Communing with nature

“This is so exciting!” Jessica said, clapping her hands excitedly. Her boyfriend, wes drove the car up the gravel patch that served as the parking lot. They were out in the middle of nowhere on a sunny spring day. It was the perfect weather for camping, which Wes had suggested they do. Jess was an enthusiastic outdoorswoman and was a fervent student of nature and outdoor survival. Wes on the other hand, was not. She assumed this was his attempt to get to know her interests a bit more, which she thought highly of him for, but she was worried that roughing it would scare him off.

Wes pulled out the camping gear from the trunk. There were two hiking bags expertly packed by his girlfriend for the weekend trip. They had enough food and supplies to spend that time comfortably.

“What made you come up with this idea anyways?” Jessica asked as he handed her one of the bags.

“Oh, someone suggested it to me... “ Wes replied vaguely. He wasn’t about to admit that he had gone to see a hookup artist to find a way to finally go all the way with his girlfriend. They had been dating for a month and she was always aloof about their relationship. They had gotten along well, introduced by a mutual friend during a house party. Their mutual interest in music was what connected them, but Jessica was more of a sporty person while Wes was into the art. Friends had suggested he talk to a girl from school about his problem. Her name was Melanie and she had a reputation for hooking people up. Wes didn’t feel like his situation needed something so drastic, but he did go to her for advice. When he explained the situation, she suggested they go do something that Jessica would like and bond through the experience together. It seemed like a sound approach that Wes hadn’t tried before, so here he was, out in the back country, trudging along a muddy path to find a suitable spot to set camp. He felt completely out of his element. He was already longing for his laptop, a power source and protection from the sun. At least that last bit was remedied by the canopy of trees they soon became covered in. Wes stuck close to Jessica in case they got lost. He was already certain that he would not be able to find his way back to the car without her.

“What’s the matter?” Jessica asked, turning to notice him bumping into her.

“Nothing…” Wes replied.

Jessica smirked. “Don’t worry, we’re going to have fun out here! Just follow me and everything will be fine!”

Wes nodded and grinned. At least Jessica would have a good time. “I just hope I don’t hold you back,” Wes admitted.

Jessica tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, “Is that what you’re worried about? Nonsense! I’m happy to show you how to rough it!” She reached out and took Wes by the hand and guided him next to her. They continued on unbeaten path for a good hour. Jessica scanned the area for a clearing large enough to set camp. Wes was doing his best not to look completely exhausted from the trek. When Jessica finally pointed out a spot she deemed good, Wes nearly collapsed. He dropped his hiking pack and sat leaning against it. Jessica could tell he was spent, but didn’t want to bruise his ego this early in the trip, so she didn’t bring it up. Instead, she set up the tent and other utilities while Wes recovered.

Shortly after, Jessica stood up, wiped her brow and admired her work. “One campsite, all set!” she proudly announced. “Why don’t you put your stuff away inside?”

“Yeah, sure!” Wesley replied. He lugged his bag and climbed into the large tent. It was a large tent that looked to comfortably fit the two of them. Jessica knew to make the excursion as un-intimidating as possible for Wes. He stuffed his bag in the corner and started to rummage through his stuff. He looked around the sparsely decorated space and asked, “Where do I store my clothes?”

“Just keep it in the bag and take out what you need,” Jess replied, crawled up next to him. “Cozy, huh? So, what do you want to do now?”

Wes’ mouth went dry. Did the plan already work out? They were alone in the woods, cuddled up in a tent. Jess wanted something to do. Was that his signal?

“I can think of something…” Wes murmured before leaning in to kiss Jessica.

Jessica kissed back and said, “Cute. But, we’re wasting daylight! We could go hiking!”

“No hiking!” Wes complained. “We’ve already hiked out to this spot! Can’t we do something that’s a little less intensive?” He brushed his hand over her thigh, but was rebuffed with a snort.

“I thought you were looking for something LESS intensive…” the girl replied.

Wes raised his hands and tilted his head, lost and confused.

“I got an idea! Why don’t we go for a swim?”

“Skinny dip?” Wes asked hopefully.

Jessica gave him a whack on the shoulder. “You’re such a dog! Grab your trunks and I’ll take you to the lake!”

Wesley sighed and pulled open his bag to find his swim trunks as Jessica left the tent. He had half a mind to follow her and peep, but knew if he got caught, the entire trip would be over. Instead, he picked up his phone to see if he got any reception to the real world. There was a bar, much to his relief. He checked his messages and noticed that he had one from Melanie.

Wesley opened it.

The message read: Wes, in order for your trip to end the way you wanted, you must follow these instructions explicitly…