Page 13 of It Starts With Summer

“Please, no more mention of glitter.”I smiled over my shoulder at Parker, who slapped me on the shoulder and stepped up beside me.And for the first time since I’d gotten to Eagle Ridge, I thought perhaps Aiden might have been right about it.Maybe being out here would change me in some intrinsic way.Parker’s knuckles grazed mine, and I had the strange urge to take his hand, but resisted.

“You won’t like this next part,” Parker said.“But it’ll be worth it.”

“What?Why not?”

“It switchbacks up the hill next to the falls.It’s short, but steep and tedious.”

But the waterfall had revived me.As a scientist, I was sure there was an explanation for it that went beyond what I sensed.It felt as though the waterfall had a raw, wild energy that vibrated through my skin, soothing my sore muscles.Probably the cool air or something.Either way, the last mile of the hike wasn’t as bad, though it felt like at least two miles.

As we entered the meadow where we would set up camp, my jaw dropped.It was as if we had stepped into a painting—thousands of wildflowers in vibrant hues blanketed the ground, swaying gently in the breeze.The trees had slowly thinned during our last climb, and only a few were hardy enough to survive this altitude in the winter, leaving the view open and lovely.Behind the meadow, a mountain sloped steeply upward, all rocky, jagged cliffs with very little plant life, small streams tumbling down the mountainside.And at the center of the meadow, there was a pretty little lake, which fed the stream we’d followed up here.

“Wow.”I spun around to take it all in, feeling like I was in the Sound of Music.The colors, the smells, the sounds—it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.In that moment, the exhaustion from the hike melted away, replaced by a sense of awe and wonder.The kids dropped their packs and ran around, inspecting the dirt patch left by past campers.

“See?”Parker said.“I told you it would be worth it.”

“Alright,” I admitted reluctantly, a smile breaking through my grumpiness.“You were right.It’s incredible.”

Parker grinned.“I’m glad you think so.Now let’s get these tents set up so we can relax and enjoy our time here.”

six

Ravi

Itwasearly,aroundeight in the evening, when Parker and I settled into the tent together.We both usually went to bed much later, but I was worn out from the hike, and he looked equally relieved to be lying down.The sun hadn’t quite set, but Parker hooked a small LED lantern to the ceiling of the tent and flipped it on to give us a bit more light.I pulled out my book and carefully arranged myself so no parts of our bodies were touching.The small backpacking tent made that difficult, but I created a little buffer zone between Parker and me.It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be close to him; it was more about the need to focus on what happened next in the Mages of Aleron.

And I didn’t want to be touching him while reading about sex.That was normal, right?

“Hey, Ravi, do you think those clouds earlier mean rain tonight?”Parker asked, leaning on his elbow and grinning at me.

“Um… maybe.”Why did he think I knew about clouds?Shouldn’t he know about clouds?

“Fuck, I hate clean-up in the morning after a rain.Everything is all damp, and when we get back to camp, we have to dry it.”He was clearly trying to engage in conversation, but I wasn’t into it.

“Uh-huh.”I didn’t look up from my book.

“Good book?I love the series.”He held up his own book, the one Ben had loaned him.

“Yeah, it’s okay.I mean, I’m straight, so…” I trailed off, not entirely sure why I’d brought that up.

“Not exactly your style,” he said, chuckling.

“It’s okay.”My voice had grown more curt, and I knew it.I didn’t mean to brush him off, but I was at a crucial point in the story, and I didn’t want any distractions.

“That it is.”There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.After a moment, I snuck a look at his book, which I quickly realized was volume six.There were six volumes of this?My eyes widened in surprise, but I was too afraid to ask him anything about it, so I remained quiet.

Secretly, I was anticipating the start of the first steamy scene.It was strange, considering both characters were male, and I’d always considered myself to be straight.But Garuk, an ogre, and Caladrel, an elven mage, had been teasing each other with flirty encounters and passionate kisses.Each time, it left me wanting more.And now, I couldn't wait for them to take it to the next level.I craved it.I needed to know how Caladrel felt with a huge ogre cock stuffed inside him.

I tried not to dwell on what this said about my unexplored sexual desires.All I could focus on was the fact that these two alluring characters were about to engage in their first steamy encounter.My heart fluttered as I imagined the scene unfolding before me: a massive, dominant ogre and a slim, eager mage, both stripped naked, their hard bodies passionately entwined, their cocks hard, pulsing and dripping pre-cum.

My own erection was getting a little uncomfortable, and I hastily rearranged my sleeping bag, worried Parker might notice.I wondered if the book he was reading was equally erotic.Each volume followed a different queer duo as part of the same quest to save the world, and he was on volume six.And he was gay.Did he get off to these scenes?

The thought of Parker jerking his cock as he read a sexy scene made my whole body flush with heat.I wanted details of what Parker’s cock looked like — was he uncut like me?Did he groom?How big was he?I squirmed, attempting to find a comfortable position while making sure there was no visible bulge under the fabric.

“Everything alright, Ravi?”Parker asked, glancing over at me.“Sleeping on the ground takes some getting used to.”

“Y-yeah, just needed to adjust everything.”I did my best to sound nonchalant.But, deep down, I couldn’t help but wonder if Parker ever experienced similar reactions when reading these kinds of scenes.The thought of him getting aroused by the same material as me was both thrilling and unnerving.

“Okay, just checking.It's hard to sleep on the lumpy ground.These sleeping pads don’t do as much as you’d hope.”Parker shot me a small smile before turning back to his book.

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