Chapter 7

I woke up before Trip, but he rubbed his eyes and yawned awake when I returned from the bathroom.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I said. “You wanna go for a swim? It’ll wake you up faster than coffee.”

“Sure.”

The lake was calm and glassy when we arrived, and the dew still lay heavy on the grass.

Trip looked uncertain. “How cold is it?”

“Better not think about it.” With that, I ran toward the edge and kicked into a long, flat dive. I marveled at my reflection on the calm surface before a frozen sledgehammer knocked the air from my lungs. I surfaced a moment later as my poor testicles sought the warmth of my belly.

Trip broke the surface a few feet away, panting from the shock of it, but he followed as I swam toward the shallow end. At the rope that separated the children’s area, we turned and headed toward the dam.

We swam three more laps as the sun rose higher in the sky. The water didn’t get any warmer, but we were more or less used to it by the time we climbed out. Trip flashed a smile, which turned wry when he glanced at my cold-shriveled penis and scrotum. He looked at himself and shrugged.

“Good thing there aren’t any girls here,” he said.

“Oh, they understand. Besides, imagine what it does to their nipples.”

He shivered in sympathy.

We dried off and headed up the hill to scrounge some breakfast. Mom had told me which refrigerator was ours, and where our food basket was, so we fixed bowls of cereal.

Gunny Kershaw entered the clubhouse a few minutes later and set a stack of newspapers on one of the tables. His skin was leathery from the sun, and he looked stooped with age, but his eyes brightened when he saw me.

“Why, it’s young Mister Paul,” he said.

Trip and I stood together.

“Hi, Gunny,” I said. “It’s good to see you.” I shook his hand and introduced Trip.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Trip said when they shook hands.

I started to say something, but Gunny squared his shoulders and beat me to it.

“Don’t call me sir,” he barked. “I work for a livin’.”

Trip smiled. “Absolutely.”

“My friends call me Gunny,” he said, his tone friendly again.

“Of course, Gunny.”

“Would you like to join us for breakfast?” I said. “It’s not my dad’s banana pancakes, but I fix a mean bowl of Froot Loops.”

“Well, that’s mighty kind of you, but I need to get back down to the house and fix breakfast for Lenore.”

“So you two are still together?” I said.

He winked. “I’m thinkin’ ‘bout makin’ her an honest woman.”

“Good for you, Gunny!”

We talked a little longer, and then he took his leave.

“It was nice to meet you, Gunny,” Trip said.

“Nice to meet you too, Trip,” Gunny said. With a wave, he headed out the back door.

Trip and I sat down, but he shot me a curious look. “How come he called you Mister Paul, but me just Trip?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?” I said. I wasn’t embarrassed for myself—I didn’t want him to laugh at Gunny.

“Promise.”

“It’s out of respect... ‘cause my dad was an officer.” When Trip still didn’t get it, I explained, “Gunny’s a Marine.”

“Still? At his age?”

“Well, no ... and yes,” I said.

He gave me a blank look.

“Marines never really retire. Maybe on paper, but not in their hearts. Once a Marine, always a Marine. You know?”

He nodded.

“So Gunny calls me ‘Mister’ out of respect for my dad. I know it sounds weird, but...” I shrugged. “It’s not.”

Much to my surprise, Trip grinned. I started to bristle, but then his grin turned into a full smile and he slapped the table.

“I like this place!”

We spent the morning by the lake. The sun drove away the lingering dew, and the grassy sward eventually filled with families. Most of the children were under ten, although a few were twelve or thirteen. Leah and Erin spread their towels nearby, but Leah was on her best behavior.

When Dennis and Elaine Raeford arrived, they joined us and introduced their friends. Gene was tall and lanky, with red hair, freckles, and the usual fair complexion. His shoulders and nose were sunburned, but not badly. His wife, Amanda, was full-figured without being pudgy. Her complexion was almost as fair as her husband’s, but her hair was dark auburn.

Annette was a widow in her early thirties, with blue eyes and blonde hair. Two children had filled out her figure, but she was still slim and attractive, with smallish breasts and a trimmed bush. Her son and daughter were already playing in the lake with the other kids.

Our conversation started slowly, but Trip and Annette began talking business when she said she owned an interior design company. I grinned at his enthusiasm and struck up a conversation with the others. We mostly talked about camp life, but when Elaine said something about swinging, Amanda and Gene froze nervously.

“It’s okay,” Elaine told them in a low voice, “Paul’s in the club.”

Amanda’s expression turned thoughtful, and she gave me a once-over with a new appreciation.

Dennis nodded toward Trip, who was still deep in conversation with Annette. “Is he ... um... ‘in the club’?”

“He’s...” I groped for a euphemism. “He’s ... sort of a trial member, I guess. He knows I’m ... in the club ... but not much more. Kendall and I had a...” I struggled for another euphemism, but then glanced around. No one could overhear us, so I dropped the doublespeak. “Kendall and I had a threesome with him,” I said, “but he doesn’t have much experience. Believe it or not, he’s a little shy around women.”

Elaine laughed.

“What?”

“Oh, Annette will cure him of that.”

“She already has her sights set,” Amanda added with a grin.

When lunchtime rolled around, the Raefords and friends walked up the hill to the clubhouse, while Trip and I headed to Susan’s. Mom joined us for lunch, but Erin and Leah decided to drive to town to see a movie. They were bored, and I couldn’t blame them, especially since Trip and I were preoccupied with the others.

We returned to the lake after lunch, where Dennis gestured me aside.

“Tonight’s our last night in camp,” he said, “and we’re having a little get-together. Susan is going to watch the kids for us, so we’ll have the cabin to ourselves. We talked about it at lunch, and...” He cleared his throat. “Would you and Trip be interested?”

I’d been expecting the invitation, so I’d had some time to think about my answer. “I want to,” I said, “but without Kendall...” I shrugged. “You know?”

“Don’t you two have an agreement or something? An open relationship?”

“Not exactly. I could probably watch, but...”

He turned thoughtful. “You know, going down isn’t the same as going all the way.”

“Yeah,” I said at last. “I can probably fool around a little, but I need to sit on the sidelines when things really heat up.” I paused to consider. “Trip would probably be up for it, but I’ll need to talk to him first. He doesn’t even know you’re swingers.”

“Okay,” Dennis said. “I’ll tell Elaine. She’ll be a little disappointed, but she’ll understand. Talk to Trip and let me know.”

“Will do.”

Trip was burning with curiosity when I returned, but he didn’t say anything.

I suppressed an evil chuckle and let him twist for a moment. Then I hooked a thumb at the lake. “Let’s go for a swim.”

“So soon after lunch?” He was teasing me as payback, but he grinned and rose to his feet. We swam to the raft and climbed aboard. I paused for a long moment—payback for the payback—and simply watched the canvas turn dark with the water from our bodies.

“So?” Trip said at last. “What’s going on?” He was ready to burst, but he tried to sound nonchalant.

I was still in a mischievous mood, so I started slow. He was practically biting his tongue by the time I said, “Well, Dennis and Elaine are swingers. So are the others.”

He slapped his thigh. “I knew it!”

“Anyway,” I continued with a smile, “they’re having a party tonight, and they invited us. That is, if you’re up for it.” I put a slight emphasis on the last words, which made him grimace.

“You still sound like a dork when you say that.”

“Whatever. The question still stands: are you up for it?”

He turned nervous as the full impact hit him. “Just like that?”

“Just like what?”

“They just ask us if we want to join them for ... you know? Just like that?”

“Just like that,” I said. “It’s really pretty simple. No beating around the bush. No pressure, either. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I mean, the women will be disappointed, but they’ll survive.”

“They will? Be disappointed, I mean.”

“Yeah, sure. Elaine probably suggested it in the first place, and Annette is totally hot for you.”

“Hot for me?”

I threw up my hands. “Weren’t you paying attention?”

“I thought I was,” he said, a bit sullenly.

“Dude, she’s totally hot for you.”

“I had no idea...”

I laughed to take the sting out of my tone. “You need to pay attention to the signals.”

“What signals?”

I started to explain, but then waved away the question. “Some other time. Anyway, Dennis and Gene said it’s okay with them, and the women are obviously interested. So ... what do you say?”

“Um ... what would we do? Exactly?”

“You remember the threesome with Kendall?” I said, which earned a “duh” look. “Pretty much that. In other words, everything.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“I dunno about the other women,” I said, “but Elaine likes three guys at once.”

“Three...? At once...? Really?”

“Yep. So ... are you up for it?”

He grinned slowly. Then his dick jerked and began to stiffen. He blushed, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I eventually took pity on him and changed the subject to architecture. Trip didn’t particularly care about my summer reading list, but I had fun talking about Bramante and Palladio. I chatted long enough for his erection to subside, and the swim to shore was enough to do the rest.

As we climbed out of the lake, I caught Dennis’s eye and gave him a slight nod. He smiled, leaned close to Gene, and said something. Gene passed the word to Amanda, who told Elaine. When Annette heard, her eyes locked on Trip. He stiffened in surprise at the power of her gaze.

“See?” I said. “I told you so.”

“What should I do?”

“Just act natural.”

“Easy for you to say.”

We spent the next couple of hours just talking, and Trip eventually relaxed. When a couple of dads offered to take the kids on a nature hike, the other parents were more than happy to agree. The first man’s wife joined them, and the whole group headed toward the forest.

Dennis wanted to cool off, so we jumped in the lake. With most of the children gone, several others joined us, including the wife of the other man who’d led the nature hike. She was a curvy brunette, with generous breasts and a neat bush.

“Since the kids are gone,” Dennis said, “we’ll have to pick up the slack.” He grinned. “How about chicken fights?”

One woman looked blank. “Chicken what?”

“You know,” her husband said, “where you sit on someone’s shoulders and try to knock the other people into the water.”

“The game the kids play?”

“Sure,” said the curvy brunette. “It’ll be fun.”

“I dunno,” the first woman said. “It seems so rough.”

“Naw,” her husband said, “you’ll be fine.”

When kids have chicken fights, they’re usually raucous and fun, a chance to splash and scream. With adults, they’re an excuse to grope each other, which most of us understood. When the reluctant woman finally realized why we were grinning, she said, “Ah, now I get it. Okay, sounds like fun.”

“Great!” Dennis said. “Let’s partner up.”

Elaine immediately chose me. She yelped in surprise when I ducked under the water and came up between her legs. Then she laughed as she seated herself on my shoulders.

The curvy brunette smiled at Dennis, and he quickly hoisted her up. Trip rose a moment later with Annette on his shoulders. Amanda and Gene paired up, along with two other couples.

I wrapped my arms around Elaine’s shins and locked my hands together in a wrestler’s grip. My sole job—aside from staying on my feet—was to keep her on my shoulders. Her job was to knock the other women off. It was a simple game, really.

“Everybody ready?” said Dennis. “Okay, here are the rules: no biting or hair-pulling.”

“That’s it?” said the reluctant woman.

“All’s fair in love and chicken fights.”

We chuckled.

“The last couple still standing is the winner,” Dennis finished. “All right?” He waited for nods all around. “Okay ... go!”

Trip lowered his center of gravity and bull-rushed me. He was too tall to bowl me over, so I recovered, but just barely. At that point, Gene and Amanda joined in. Elaine swayed precariously, but I held on. Dennis and the brunette moved in, which gave me time to get away. Elaine righted herself, and we charged back into the melee.

The women laughed and shrieked, their breasts bouncing. The men strained and grunted as the water churned around us. We made alliances and broke them, pushed and shoved, and taunted one another.

Dennis and I finally teamed up, and the women on our shoulders eventually knocked off all comers. The others were more tired than defeated, though. When Dennis and I were the only men standing, we declared a tie and tossed our women into the water.

Elaine and the brunette surfaced with indignant sputters, but looked more surprised than angry. The others crowded around us, talking and laughing. The people on shore were probably in shock, but we didn’t care. We were kids again—kings and queens of the lake.

I looked around for Trip, who was next to Annette at the edge of the group. His grin was as broad as mine, and he looked completely at ease. Then his eyes flew wide and he glanced around nervously. Annette wore a studied, carefully neutral expression. I almost laughed when I realized what she’d done.

Elaine followed my glance. She rolled her eyes, but then looked thoughtful—her fingers tickled my balls a moment later. Since the fight had churned the water, no one could see as she began to stroke me gently.

When I grew hard in her hand, she smiled over her shoulder. She wasn’t serious about getting me off, so we joined in the conversation.

Annette, on the other hand, was serious about getting Trip off. Her arm moved smoothly, with small ripples radiating as she stroked his cock. No one else noticed, even when he stifled a groan.

The conversation eventually wound down—and Trip eventually came—so we headed toward the steps. I hung back with Trip as the women climbed out ahead of us.

“Fun?” I said, my voice pitched low.

“The chicken fight?” He was still a bit winded. “Yeah, sure.”

“And Annette?”

“Um ... yeah,” he said. “Wow.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Trip and I went back to our cabin after dinner. He wasn’t shocked that Annette had given him a handjob in the middle of the lake—Lori had been just as adventurous—but he was surprised that she’d done it after knowing him for less than a day.

“That’s how swingers are,” I said. “I mean, not all of them, but some. Besides, from what Elaine was telling me, Annette is one seriously horny woman.” I grinned. “I think you’re gonna have your hands full tonight.”

“That reminds me ... what’re you gonna do? I mean, I thought you and Kendall...?” His voice trailed off and he spread his hands.

I sighed. “Yeah. I’ll probably fool around a little, but I’ll have to watch when things heat up.”

“Can you do that?”

“What do you mean? Is it against the rules or something?”

He shook his head. “I mean, can you do that? Are you capable of just watching?”

I nodded with more confidence than I felt. “Besides,” I added, “a blowjob isn’t the same as sex.”

“Would Kendall agree?”

I paused for a moment. I didn’t want to sound bitter, but I was still upset that she’d chosen her aunt over me. I could understand if the woman was still in the hospital, but she was on the mend and resting at home.

I knew I was being selfish, but I felt a little justified. Kendall and I needed to talk about our relationship. It wasn’t like other couples’, and I didn’t like making up the rules on the fly. It wasn’t fair to her, and it definitely wasn’t fair to me.

“What would you think if she gave some guy a blowjob?” Trip said.

I shrugged. “It depends, I guess.”

He gave me a skeptical look.

“Is she serious about the guy? Or just fooling around?”

“Can you really make that distinction?”

“Of course I can. I mean, she gave you a blowjob, and that didn’t bother me a bit.”

“But you knew about it beforehand. Besides, you were there for it. It wasn’t behind your back.”

“So?”

“Look,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I can see the fun in sharing your girlfriend with a close friend. It’s kinda sexy to think about her making some guy hot. But it’s different when you don’t have anything to do with it ... when she’s off by herself with some other guy.”

I nodded slowly.

“Besides, you’re the one who said not to think of it in terms of men versus women. So how’s it different if you’re the one with some other woman? Or women?”

“It isn’t the same,” I said.

“How so?”

“It just isn’t.”

“Look,” he said, “I’m not trying to talk you out of having fun. Lord knows I want you there, if only to give me a little confidence, but I don’t want you to do something you’re gonna regret.”

“I know,” I said, completely sincere. “I’ve already decided to talk with Kendall about it. We need to figure out what works for us. But right now I have to make up the rules as I go. I don’t like it very much, but I don’t have much choice.

“I mean, I want to go tonight,” I continued. “I really want to get laid, too. I want to fuck the hell out of Elaine. And Amanda and her big tits. Heck, I’d love to fuck Annette, too ... if you’ll share.” We exchanged grins, but then I continued, “I haven’t seen Kendall in nearly two weeks, and I’m tired of excuses for why she can’t spend time with me. That’s what they are, and I know it: excuses.”

“Dude, just because you’re mad at Kendall doesn’t mean you fuck the first woman you see.”

I snorted. “If I did that,” I said, “I would’ve had sex last week.” I didn’t want to explain, so I rushed on. “I’m not saying I want to fuck the first woman I see.” I stopped and barked a rueful laugh. “Actually, I do want to fuck the first woman I see, but I’m not gonna. I set my ground rules, and I’m going to abide by them.

“Am I crossing the line by fooling around tonight?” I asked rhetorically. “Maybe. I don’t think so, but I’m biased. I’ll tell you one thing, though: I’m really, really tired of jerking off. I’m tired of missed opportunities, too. If Kendall were here, this wouldn’t be a problem. Instead, I’m lonely, frustrated, and horny, in that order.”

He was silent for a long moment. When he made a sound, it was a humorless chuckle. “I take it back.”

“What?”

“I really don’t envy you. Especially now.”

“Welcome to my world,” I said. I couldn’t decide if I was being funny or not.

The Raefords and friends were already in the camp hot tub when Trip and I arrived. Two others were there as well: the busty brunette from the lake, and another woman. Dennis introduced us to Sharon, the brunette, and Pam. The two were friends from the outside world—their husbands worked together in Greenville.

Elaine and Amanda made room for me to sit between them, and Annette beckoned to Trip from around the tub. He sank into the water next to her, and talk resumed around us. Sexual tension filled the air, and the conversation was full of innuendos.

Sharon and Pam didn’t seem shocked, which meant they were part of the small group who knew about the swinging. A few people knew and disapproved, but no one said anything as long as we were discreet. The Pines was a family camp, after all, not Plato’s Retreat.

A few minutes later I felt Elaine’s hand on my thigh. I shifted to give her a better angle, and she began playing with my flaccid penis. With all the charged conversation, I quickly grew stiff, and she began stroking slowly.

The evening had turned cool, but the water was too hot to bear for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. When Dennis lifted himself to the edge to cool off, Sharon glanced at his half-hard dick. He tried to act nonchalant, but they traded several covert glances. Pam talked on, oblivious.

After a while Elaine sat on the edge behind me and rubbed my shoulders. When she returned to the water, her fingers tickled my thigh on the way to my shaft. I needed to take a break from the heat, but I let her play with me for a few minutes before I pulled her fingers from my erection.

When I stood and sat on the side, Sharon looked at my hard-on and completely lost track of the conversation. She realized she was staring and looked away, but she kept glancing back when she thought I wasn’t looking.

She blushed when I caught her, but I merely smiled, which was a tacit invitation to look. I glanced at the top of her breasts and arched an eyebrow. She took the hint and mustered the courage to sit on the side. We didn’t stare, but we definitely enjoyed the scenery.

“Well, time for me to go,” Pam said after a while, “before I turn into a prune.” She glanced up at Sharon. “Thom and Artie are probably wondering where we are by now.”

“Oh, they’re probably still talking baseball,” Sharon said.

“Probably. But still, I’m going to head up. You want to walk with me, or stay here?”

“I should probably go with you,” Sharon said. “Y’all have fun,” she said to us. Then she glanced at me—at my dick, actually—and her eyes lingered. I hid a smile and took one last look at her body as she wrapped a towel around herself. With a wave, she and Pam climbed the steps to the clubhouse.

I sank into the warmth of the water, and Elaine began stroking me again. With the non-swingers gone, I smiled and put my arm around her.

The camp usually grew quiet after dark—especially without TV—and most people had gone to bed. Light still shone from the clubhouse above us, but the people there weren’t likely to come down to the hot tub.

“Sharon was nice,” Dennis said, and the rest of us nodded.

“Pam too,” Amanda said, “but she seemed a little...”

“ ... clueless,” Annette finished.

“I thought she was pretty sharp,” Trip said.

“Not that,” Annette said. “She was pretty sharp. But with all the ... mmm ... hunky eye candy ... she didn’t look once. Not even when Paul sat there with a full-blown hard-on.”

“It’s not full-blown yet,” Elaine said, and everyone chuckled. “Although,” she continued, “Sharon certainly got an eyeful.” She turned to me. “And I saw you making eyes at her.”

“I wasn’t making eyes!”

“You were too,” Elaine said, “but that’s okay.”

“She does have a nice body,” Amanda said. “But enough about her...” She grinned and looked at Elaine. “How does this orgy thing work?”

Elaine gave me a sly look. “Like this.”

She straddled my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. Then she kissed me, deep and passionate, her breasts pressed against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and my erection rubbed her inner thigh.

“Oh,” Amanda said. “That looks easy enough.” She mounted Gene and kissed him.

I didn’t need to look across the tub to know that Annette had just done the same to Trip. Dennis was the odd man out, so he moved behind Elaine and began playing with her pussy. My dick was in the way, but he moved it aside and apologized quietly.

“No problem,” I said in between kisses, although it felt weird to give another guy permission to touch my dick, even after the fact.

Elaine groaned as he fingered her clit. When she leaned back in ecstasy, I took the opportunity to look around the tub. Amanda was straddling Gene and cupping her breasts for him to suck her nipples. Across the tub, Annette seemed determined to stick her tongue down Trip’s throat.

I smiled to myself and returned my attention to Elaine, who moaned softly when I sucked her nipples. She ground her hips, and Dennis’s hand brushed my dick again.

“Sorry.”

“No problem,” I said between nipples. “Comes with the territory.”

Gene rose to the side of the tub, and Elaine turned to watch. I released her nipple and followed her gaze. Amanda smiled and kissed the tip of Gene’s dick. It was as big as mine, and just as thick, with a slight curve at the end. She tongued him gently as she gazed up at him. Then she swallowed an inch or two, her lips tight around his shaft.

I lifted Elaine from my lap and sat on the edge. She engulfed my shaft, pulled back, and plunged again, taking half my length in one smooth motion. I rested my hand on the back of her head as she bobbed slowly.

She moaned when Dennis prodded her pussy with his erection. He set himself at her opening, gripped her hips, and slid into her. She groaned again, her mouth full of my cock.

After a while I looked across the tub at Trip and Annette. She was bobbing over him, sucking with a little twist at the top of each stroke. He tried to stop her before it was too late, but she kept going until he emptied his balls down her throat.

The rest of us continued until Elaine raised her head and said, “Let’s swap, ladies.”

Amanda glanced at me and then looked a question at Gene. He smiled and nodded, so she moved from between his legs. Dennis stepped back, and Elaine moved around the tub toward Trip. Annette eagerly knelt between Gene’s legs.

Amanda smiled up at me as she settled between my thighs. She gripped my shaft and gave it an experimental kiss. Then she slowly swirled her tongue around the head. Behind her, Dennis began playing with her pussy, and she purred around my shaft. He entered her a moment later, his hands dark against the lighter skin of her hips.

We swapped again a few minutes later, and Annette tried to swallow me whole. When she started doing her head-twist thing, I knew why Trip didn’t last very long. I put my hand on her head to slow her down, but she did her best to make me come anyway. Fortunately, Elaine came to my rescue.

“Let’s head up to the cabin,” she said. She gave Gene’s erection a stroke. “I want this inside me.”

We gathered our towels, covered the hot tub, and turned off the heater and jets. As we walked up the hill, I hung back and leaned close to Dennis.

“Did you tell the others about my ... um ... rules?”

He nodded. “I said you had an agreement with Kendall: no sex when she isn’t with you. But I told ‘em that everything else is okay.”

“Thanks.”

The Raefords’ cabin was much like ours. The couch and chairs were different, and it smelled different, but it was close enough that I felt a little disoriented.

Annette snapped me out of it when she tugged me toward the couch, where she straddled my hips and ground her pussy against my erection. I almost panicked, afraid she was going to try to have sex with me, but she kissed me hungrily instead.

When she began working her way down my chest, I took a moment to look around. Trip and Amanda were making out beside us. On the bed, Elaine was riding Gene as she sucked Dennis.

Annette sucked me slowly, but her pace increased with each bob and twist. I concentrated on the sensations as her tongue swirled around my shaft at the top of each stroke. She sucked hard at the same time, which made my head spin.

I was afraid she might over-stimulate me, but she eased off when she sensed I was close. She plunged her lips over my shaft and pumped the base, squeezing and releasing with each stroke.

The combination was too much, and she vacuumed my spurts, punctuating each with a squeeze and a soft moan. When I finally stopped gushing, she pulled back to catch her breath.

“Hey, Paul,” Dennis said from the bed, “you wanna join us? We need a third.”

“Oh, God, Paul,” Elaine gasped, “I want your cock in my mouth.”

I looked down at the cock in question, but it was completely limp. “Um...,” I said.

Annette turned and wiggled her fingers in a wave. “My fault. Sorry.” She didn’t seem sorry at all, which roused a chuckle.

“You wanna join us, Trip?” Dennis said.

“What do you think?” Trip asked me, his voice pitched low. He’d adjusted well enough, but the idea of four-way sex with two strange men probably made him a little nervous.

Amanda looked at the situation on the bed and then smiled at him. “You’ll do fine.”

Trip gave her a grateful look.

“Yeah,” I said, “you’ll do fine.” I wanted to give him some advice, but I didn’t want to make him even more self-conscious, so I gave him my best reassuring smile instead.