The Canoe Trip Page 7

  "Holy hell Gus, that sounds amazing," Aaron said, sitting across the fire from Gus fully erect, "What was the best part of it all?"

  "Well, fucking in the sand, and in the water, while fun, aren't the most comfortable, I'd have to say when we broke the tents. The daddy bear suggested that we try a seven man daisy chain, and I let him know that I don't bottom, so I'd take the back."

  "Haha, you don't bottom? Since when?" Aaron snarked.

  Gus looked over at him in silence for about twenty seconds.

  "What? Are you okay?" Aaron asked.

  "Actually, bottoming for you earlier was the first time in a long time that I've felt comfortable enough to bottom, it had been years until you, Marine," Gus said, "So, no, normally, I don't bottom."

  Aaron looked at Gus' curiously, trying to make out if he was joking. The look in his eyes told him that he wasn't and that it had meant a lot for Gus to open himself up like that this afternoon. His mind started to wander, he was having a wonderful time, but he was married, he couldn't abandon Mark, he knew he was all he had, 'til death do us part.' Was he falling for Gus'? He couldn't, this was just sex, passionate sex, and a lot of fun, but love?

  "You don't have to go into any detail you don't want to about your experiences, Gus." Aaron said, "It's really none of my business, but I do appreciate you sharing with me, it's hot to think about you being pleasured." Aaron smiled and reached down to check the fish, "Ready to eat?"

  "I'm starving, and the fish smells amazing," Gus replied, "Let's eat."

  Gus grabbed a couple of plates and utensils from inside the cabin and brought them back outside around the fire. Aaron prepared the plates each with one fish, one charred potato, and half of the onion that had melted during it's time in the fire. Aaron placed the onion over the potatoes and passed a plate to Gus. The two ate, enjoying each bite, and making small talk about the food. Both of them were playing back the day's events in their heads, and battling their inner conflicted feelings about caring for each other too much after just meeting.

  "So, will you be telling Mark about your weekend fishing trip?" Gus asked, breaking the silence.

  "I tell him everything, Gus, even if he no longer understands what I'm saying to him," Aaron replied, "It's unlikely, according to every doctor we've seen, that he'll ever be able to communicate again, but I like to think that he does hear me, and somewhere inside he knows that I'll always love him. We never kept secrets, and I don't intend to."

  "Tell me about him, Aaron, what was he like before he was injured."

  Aaron, with a smile across his face, recalled how they met at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. How, at the time, 'don't ask, don't tell,' was the official government policy on gays in the military, and how they had built a life together. "Mark was a caring partner, I knew without one shred of doubt that he had my back 100%, I could tell him anything, and I'd always find the most peaceful comfort in his arms. He was a few inches taller than me, about your height, I suppose, high and tight haircut, clean shaven, built like a machine. His brown eyes captivated me. When we'd spend time together off post I'd get lost staring into his eyes. He was a caretaker, helped me through training, helped me through rough patches, he was my rock," Aaron said as his eyes welled up, "It really is hard to talk about those times before the attack, because our shared reality was so different then. It pains me that he no longer knows who I am, but I will never leave his side, Gus. When we said our vows, I meant them, and I mean to stand by them until death do us part. Is that weird to hear?" Aaron asked.

  "It's admirable," Gus replied, "You're a good man. So good that I know I need to keep getting to know you, and keep spending time with you, if that's something that you want."

  "I do want that, Gus, but I'm not yet sure what that looks like or what it means. I'm still wounded by the loss of the Mark I knew, but I don't view him as a burden. He's a warrior, a patriot, and I intend to stay by his side. What would you say if I asked you to come over sometime and meet him, have dinner with us at our house?

  "Uh, I'm not sure Aaron. I honestly feel a bit guilty enjoying you so much, knowing that you're a married man. I'll consider it, definitely. Especially if it means I get to have more of your cooking."

  "Okay, I'll cook for you again for sure, and we'll see if there's a good time for you to meet Mark. It would make me feel so much better if you met him, and I'm sure that sounds crazy, but I want him to see you, to shake your hand. Thank you for considering it."

  Then men sat in silence for a couple of minutes, drinking their beers and looking over the quickly darkening landscape in front of them. "So out of all of your adventures, you've never met a guy that you'd want to claim as your own, Gus?"

  "I've met many sexy men, many married men, and a number of gay outdoorsmen too, but no, no one who I've felt drawn to enough to 'claim' them, as you say. It's been about sex, about getting off, enjoying the outdoors, and being free. Never had the itch to get overly involved," Gus responded, "until today," Gus muttered softly almost under his breath.

  "What was that?" Aaron asked.

  "I said, until today."

  The two men looked into each others eyes, stood up, and embraced. Gus could tell the feeling was mutual, but couldn't believe that he'd said that out loud. What the fuck was he thinking.

  "I don't know what that means, Aaron, and I know that your situation is complicated, but I'd be happy if this naked fishing adventure didn't end like all of the rest, and if you and I could see each other again," Gus said.

  Aaron pulled back from their embrace and smashed his mouth into Gus' using both hands to pull Gus' head into his as he kissed him passionately. The men stood there in front of the cabin kissing one another as small grunts and moans escaped when their mouths parted enough for them to breathe.

  Gus led Aaron into the cabin, and the two of them spent the remainder of the evening exploring each other's bodies with their hands, lips, tongues, and cocks. The goal of this encounter wasn't orgasm, though multiple were produced, but passion and exploration. Each man wanted to know every intimate detail of the other's body. To touch it, taste it, know each contour. Each received a full body massage and then some. It had only been a 24 hours since Aaron arrived, and both men were falling fast.

  They awoke on Sunday morning, bodies still entangled, and continued their soft and passionate exploration, quickly kissing away each other's morning breath without a second thought. Rain had moved in overnight and they could hear the drops hitting the roof.

  "We better check outside and see if we left anything out that shouldn't be drenched in the rain," Aaron said, getting up from the bed and heading out to the front porch. Gus watched as this sexy marine walked out of the cabin, enjoying the way Aaron's body moved and flexed with each step he took, and then got himself up to join him. The men, still naked of course, went out into the rain to grab their gear and brought it back up onto the porch.

  "Should we shower off?" Gus asked, grabbing Aaron's hand and leading him back out into the rain.

  The two men stood under the persistent natural shower and ran their hands all over one another, removing matted cum globs, saliva, and lube from each other's bodies with the rain water, breaking often to reconnect their mouths and beards. Once satisfied that they were clean, the two headed back into the cabin to pack up. They had a five hour journey back home, and while neither of them batted an eye at fishing in the rain, they'd gotten their fill of fishing yesterday.

  They didn't speak much as they collected their things, loaded their trucks, and packed up for the haul home and finally it was time to head out. Each man was now fully clothed as they stood on the front porch ready to depart. Gus asked for Aaron's number and put it in his phone, and the two agreed they both needed to see each other again sooner rather than later. They embraced for one last passionate kiss, parted, got in their trucks, and headed on down the dirt road, Gus following Aaron.

  About thirty minutes into the trip home, Gus' phone buzzed back into service with all of the messag
es, notifications and calls he'd missed over the weekend. He glanced over at it to see a message from Aaron, who was driving no more than 50 feet in front of him on the highway. Gus opened the message to see a picture of Aaron's cock, hanging out of his fly with the steering wheel in view. Gus sped up and pulled even with Aaron, looking over at him to see Aaron smile back his way and stroke his cock in an exaggerated fashion so that Gus' got the gist. Gus smiled, and pulled his cock out of his jeans too, and called Aaron.

  The two men talked, and took turns taking the lead for most of the drive home both stroking their cocks intermittently and discussing what they wanted to do to one another next time they met up, their favorite fishing holes, and places they'd always thought about fishing but not yet experienced. Over the course of the conversation, they'd planned out two fishing trips to spots neither of them had yet been, agreeing to set dates when they could check work schedules, commitments and the like. They made their way into the city and finally turned off the same path less than five miles before Gus arrived back at his house. "Damn, we live close to one another," Gus thought before the two said their goodbyes and agreed to be in touch soon. A text came over from Aaron as soon as Gus entered his house. It was a pin, dropped at Aaron's address with a message that read, "You're welcome anytime." Gus headed into his house through the rain, and spread his wet gear out in his basement to dry, his head still spinning from the attraction and longing he felt toward 'his' marine.

  Gus didn't contact Aaron for a couple of days, even though thoughts of him pervaded his mind. He was careful not to come across as too eager and the "You're welcome anytime" text message still sat on his phone without reply. It was Wednesday evening and Gus decided he'd waited long enough.

  "How's it hangin' Marine?" Gus texted.

  "Doing well, Gus Wolfe, was wondering if I scared you off or something, nice to hear from you, hows your week been so far?" replied Aaron almost immediately.

  "Pretty normal, outside of thinking about you a bit too much" typed Gus, "Sorry I didn't say anything until today. Guess I just wanted to see if the feelings persisted for a couple days without contact."

  "Well? Did they?" Aaron responded.

  "They did."

  "Happy to hear it. You haven't left my mind either. I told, Mark all about our trip, too. Would you like to come over for a couple beers and meet my other half? Might make things make sense a bit more."

  The question caught Gus off guard. He had been thinking about Aaron a lot, and the complications that him being married might bring, but it hadn't kept him from being interested. What the hell, he thought, it's probably better to go over and see what all of this is about instead of worrying about it or wondering.

  "Why not, I'm only 5 miles away, 7pm okay?"

  "Sounds good, see you then sexy fisherman."

  Gus grabbed a beer out of his fridge and drank it five big gulps. He was nervous, he was going over to Aaron's house to meet his husband. What the fuck was he thinking? It all felt so strange, but he hoped that through the meeting he would get to know Aaron better. Would Mark even know he was there? Would he be angry?

  Gus hopped in his truck and drove over to Aaron's house. While he hadn't communicated with him, he had taken a couple drives by his place on the way home from work out of curiosity, so he knew exactly where he was headed. He parked on the street and walked up to the front door, he could see into the house through the storm door and Aaron came to greet him.

  "Hey there handsome," Aaron said as he opened the front door and embraced Gus in a bear hug, "It's great to see you."

  "Nice to see you too buddy," Gus replied, returning the hug.

  Aaron led Gus through the living room of his house into the kitchen, where a man sat in a large electric wheel chair at the kitchen table, a plate of food in front of him. He seemed to look in their direction as they entered.

  "Gus, this is my husband, Mark. Mark, this is the man I told you about I went fishing with last weekend when you were at your family's place, this is Gus Wolfe."

  Gus made his way around the table and introduced himself to Mark, grabbing his left, and only, hand and shaking it, looking into his brown eyes, they were deep and beautiful, as Aaron had described.

  "Pleasure to meet you Mark, I'm Gus."

  Gus thought he felt Mark grip his hand back, but he couldn't be certain. He noticed how handsome Mark was as he looked at him. His hair was brown, still cut high and tight as it had been throughout his military career Gus assumed. He was clean shaven, with a pronounced jawline and thick neck. Gus could tell that at one time he was a beast of a man. This man was also a Marine, a man of service, who must have all sorts of thoughts going through his head even if they weren't communicated verbally. Gus couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be in Mark's place. No legs, one arm, needing someone to assist with day to day tasks. He didn't sense anger in Mark, but if he had it wouldn't have surprised him, he'd be mad at the world.

  "Can I get you a beer, Gus?" Aaron asked, heading for the fridge.

  "Sure, sounds good." Gus replied as he let his eyes lift from Mark to look around the house. Behind Mark near a window, was a small table that had a large picture of Mark and Gus on their wedding day. Both dressed to the nines in the brightest Marine blues, smiles stretched from ear to ear, arms around one another. They looked happy and in love. Gus smiled at the picture. It was positioned at eye-height for Mark, perhaps to help him remember, Gus thought. Aaron had mentioned how Mark didn't seem to remember who he was after the attack.

  "Here you go Gus Wolfe, cheers!" Aaron said, handing him a beer.

  "Cheers," Gus replied.

  "Mark and I were just wrapping up dinner, care to join us while we finish?" Aaron asked pulling out a chair at the table to sit down next to Mark.

  "Sure," Gus responded, pulling out a chair across the table from the two men and sitting down. Why was he here, what was he doing, this was too much, what did Aaron want from him, what did he want from Aaron. Gus stopped thinking and took a deep swig from his beer. He watched as Aaron placed a fork in Mark's hand and helped him scoop up some green beans and bring them to his mouth. Mark seemed like he could mostly feed himself, just needed some help getting started, maybe he was right handed. Aaron and Gus made small talk about the weather and food while Aaron finished assisting Mark with dinner. Then Mark, done with dinner, used his left hand to maneuver the controls on his wheelchair, exiting the kitchen and heading down an adjacent hallway to his bedroom.

  "I'll be right back, Gus, just want to make sure he's got everything he needs for the evening," Aaron said as he disappeared down the hallway behind Mark.

  Gus felt two hands on his shoulders and looked up to see the Marine leaning down over him. Aaron kissed his forehead and said, "thank you for just being here, and not being weird, I know how awkward this must be fore you."

  "I can't say its an experience I've ever had before, Aaron."

  Aaron pulled Gus up from his chair and led him back into the living room to the couch, where the two men sat down next to one another. Aaron put his hand on Gus' thigh and began talking:

  "This is what it's like here, most everyday. I make sure Mark has three square meals, help him with the things he needs help with, and carry on one-sided conversations that I'm almost certain he hears. He communicates with his eyes, and some facial expressions, I've tried to get him to write, but he's seemed un-interested in that thus far, he hasn't said a word in three years. It's rough, thank you for coming over, and being willing to meet Mark. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed last weekend, and how much I've been thinking about you every minute since. I'm falling for you Gus Wolfe, you're kind, you're independent, you're sexy as hell, you're a great fisherman, and I'd like to have a relationship with you. I don't feel like I can be the one to take the lead on what that means though, so it's up to you. Mark is a part of me until the end of his days, so if that is too much for you to handle, I understand 100% and have no hard feelings if we're just friends, and maybe get to go fi
shing every once in a while."

  "That's a lot to put out there Marine, I'm really not sure what to say, and you haven't even let me kiss you again, yet," Gus said, leaning over to embrace and kiss Aaron on the mouth. The two men held each other kissing for five minutes, enjoying the reconnection of being back in one another's arms. When they pulled away from each other Gus could feel someone looking at them and glanced to his left to see Mark, sitting there silently, watching the two of them hold each other. Mark rolled toward them and stopped in front of the couch, feet from them both and raised his left hand toward Gus.

  Gus had no idea what to think, and looked over at Aaron who looked at Mark and said, "See, I told you he was a good kisser," and smiled at Mark. Gus extended his hand toward Mark and Mark grabbed it, and held it softly, what appeared to be a slight smile making its way to his face. He released Gus' hand, turned his chair around and disappeared back down the hallway. Gus heard a door shut and looked back over to Aaron. "What was that all about?" he asked.