@jonathanpaxton

      It was before the sun rose the next morning that Mereck woke slowly, then all at once. At first, he was groggy, his mind longing to cling to every ounce of sleep that remained in his body, in his mind. Dreams still lingered on the edges of his conscious, pleasant and inviting. And then, at once, Mereck remembered where he was and who he was with. His heartbeat jumped to his throat and his eyes jerked open. 

     There, before him, was Jonathan Paxton. The boy he’d been texting all summer. The boy he had grown to care about more than he imagined possible, and Mereck smiled to himself. He watched him sleep, silently observing how relaxed he appeared. He really was handsome, his features appealing. His curly hair was a mess and it took every ounce of restraint not to reach forward and mess it up even more. 

     Very slowly, and very quietly, Mereck grabbed his bag and slid carefully out of the tent, leaving Jonathan to sleep.

      Fifteen minutes later, he’d managed to wash up, brush his teeth, and get dressed in a pair of jersey shorts, a t-shirt, and sweatshirt. It was a chilly morning, and he knew he’d take the thick material off as soon as they got going with the sun high in the sky, but it kept him warm for now. The sun was just beginning to rise and the other campers slowly started to wake, crawling out of their tents to get ready for the day, and Mereck unzipped the tent again to crawl back inside.

      Jonathan was still sleeping soundly, tucked away in the sleeping bag, and the sight of him caused a smile to curl on Mereck’s lips. He quietly crawled up over his body, his hands and legs straddling him, and he lowered his head to wake him with a kiss to the cheek.

     It had felt as though morning had come way too soon as Jonathan made his way out of his cabin, his bag hiked up upon his shoulder. Sunlight filtered down from above, causing him to squint, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Attempting to look at the screen, Jonathan took a deep breath, knowing this could be his last chance to speak with the poet before they were separated. Part of him wished he knew which of the hiking trips he was on, desperate to at least know that he was near him, but he knew asking would be foolish. If they knew they were on the same trip, they’d be looking for one another --- more likely to find the person they dreamed of being with.

    It was weird, being here, on the porch of Stranger’s cabin, his heart overworking itself in his chest. He inhaled a deep breath as he balanced the two plates he’d managed to wrap up so they’d not spill everywhere with exactly the same contents on each in one hand while his other quickly texted.

                 [6:44PM]: I’m here, Stranger. Coming in.

      The whole idea-- it was strange to say the least, to leave someone food in their room while they hid behind a makeshift curtain making it so they could not see one another. Even stranger, perhaps, was that he was so excited to the point of near arousal as he tucked his phone away and eased open the screen door.

       Silver eyes landed immediately on the bunk he’d previously identified as Stranger’s, watching the way the curtain moved as the door closed, causing a slight breeze, knowing a boy, a fucking boy he’d never met, that he was falling for was right there. It’d be so easy to peel it back. So easy to just get this drawn-out mystery they shared over with; but they’d agreed not to. Not yet. Not with the camping trip the following morning. He exhaled a shaky breath and stepped forward, his weight causing the floorboards to creak just slightly. 

[9;09AM]: Hey, handsome.

[9;09AM]: How'd self defense go for you?

     “A farting kink, mate? Really?” Mereck shoved Dax’s shoulder and shook his head, a smile turning up the corners of his lips.

     “I jus’ though’ it best to warn this person’ve your desires!” Dax exclaimed defensively. “Who is Stranger, anyway?”

      Mereck hushed the other without thinking, his concern that maybe Stranger was within hearing distance overpowering any concern he had for how it might look to Dax. “Jus’ a mate. Nickname’n all. Hey, I thought you were goin’ to find some hot birds to work your magic on,” Mereck insisted, changing the subject dramatically in hopes of distracting the other. He kicked off his flip flops and tugged off his t-shirt, tossing it over his sports-sack to further protect his phone from prying eyes. He moved to dip his legs into the pool, sitting on the edge. 

      “Oi, eager to get rid’ve me? Is it ‘cause Lydia’s comin’?”

        Mereck shrugged, shooting Dax a look. “What’s it to you?” he asked. “You want her?”

       “Nah, I’m not that type, mate. Not stealin’ my mate’s girls. Though, you’d better put the moves on her quick. She ain’t waitin’ around forever,” he replied, shoving Mereck against his back so hard that he fell into the pool, landing on his feet in the shallow end. 

       “The shit, mate?” Mereck called, splashing Dax as the other ran off, laughing. Mereck released a soft chuckle and shook his head before emerging himself beneath the water. The cool liquid glided through his hair, causing a chill down his spine. When he popped up, Jake came into view, exiting the locker room. He called out to Dax, though the water in Mereck’s ears made it hard to distinguish his words, and the other flipped them both off. Jake approached the pool and used the stairs to slowly step in.

       “Where you been?’ he asked. Mereck shrugged, avoiding eye contact as he recalled how the last time he saw Jake was in the night, when he’d awoke in a panic.

       “Played some football earlier. Showered. Been restin’. You?” he asked.

       “Did some karate, actually,” Jake said. “And Dax and I went into the woods earlier.” Mereck knew that was code for we got high and he gave his friend a smirk.

       “You cheeky bastards.”

        “I’ve got some more,” he offered, shrugging. “If-- you need some-- stress relief.”

       “I’m good now,” Mereck replied quickly, not wanting to explain. “But thanks. Maybe later.”

        There were others around- a group of bikini-clad girls sitting on the edge of the deep end, heads thrown back as they sunned themselves, a couple of boys sitting in chairs as they dried off from their dip, a couple hugging on the other side of the pool, and a few lone stragglers by the pool’s edge. 

        “Everything okay, Mereck? You’ve been acting different,” Jake asked softly.

       “Yeah. I think... I just-- things are strange, yeah? And everything’s been weird this summer. But I’ll try and be around more. Can’t believe we’re eight days in,” he commented, sighing. “Tryin’ to get signed up for longer, though. I don’t wanna go home.”

        “I hear,” Jake replied. “I can’t believe this is our last summer here."

        “Me neither,” Mereck sighed before falling silent, submerging himself to his shoulders as he kicked over to the edge of the pool, resting his head against the side. The sun felt good against his skin and he wished he’d come out earlier, when it was centered in the sky; but that thought had him recalling what he had been doing during those hours and his cheeks flushed and eyes closed. 

        Stranger. It was bizarre to think of him now, as though he existed in a different universe than this. Their conversations were their own and out here, without his phone clutched in his hands, it all felt so distant. 

[7;04AM]: That wake up call came way too early, no?

[7;04AM]: Beware of the weed hangover. You might be one of the lucky ones who evades it, but symptoms include, but are not limited to- drowsiness, feeling spaced out, inability to concentrate, and feeling like you're in a fog. Also, you're still constantly hungry.

[7;31AM]: Just kill me now.

[7;32AM]: Why can't they let us sleep in if we want to? Why?

[7;32AM]: I feel as though my eyelids no longer work right and my head is stuffed with cotton.

[7;32AM]: How are you faring?