The Strangeness Within Pt. 02

Javier pulled away and gazed into her eyes happily.

"We should set up the tent," he said. "Before it gets darker. Or mosquitoes try to eat us."

She was glad Javier had had the sense to pick up some more supplies on their way up. She hadn't even thought about the fact they couldn't sleep in the new little car. The two of them stared at the confusing directions on the tent, and eventually they got the thing erected, mostly thanks to Javier. He teased her about it, which was annoying. It wasn't like she magically understood things she had no experience with. She was just good at math, that was all.

"This tent is huge," said Javier. "We should have done this from the start. Though I guess we weren't really in places we could set up a tent."

They'd found this spot along an extremely overgrown road. The map said this whole area of forest was open for camping, and Javier said it was probably an old logging road. It didn't look like anyone had driven on it for a long time, and their car had barely made it this far.

"Listen," said Esther. "There's a stream down there."

"Wonderful!" said Javier. "I forgot to even think of that. Now we have plenty of water, too! It already feels like home."

Esther was glad of the water, as she wasn't feeling too clean. To make it worse, she'd waited too long for a bathroom.

"Javier," she said uncomfortably. "If we have to make a, ah, longer bathroom break out here, what exactly do you do?"

"Oh," he said. "Uh, I think you bury it. Or at least try to cover it. And you do it away from the water."

She nodded. Best get it done, then. She turned away from the stream.

"Please don't come that direction for a while," she said, and Javier nodded solemnly.

It was about as unpleasant a process as she'd expected. They had plenty of toilet paper and wipes, of course, but she wasn't used to facing what came out of her body quite so directly. She pulled her pants up and awkwardly covered the mess in leaves. The ground was thick with what seemed like years of them, turning to dirt at the bottom.

But as she walked back to Javier, she felt oddly elated. She'd pooped in the woods, and it was no big deal. It was so utterly removed from her life up until the last week. And now the fresh smell of the air swirled around her.

Javier was gone, probably to take care of his own business. She headed towards the stream, figuring he wouldn't have gone that way.

But there he was, naked from the waist up, leaning over on a rock to dunk his head and shoulders in the rushing little stream. He immediately made a little yelp and pulled back out, turning to grab his towel.

"Oh," he stuttered. "Hi, Esther. The water's freezing, by the way."

He was beautiful. She'd seen this much of him before, of course, but somehow in the late afternoon light he seemed to shine. All smooth lines and hard angles, power and grace. He had goosebumps, and his small nipples were erect from the cold water. For some reason she found that incredibly erotic.

She moved closer to him and put a hand on his cheek. He smiled and stood back up to give her a hug or a kiss, but she surprised him, bending to take his nipple in her mouth, squeezing it with her lips and flicking her tongue gently across the way he'd done for her.

He gasped in happy surprise, his arms tightening hard around her. She kissed him there a little longer before tilting her head up to meet his lips.

"Did you like that?" she asked after a bit.

"I loved it," he said, radiating happiness. "No one's ever done that. I had no idea it would feel so good."

"But the book said men could have sensitive nipples, too," she said in confusion. "Don't girls know that?"

Javier laughed, one of his easy laughs that turned everything to sunshine.

"I guess not," he said. "Even I hadn't thought all that much about it. You're going to have to tell me some more things from this book of yours. Though I guess it's all right if you surprise me too."

"Good," she said. "Because I think I could use a dunk as well. Do you want to help me with my shirt?"

The look on Javier's face warmed her from the inside. She could feel the fluttering beginning deep in her stomach.

His strong hands were trembling where he took hold of her T-shirt. She was relieved to see he could get nervous, too. He brushed her skin gently with his fingertips as he pulled the shirt up and off, placing it carefully atop his own dry clothes.

She turned to face the stream and found his hand, pulling it towards the fastener at the back of her bra.

"You're so lovely," he whispered, kissing her once on the shoulder. Her skin kept tingling when he took his lips away. And then with a practiced ease, he undid her bra. She wondered how many times he'd done this for other girls.

She turned to face him, and he really looked at her. Her strange nipples were diamond-hard with the cold and her excitement. They became even brighter when she was aroused, just as the freckles on her chest seemed to of late. But he knew about this. About her strange furry abdomen. He knew, and he drank in her body as though she were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She almost told him all of it, right then. But the moment was too perfect to break for that.

"I'm not as bold as you," she said. "Maybe you could hold me so I don't tumble in head-first."

"Of course," he smiled.

She moved to the rock he'd used, kneeling. He pressed his warm chest against her back, encircling her with an arm just below her breasts. She let him hold her weight, feeling the thrill of his strength supporting her while she watched the mesmerizing tumble of water. For a moment it was as if everything slowed, and she found herself saying the words and believing them.

"I love you, Javier."

His arm gripped her tighter, and she immediately wondered if she'd made a mistake. But he sighed happily.

"I love you too," he said into her shoulder. "You still wanted to be dunked, then?"

She smiled uncertainly. Was he making fun of her? But of course he'd been serious about the words too.

"Do it," she said, holding her breath.

It was more terrifying and thrilling than she could have imagined. She'd given him every bit of trust, her body utterly controlled by Javier's easy strength.

In the brief instant her face and shoulders submerged in the frigid water, she realized that of course she'd already done this in the most important ways. This was what love was.

When he pulled her back up, she was spluttering and red-faced and crying slightly.

"I love you," she said again. "I love you, Javier."

He looked nearly ready to cry himself, but he sniffled and pulled her to him, holding and stroking her, skin on skin. Two humans who'd made something more than human between them.

"You were right," Javier finally said. "I should have trusted you from the first. This is the place for us."

She nodded. Though there was something a little strange. As though this place were almost right, but not quite. A tug further up into the hills, even further from civilization. The romance of the deeper forest, she supposed. Well, there was time for that, if they got themselves through the coming days.

Now would be the moment. Esther could show him what she was, and he would smile happily and kiss her, and they would figure out how to make it work somehow. She kissed him, and tried to make herself do it.

She couldn't. She was still too scared, though exactly of what she didn't know.

"Javier," she finally said. "Could I have some privacy? I want to wash a little more."

"Of course, my sweet Esther," he said gallantly, and it didn't sound at all foolish in his mouth. He left her the towel and gathered his clothes, heading back towards their tent.

When she was sure he was gone, she sat abruptly on the ground. This was just a setback. She'd be even more comfortable after some time in this remarkable place.

She shivered a bit, but it was almost more habit than actual cold. The frigid water hadn't chilled her nearly as much as she expected.

After one more glance back, she hurriedly stripped off her clothes. It was so odd to be in the outdoors, with not a stitch on her. She'd never have believed it a few weeks ago. But it didn't feel wrong. The forest accepted her as she was, with all her strangeness.

She'd brought the soap, and she did a quick rinse where she needed it the most. That did feel cold, almost deliciously so. She drew a cool finger across her lower back, letting it slide further down, shivering at the strange pleasure.

All of a sudden she needed to feel that water everywhere. Between her legs, swirling around her nipples, gently caressing her like a lover. The water wasn't too deep or quick-running here, and before she knew it she was carefully picking her way in, crab-walking on the tumbled stones. Her thigh dipped in the water and she hissed happily. And then she let herself down, her butt scraping against a stone, the freezing water embracing her just as she'd imagined. She didn't even feel cold. She felt burningly alive, as though she could feel every pebble individually, every little swirl of water on her breasts or thigh or butt, every noise from the nervous chipmunk on the opposite bank to the bird hidden in the branches above to the tiny water striders oblivious to her presence. Upstream she could feel the pull of the deeper forest, the place where she would truly be at home.

And then she heard Javier coming towards her. Her heart pounded and she lost all that clarity. It was freezing in here. She scrambled, scraping her thigh unpleasantly.

"Esther?" he called. He was much further away than she'd realized. Well out of sight.

"Are you all right, Esther?"

"I'm fine," she called, feeling lightheaded. "Just getting out."

Esther was so tired. Everything seemed to be moving slowly, and her legs weren't working quite right. It was dark out, as though her vision weren't quite working either. With an effort, she managed to crawl out to her clothes and the towel. She was starting to shiver uncontrollably. She'd never been so cold. She wrapped herself in the towel, but her hands weren't really working and she wasn't thinking straight. When she tried to stand up, she found she couldn't.

"Javier," she called. "I need some help."

He was there before she blinked. That couldn't be right. His face was in front of hers.

"Esther," he said urgently. "Oh, God, were you in the river? Can you talk to me?"

"I'm so cold," she muttered. "What's happening?"

She felt weightless for a moment, and then she realized she was moving. He was carrying her right up the hillside, stepping cautiously in the near-darkness. It wasn't just her vision. She'd lost time somehow.

"Esther," he grunted, "you need to stay awake, and we have to get you warm and dry. I'm going to get you in the car and get the heater going. Please, say something to me."

"I'm sorry," she said faintly. "Don't know what I was thinking. I trust you, Javier. I'll try to stay awake."

She put an arm around him, trying to help. Had he seen her naked? Did he already know everything? But there was the towel, still wrapped around her. He set her feet down cautiously and held her as she leaned against the cool metal of the car. Then he laid her in the seat and closed the door. A short time later he was sitting next to her, running the engine and the heater. Her feet tingled horribly.

He rustled in the back and she sighed when he draped a sleeping bag around her.

"Esther," Javier said, "can you finish drying yourself? And, uh, I didn't look. I promise."

"I know you didn't," she mumbled. It would have been easier if he had. Taking the decision out of her hands. She undid the towel and clumsily finished drying under the sleeping bag. She wasn't all that wet anyway. Everything was starting to work again, and her muscles were burning.

"I'm all right," she said to Javier. "All the feeling's coming back. It hurts. But I'm OK."

"Thank God," he sighed. "I was so worried."

"How long was I out there?" she asked.

Javier sighed. "Thirty, forty minutes I guess? I didn't want to intrude, of course, but then I started to wonder, and I had this horrible thought about the first - I mean, your sister Esther."

Esther swallowed. What an unpleasant parallel. But it hadn't felt dangerous at all, not until the end. Was she fooling herself? Wasn't that what people said, that you didn't even notice the cold in the end? But she hadn't even noticed it at the beginning.

"How did it happen?" he asked. "That water was so cold. I can't believe you were in there a half hour. Was it an accident?"

"No," she admitted. "It's hard to explain, but it made perfect sense to immerse myself. It was the most beautiful feeling I've ever felt, as though I was connected to everything. Almost like, uh." She was suddenly embarrassed.

"Like the maybe-orgasm you had," he said, giving a tired chuckle. "Well, I can see the appeal. Surely you were freezing, though?"

"No," she said. "I wasn't cold at all. That was the strangest thing. But obviously I was wrong somehow."

Javier was silent for a while.

"Esther," he said. "Can you promise me that you won't do anything like that again? That you'll ask your brilliant brain if there's something weird about things you feel compelled to do, and that you'll ask me first or at least be a little more cautious?"

Esther sighed. "I guess," she said. "I should stop making a habit of getting you to rescue me after the fact."

They sat together in silence. Esther was getting drowsy from the heat, but just in case, she tried to stay awake.

"Sister," she mumbled. "I like that. I don't know why I haven't thought of her that way before."

Javier stroked her hair and she smiled contentedly.

"You should eat something," he said. "Then get some real sleep. Maybe tomorrow can be less eventful."

* * *

Esther sighed and rolled over. The red wall of their tent glowed dimly with early light.

She felt wonderful, as though she'd slept - oh, she supposed about twelve hours. She sat up, and the sleeping bag fell around her, leaving her exposed.

No, she had her shorts on. She vaguely remembered Javier cajoling her to get a little more dressed before going to sleep. Probably for just this reason. He was working so hard to preserve the secret that she didn't want to preserve from him.

He was lying on his back, mostly out of his sleeping bag, one arm thrown over his face. Gorgeous even in this state. She wasn't sure he had any clothes on at all. Feeling more than a little naughty, she shifted slightly, peering along his bare leg. She was disappointed to see a hint of colored underwear.

He was still out cold. Cautiously she leaned over, drawing back the sleeping bag ever so slightly.

He was hard. And whatever he said, it really looked huge. It seemed to be straining to escape his tight underwear. She wondered if he was dreaming about her. It seemed so unlikely. Hardly believing what she was doing, she reached for his waistband.

Javier started awake when she touched him, and she froze as he blinked sleepily.

"Oh," he said. He looked down at her hand. "Ah, good morning, I guess."

She yanked her hand away, and he laughed a little. "It's OK," he said. "I give you permission to wake me up that way any time. Did you want to -"

"Yes," she blurted, putting her hand to her mouth. What was she thinking? Maybe it was the near-death experience. Anyway, she'd never gotten a great look at his penis. And she was feeling incredibly horny this morning.

She crawled closer. He was staring at her. At her breasts, really. She'd almost forgotten she was exposed to him.

Carefully she gripped his underwear in both hands. He lifted his hips to help her pull it down over his jutting organ.

It was darker than his skin, engorged with blood. The head was a little fatter than the rest, like a plump mushroom. A vein on the side throbbed, and she traced it lightly. Javier moaned.

She pulled his underwear the rest of the way off, exposing the dark nest of hair around the base, the testes hanging heavily below. Cautiously she ran her fingers through the hair. It was jet black, the hairs wiry and so much longer than what she had down there. Javier shivered under her touch.

"Is this OK?" she asked.

"Amazing," he said, closing his eyes.

Carefully she wrapped her hand around the thick shaft, like the drawings she'd memorized. She stroked up and down, changing speed, watching for what he seemed to like the most.

"Uh," he said. "Esther, could you grip tighter? That's a little too much friction without any lubrication."

She nodded, face burning. She must be terrible at this. Javier was being so gentle about it, though. And he seemed to like what she was doing now. He opened his eyes, and they widened as he watched. His breathing was quickening.

"That feels so good," he said. "So good."

The area between her breasts was tingling. She'd started to match his breathing, without realizing it. Gently she reached to her back to stroke herself in time with him. She could smell the sharpness of his arousal. And he was leaking some fluid from the tip. She leaned over and kissed him there, causing him to groan happily. So she kept doing that, licking and sucking a little on the tip, and he started to buck his hips under her.

"Esther," he muttered, "I'm going to come if you keep doing that."

"Oh," she said, pausing. "Do you want to?"

He coughed and opened his eyes again, smiling incredulously. "Oh, God, of course I do. If it's all right?" He sucked in his breath. "It will be a huge mess. I'll warn you so you can get out of the way."

"That sounds fine," she said, though she was surprised he hadn't suggested ejaculating in her mouth. The little bit she'd tasted was fine, at least, and the book said a lot of men liked that.

She focused on his sighs, his breathing, and she found herself matching him again. His penis was twitching in her hand, and he suddenly tensed.

"Oh," he gasped. "I'm coming, Esther. Please -"

He let out an immense groan, and she hastily pulled her mouth away. Suddenly his penis *pulsed*. An immense glob of semen flew out, coating her hand and barely missing her shoulder. It was followed by another, and another. Javier was whimpering, and his penis kept twitching well beyond the last dribbles.

Finally he opened his eyes, looking at her with wonder.

"You can let go," he sighed. "That was amazing. So amazing."

Esther smiled, watching in fascination as his penis slowly deflated. She looked briefly at her semen-covered hand, and on impulse licked some of it off. It was all right. It tasted vaguely like Javier. Though she'd lost that fine sense she'd had a few minutes ago, when she was incredibly excited along with him.

Javier was staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"That — that was really sexy. The way you licked it off. You didn't mind the taste?"

"No," she said. "Should I?"

He started laughing. "You're a wonder, Esther. Please, don't ever change."

She smiled, but her heart thudded. If there was one thing she knew in her bones, it was that she was changing. And she didn't know if she'd ever stop.

* * *

Esther poked dispiritedly at her lunch. Javier couldn't blame her: the bread was stale and the fruit had gone bad. He'd have to rethink their food situation now that they couldn't make up the difference with a quick shopping trip.

But it was more than just the food. She'd seemed so enthusiastic this morning. What she'd done with her hands and mouth was far more effective than he'd ever expected, though maybe half of that was that it was *Esther* doing it. It had indeed been a colossal mess, but attempting to clean his sleeping bag had been funny in its own right. Eventually they'd dunked it in the river.

But then she'd grown distant again, brushing off his desire to do something for her. He was probably reading too much into it. She had enough things to preoccupy her, after all. She rarely even mentioned her father, hiding all that pain away somewhere. It didn't seem healthy.