FYI: There is mention of hunting in this chapter. I don't mean to offend anyone, but this story is set in Maine and Juniper was raised to be self sufficient in the country.

Juniper

My dad, sisters, and I camped all year round. It didn't matter if there was a foot of snow on the ground. Actually, I loved camping in winter. If any of us wanted to move to Alaska, we were well equipped. Hunting wasn't my favorite thing to do, but I could do it if I had to. We'd all shot our share of deer, snowshoe hare, and wild turkey over the years. Our dad treated us all equally, regardless of gender. My sisters were taught to hunt, just like I was. Overall, I'd rather fish than hunt. Every year, I always renewed my hunting license while my sisters let theirs lapse.

It was Gabriel's idea to go hunting because he'd never hunted before, nor had he ever gone fishing. As a city boy, he didn't explore camping or the country until much later in his life. He had a lot to learn and he wanted me to teach him.

As I loaded my Jeep with camping equipment and supplies, my dad showed up, holding two rakes as if he expected me to help him. We hired landscapers to handle all that stuff, yet he wanted the two of us to help with the clean up. He'd given me no warning, so I'd already made plans for the weekend. I swore he installed security cameras around my house. I didn't understand what was going on with him lately. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

Oh no. Here we go with Twenty Questions again. "Yes. I'm going camping in Acadia for the weekend."

"By yourself?"

"No. With a friend. Hey, I'm borrowing a couple of rifles. That's okay, isn't it?" I'd only ever shot a rifle. My dad said there was no reason to shoot any other type of gun.

"Yeah, sure. You know you can't hunt in Acadia, right?"

"Yes, I know." Did he think I was stupid? "There are plenty of areas to hunt around there."

"Why didn't you tell me you were going camping?"

I stopped shoving items into my Jeep to stop and talk, maybe to set some boundaries. He'd been so nosey lately. "Since when do I need permission to go camping?"

"You don't. Usually you tell me, that's all. You would have told me you were borrowing some rifles, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Because it looks like you just took them without asking me. What's going on, Juni? You don't tell me anything these days... like the name of the girl you're seeing. Why the big secret? Is she the one you're going camping with? I'm not prying. I'm just curious."

"You are prying, Dad. I'm going camping with Gabriel and there is no girl. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Gabriel, the doctor?"

"Yes. I gotta get going. I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll talk then."

Upon reaching the two-month mark of knowing each other, Gabriel and I embarked on a three-day camping trip in one of the most visited places in all of Maine, Acadia National Park. Camping was half price in November and free in the winter months. Temperatures could get as low as fifteen degrees at night, but generally temperatures were around thirty degrees at night and averaged forty to fifty degrees during the day. We set up camp, then went on a hunting mission.

I wasn't in the mood to hunt deer. We focused on turkeys and snowshoe hare that were far easier to manage. Gabriel wanted me to teach him everything I knew. He'd never shot a gun before, so we practiced beforehand, aiming for an etched bullseye in a tree. That's how my dad taught me, in addition to shooting aluminum cans, but I didn't bring any cans. Gabriel had terrible aim, and thought it was best if I did the hunting. He needed a lot more practice, that's for sure. He'd never last a day out in the wild. He couldn't even watch me prepare the hare for cooking.

"What kind of doctor are you, anyway?" I teased him as he sat in front of the campfire while I did all the work. He was gifted at toasting marshmallows and warming up cider.

"I guess I'm better at saving people," he said.

"You wouldn't survive living off the grid in Alaska. You wanted me to show you how to hunt and cook what we caught. Well, I'm showing you."

"I'd survive if you were with me, and you did all the hunting and preparing meat."

"My dad hunts bears and moose. It's not bear hunting season right now. Have you ever seen a moose up close?"

"No."

"They're ginormous! I can take you on a moose safari if you want. I know all the good spots. Don't try it on your own, though. You need an experienced guide."

"And that's you?"

"Yep," I said, finishing up with the hare. It was now ready for cooking.

We sipped hot apple cider in front of a campfire while the hare cooked. Gabriel was bundled up in a Columbia down coat, New York Giants winter hat with a pom pom on top and a scarf. I wore a winter hat and North Face vest over a flannel shirt.

"You're a good teacher," he said. "Too bad I'm a bad student."

"My dad taught me everything I know. If you still want to see me in a couple of months, I could take you ice fishing... if you can handle the cold."

"I hope you want to see me. Yes, I'd love to go. I'm still waiting to find out something really dirty about you."

"Oh no. Not this again. Would you rather I be a bad boy? I bet I can be a good bad boy."

"I don't want you to be a bad boy," he said, bringing his arm around my waist. "Although you're sometimes very kinky."

I smiled, staring into the fire in front of us. Holding my chin, he guided my lips to his. Day in and day out, Gabriel monopolized my thoughts. They weren't just fleeting thoughts, either. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, my appetite was all messed up, and I struggled with insomnia for the first time in my life. Before meeting Gabriel, I'd never experienced anything like this before. Sometimes they weren't butterflies but knots. It was the weirdest thing.

At the sound of leaves crunching nearby, Gabriel stopped kissing me, squeezing my arm, his body tense. "Are there bears around here?" he asked.

"There are black bears everywhere in Maine, and some in New Hampshire and parts of Massachusetts, too."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Yes, a few times. Don't worry so much. It's probably a deer or a coyote."

"Coyotes?"

"Yeah. Calm down. Attacks by black bears are rare. They're not usually aggressive unless you come across a mama bear and her cubs. Mamas are very protective. Anyway, I won't let anything happen to you."

As we ate, Gabriel talked more than usual. He'd been opening up more and more lately. He talked about his Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn and all the crap he did as a kid without getting caught. His parents still thought of him as a good boy. They also didn't know that he was gay, just as my family didn't know. He was ashamed to admit his parents didn't know at his age. "I ran away instead," he said.

"I'm glad you ran away," I said. "If you hadn't run off to Maine, then we wouldn't have met."

"You always have a positive spin on things."

Unlike me, he'd had a lot of boyfriends and lovers over the years. He'd never been with a woman and had no desire to be with one. He had some really bad experiences with men. No wonder he thought I was a figment of his imagination. I was nothing like any other man he'd ever dated, so I was an enigma to him.

In his thermal underwear, Gabriel zippered his sleeping bag all the way up to his chin. The cold didn't bother me like it bothered him. I found the inside of the tent to be relatively warm considering the cold outside. I didn't like to be hot, and I had a heavy-duty sleeping bag, so I stripped naked.

"Oh, my God. You're crazy!" Gabriel laughed as I knelt on top of my sleeping bag beside him.

"See, there are plenty of things wrong with me," I said, unzipping his sleeping bag. "I'm crazy. Come on, you've gotta be warmed up by now."

As I lay on top of him, he brought his arms around me. "Oh, wow, you radiate heat. Stay right here."

"I'm so tired," I yawned against his shoulder. "I'm just gonna go to sleep."

As someone over six feet tall, there was no room in his sleeping bag for me. Despite my exhaustion, I rolled off him and curled up inside my sleeping bag. With Gabriel beside me, my insomnia was nonexistent.

***

My body had an internal time clock and I woke in the early hours of dawn. As an overworked physician, I thought Gabriel would have one, too, but he slept soundly as I sat up, watching his chest heave in and out. At some time during the night, he must have been hot because his sleeping bag was unzipped.

"Hey," I whispered, running my hand up and down his arm. He didn't budge at my touch. I was feeling freaky, as he would say. Sometimes he called me kinky. I didn't know which word described me better. I wanted him in the worst way, but I always wanted him. This morning was different.

As I sat between his legs, I pushed up his thermal top and kissed his stomach, slipping my hand inside his bottoms. He moaned, stirring slightly. "I hope this is okay," I said, tugging his bottoms down. With his eyes still closed, he nodded, kicking off his bottoms. Sitting on his lap, I leaned over and kissed him. "Wake up, baby. I'm feeling freaky," I whispered in his ear. He groaned, nodding again as my cock bounced against his. "I'm nervous, but I'm gonna try." I kissed him all over before rummaging through my bag.

"That's fucking cold," he said with a laugh as I circled his hole with lube like he'd done so often with me. I didn't think to warm the bottle with my hands beforehand. Holding his legs, I pulled him closer to me and rubbed my cock against his entrance. "It's okay. Do it." I was so was nervous my hands shook. "It's okay," Gabriel reassured me. "I like bottoming."

I nodded, inserting the tip of my cock.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned. "Go all the way in."

"I'm getting there," I said.

My heart raced, beating faster and faster as I made my way all the way in him. I stopped because I didn't want to come yet. I wanted to perform well. "I don't know if this is good," I said, riddled with fear and apprehension as my face hovered over his. It felt incredible, much different than it did with a woman. He lifted his thermal top over his head, our own body heat warming the tent. Cupping my chin in his palms, he kissed me, moaning again as I moved slowly inside him.

"That's good," he said. "Really fucking good."

I grabbed his wrists and brought his arms over his head as I thrust back and forth. We kissed long and hard, both moaning into each other's mouths. Gabriel encouraged me to continue, harder and deeper. I couldn't get any deeper. I thrust hard one last time, crying out against his shoulder. He held me tight as my body jerked against his. As my body relaxed, he pinched both of my butt cheeks. "You should have asked me before going bareback," he whispered in my ear.

My tears caught me by surprise, totally unexpected. How could I explain something I didn't understand? "I'm sorry," I mumbled, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, patting my back. "I love bareback sex. It's not something I usually do so soon. It's okay, Juniper. There's no reason for you to be so upset."

His comments made me cry harder. I draped my arm over his chest, sobbing like a child.  Everything suddenly overwhelmed me. By 'everything,' I suppose I meant my relationship with Gabriel. This was turning into a not so casual relationship.

A relationship? Was a relationship possible after only two months?

"Hey... what's the matter, Juniper?"

I couldn't explain myself. "I'm sorry," I said, getting off him. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, regaining my composure. "You must think I'm such a loser, huh?"

"You're anything but a loser."

"It's just... I really like being with you."

"I really like being with you, too." He sat beside me and kissed my cheek. In each other's arms, we resumed kissing.

Things were getting too serious and I needed a good laugh. "Did you hear that?" I asked, breaking away from Gabriel. He'd believe everything I said. I was wrong to do what I did, but it was funny, too. "I think there's a bear outside," I said.

"But you said they're not dangerous."

"It depends if it's a mama with her babies. I'll just check."

"Why do you have to check? Just stay here."

But I didn't listen to him. Instead, I unzipped the tent and peeked outside. "Oh, crap! I was right! We're fucked! I don't know what we're gonna do."

"Get the fuck back in here!" Gabriel shouted to me.

I laughed so hard, more tears fell. "I'm just kidding. There are no bears out there."

Gabriel didn't think I was funny. "Asshole," he said, literally kicking me out of the tent. As I sat in the cold dirt, he zipped up the tent, preventing me from getting back inside. He stranded me outside the tent, naked and freezing.

"Hey, Gabriel. I'm sorry. I'm gonna get hyperthermia out here. My balls are gonna freeze and fall off."

"Good!"

"Come on, Gabriel. Let me back in. Don't you like have to take the Hippocratic Oath or something? As a doctor, you swear to do no harm. You know what this is? It's domestic violence. I can't even start a fire because the matches are inside the tent."

"Use some sticks!"

"You know, Dr. Benowitz, I don't think this relationship is working out. It's turning abusive. It's fucking freezing out here!"

He unzipped the tent and poked his head out. "Get the fuck back in the tent."

I crawled back into the tent and bundled up in my sleeping bag, shivering.

"I didn't mean to cause you harm," he said, taking me in his arms. "All kidding aside, you make me very happy. I'm having a great time."

"You make me happy, too. Sorry for being an asshole."

"You're not really an asshole," he said, hovering over me. He dragged his tongue up and down my torso. He knew what I liked. "I'm gonna let you fuck me again. Stay right there." He stroked my cock, letting it harden in his hand. He lathered my cock with lube and mounted me, lowering himself onto me.

"Oh, wow... Gabriel..." I muttered, pinching his waist. "I don't deserve this."

"I was thinking the same thing."

We spent most of the day in the tent, only leaving once to wash up and take a quick hike. I didn't abide by my dad's motto 'we only eat what we caught.' I packed food in the cooler in case I wasn't in the mood to hunt and prepare food on the second day. Once was enough for me. We weren't near a river or stream, so fishing wasn't an option. It was probably the best weekend of my life. I didn't want it to end.

Once we got back to his apartment building, neither of us said a word. Idling in the parking lot, I twirled strands of Gabriel's hair around my finger, the two of us gazing into each other's eyes. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay with him, and I didn't care where. There was something I wanted to say to him, but I didn't feel right saying it. We hadn't known each other that long.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I hesitated before responding. Should I say it? "Yeah," I squeaked out. "I think I have frostbite on my balls. Will you check them for me, doctor?"

"I'd be happy to. Come on." Gabriel seemed to appreciate my sense of humor and joking. He grabbed his belongings, and I followed him inside.

In his living room, I unzipped my jeans and pushed them down, along with my boxers. "What do you think?" I asked, holding up my shirt so he could get a good view. Gabriel knelt on the floor in front of me.

"Hmm... this isn't good," he said, examining my balls.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, thinking something was really wrong. "I was just joking about the frostbite." I held my cock, pushing it to the side to get a closer look. "What, Gabriel? Do I have like ball cancer... I mean, testicular cancer?"

"No, and we shouldn't joke about anything like that. Your balls are absolutely normal and very nice to kiss and suck." He kissed and sucked each one.

"Shit, I gotta go home," I said, realizing it was eight o'clock at night. "I shouldn't have come in. It's late and we have to go to work in the morning, and I'm tired."

"Stay here," he said, standing back up. "I'll give you a prostate exam."

"Oh, my God," I said, intrigued with the idea. "That sounds amazing, but it'll have to wait for another time. I love being with you, Gabriel, but I really have to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"I understand. I'm tired, too, but you could still stay over. I mean, you could just sleep in my bed, you know."

"Nah, I better go. You've probably had enough Juniper Blue."

"I'll tell you when I've had enough."

"You're sweet. I'm gonna go, though. It's not practical for me to stay here. I don't have any clothes here."

"You can borrow some of mine."

Gabriel was desperate for me to stay with him, and he was making it difficult for me to leave. "I'm five inches taller than you. I'm gonna go. We'll catch up later in the week."

"You're so practical," he said and kissed me before walking me to the door. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked down the hall heading to the elevator. I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave.

"Fuck it," I said, hurrying back to him as if we had no time to spare. "I'm taking a shower and going to sleep. Understand?"

"I understand completely."

And he did.

A/N I apologize--again--for any typos. I'm on a roll and I have to keep going. I only have about 20,000 words to go before I reach 50,000!