up there for a minute." He gave my ass a playful smack.
We continued walking, the conversation drifting back to the trail and surrounding woods. My brow and back were sweaty, but I knew we were getting closer to our destination. Dylan’s easy chatter and his casual touches here and there kept my energy up…among other things.
After another twenty minutes or so, the trees began to thin slightly, and I could hear the faint sound of running water.
Nestled in a grassy clearing, next to a vibrant stream that drained into Pathfinders Lake, was the perfect little spot.
We worked together, making steady progress, our movements almost synchronized.
The tent went up quickly, then, while Dylan dealt with our sleeping quarters, I prepped the stove and started dinner.
As dusk began to settle, painting the sky in soft hues of orange and purple, the baked beans were ready and I had a crackling fire going in a makeshift firepit.
During our meal, darkness fell and the stars emerged in a breathtaking display I rarely got to see in the city.
Dylan lay on his back, his head in my lap, looking upwards.
"Remember those constellation books we used to have?" Dylan asked.
“I do.”
“What’s that one again?” Dylan pointed to Ursa Major.
“That’s the Big Dipper,” I answered.
“You always knew them better than me.” After a short pause, he added, “That one looks like a penis.”
“Which one?” I leaned down to see where Dylan was looking. After a few seconds, I said, “I think that’s an airplane or a satellite.”
“I know that . I meant over there. See?” He drew in the air the shape of a cock.
“Oh yeah, I see it.” I didn’t see it.
“You’re such a liar.”
“And you have penis on the brain.”
“And hopefully I’ll have penis in my mouth later tonight.”
“What a great band name,” I said.
“What?”
“Penis in My Mouth.”
“I’d listen to them. They sound lovely.”
“I’m sure you would.” I reached over, rummaging in my pack and pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a Hershey’s bar, and a sleeve of graham crackers. “Thought we’d revisit an old favorite.”
"S'mores!" Dylan shrieked, leaping out of my lap.
His eyes virtually sparkled with delight in the light of the fire.
He ran off, looking for a stick, and was back quicker than a Netflix series getting canceled after one season.
He grabbed the marshmallow I held out for him and skewered it expertly on the stick, holding it over the flames.
“If it catches on fire,” I warned, “don’t fling it into the woods like that one time. Just blow it out.”
“I panicked.”
“I remember,” I said, getting the crackers and chocolate ready.
It was a simple gesture, but I knew it meant a lot to him.
Dylan, true to form, made a delightful mess of the s'mores.
Chocolate smeared across his cheek, and melted marshmallow clung to the corner of his lips.
I watched him, laughing in the firelight and sucking on his fingers, attempting to clean up the remains.
Without a word, I leaned in, gently licking the chocolate from Dylan's cheek, then kissed the corner of his mouth, savoring the sticky sweetness.
The kiss deepened, the s'mores forgotten as our mouths moved together, mingling the flavors of chocolate and toasted sugar.
My sticky hands found their way to his waist, pulling him flush against me.
His arms instinctively wrapped around my neck, holding me just as tight.
The ground, surprisingly soft beneath us, welcomed our descent as we tumbled beside the fire, a tangle of limbs and hungry mouths.
Laughing and breathless from the kiss and impromptu wrestling match, we ended up covered in pine needles and the sweet, gooey remnants of our snacks. Dylan’s eyes, bright in the firelight, met mine. "Well," he said, pushing himself up onto an elbow. "This is certainly rustic."
I wondered how he got chocolate on his forehead as I pulled a stray pine needle from his hair. "Maybe a little more rustic than I intended. We're a mess." I ran a hand over my own arm, feeling the gritty mix of dirt and marshmallow.
Dylan grinned – that playful look I was getting used to, the one I never wanted to disappear. “Well, I'm sticky, I want a quickie, and I'm pretty sure I have a pinecone stuck to my butt."
I looked towards the shimmer of the lake, the thought of its cool, clear water a sudden, irresistible pull. After all, Dylan had wanted a bath. Why not now?
"The lake isn't just for looking at, you know. It's been calling our names all day." I pushed myself up, extending a hand to him. "Care for a night swim?"
His eyes widened, then a slow smile spread across his face. "You mean a naked swim, right?”
"Of course," I affirmed, my voice a low rumble. "No one else is around. Just us and the stars.”
Dylan didn't need any more convincing. He sprang up and started taking clothes off. In seconds, he was completely naked. In the light of the moon, he looked like Adonis.
“My pinecone and I are ready,” he announced, hands on his hips.
“Let’s see,” I said, lunging forward to grab him, but he was too fast.
“You’ll have to catch me first.” Dylan darted towards the water, a high-pitched shriek of laughter trailing behind him as I gave chase, shedding the last of my clothes as I ran to catch up.
The first touch of the lake was surprisingly warm, compared to the cool air. I tackled Dylan with a loud splash, and we crashed underwater. Surfacing, I shook my head to get my hair out of my face, only for Dylan to dunk me, his laughter reaching my ears even beneath the water.
When I came up, sputtering, he was already swimming away from me.
"Oh, no you don’t!" I yelled, churning after him, pulling him back by the ankle.
He shrieked, half-playful, half-surprised, as I hauled him close, spinning him around in the water.
We wrestled for a moment, splashing and laughing, vying for supremacy, then he slipped from my grasp and twisted away.
Breathing hard, he turned to face me, smiling, the whites of his teeth obvious in the moonlight. It seemed our playful chaos was over.
Dylan swam back towards me, reaching out as he neared.
When our hands met, our fingers laced together, and he pulled himself against my body.
Instinctively, I wrapped my other arm around him, holding him close.
We kissed, the water lapping gently around us, an intoxicating freedom in the moment, completely uninhibited.
It felt like we were the only two people in the world.
The next morning, we woke with the sunrise, snuggled tightly in the same sleeping bag. I didn’t need to go outside of the tent to confirm the chill in the air.
“Mmmm…morning,” Dylan said, rubbing his face against my chest, burrowing into my side. “Can we sleep a little longer? You’re nice and warm.” He didn’t want to leave our little cocoon yet either.
“Of course,” I agreed, pulling him closer, content to drift back to sleep with his body draped over mine.
A little longer turned into a few hours, and by the time we got up, the sun had chased the morning dewdrops—and chill—away. While Dylan raced into the woods to answer the call of the wild, I started preparing a simple breakfast of coffee, oatmeal, and bananas.
Over our meal, we decided to explore more of the area around our campsite. There was a small, less-traveled path on the other side of our clearing that looked inviting and Dylan seemed eager for the adventure.
After we cleaned up, I set up the water filter and purifier and worked on refilling our bottles.
Halfway through the process, Dylan grabbed me from behind, forcing me to turn around.
Before I could ask him what he wanted, he leapt into my arms, wrapped his legs around my waist, and kissed me deeply.
It was the kind of kiss that took my breath away, the kind that made me want to wrestle him to the ground and unwind every strand of tension with my hands…
and cock. But then he whispered, "Just checking if you're still real," he whispered.
"Very real," I confirmed, setting him back on his feet.
As we started down the somewhat overgrown path, his hand grabbed mine and we walked together.
The forest here was denser, the sunlight dappling through the canopy in shifting patterns.
We walked in silence for a while, the quiet broken only by the crunch of our steps and the intermittent calls of birds.
Every so often, our shoulders would brush and our hands would reflexively tighten around each other.
It was like even our bodies could feel the connection between us.
As we walked, the trees began to thin, and the lake was once again visible. And there, at the edge of the water was–
“What’s the big mound of stones?” Dylan asked, stepping ahead of me to inspect it.
I had no idea, so I pulled out my phone, typed "rock mound pathfinders lake" into the search bar, and hit enter. A few seconds later, I found a Reddit thread.
"Hold on," I said, scrolling. "I think I found it." I scanned the comments for an explanation. It wasn’t a happy story. “Basically, people have been putting rocks on this mound for decades due to an old legend about a forbidden relationship between a Cheyenne pathfinder and a preacher’s daughter. Kind of a Romeo and Juliet type thing.”
“They died?” Dylan asked, moving back next to me.
“Seems that way. The world they lived in refused to accept their love.”
“That’s awful.” Dylan grabbed my arm, leaning into my body. “So this is a monument?” he asked, his voice solemn.
“Yes.” I put away my phone and wrapped my arm around his shoulder.
I could feel the weight of the story testing our relationship. I was confident in my own feelings, but would Dylan want to share me with his friends? What was going to happen when we went home? He seemed serious, but we hadn’t talked about what our lives looked like after the summer.
"We should add to it. Because the world has changed," Dylan said, his voice thick with emotion, "and we're not going to let it tear us apart." He moved to the shoreline, searching, until he bent down to grab a stone. He found a small, smooth, dark one, and turned, expectantly, to look at me.
His confidence in us was heartening, and I couldn’t help but feel his optimism, especially after he added, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
I nodded, looking for my own and found one.
It was larger and paler than his, almost heart-shaped.
Together, we walked to the mound. Dylan placed his stone carefully, like an offering, on the growing pile.
I placed mine right beside it. Our hands brushed, and we looked at each other, a shared understanding passing between us.
In that moment, my earlier hesitations about us faded until all I felt was an all-consuming joy. Our future felt as solid as the stones in the mound.