Gabriel

I'd only been home for ten minutes when someone rang the buzzer. Juniper said he'd pick me up at five, but it was only four thirty. He was a half an hour early, and I was still in hospital scrubs. At least I'd finished packing. However, I couldn't wait to see him.

Dressed in old baggy jeans and blue hoodie, Juniper's dirty blond hair looked slightly damp as if he'd just gotten out of the shower and couldn't be bothered to comb his hair.

"I know I'm early," Juniper said. "I'm early for everything."

"That's okay. It's good to see you," I said, squeezing his firm bicep. He was clearly an athlete, physically fit from all those days of paddling like his life depended on it and pulling people into the raft. He had arms and abs I'd never seen before, at least with men I'd been with. He had no idea how stunning he was. He'd also been farming and did other manual labor his entire life.

"Nice place," he said.

"Yeah, but the view isn't as nice as yours," I said, tossing my name badge on the table.

On a clear day in his cabin, I bet he had a spectacular view of Mount Katahdin. I rented my apartment without seeing it in person, relying on photos online. It was spacious with beautiful hardwood floors, granite marble countertops, and a deck out back, but my view was of other apartment buildings. Bangor was still a city, although far more country-like than Boston and Brooklyn. I just had to walk fifteen minutes to find a forest.

I tossed my name badge on the table, which Juniper picked up and examined. "You're a doctor?" he asked.

I realized I didn't act like much of a respected physician. "Surprising, huh?"

"Yeah, I had no idea."

"Doctors aren't infallible. Make yourself at home. I'm just gonna get changed."

With Juniper in the other room, I dug out some jeans and a t-shirt and proceeded to undress. As I tossed my hospital scrubs in my laundry basket, I discovered Juniper in my room, perfectly naked. At first I lost my voice, stunned at his presence. His beauty overwhelmed me. "Is this why you came early?" I asked as he approached me.

"Maybe," he said, directly in front of me, so close there was hardly any space between us. His lips brushed against the side of my neck. I was stupid to think we could only be friends.

"How old are you?" I asked as he slipped his hands inside the back of my boxers.

"Twenty-five. Why?"

"I have this rule that I never go out with or sleep with anyone five years or more years older or younger than I am, and I'll be thirty-five in three days."

"So? I'll be twenty-six on New Years Eve. That's a stupid rule." He pushed my boxers down to my thighs. He was already hard and rubbed his dick against mine, kissing my neck. I loved his lips on my neck. I barely touched him yet he moaned as I dug my fingers into his lower back. He bit down on my shoulder as I squeezed his ass. He brought his lips to mine, backing me onto my bed. I admired his self-confidence. He lay on top of me, running his fingers through my hair, gazing into my eyes. "I've thought about you all week."

"Me too. Fuck rules. I never followed them before. Oh, shit..." I muttered as he kissed my chest, scooting down my body. I had a hard time believing he'd never been with a man. He was the most confident gay virgin I'd ever met. But I'd also seen men who'd finally discovered who they were and went wild with sexual curiosity. Juniper was experiencing delayed adolescent raging hormones. He held my dick, examining it before dragging his tongue along the tip. He fingered my balls, taking my dick in his mouth. He sucked until it hardened. "Have you been doing research?" I asked as he pushed my legs back, licking my hole. I would have preferred to take a shower, but Juniper didn't seem to care. He was desperate for something. "Wait, Juniper. I don't have anything," I said regrettably. After the disaster with Cole, I threw out my condoms and lube, swearing off men.

"I do." I hadn't noticed the items in his hand. From his left hand, he dropped a condom and small bottle of KY Jelly on the bed. He got the good kind, too. I was impressed with his research. He'd given this a lot of thought.

But his research only went so far. As he held a condom in his hand, I questioned if he'd ever worn one. "How do I...?"

"Let me show you," I said, reaching for the condom. Juniper was riddled with anxiety. "We both need to calm down and relax." My fingers shook as I rolled the condom on me. I hadn't been this intimate with anyone in months. "It'll be okay. Lie down." I opened the bottle of lube and squeezed some liquid onto my fingers.

"That's cold," he laughed as I squeezed more liquid around and in his hole. He giggled, squirming as I inserted a finger. "That feels so weird." He laughed harder as I inserted another finger. He had a contagious laugh. I'd never seen anyone react like this. He laughed so hard, he didn't notice me lather my dick. I warned him before I entered him, but he was too busy laughing to hear me. He abruptly stopped laughing as I thrust inside him. He gasped, inhaling, pressing his hand against my chest, signaling I'd gone far enough and I was only halfway in. It was clear he'd never done this before. He didn't exhale, holding his breath.

"Breathe," I told him. "It'll get better."

He nodded, exhaling. "It's big," he said.

"Don't flatter me." It always felt 'big' in the beginning when I was really just an average size.

I added more lube, wondering if I should continue. Juniper held my waist, shifting his hips upward, letting me know it was okay for me to resume. His body relaxed as I made my way all the way inside him. His moaning indicated he'd gotten over the initial shock and now allowed himself to enjoy it. I pushed his legs all the way back so his feet nearly touched the headboard. The harder I thrust, the louder he moaned. I gripped his ankles as I thrust harder and harder.

"Right there," he whispered, staring at the ceiling. "Keep doing that." He brought his legs to my shoulders as he wrapped his hand around his dick. I loved fucking a guy while he masturbated. "Oh, fuck. That's so good. I'm gonna come. Is that okay? I'm gonna fucking come."

"Yeah," I smiled, bringing my lips to his. He cried out, biting down on my lip as he pumped his dick faster and faster until he shot his load against my stomach. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. I kissed his lips, quietly finishing inside him as we kissed.

"I'm so sweaty," he said as I kissed his ear. I grasped a clump of his damp hair. We both dripped in sweat. "A girl once told me I gave good oral. What do you think?"

"I think she's right," I said, propped on my hands, face to face with him. "You're very good. Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry."

"I'm okay," his voice quivered. I withdrew and sat beside him, bringing my arm around his waist.

"The first time can be confusing," I said, resting my chin on top of his head, holding him close. "Especially when you grew up believing you were straight until proven otherwise. I knew I was gay since I was ten. I've never been with a woman... never even considered it."

"I don't want to let anyone down," he said as his tears trickled onto my arm. I knew exactly what he meant, but I wasn't ready to go into my own drama.

"It's gonna be okay," I said with his head against my chest.

"I loved it so much," he said. "I love your body." He caught me by surprise, pulling off the condom. He swung it in front of his face. "I didn't think you came. I'm glad you did because then I would have felt guilty. We should go. It's gonna be dark by the time we get there and I'm hungry. I need to eat something." He tied the condom in a knot and tossed it in a nearby trash can. "I'll be all right. That was fun after I got used to it."

Juniper was far more talkative in person than on the phone. It must have taken him a lot of courage to call me because he barely said anything when he called me. As he got dressed, he didn't stop talking. I couldn't remember him talking this much on the raft, but then again I was in the front and focusing on paddling, hoping not to fall out. I wondered if anxiety made him talk this much. He spent ten minutes talking about the time he got poison ivy all over his body, including his genitals. He sat on my bed, tying his Merrell hiking shoes.

"What were you doing? Rolling around naked?" I asked when he finally gave me a chance to speak.

"Yes, I was naked. There was a batch of it by the stream. Dad hates doctors and hospitals, but he had to take me when I showed him. I showed everyone, even the teachers at school. They acted like they'd never seen a penis before. Maybe some hadn't. I don't know. It was itchy as hell. Oh, God... I can't believe I'm telling you all this. It wasn't indecent exposure. I was twelve years old. I almost got suspended until the principal realized I was so sick. I ended up in the hospital for two days. But that never stopped me from being naked outside. Dad just destroyed the plants. How long have you been a doctor?"

"I graduated medical school nine years ago. I've been an ER physician for four years." I'd been fully dressed for five minutes, just waiting for Juniper.

"What's a Brooklyn boy doing in Maine?"

"I wanted a change."

"I don't know if I'm gay. Do you think I'm gay?"

"That's not a question I can answer. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, sorry," he said, jumping to his feet. "I'm okay now. All good. Let's go."

On the way down the hall, I scared the crap out of him, pinching his cute ass.

"Hey!" he shouted, spinning around to confront me. We both laughed. It was good to smile and laugh again. I swore I'd wake up any minute to find myself in a psych ward. "I'm fucking real. Get over yourself."

"I'm trying."

After spending time in Jupiter's cabin, I understood why he drove a 4x4 Jeep. The backseat was cluttered with camping and rafting equipment such as his helmet, paddle, and life jacket. I lost my sleeping bag, so he let me borrow one of his. This was the first time I'd ever gone camping with anyone. Usually I camped alone. It was something I discovered on my own. I grew up in a city, but I always liked it when we went for vacations in the mountains. I liked being outside. I considered letting Juniper give me horseback riding lessons. I just had a severe fear of falling off a horse.

We stopped at a diner just outside of the 'large town of Bangor.' I couldn't bring myself to call it a city. We both ordered burgers and fries. Once again, Juniper talked far more than I talked. I loved listening to him. He was animated when he talked. He particularly enjoyed talking about his hippie grandparents and the hippie commune they created. I found out he and his sisters were born in the cabin where he currently lives, but he assured me we didn't fool around in the same bed, that he bought his mattress three years ago. He loved his family and would do anything for them, maybe too much. Not once did he talk about his mother, which said something. I didn't know him well enough to ask prying questions. So far, he barely knew anything about me, except that I was from Brooklyn and a physician. He didn't stop to ask me questions.  

We reached the Forks around eight thirty. Juniper pitched the tent while I supervised. He said I was 'just in the way.' He was mostly impatient and could pitch a tent in half the time it would take me. Juniper came prepared with a cooler full of drinks, including beer, hard cider, and water, along with a bag full of snacks.

"If I'm ever lost in the woods, you're the man I'd want with me,"  I said, sitting on the ground with a bottle of homemade hard cider. "Damn, this is good."

"Yeah, my dad made it," he said, unzipping his hoodie. He undressed completely. "It gets cold out here at night, but I run hot. It could be forty degrees out and I'll still sleep naked. Dad used to force me to wear thermals, but it had to be below freezing for me to wear them."

"It's not below freezing right now."

"No, it's about fifty."

Naked, he grabbed a bottle of hard cider from the cooler. This man was the greatest man I'd ever met in my life. He exuded self-confidence. However, I saw a vulnerable Juniper earlier today. His greatest fear was letting his family down. If he was gay, then he feared he let down his family.

Don't fall in love, I kept telling myself. I'd learned not to trust my instincts when it came to relationships. When it came to medicine, my instincts were unquestioned. Every relationship I'd ever had was toxic. I had every reason to believe this one would be no different, if Juniper and I ever amounted to anything. I realized I was getting way ahead of myself.

"I'm going in," Juniper said, crawling into the tent.

My tent was a small, two-person tent while his could hold four people. I preferred his. He spread our sleeping bags out and lit the inside of the tent with a lantern. I could hear other campers nearby, but I couldn't see anyone.

"I'm not used to sharing a tent with anyone," he said, lying naked on top of his sleeping bag, holding his bottle of cider. "Just kick me if I snore. I talk way too much, don't I? You can tell me to shut up, you know. I won't be offended."

"I like listening to you. You have a lot to say. I'm guessing you have no one to talk to at home, or no one willing to listen to you."

"Nothing I say is really important, though, is it?"

"Who says?" I said, sitting beside him with my legs stretched out in front of me. "You're interesting, Juniper. Sometimes you're full of self-confidence, and other times you belittle yourself."

"Yeah, well, thanks for listening. I'm gonna finish my drink and go to sleep. We have to be up early. I usually get up at six, make breakfast, and then head over around seven thirty."

I undressed down to my shorts and got in my sleeping bag. Juniper, too, got in his sleeping bag and turned off the lantern. "Goodnight, Doctor Benowitz," he said, turning his back to me, resting on his left side.

Even with the most beautiful, sexiest man sleeping beside me, I fell asleep and slept until he woke me up in the best way imaginable.