Page 12 of It Starts With Summer

The campers shouted, jumping up and down, then took off at a run.

“Meet us at the gear shed,” Parker yelled.

“Why do I think we might not survive this?”I asked, pumping a little hand sanitizer onto my hands and glancing around nervously.

As the campers grabbed their gear, Parker and I stopped by the office to let Matt know our planned route, and we met back up at the backpacks.

Hoisting my backpack onto my shoulders made me regret my decision to try backpacking.The weight pressed down uncomfortably, and I could feel it digging into my back.

Parker stepped in front of me.“Okay, guys, what is Ravi doing wrong?”

Owen raised his hand.“He needs to tighten his waist belt, so the weight rests more on his hips.”

“Right!”Parker said.“Now check your buddies and make sure their backpacks are properly tightened and fit well.We have a five-mile hike, and it makes a huge difference.”With that, he stepped forward and manhandled me, as he adjusted the straps on my backpacks and showed the campers how to adjust their packs.And when he was done, the backpack felt better.And my dick was a little hard.

Fuck.

“Cheer up, Ravi.”Parker nudged me with his elbow as we walked side-by-side out of the camp, following our energetic group of campers.“Who knows, you might enjoy this.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered under my breath, adjusting the straps on my backpack again.“I hope I can survive this without collapsing from exhaustion.”

“Trust me, you’ll be fine.”He shot me a reassuring smile.The way Parker was behaving towards me made me wonder if he enjoyed my company or if he was just this nice to everyone.

It didn’t take me long to realize that he had lied to me.I was not going to be fine.The sun beat down on my hair, as I trudged along the dirt trail, and sweat slid down my neck, making both my shirt and the backpack uncomfortably damp.My legs ached and my feet throbbed with each step.I was sure we had been hiking for at least ten miles when Parker finally stopped in an open meadow that didn’t have much going for it.

Crap, had I even lost my enthusiasm for plants?

Parker set his pack down and jumped up on a big boulder, waving for the campers to circle around.“I want everyone to sit and check their shoes and socks.Let me know if you have any hot spots — blisters are serious business out in the backcountry.And look, nature even provided us with some chairs.”Parker gestured to a circle of pointy rocks that did not look at all comfortable to sit on.

“How much longer?”Holden asks.“It feels like I’ve been hiking for my entire life.”

Parker laughed.“It’ll only be about a half hour.Remember to be careful when removing your pack.It may feel awkward, but sometimes with a heavy pack like this, it’s easier to sit first.We’re a mile in, which means we have four miles to go, so drink, have a snack, and give your feet a break.”

A mile?What the hell?How could that have only been a mile?I wanted to die.All around me, campers dropped their packs, flopping on the rocks to munch on granola bars.But after a few minutes, they started running around.None of them were nearly dead.I was in good shape, and I didn’t understand why this was so hard.

“Four more miles?”I mopped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand.“I won’t make it.”

“You’re doing great, Ravi!”Parker’s eyes twinkled with amusement.“Just think of it as an extended workout for your legs.”

“An extended workout.”I rolled my eyes.“You mean torture.”

“Come on, don’t be so dramatic,” Parker teased, rubbing my shoulder, which felt nice.“Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other and appreciate the beauty.So many plants for you to obsess over.”

“How did you know I obsess over plants?”

“You’re pretty obvious.Besides, I realized Aiden has mentioned you, just not by name.He calls you Plant Boy.Now, chop chop, we’ve got a long hike ahead of us.”

“Easy for Mr.Outdoors to say,” I grumped as we all ate our snacks.“I thought I was in good shape.”

Parker’s eyes dropped to my stomach, which was currently covered by a very sweaty shirt.“Oh, you’re in good shape.This is just different from what you’re used to.You’ll adjust.”

Soon we were walking again, and I was trying to ignore the burn in my thighs.But, despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t deny that the scenery was breathtaking.Lush green foliage surrounded us, and the sound of birdsong filled the air.Somewhere in the distance, water roared.A waterfall?There were interesting microclimates around waterfalls, where the mist from the falls turned the air more humid than the surrounding area.

“Okay, everyone,” Parker called out to the campers, “there’s a small waterfall coming up.Feel free to stop for a photo.Then we climb to the top and hike another mile to camp in the meadow by the lake that feeds it.We’re almost there!”

“Finally,” I sighed, trying to stretch my shoulders, and we came around the bend to the roar of a gorgeous waterfall.I smiled for the first time in a while as Parker came up next to me, bumping my shoulder with his.

“The mist off the falls is so nice, I bet it’ll spritz some of the glitter off of you.”He came up behind me, rubbing the aching muscles of my back as if that was a normal thing to do to another guy.And it felt too damn good to stop him.

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