Chapter 69

Some had already turned in, but I still sat with John at the diminished campfire. He had his arm around me, and I was snuggled up against him.

“Aren’t you getting cold?” he asked me.

“No, I’m fine,” I told him. I could feel it had gotten colder, but it didn’t bother me—maybe because I was sharing some body heat with John.

I noticed him sliding his hand over the side of my body, and then he said, “Your body sure doesn’t feel cold. I think yours is even warmer than mine.”

“Are you feeling cold?” I asked him.

“No, not really. But that’s probably because you keep me warm,” he smiled.

I just smiled back at him.

“Guys!” Nick said when he stood up. “I don’t know about all of you, but I will turn in. Alex, can you help me put out the fire?”

“Sure,” Alex said while getting up from where he was sitting.

It became apparent that we would all go to our tents for the evening. So, one by one, we all started to get up to turn in for the night.

“Are you okay with sleeping with Brad and his friends?” John asked me.

I nodded and said, “I’ll be fine with them. I trust Brad and those guys.”

John mysteriously smiled at me.

“What?” I asked him.

“Remember, Brad is probably going to ask you something.”

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about that. So, can you give me a clue?”

“Nuh-uh,” he said. “But, you’re going to like it. I’m sure!”

“Is it something naughty?” I said, trying to sound nasty.

“Of course!” John said with a slide chuckle.

“Do they want to have sex with me?” I asked.

“Good try! I’m not telling,” John responded.

“Umm ... what if ... they do ask me to have sex with them. Would that be okay for you?”

He nodded without hesitation and said, “I know you will have sex with others! We already talked about this. And I’m okay with it.”

I hugged him and said, “I love you!”

He pulled me even closer and said, “I love you too! Now, go have some fun with Brad and his friends.” When he said that last part, he softly pushed me away from him.

I still felt a little weird about all of this. I really wanted John to be my boyfriend, and I think he already was my boyfriend. But the thought that he gave me the freedom to have sex with others, and well, I gave him the same freedom, was a little awkward. I always thought that the moment I had a boyfriend, we would only be intimate with each other. But with everything going on with me, I know this would be almost impossible. So, while feeling weird about it, I really loved John for giving me the freedom I needed. I wonder if this will stay like this when our relationship evolves and we get even closer to each other.

“Hi,” I heard Brad say from behind me.

I turned around and saw Felix and the two other guys with him.

“Hi,” I responded back while smiling at them.

“So, still prepared to sleep with us in our tent?” Brad asked.

“A deal is a deal!” I told him.

Brad then looked at John and asked, “Still okay with what I asked you before?”

John nodded and said, “Yes, don’t worry.” He then pulled me against the side of his body and said to Brad, “We have an agreement, so she can do whatever she wants.”

I didn’t say anything but just smiled at Brad.

“That’s so cool of you guys,” Brad said. “And don’t worry! I’ll make sure she will be safe.”

“Hey,” I said. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

John pinched my side, which made me squeal. “Don’t fret about it, I’m glad Brad will look after you.” He looked at Brad and said, “I completely trust you, dude.”

“I don’t know what is going on,” Felix butted in and added, “But don’t worry. We all will make sure she is safe!”

It was evident in how the other two nodded that they would also ensure I was safe.

Then, John surprised me by pushing me towards Brad, saying, “Have fun, babe!”

I turned around and saw him smiling. I wanted to complain at first, but just seeing him smile at me made me say, “Thanks, I will!” I looked behind me and said, “Well, guys, let’s go to bed!”

I didn’t wait for them and just started to walk towards their tent. Before I went entirely past John, I smiled and winked at him. He quickly winked back at me and said, “Sleep tide!”

“You too!”

“Don’t worry!” I could hear Brad say to John, but he whispered something I couldn’t understand.

While walking towards those boys’ tent, I noticed something else. I urgently needed to pee.

I slowed down a bit so the guys could catch up with me. When Brad walked beside me, he asked, “Did John tell you anything about what I wanted to ask you?”

“No, he kept it from me,” I answered while glancing at him.

“Well, I just want you to know that we won’t be mad if you don’t want to do it. You decide what you want to do and what you don’t want to do. And we will accept it.”

“Well,” I said, sounding teasingly. “That’s how it always should be, don’t you think?”

“Of course! But I just wanted to clarify that it will be all up to you, not us.”

“I know, I’m just teasing,” I told him.

We had now reached their tent.

“Do you have a moment?” I asked Brad.

“Umm ... sure?” Brad responded, sounding surprised by my request.

“We will be in the tent, getting ourselves ready for the night,” Felix said.

After Felix and the other two had entered the tent, I looked at Brad and asked, “So ... Is there a place where I could ... relieve myself?”

“You mean a toilet?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we have made a latrine,” Brad explained. “But ... well,” he shrugged. “Do you only need to pee? Or...”

“Only pee,” I quickly answered.

“Then you don’t have to go to the latrine. Just walk into the forest behind the tent and do your business at a shrub. That’s what we all do.”

“Oh, okay!” I responded.

“Wait, I’ll get you a flashlight,” he said before I could walk away.

So, I waited for Brad to return with the flashlight so I could at least find my way in the dark. The moon lit up the area around the tents, but it was much darker inside the forest. Not much of the moonlight managed to get through the deck of the trees.

Inside the forest, I shone the flashlight around and quickly found a bush perfect for squatting behind and doing my business.

Surprisingly, while I really needed to pee, it took me much longer than I would have expected to start. But once I started, it was a mighty stream. We had plenty of water to drink at the campfire, and this was my first pee since this morning. So, I guess my bladder was filled to the brim.

While peeing, I felt the cold air clinging to my body. The temperature had dropped considerably this evening, making me wonder if it might rain at night.

I was glad that I had put my feet far apart because, with the amount of urine coming out of me, I was wondering if there wasn’t going to be a puddle at my feet soon. Luckily, I was still wearing my sneakers, so I wouldn’t be standing with my bare feet in my own piss. Eventually, the stream started to slow down.

But then, I was startled by a noise coming from somewhere before me. I immediately stopped peeing to listen better to the sound I could hear.

There, I heard it again—a noise coming from a bush in front of me. But before I could stand up, I suddenly saw something that startled me even more. It even made me lose control, and I started peeing again. Luckily, I hadn’t much left, but still, it prevented me from getting up.

I kept looking at those two small yellow light sources only a few yards away. I couldn’t see what they exactly were, but for sure, they looked very much like two animal eyes looking at me.

My body shivered when a rush of adrenaline went through my body. My fight-or-flight response almost made me jump up and run away. It was maybe a good thing that I was still peeing because running away had probably been the wrong option.

I heard more leaves rustling, and those two yellow eyes flickered momentarily. There was just enough light from the moon behind me to see a shape, but I had no clue what kind of animal it was. But when I heard it sniffing the air, I quickly deduced that it had to be a dog.