Page 15 of Touchdown

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I mean, that was amazing, and not just because I haven’t had sex in ages. I just don’t know if it’s too much of a risk to take.”

“Well, you don’t need to decide right at this moment. I’ll keep my distance for now, and you can let me know what you decide, when you do so. I’ll let you lead, Cody.”

Cody sighs. “You’re too decent for me, Luke. After the way I treated you, I don’t deserve you.”

“Let’s not have any of that. We’re turning a new page in our story, right? The past is the past and neither of us can do anything to change it. We can only worry about the future.”

“Wise as well. You really are…”

I wait to hear what else I am, but I’m greeted by a snore. I chuckle as I squeeze Cody a bit tighter to my chest. He’s fast asleep.

Who would have thought so much would change in the course of one evening? It’s a good change, and one that was longoverdue. I snuggle happily into Cody’s body warmth and allow myself to drift off as well.

6

Cody

Iwake up feeling weird and I’m not immediately sure why. Then Luke shifts behind me and I’m hit with exactly why.

Conflicting emotions and sensations war within me. Being held like this by Luke’s big strong body feels sogood. I’ve missed this, probably more than the sex. I feel like I want to melt into the sleeping bag and never return.

On the other hand, I know how dangerous this is. I realize even now that my feelings of tender warmth toward Luke are far from the anger and resentment I felt for him at first. Anger and resentment were safe. This is a lot less safe and it scares me.

I battle with myself for a few minutes before deciding to give up the comfort of this position in favor of relieving the anxiety it brings. I carefully extract myself. Luke mumbles something indistinguishable under his breath but doesn’t wake.

I grab my toothbrush and crawl out of the tent. It’s early and most people aren’t awake yet. I brush my teeth and wash up by the river alone before returning to camp, my stomach grumbling. The coals of the fire from last night are still glowing—thank God. I don’t think my hands could stand making another fire from stupid sticks.

Over the next half hour, people come out of their tents, yawning and going back and forth from the river. Once everyone is up, Brandon hands out rolls and lots of cold ham to go on them, which are surprisingly good.

“Right, everyone, it’s time for our team-building exercises for the day.”

I exchange a gloomy look with Luke. My hands still haven’t recovered from yesterday and I wonder what fresh torture Brandon has come up with for us.

He goes into his tent and comes up with a number of buckets.

“Cody, Luke, go fill this one at the river, then I’ll fill you in.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” I mutter to Luke as we take the bucket and walk toward the river.”

“Me too. I don’t suppose there’s much we can do about it.”

“Perhaps if we convince Brandon that we’ve made up, he’ll forget this whole thing. After all, everyone knows that it’s for us.”

Luke gives me a wry grin. “What, you plan to tell him that you made me come last night with just your fingers up my ass? Or how loudly I moaned as you stroked my prostate?”

I find myself blushing. “Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on going into that much detail.”

“I know Brandon. I doubt anything except that much detail would convince him we have truly buried the hatched so quickly. So unless you want Brandon to know more than he ever expected to know about our sex lives, I suggest you get okay with the team-building exercises.”

I heave a put-upon sigh. “Then let’s fill this bucket, I guess.”

When we get back, Brandon has arranged the team into a line, one person behind the other, each holding a bucket. I think I know where this is going and I don’t like it at all.

Brandon quickly confirms my worst fears. “Right, this is how it’s going to work. The person in front will take their bucket and try to pour the water into bucket of the person behind themwithout looking around. Then that person will pour the water into the bucket of the person behind them, etc. In the end, we’ll see how much water is left in the last bucket. I expect it to be at least half full, or we’re doing this all again.”

The team exchanges gloomy looks. None of us hold any illusion that we’ll make it through this remotely dry. Brandon, the hypocrite, positions himself in front, where he’s unlikely to get water dumped on his head. I stand behind him and watch with horror as he tips his bucket way too far back. the water is going to go all over my head and then we’ll need to do this all again.

“Brandon, wait! Hold your bucket at a greater angle. No, not angled that way—the other way!”

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