I could taste the dirt in my mouth as I face planted on the path. A small stick tangled itself in my shoelaces and sent me plummeting into the soil. Two strong hands grabbed my arms and lifted me up and I blushed as he helped dust off the dirt.
"That was some fall." He said with a smile. His face was pristine despite the hike through the forest. I only grinned out of embarrassment and then continued to trail behind like the third wheel I was. My best friend found herself in the middle of a relationship with one of the guys from my job. I gawked at him whenever we were re-stocking the shelves only to turn away quickly before he would witness the drool.
"Here we are!" Shauna dropped her bag in a clearing and held out her hands towards the opening in the trees. The wind rustled the leaves around the camping spot and I could almost follow the line of wind a gust circled us. As my eyes circled, they stopped to stare at Garret, who was already taking out the two person tent for him and Shauna.
My tent clumsily fell out of the bag and the metal poles clunked together until I had assembled the frame. The polyester tarp would be a whole other set of problems. I was not as savvy at camping as my friend would believe even though we had gone on these trips just the two of us. With a third person here it felt so foreign and his ability to swiftly put together a tent highlighted my ability to fail at doing such a task. They were already inside, rolling out their sleeping bags when I zipped up the front of my tent and turned around triumphantly only to be met with the chirping of birds and the rustle of synthetic fibers.
There was a small circle with a couple of burnt logs that I used as the start of a fire. I collected twigs around me, circling the clearing to find the best pieces of wood to burn. I dug around small shrubbery to find some thick pieces and then I noticed a large end of what seemed to be the best plank I had been able to find all evening. I turned to see how far away I was from the camp, noticing that I had traveled a little farther than I had anticipated, but still far enough away to scream for help if I needed to. So, I bent down, wrapped my tired fingers around the log and pulled. I grunted at first and then I felt the soil give way underneath until it was suddenly free and I found myself hurdling backwards into the weeds.
"Oh, that must have hurt." I heard a voice coming from where I had pulled the wood, but I didn't recognize it. In a panic, I pushed myself up and jerked my head around to see who was speaking. Finding nothing, I stood up, brushed myself off and then went to pick up the piece of wood. I spun around to see if anything was there and sighed in relief when I could still see nothing.
"Over here." I turned back to the camp to see a translucent figure standing in front of a tree. I would have screamed only I tripped yet again and found myself looking up into the leaves.
"What the-" I groaned and sat up, frozen when the figure was floating towards me.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I was actually trying to avoid scaring you. I'm not very good at the whole being dead thing. I've been stuck in this forest this whole time with no way out so my ability to interact with humans is a little meh." He held out his hand and teetered it to reinforce his point.
"I'm not sure what's happening." I was still on the ground probably surrounded by bugs I didn't even want to think about.
"I'm Max." He held out his hand to help me up and I reached out to grab it. I expected to slip right back into the dirt, but it was a solid grasp and I found myself on my feet staring towards a floating and blue-tinted ghost.
"I'm Matt." I shook his hand and once again he had a firm grasp.
"I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to your camping trip. I noticed you guys coming in and figured I would stop by, but I think I might be overstepping a little bit." He was beginning to turn away.
"Wait, why can't you leave?" I asked.
"I was lost and now I'm even more lost dead."
"Maybe I can help you get out? Why don't you just chill in my tent for a bit while we set things up? Maybe I can get them on board to helping you find a way?" The initial fear had subsided and now I was just intrigued. I felt kind of bad for the guy.
"Okay." He seemed a little hesitant and I understood why. I didn't think my friends would believe me, but at least he would have some company for a little bit.
Back at the camp, Shauna and Garret were sitting on a cloth they laid out near the fire. The flame was already flickering and swirling as they held each other in its warmth. I dropped all my twigs and then joined them near the fire on the opposite side. Max was floating behind them, looking down at Garret with a bit of excitement. I sort of shrugged it off and joined in the conversation.
"I'll be right back, I'm gonna go do the do." Shauna said. We were lucky enough to be just a short walk away from some restrooms that had been set up for campers in the area. The only thing that sucked was that now I was left alone with Garret.
"Hey, dude, watch this." I had almost forgotten about Max, who was now hovering behind Garret. He stuck out his hand and Garret leaned his head back, mouth gaping as Garret moved closer. Slowly, his form disappeared, Garret letting out a guttural moan as Max got comfortable inside of his skin. His muscles tensed and he jumped a couple of times as Max found the right spot and then suddenly Garret came to, looking at me with a smirk.
"What the hell just happened?" I was baffled.
"I didn't think it would work, but it actually felt really good." Garret, now controlled by the ghost I had met today, looked down at his crotch which was now bulging against his jeans. "Ah, dude this feels so good." He was rubbing the hard on which turned my on to see Garret acting like this. Just as quickly as he jumped he, Garret was trembling and Max appeared behind him with the same smirk that Garret had.
"Are you alright?" I asked Garret who seemed confused, he looked around and then adjusted himself after noticing his erection.
"I don't feel so good. I'm gonna go lay down." He said, looking around as he walked back to the tent. It didn't seem like he remembered anything, but I was just as turned on as Max was inside of his body.
"That was hot." I said to the ghost.
"It felt amazing." Garret was obviously excited and I could understand why. All of those sensations flooding him and in that rocking body no less.
"Who are you talking to?" Shauna had found her way back to the camp and joined me at the fire. It had started burning out and I could tell she was getting tired to.
"No one. Garret said he wasn't feeling well so he went to lay down." We both looked over at their tent and Garret's legs were sticking out of it. He must have passed out.
"No worries. How have you been?" Shauna asked, leaning back on the picnic blanket.
"I've been good. I've been sort of figuring things out now that you guys are together. I started writing again which feels great, I just have to actually write something now." I shrugged it off and then stabbed the ground with a small twig.
"I'm sorry I haven't been there. Garret is something else."
"Are you guys in love?" I jokingly said as I tapped a pebble with the tip of the stick.
"No. I think it might be the opposite. We spent so much time together and now it just feels like we haven't been able to connect. It's been like four months together and every day just seems to slip." She looked at the fire as it crackled and I noticed the sadness in her eyes.
"Oh."
"It was so passionate at first. I don't know." She tossed a piece of bark into the flames and it sputtered.
"You guys will get through it. It's probably just a hiccup." I said. I didn't want it to be just a hiccup, but it seemed like the right thing to say at the time, especially since she looked super defeated about the subject.
"Maybe. I don't really want to fight to reignite the spark, you know? Like he doesn't think that I'm worth it, so I shouldn't either."
"You're totally worth it! What are you talking about?"
"I think he cheated on me. With his ex."
Here we go. "Oh, do you know for sure?" I had tossed the stick into the fire and joined her on the picnic blanket.
"There were texts, some very revealing texts. He tried to brush it off like it was nothing, but I read them. I read them with my own eyes, Matt." She looked like she was about to cry and I wrapped my arms around her. I noticed that it was starting to get cold and even darker.
"Hey. I'm sure everything is going to sort itself out." She yawned as I let her go. "Let's just get some sleep and then we can go to the lake tomorrow. We're just tired from the hike."
"Yeah. Maybe. Thanks, Matt. I know it's been weird, but you still mean a lot to me." She smiled at me as we both stood up and then walked to our separate tents.
The sun had set and I was staring at the stars through a mesh panel I had lazily unzipped in front of my face. It was nice being able to just breathe for a second staring up at the sky. I could feel my eyes getting heavy which was really nice especially since I had been having trouble sleeping at home.
"Hey." The whispered voice took me by surprise, but I had found myself rather cozy in the sleeping bag that even if it was an axe murdered I would have been content with being brutally murdered in my tent. Instead of panicking, I blinked a couple of times to see the stars in a different position and then rolled my head to see who it was. The zipper had already been unzipped and then the panic-like feelings started to rise when I saw who it was.
"Don't worry," Garret said, "It's me." He zipped up the sleeping bag and before my eyes could adjust he was curling up next to me.
"Um, Garret?" I was confused.
"Oh, no. It's me. Max." His muscled arms wrapped around me and he laid there with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. "It's been so long since I have felt human touch. You feel good." He was rubbing his hands on my chest which was weird at first, but I felt the blood rushing to my cock out of excitement. It had been a while since I had been touched too, but not because I was in any way dead, but because it's hard to date.
"I forgot you were here." I was really starting to feel the hard on and I think he had noticed it too. He slid closer to me with one arm across my body and pressed his bulge into me. He was horny too, which made sense since he was now feeling again, probably everything at once. He slid his hand inside of the blanket and I shivered when I felt his hand slip inside of shorts.
"Is this okay?" He asked, leaning on an elbow to get a better look. I nodded. It was more than okay. There was a part of me that worried about getting caught, but somehow I pushed past that and let him massage my cock. He was good at it, so much so that I had to bite my lip when he wrapped his mouth around it to keep from moaning too loud.
"Oh, fuck" I whispered as I writhed. He lifted his head up and then took of his shirt. He was hot, there was no arguing that, and I couldn't keep my hands off of his muscled body.
"Never thought you were gonna see him like this, huh?" He grinned and then went down once more, his soft lips bobbing on my cock as I grabbed at the sleeping bag and blankets. I was trying to hold back, but I could feel the back of his throat as he took me all the way in and he choked only slightly, sending me over the edge as the sensation in my tip coursed through my body. I grabbed the blanket and shoved it in my mouth as I moaned, hopefully muffling the screams of pleasure as my cum shot out of me and down Garret's throat.
"Fuck you taste good." Another phrase I never thought I would hear him say. He looked at himself and I reached for his cock, massaging him as he collapsed in the tent. The slightest touch sent him over the edge and he was moaning a bit too loudly as his cum rocketed onto the tent. "Oh, man. I forgot what that felt like. I just couldn't control it." He laughed and then pecked me on the cheek.
Cleaning himself up, he kissed me again, almost turning into a make-out session, and then returned to his tent. I was left to stare back up at the sky and before I knew it I was falling asleep.
"Have a good night?" Shauna had already started eating breakfast and Garret was sitting next to her, chowing down on some delicious hash browns and a granola bar. He seemed oblivious, but I also hadn't seen where Max had gone to.
"Um. Yeah. Why?" I was trying not to give myself away and it felt like I was walking on eggshells not knowing who knew what. She gave me a plate with a smile and then I looked over at Garret who gave a nod. Max wasn't there.
We finished out food and then took off for the day, finishing our hike by taking a few pictures on top of what felt like Mount Everest. Garret had hardly broken a sweat, but at least Shauna had a couple of bead getting ready to roll off her chin. We finally returned to the car and loaded in our stuff, finishing out camping getaway with a drive back.
"Can we pull in here? I have to pee." Shauna said, pointing to a sign with a gas station symbol. As we pulled in, the gravel crunched underneath the tires until we were one pavement and parked in front of a pump. It was just me and Garret sitting in silence. This silence was short-lived because he suddenly turned around and kissed me through the seats.
"Don't think you can get rid of me that easily. Consider yourself haunted." He winked at me and then felt himself up.
"Holy shit, you came?!" I unbuckled and sat forward.
"You helped me get out of there! I just stayed inside Garret here for a little while and pretended to be him until we were outside of the path. I love breathing, plus Garret feels nice." His pecs bounced and my dick twitched.
"Well, you are welcome to stick around. I like the company." I looked out the window and Shauna was already on the way back. She jumped in the car and buckled up, looking at us with a squint to her eye.
"Are you two alright? You seem off." Shauna asked.
"Better than ever." I said, giving a wink to the mirror. Max smiled with Garret's pearly whites and then pumped up the radio as we drove back home, a happy haunting waiting for me when we get back.
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