Expect the Unexpected: Pitching a Tent

BASED ON A TRUE FANTASY

“Carter?”

“Hm?”

“Do you mind if I take my pants off?”

I lay there motionless, stunned. Whether or not the question should have come as a shock to me, I really couldn’t say – but it did. I tried to think of how I ended up in this situation. Jennifer had always been my favourite cousin, but now things were getting as close to the edge as they could. For the last few years as she had navigated through puberty, I had found myself strangely and wildly attracted to her more and more with every extended family get-together. Now, it seemed that every fantasy was coming true. I wanted it, but at the same time I didn’t know if I should take it.

Maybe sharing a tent together hadn’t been such a great idea.

Two months ago, I had arrived home to a flood of cheers and greetings. I had spent the last two years of college abroad on a European exchange and, unfortunately, hadn’t had time or means to make it home once. There had been emails and phone calls from my parents, siblings and other family members which had kept me going, but there really wasn’t anything like family. Ours was very close, and that included all my extended family as well. You know the film ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’? Yeah, it was something like that.

As such, we had a mini family reunion – or ‘family rebellion’ as my dad liked to call it – usually once a year, aside from the many other dinners, holidays and celebrations we usually spent together. It typically consisted of a camping trip to a local campground that we would book out and spend a long weekend at. It really was a good time usually. As crazy as my family was, I truly enjoyed spending time with them.

However, for the last two years, I hadn’t been able to go. I didn’t think I would miss it as much as I did. It was really surprising the way I felt whenever I read emails from my family about the fun they were having at the lake or hiking. Most surprising of all, though, was the pang of loss I felt when I would read letters from Jennifer.

I was several years older than her, but, somehow, she was the cousin I was closest to – even closer than I was with my two sisters. As far as I could tell, it was the same for her; I was the cousin that she related to best, even more than her own brothers. For whatever reason, our cousin-friendship ran deep, and I missed her terribly while I was away studying. All I wanted was to be there for her through her insane teenage years, but opportunity and necessity drove the wedge of distance between us.

Every picture she sent me of her (often with her friends) out carousing, I longed to be there with her. I didn’t know what it was exactly, but she seemed to grow more beautiful every time I saw her. I left for Europe when I was 23. She was 16 at the time. Returning now, at 25, she was a strikingly beautiful 18-year-old young woman. If I hadn’t been related, I certainly would have scooped her up and dated her in an instant.

I hadn’t been home two days when my mom reminded me about the camping trip coming up. “Carter, are you planning on going?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Mom,” I replied, scanning through pages of want ads on the computer. “I’ve got a lot to do. I’m thinking of going for a master’s now, you know.”

She nodded. “I know. You mentioned that on the way home from the airport.” She sighed heavily. “The rest of the family’s going, so there won’t be anyone here to hang out with.”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t give me more reasons to stay.”

“Oh, seriously,” she chided me.

I laughed, continuing to scroll endlessly down the list. “I also want to find a summer job, too.”

“I’m aware,” she told me. “It’s something to think about, though. It would be good for all the family to see you.”

Nodding slowly as one advert caught my eye, I answered, “Yeah, I guess.”

Over the next month, I had found a job and applied for the master’s program at the local university. The job was simple data entry and bookkeeping for a lawyer’s office, but it was something. It would build my resume. I wasn’t proud; I’d take it. Besides, my plan was to leapfrog from my bachelor’s in philosophy into law, so as rudimentary as the job was, it at least exposed me to the world and practice of law. I was happy to accept.

Beyond that, I had weekends and holidays off. My fear had been committing to the family campout without knowing what my schedule would look like. I had been prepared to take a job in the foodservice or even fast food industry, though it certainly wasn’t my preference if I could help it. This, though, was ideal, and I let my family know that, indeed, I would be joining them for our outdoors excursion.

The day it had arrived, I had been required to put in some extra time that Friday afternoon. Some records and files needed to be assembled as they were going to be used by one of the lawyers in the office in a court case that coming Tuesday after the long weekend. Oh, the irony. By the time I had arrived home, my family had already left without me. Still, I think it worked out in the long run seeing as how I wasn’t even packed yet.

The fortunate thing I kept reminding myself about was that I could drive out there myself. In fact, I preferred it that way. I liked being independent, and if I wanted to go somewhere, I didn’t like relying on the schedules of others.

I ran around wildly, gathering up everything I could think that I’d need. “Did you forget anything?” I texted to my parents as I was finishing stuffing things in a duffel bag for myself. “Is there anything else you want me to bring?”

“Looks like we’ll need an extra tent,” my father sent back. “Just bring one of the small ones. That should work. And enough bedding for you.”

Oh, so you didn’t even pack a tent with enough space for me, I thought semi-bitterly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll do that,” I replied as falsely cheerful as text would allow. Moments later, I had packed everything – at least I had hoped – and was well on my way.

Half an hour later, I was out there at the campground. The several adjacent sites were filled with vehicles, tents and campers. It would be difficult to find a place to set up. What was convenient was that each one bordered the lake, and already a number of family members were taking advantage of the hot, sunny weather and cool, refreshing water. Others were about the camping area eating food, playing games or just leisurely chatting with one another.

It was another typical family rebellion.

I parked my car at the far end of our claimed camping area. I, of course, checked in with my parents first before facing the barrage of welcomes and salutations from all my other aunts and uncles. Even most of the cousins in the vicinity came over to say hi. I’d seen most of them when I had flown in, but there were several that I hadn’t had any contact with yet.

My eyes, however, were darting to and fro, searching for any sign of Jennifer. She was one of the ones who hadn’t been able to make it when I had come home, and I was understandably anxious to see her. Not seeing her anywhere nearby, I figured she must be down in the water. Sure enough, that’s where I found her. Once she caught sight of me, she half-ran, half-swam out of the lake as quickly as she could, ran up the beach and into the camp area to say hello.

“Carter!” she yelled out as the current resisted her escape. “Carter!”

As she ran up, I couldn’t help but admire her physique. She had matured so gracefully. Jennifer had still been in that gangly and awkward mid-teenager stage when I had left. The eighteen-year-old was anything but that now. She was an average height and build, but the last of her baby fat had melted away over the past couple years to reveal a slender and stunningly beautiful young woman. As she came running at me wearing just a skimpy, purple bikini, my untamed eyes wandered over her lustfully. Jennifer had good hips, and her breasts, though a little on the smaller side, were perky and firm, giving just a slight bounce as she ran.

I scolded myself. Jennifer was my cousin. Attractive? Of course! But it was highly inappropriate to allow my gaze to wander over her body so unrestrained. Unfortunately, every instant I thought I had control, her dirty blonde hair had to shine in the sun. Each time, my eyes regained their own control and took a quick second to look her over from head to toe.

“Carter!” she shouted again as she embraced me. The cold water she carried with her soaked into my clothes, but I didn’t care. It felt so good to hug her. It had been far too long. I wrapped my large arms around her and held her closely. For an instant, I forgot myself again, and found myself more interested in the feeling of the smooth skin on her back than her as my cousin. Jennifer’s next words broke the spell. “Welcome home!”

“It’s good to be back!” I thanked her, ending the hug. “You’ve sure grown up.”

Jennifer shrugged impassively. “I guess. I’m 18, but it’s only been two years, though. I couldn’t have changed that much.”

“More than I have, I’ll bet,” I laughed. “I just turned 25. I’m old now.”

“No, you’re not. You look great!” Jennifer laughed along with me, and scurried off to get a towel and some sandals. When she returned, we roasted some wieners over the fire and at a lunch of hot dogs and chips as we talked and caught up.

“So what’s Europe like?” she inquired. I told her everything I knew that I couldn’t include in the emails I’d sent to her. My exchange had brought me to a new university every semester. I had a hectic schedule to keep up, so I didn’t get a whole lot of time to enjoy the sights and go touring. I could, however, tell her an awful lot about the campuses I’d been to.

Every so often, though, I had enough time during the day to see a tourist attraction or two. Jennifer was enthralled by my tales: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Coliseum in Rome, Buckingham Palace in London and several other locations. We both had a profound passion in history, so my first-hand experience with these sites was of particular interest to her.

Jennifer had had no shortage of experiences, either. I listened, though the stories about her and her friends hanging out at the mall, teasing the “cute boys” an even the male teachers at school with their provocative flirtations and the endless hanging she and her friends did together was like a replay of high school. Still, some of the stories were interesting, and it was to those that I paid more attention.

When we’d eaten our fill, Jennifer stood up and removed her towel, carrying it in her hand. The full magnificence of her soft, slender body was once again in view and my eyes rebelled forcefully against my control. Her butt was particularly appealing, the way it rounded out into a beautiful heart shape. My eyes rode up and down her gentle curves several times before I could regain the strength again to dictate their motions. It was just in time, too. Jennifer turned around to face me.

“Well, I’m going swimming again, Carter,” she announced, starting to walk towards the lake. “Wanna come?”

I was only too happy to oblige. “Sure!” I agreed quickly. “Just let me go change and I’ll be right down.”

“Ok! See you down there!”

And with that, we both ran off to our respective destinations.

Finding a spot to change was a challenge in and of itself. I finally conceded to use the bathroom in my parents’ camper and quickly tore off my clothes – and was not surprised in the least to find a half-erect penis hidden inside my underwear. Several minutes ago, I could feel him wriggling to life as I had liberally checked out my cousin. My sexual companion had calmed down a little since then, but the prospect of again seeing Jennifer in her cutesy little bikini had him resisting arrest.

I tried to ignore the obvious problem and went on with my task of putting on my black shorts and applying sunscreen to my exposed (and regrettably pasty-white) skin.

Once down at the water’s edge, Jennifer and my other cousins bade me enter the water. It was colder than I expected. For a hot summer’s day, the water’s temperature sure hadn’t matched the air above it. I took a deep breath and dove straight in, determined to get it over with.

The terrific chill took more than just my breath away. I could feel my heated groin being instantly cooled, and my stubborn penis withdrawing back to where he belonged. Coming up for a breath, I swam out to meet Jennifer and the others.

We played some games, had some chicken fights and generally just talked amongst ourselves. Our ages ranged substantially; I was one of the oldest cousins, while Jennifer was one of the youngest. Still, because our family was as close as it was, age didn’t overly matter to us, and we felt comfortable being together as a group as we enjoyed the summer sun.

As the afternoon drew on, most of the cousins went back in to eat the lunch they had so willingly missed earlier. Eventually, it was just Jennifer and me again. We enjoyed the water and played around for most of the afternoon. She eventually ended up swimming circles around me in waist-deep water in an attempt to find an opening to where she could take me down and dunk me in the water. I resisted her every effort.

“Come on!” she strained, climbing onto my back and shoulders for the umpteenth time as she tried to use her body weight to force me under the water. “Go down, damn it!” she laughed. I easily hoisted her into the air once more and laughed triumphantly as I threw her into the lake with a loud splash. When Jennifer resurfaced, she wiped the water from her eyes and asked, “Jeez…how much can you lift?”

“Well, I’m 220, and can easily lift about 150 or 160,” I explained, looking over her petite body again.

Jennifer scoffed. “Oh, well, that explains it,” she admitted. “I only weigh about 115.”

I laughed. “I don’t think your measly little 115-pound body is ever going take down this tank of 220!” I challenged her teasingly, flexing my arms and holding my torso rigid so that my muscles popped. I glanced back at her. Jennifer seemed to be in a daze. “What?”

She snapped back to reality. “Nothing,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “You’ve just got a really good body, Carter. That’s all.”

A broad smile crossed my face. “I try to look nice,” I told her, “for the ladies. I work out almost every day.”

“That would do it,” she agreed, starting to charge at me. I knew she was ready for another round of defeat.

A hefty laugh escaped my mouth. “Are you kidding me!?” I mocked my younger cousin as she jumped up and climbed onto me again. This time, however, instead of clawing her way up my back, she scaled my chest. She was agile; I had to give her that. Within seconds, she had managed to get one leg onto my shoulder. “Ah! Jennifer!” I shouted, feeling her lean back and attempt to throw me off balance.

I fought back, which was no easy chore considering the torque she was applying. My eyes were closed, but I knew she was arching herself backwards as far as she could. Trying to be respectful, I was keeping my hands off of my cousin as much as possible. Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t hold this posture much longer without needing to brace her body from toppling me.

Then, without warning, she repositioned herself and brought up her other leg. In essence, Jennifer now straddled my face, a thigh on either side of my head. I had no choice; I had to grab her to keep from falling forwards. Once I had braced Jennifer’s body on my shoulders, I dared to open my eyes. There, only an inch or so in front of me, was the purple triangle of her bikini bottom. My beautiful younger cousin’s lower abdomen was like a wall of amazing womanly beauty that obscured everything else.

I couldn’t imagine I could be any closer to Jennifer’s womanly treasure. Without warning and despite the cool water, my manhood sprang to life, stretching itself almost instantly into a painful boner. I was stunned.

Whether she could sense my hesitation or not, I don’t know, but Jennifer started rocking back and forth, trying to get me to fall forwards. She knew she couldn’t do it just from stretching backwards – I was too strong for that – but if she could ruin my centre of gravity, then I would be helpless. Her movements shoved her bikini bottom right up into my face. All that separated my mouth from her precious young labia was the thin layer of fabric she so proudly wore. It was all I could think about.

Despite my efforts, I was too bewildered by what was now happening to resist any longer. I fell, taking Jennifer with me, and the two of us crashed into the lake.

We both splashed up out of the water, coughing and choking. “What was that!?” I gagged, laughing.

“What are you talking about?” she argued with an innocent, pretty smile. “I took you down, that whole tank of 220.” She cheered herself in congratulations.

“Yeah…” I sputtered in reply. “Yeah, but you…I mean… You were…” My explanation was weak, and the hang gestures that accompanied it were even weaker.

“I was what?” she asked, again with an air of innocence. However, there was a glimmer of mischief in her eye that I couldn’t ignore. Jennifer knew exactly what she had done: exploit a man’s weakness for sexy young women.

“You—” I began, but was interrupted by her mother calling us from the shore.

“Hey, you two! You’re going to miss dinner! Come on out!”

I waved at her. “We’ll be right out!” I turned to continue my accusation against my young cousin, but she had already begun swimming towards the sand. I followed her. She reached the beach before I did and headed straight for her towel. After wrapping it around her, Jennifer looked at me with a wry, coy little smirk. Her attitude made me pause again when I looked at her. She quickly stuck out her tongue jestfully and ran up the small embankment for the camp, giggling. I tossed my t-shirt back on and followed after her.

She knew what she had done. I knew she knew.

The family ate dinner together; a potluck meal that actually had some really good dishes to pick from. I retired to the campfire again after eating and started roasting marshmallows. I liked them myself, but could only handle so many. I had a talent for getting them perfectly golden brown, though, and many of my younger cousins enlisted me to help them make a smore or two or seven – each!

In the middle of the fifth batch of marshmallows, my aunt, Jennifer’s mom, sat in a camping chair beside me. “Oh, I’m so tired,” she complained.

“You’re probably dehydrated from all the time in the sun,” I told her. “It’ll wear you out more than anything.”

My aunt nodded. “Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise me,” she agreed.

“It’s all this sugary, salty food, too,” I continued as I checked the marshmallows I was roasting. “Your body needs water to flush it out, so you’ve got a double whammy right there.”

She chuckled. “Guess I should lay off the food and down some water.”

“That’d probably sure help,” I agreed, smiling.

“Hey, listen,” she started, changing the subject. “We’ve got a little dilemma.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, some of the other cousins want to sleep in our tent with our kids,” she explained.