Boyfriend Test

"What!? Dammit Wendy!" shouted Joellen. "First off, TMI! Second, what do you mean desperate? Are you insinuating that he'd have to be desperate to hook up with me!? Shit!"

"No. No. It's not what I meant," apologized Wendy. "I just meant that he probably won't try anything since he thinks everything is good with me and him. I guess I need to inject a little doubt in his mind."

"I still think you're nuts!" yelled Joellen. "This just isn't worth it!"

"Don't back out now!" said Wendy. "Remember, this is an audition!"

"What do you plan on doing?" asked Joellen.

"I guess I need to pick a fight with him next time I see him," announced Wendy. "After a few days he'll start to get antsy. Then you can swoop in and see if he'll take the bait."

Joellen looked at Wendy suspiciously. She couldn't fathom how she could treat Bryan this way. She started to think maybe she should really pour it on. That way she'd be able to save Bryan from his diabolical girlfriend. "Ok fine," said Joellen. "Just let me know when I need to 'swoop in'" she said as she stood up and left Wendy's dorm.

Wendy watched her friend nearly storm out. She shook her head. She thought Joellen of all people would understand what she was doing. She thought to herself that this was a small price to pay to ensure she'd be safe in the future.

--

Wendy and Bryan made their way along the narrow trails at Treman State Park. They planned on visiting Lucifer Falls for a quick swim and then continue on to a rustic campsite for the evening. Bryan was really looking forward to time alone with Wendy since their last two dates ended up being a bust. He was especially looking forward to seeing her in her bathing suit at the pool under Lucifer Falls and to spending some alone time in their little backpacking tent.

It was a warm day and the couple enjoyed their dip in the lake at the base of the Falls. Wendy looked as gorgeous as ever in her little two piece suit. Bryan enjoyed swimming underwater under her, letting out bubbles to tickle her skin. Her goosebumps let him know he was having the desired effect.

Wendy's playful kisses put Bryan's libido in high gear. His thoughts fast forwarded to this evening when they would bed down in their tent and how he'd ravage her sexy body once they were all alone. Wendy giggled as she noticed Bryan's hardness through his swimsuit, even in the cold clear water of the lake.

"I guess it's time we continued on our hike," Wendy breathed as she rubbed up against her boyfriend.

Bryan groaned and hugged her half submerged body, placing a few passionate kisses on her neck. He whispered, "I can't wait," into her ear.

The pair dried off and continued on their hike. They had made this trip a number of times and always tried to camp in the same place. It was far away from most of the well traveled paths, so their passion wouldn't be easily detected.

They arrived at the campsite relatively early. Bryan quickly erected their tent and then went to take care of starting a fire for the evening. Wendy's laughing and playful banter set Bryan at ease. He smiled knowing that tonight would be even more fun.

They were half way through dinner when Wendy pulled closer to Bryan to ask him a question. "So, I know you have a job lined up after graduation. I'm so glad you'll be able to work from home. That way we'll be able to live in the city when I get a job on Broadway!"

"Ugh...the city," replied Bryan. "You know I hate the city, I'd rather be out in the wilderness like this!" He pointed to the woods all around.

"Well, I can't live in the boondocks if I'm going to be a big shot producer!" countered Wendy. "It's Broadway or bust!"

"What makes you think you'll be working in the city right away?" asked Bryan. "You have to know it's going to be tough to break in."

"I have no doubt I'll make it," countered Wendy. "I have what it takes to make it in the big leagues!"

"I'm sure you're good," said Bryan. "I just think you need to be realistic. "You'll probably need to take other jobs before you make it on Broadway."

Wendy started to pout. "Don't you have confidence in me? I can't believe you think I'd need to stoop to some lower level!"

"I have confidence in you, my love," Bryan said as he tried to put an arm around Wendy. "I'm just trying to get you to be reasonable. There aren't many people that start their careers on Broadway. Many people take years to get there."

"Reasonable!?" Wendy yelled back, pulling away from her boyfriend. "You just don't want to live in the city! I can't believe you'd rain on my parade like this! You should be supporting me! Reasonable! The only thing you've done is give me a reason to leave!" And with that, Wendy stood up, grabbed her pack and started to make her way down the path.

"No! Wait! Wendy! I'm sorry! Don't be mad!" yelled Bryan as he tried to follow. "I support you! God, what did I do?"

"Just leave me alone!" shouted Wendy "And don't follow me!"

"But...But," stammered Bryan as he watched her disappear down the trail. Bryan just stared at the vacant path. It all happened so fast he couldn't understand what the hell just happened. He looked back around at the campsite. The area was all set for a romantic evening for two. The fire was warm and inviting. The flickering light from the flames illuminated the nest he had made in the tent for the two of them. He couldn't just leave everything behind. He hung his head as he went back to his camp chair.

He kicked a small rock as hard as he could as he made his way back to the fire. It bounced off one of the bigger rocks used to ring the fire and ricocheted right back into his shin. "Goddammit!" he yelled, crouching over to rub his leg. "Just Great!" Bryan plopped himself back into his chair and put his head in his hands. "So much for my perfect evening!"

--

It was just a couple of minutes when the sound of a woman's scream shook Bryan out of his stupor. "What the hell?" he thought as he bolted toward the sound.

"Help!" he heard the woman yell out. "I hope Wendy's okay," he worried as he made his way down the path. As he rounded the corner he saw a pair of legs stretched out over the path. He realized that the pants weren't the color that Wendy was wearing.

"Are you okay?" he yelled out as he approached the fallen woman.

"No! My ankle!" she replied. As Bryan approached the tall grass he realized it was Joellen who had fallen and was in distress.

"Joellen? Is that you? What happened?" he rattled off as he kneeled next to her to render aid.

"Oh...Bryan...Oh thank God it's you!" replied Joellen. "I stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. Ow! It hurts!"

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked his fallen friend.

"No, I don't think so," replied Joellen.

"Do you think you can walk?" asked Bryan.

"I'm not sure," said Joellen. She heavily leaned on Bryan when she went to stand. When she tried to put any weight on her left leg she began to fall again. "Ow!" she cried out.

Bryan immediately caught her and held her close. "Be careful, I got you," he said in order to calm her down. "Here, let me carry you back to the campsite where you'll be more comfortable.

As Bryan reached down to put his arm around Joellen's knees she gave out a little smile to herself.

"Hold onto my neck," he directed as he hoisted her up.

"Wow, you're strong," said Joellen as she held herself steady around his neck.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Bryan as he made his way back to his campsite.

"I was just hiking, trying to clear my head," replied Joellen. "I know it was getting late, I was on my way back when I fell. What about you?"

Bryan didn't want to give Joellen the full story, so he tried to make it short. "Wendy and I were hiking and going to camp tonight, but she needed to leave. It's just me out here now."

"I'm so glad you came to my rescue, Bryan," said Joellen. "I'd be so embarrassed if I had to crawl back home."

"No worries, I've got you," said Bryan. "Here, let me get the first aid kit and I'll wrap your ankle."

Bryan retrieved his first aid kit and made sure Joellen was comfortable. He sat at her feet and began to wrap her leg. "Let me know if I'm hurting you at all," he said.

"No, that feels good," replied Joellen. She looked around the campsite. She noticed the romantic fire, a bottle of wine and the cozy spot in the tent. "Wow, this looks like a nice spot. I wouldn't mind a sip of that wine if you're interested in sharing."

Bryan had completely forgotten about even thinking about having a good time. He was just flustered about Wendy's quick exit and now Joellen was right here. He didn't even have time to think about anything that had just transpired. "Oh...uh...yeah, might as well I guess," he answered, still in a daze.

Bryan poured a couple of glasses of wine after he was sure Joellen was comfortable. "Here you go," he said as he handed her the glass. "Just rest a few minutes. I'll start packing all of this up and I'll see if I can help you back to the entrance a little later."

"Bryan, I don't know if I can make it all the way back like this. It's too far! Besides, by the time we make it back the buses won't be running anymore," she protested.

Bryan plopped himself down in the chair next to Joellen. "Then what do you propose we do?" he asked in a defeated tone.

"You already have everything set up," said Joellen as she pointed to the tent. "Why don't we just camp out tonight? I'm sure my foot will feel better in the morning."

Bryan looked around. He knew his backpacking tent would barely fit two people. It wasn't an issue when it was Wendy he was going to share his tent with, but keeping a respectable distance from Joellen would be impossible.

"Um...uh...OK, I guess I'll just sleep outside tonight," offered Bryan.

"Oh don't be silly," said Joellen. "I won't bite."

Joellen's quip caught him off guard and he began to smile. "OK," he said. "At least I know I can outrun you if you try!"

Joellen smiled back. 'At least he didn't run away this time,' she thought to herself. 'Time to work my magic.'

The light hearted conversation between the two along with polishing off the bottle of wine made Bryan feel a little better about his situation. He began to forget about the spat with Wendy. In fact, he wasn't thinking about her much at all. He figured whatever it was he'd be able to smooth things over later. Right now he was enjoying just being himself with a friend.

And what a beautiful friend she was. Joellen looked radiant as the firelight flicked and danced around her features. Her playful giggle reminded him about how he had fallen in love with her so deeply back in grade school. His heart started to warm as their conversation inevitably drifted back to those days. He felt lucky just being able to see her blossom from a cute girl to a beautiful woman.

"Hello! Bryan! Are you even listening to me?" asked Joellen, her voice raised to gather his attention.

"Oh, sorry," replied Bryan. "Drifted off for just a minute."

"Are you going to answer my question?" asked Joellen.

"What question?" stammered Bryan in response. "I guess I missed it."

"Did you know the answer to the math question I missed back then, you know, at the 8th grade olympiad?" asked Joellen.

"Yeah, I did," recalled Bryan. "I remember that it was taking you a long time to answer. I swear I was trying to send you the answer telepathically. I was thinking about it so hard. When you answered wrong I could hear our whole team groan."

"I felt so bad," confessed Joellen. "I let the whole team down. Especially you. It hurt."

"I felt bad for you," confessed Bryan as well. "I wanted to go to you and hug you and tell you everything was going to be OK."

"You should have," said Joellen, a little tear came to her eye. "I needed it."

"I know," said Bryan. "But I was afraid. I was just a dumb little kid. I didn't know how to process those feelings, so I just froze. If I knew then what I know now..." his voice trailed off.

"What would you have done?" asked Joellen. "If you did know then what you know now."

"I would have grabbed you and given you a big hug and told you it's OK," replied Bryan.

"You know," whispered Joellen. "You could still do that. The little girl in me would be grateful."

Joellen could see the mist in Bryan's eyes as he stood up and reached for her. He leaned in for a hug and held her close. "Missing the question didn't matter, Joellen," he said in her ear. "I was just so glad to be there with you, to share it with you. It will always be a fond memory for me."

Tears welled up in Joellen's eyes. She'd never imagined that this little event meant so much to him and that he still so vividly remembered that day so many years ago. She just held him tight as she started to cry. How could she be doing this to him now? He was so true, so vulnerable, and this entire setup was just a lie. How could Wendy do this to him? How could she? Joellen broke down.

She began to shudder in his embrace as it all became too much for her. She held him close, trying to hide the shame in her face.

"It's Ok Jo," said Bryan as he rubbed her back. "It was a long time ago. No big deal. Besides, I finally got a hug out of it!"

Joellen laughed despite the tears dripping from her face. She wiped them off her cheeks the best she could. "I'm sorry, I'm just..." she stopped herself before she gave it all away. She shook her head. "It must be the wine. I think I need to go to bed."

Bryan helped her up and helped her into the tent. She kept up with the ruse. 'No point in confessing now,' she thought to herself. 'He's not going to do anything anyhow, When I get home I'm sure Wendy will be happy.' But that thought didn't sit well with her either. She was mad at Wendy for treating Bryan this way and was mad at herself for letting herself get pulled into this charade. She just didn't see any way to change the outcome.

Bryan tucked her in and let her know he'd take care of everything outside before he came back into the tent. Joellen rolled over with her back to the opening of the tent so that Bryan couldn't see her face. After he zipped up the tent she began to silently sob.

Bryan sighed. What a crazy night. 'I'll never understand women!' he swore to himself. He couldn't deny he was still attracted to Joellen. Just hugging her felt so good. He realized it was something he had wanted to do since forever. But she wasn't his girlfriend. Wendy was, wherever the hell she was. 'God, what a mess!' He still wasn't sure he should sleep in the tent, but a rumble of thunder told him he had no choice. He snuffed out the fire and cleaned up the campsite.

Joellen didn't stir when he went to enter the tent. He felt some relief when he realized he'd be able to just pack up and get out in the morning. He heard a light rain begin to fall. He just lied on his back staring up to the ceiling of the tent. The sound of the raindrops mesmerizing him. His heavy eyelids began to close.

Joellen listened to the rain and Bryan's rhythmic breath. Their interaction today sparked her long standing wish to be with Bryan. To be his girlfriend. She realized it was all impossible. He'd never stoop to cheating on Wendy and she knew it. She closed her eyes tight but the tears still kept running down her face. 'At least I can pretend we're a couple tonight' she thought to herself. She snuggled in next to him, making sure she didn't wake him up. When he rolled over and put his arm over her she smiled. The warm feeling was enough to calm her soul. Her eyes finally surrendered to sleep.

--

Joellen woke up when she heard Bryan moan. He was still asleep and it was still dark out. It must be early morning, she thought. She immediately realized that his hand had migrated under her shirt and was so close to her right breast. She smiled. It felt so good to be held by him like this, even if he wasn't aware. She snuggled even closer to Bryan, enough so that her rear was pushed up against his groin. She could feel his hardness through his boxers and her oversized t-shirt she was sleeping in.

Joellen let out a little moan and bit her lip as she wiggled her bum against him. She started to fantasize about him taking her right there in the tent. Her breathing grew heavy as she enjoyed the skin to skin contact. She arched her back and Bryan's hand fell to completely enclose her breast. This excited her even more. Before she could stop herself she moaned, "Mmmm...Oh Bryan!"

Bryan started to come to his senses. The first sensation was the lilac smell of Joellen's hair as his face was buried in her curls. The second was the pounding in his groin, his cock begging to be released from its confines to rub itself on her luscious female form. The third was the warm feeling of her breast in his hand, her hard nipple pushing up under his palm. "Mmmm, Ohhhhh" he moaned.

He was about to moan Wendy's name when he realized something was wrong. His eyes shot open and realized it was Joellen in his grasp. "Oh My God! Joellen! Oh Shit!" he yelled as he tried to detach himself from her body. "Oh Shit! I'm so sorry! Oh my God! I was asleep! Are you okay? Oh my God!" He was rambling trying to apologize for his actions.

Joellen turned to him with a smile. "It's okay, Bryan," she responded meekly. "You don't need to apologize."

"But I was feeling you...I had my hand...Oh my God! Wendy's going to kill me! Shit!" he was still rambling.

"It's okay Bryan," Joellen said as she seductively bit her bottom lip. "Wendy doesn't have to know. It felt good having you hold me. Come back to bed. I won't tell."

"I...I...Oh god! I'm so sorry Joellen," Bryan turned to unzip the flap on the tent. He had to get out of there now! He practically tore open the tent and tried to bolt outside, but his foot caught part of the flap and he face-planted in the mud right outside the tent. "Shit! Fuck! He yelled as he reached for his jeans.

"Bryan! It's okay! I'm alright! Nothing happened!" shouted Joellen, trying to get him to calm down.

"Oh God...I'm so sorry...I can't believe I did that! God...I...." Bryan realized he was conflicted. Here was Joellen, half naked and begging him to come back to bed, but he realized this was all wrong. "I can't do this!" he yelled and he took off down the path, half hyperventilating.

Joellen just hung her head. What started out as promising had just crashed into oblivion. She realized that he'd never purposefully betray Wendy. She knew he was too thoughtful to do that. She cursed Wendy and this whole stupid plan. Sure, maybe she'd get the lead in the next play, but it was no consolation. She just felt...empty.

Bryan had made it all the way to the lake by the time he slowed down. The mud on his face and in his hair was beginning to harden. He kneeled down next to the lake and dunked his head into the water. The cold water washed the mud from his face and the sleep from his eyes. It also shocked his system back to reality.

As he pulled his head from the icy cold liquid, he realized he needed to just face facts. He'd just fucked up, royally. He owed an apology to Joellen and hoped to hell she wouldn't file charges against him. Then he owed an apology to Wendy. He hoped she would have it in her heart to forgive him. "God, I can't believe this," he said out loud to himself. "How did it come to this? I just wanted a fun evening with my girlfriend." He felt so far away from the point where he was about to propose to Wendy that he thought he'd never be able to get back. "Maybe I need to just give up," he thought to himself.

By the time Bryan had made it back to the campsite, Joellen was up and dressed. She was trying to pack up what she could. Bryan took a deep breath as he asked her to sit in the camp chair. He sat down on a rock next to her and took her hands in his.

Joellen tried to speak up, but he just stopped her. "I need to get this out," he said. "Joellen, I'm profoundly sorry for my actions this morning. I touched you inappropriately and you have every right to bring charges against me. I have no excuse. I should have made sure that could never have happened. I know I can never make amends. I value you and your friendship. I hope you can forgive me."