Nerdcam Pt. 8

The day was sunny and pleasant, with a cool breeze. Good May weather, which they were able to enjoy once they had exited the city proper and left behind the looming buildings and their shadows. Jack had volunteered to take the first shift driving.

Anna had arranged for a few extra days off and called ahead to check with her folks. If all went well, the couple would be arriving at Anna's parent's place by early evening. Tentative plans were to spend the night there, have a little birthday party for Anna the next day, then drive out to the camp the family owned for some relaxing private time, just her and Jack.

Everything did go well - for the first hour or so. Anna sat in the passenger seat, manning the mp3 player hooked up to her sound system. She hummed and bobbed her head, one hand thrust out her open window, fingers splayed in the rushing morning air. From time to time they glanced over at each other, Anna smiling an infectious smile or blowing a kiss.

And then something had gone wrong. Jack had either taken the wrong lane at a fork, or missed an exit or... Something. The road signs weren't right. He soon developed a suspicion that he was traveling in the wrong direction altogether. Shortly, he turned the music down.

“Hey, check the directions on that app again.”

Anna dug out her phone and tapped away.

“Mmkay. This is... Um. Shouldn't we be on the interstate again?”

“Probably.” Jack agreed. “Does this look like the interstate to you?”

“Looks like just some highway. And... Huh. A mom and pop joint. Don't see that much anymore. Definitely not on the interstate.” Anna joked as they passed a convenience store with a little deli inside. The sign over the entrance read 'Fallon's Market.'

“Uh huh.” Jack sighed. “I'm just gonna pull off next place I can turn around. Backtrack. Whatever I missed, it couldn't've been that far back. Thanks for the help, there, navigator.”

“See? Told you we should have used that turn by turn voice directions thing.”

“Yes, dear.” Jack droned after a moment's pause.

Anna cuffed him lightly alongside the arm.

“Don't do that. You make me sound like a nagging wife.”

“Well, that's only half-”

“Hush. Smartass.” Anna turned the music back up.

Jack took a left onto the next offshoot road they came to. Anna commented in passing that there was no street sign.

Five minutes later, she turned the music back down again. It was a narrow two land road, and they hadn't passed a single intersection, residence, business, or even a turn around. The road was flanked on either side by forest.

“Um.” Anna ventured.

Jack tipped his head back and rolled it side to side.

“I know.”

“Have you seen Wrong Turn?” Anna asked, affecting a casual tone.

Jack snorted.

“If we get a flat out here, I'm gonna feel bad that we didn't live up to the stereotypes about Americans owning guns.” Anna continued.

“If we get a flat out here, we'll probably end up causing a bigass accident – assuming anybody ever uses this road. There's no shoulder to push the car onto. Just a bigass ditch and then trees.”

“It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected, nor would they have wished,

to see as much of the mad and, um... macabre as they were to see that day. ” Anna quoted ominously.

“Good thing we're not in Texas, huh?” Jack observed.

“Mm. I usually think of the South, or Appalachia, when I think about the inbred hillbilly cannibal type stuff.”

“Yeah, but then you have The Hills Have Eyes. That was, what, out West in the desert somewhere, right?” Jack added.

“Right. Of course, up North you've got all the nightmare fuel that King and Lovecraft have come up with. Oh, like that scene from In the Mouth of Madness, where she's driving late at night, and there's that kid on the bike, and then the road disappears.”

“Yeah. Christ, I'd turn around in the road, but there are so many curves. If somebody decides to come the other way...”

Finally they came across a gated gravel drive leading off into the woods. There was just enough room for Jack to pull the car around without putting them at risk of being hit in the process. Again, assuming anybody was actually using the road.

Which question was answered when he began to pull back out. A logging truck came barreling around the bend, taking his half out of the middle. Jack reflexively stomped on the brake – harder than he really needed to. He and Anna lurched forward against their seatbelts.

“Fuck. Sorry. You okay?” he asked, angrily eyeing the truck as it disappeared around the next bend.

Anna shrugged, rubbing a spot where her seatbelt had caught painfully.

“Better than if we hadn't stopped.” she granted.

After a prolonged pause to listen for any other traffic, Jack pulled out.

“Hey, you want me to-” Anna stopped upon examining his expression. “Probably not, huh?”

They were quiet for a few seconds before Jack glanced over.

“You're actually pretty good at this relationship stuff, you know?” his tone was earnest.

Anna raised her brow.

“Uh, okay. What brought that on?”

“You... forebore.”

“Alright, Shakespeare.” Anna replied.

“Uh huh. We mess with each other a lot. Kind of our thing. But you held back offering to drive – which wasn't unreasonable in and of itself - because you thought I might take it badly, given my... slightly raw mood.”

“Well, I could see the little muscles at the corner of your jaw going. And I thought, it's one thing to joke about it, but it's another thing to actually say the cliché thing that doesn't help the situation. So maybe... just don't say it.”

Jack nodded.

“Most people don't think about it. Then when it doesn't go over well, they get defensive, and then they get snippy, or it turns into a stupid argument...”

“Yeah. Kinda silly, too. 'Cause I know if it were me driving, and I was annoyed, I'd be, like, super pissy if you offered to drive.” Anna smiled.

“Durand.” Jack smiled.

Anna rolled her eyes.

“While we're on the subject, did you happen to bring the actual dead tree road atlas?” Jack asked.

“Dead what?”

“Paper.” Jack clarified.

“Oh, duh.” Anna stuck her tongue out before unhooking her seatbelt to lean back between their seats and dig around.

“Hello, Beautiful.” Jack said conversationally.

“Talking to my ass again?” Anna asked, not stopping what she was doing.

“Yes dear.”

*

It was over four months since Jack had used their early Christmas gift-giving as an excuse to give Anna a ring. There had been a few minor bumps, but all in all, their relationship had only become more solid with time. They had talked once or twice about saving up and getting a place together.

Mostly, they were happy with the way things were. Having their own places, but being close enough to see each other any time they wanted. Hosting the occasional get-together. Spending time together at one apartment or the other. Keeping busy the rest of the time with work – Jack with his art and Anna running the bookstore.

There were developments in that area. Anna had talked Mr. Lintz into letting her start a limited online shop for Shelf Indulgence. It was extra work, but Jerry turned out to be keen on helping with it, and the store was already making almost as much from the online site as it was from in-store sales. Jack had expressed the optimistic opinion that with a little time, networking, and plugging on social media, Mr. Lintz might soon be able to keep the shop running without paying anything out of pocket.

Jack, meanwhile, had begun dabbling in animation, on top of his webcomic. He posted short clips to his youtube channel and twitter. He wasn't sure it was something he wanted to pursue seriously, but Anna was enthusiastically supportive, either way. She specifically mentioned that it would be cool to see an animated version of the comic he had drawn depicting their first meeting.

In other news, during their last visit, Nikki and Crystal had revealed that they had decided to get married. Jack and Anna were invited, of course - although the official invites wouldn't be in the mail until a date was chosen. Later, just between the two of them, Anna told Jack not to worry too much about it. She figured it would take Nikki and Crys between a week and six months to settle on a date.

*

Eventually, with Anna's help, Jack got them back on the Interstate and headed in the right direction. When she was confident they wouldn't need it for a while, Anna tossed the atlas in the back and turned her attention to a few other items she had retrieved from the back.

“Hey, you took the time to dig through my bag while I was waiting for you to get the map?” Jack asked, noticing the sketchbook and padded envelope in her lap.

“Yep.”

“I mean, it was nice getting to chat with your ass, but now I feel violated.” he joked.

“Pfft. We're way too honest with each other for me to buy that.” Anna observed, flipping carefully through the sketchbook. “Ever think about doing art for videogames?”

“Not really.”

“Some of this line art reminds me of concept art I saw for one of those survival games.”

“Something to think about.” Jack allowed.

When Anna had finished looking through the sketchbook, she slipped it under the padded envelope.

“What'd you order?” she asked while tipping the envelope to slide the contents out onto her lap.

“Hm? Oh, that's the first few volumes of a webcomic. Kill Six Billion Demons.”

“That's-” Anna read the same title on the topmost comic-sized trade paperback. “Wow. That is the title.”

“I had started reading it online, then found out he was getting it published. I was enjoying it anyways, and I thought it would be nice to help support a fellow webcomic creator. Have a look. You might like it. It borrows a lot of ideas from various mythologies, but the art and story are tremendously imaginative.”

“Tremendously, huh?” After looking over the cover art of the three volumes, Anna opened the first, intending to scan the first few pages. When Jack eventually suggested they find someplace to stop for lunch, she was engrossed – having almost finished the first book.

Taking the first exit that promised a place to eat, they found a borderline greasy spoon modeled in the style of an old 1950s diner. Touched by the splurging spirit of vacation, they indulged in big, juicy burgers. Of course, Anna still performed her re-allotment of french fries, much to Jack's amusement.

“Mmp, I'm paying.” Anna insisted, when the check came. While they had come to think of themselves as a couple, and generally shared their finances openly with each other, they still kept their separate bank accounts. “I told you, after you went and turned your bank account inside out for our Christmas thing... Not that I'm complaining, but I'll feel better if you let me foot most of the bill on this trip.”

“I'm not gonna argue with you,” Jack agreed, “Just let me know when I can help with something.”

After lunch, they stopped briefly at a nearby junk shop to stretch their legs a bit before getting back on the road. Anna picked up a couple old B-tier horror flicks on VHS for the sum of one US dollar.

“Do you have a VHS player hidden in the pile of consoles at your place?” Jack asked.

“Nope. There's one at camp, though. No running water, but there is electricity. Fridge, microwave, lights... old box TV and, yes, a VCR.”

“Priorities, huh?” Jack joked, “You wanna stop somewhere and pick up some frozen pizza, too?”

“Maybe later.”

They made one more stop, to gas up, before leaving the town. When Anna came out after paying, Jack was leaning on the car. He held the keys out and jiggled them.

“Take a turn driving?” he asked.

“Tired already?”

“Not bad,” Jack shrugged, “Thought I could do a little reading. Maybe sketch up some ideas for Sonder.”

So Anna accepted the keys and took up driving. It wasn't until a good twenty minutes later, when they had gotten back onto the interstate and didn't have to worry about traffic lights or sharp turns, that Jack's ulterior motive was revealed.

“You're a decent driver.” Jack observed.

“Uh, thanks?”

“Can you handle distractions?”

“Like what?” Anna glanced over, eyebrow arched.

“Since you ask...” Jack leaned over to reach a hand into her lap.

Anna's head nodded up and down as she looked back and forth between the road ahead and Jack's hand popping the button on her jeans. Finally she glanced over at Jack again, lips parted in an uncertain smile.

“Are you-?”

“Watch the road.” Jack smiled, gradually working her zipper down, careful not to bump her arm.

Steering one-handed, Anna moved her right arm back out of his way.

“What if I can't drive while distracted?” she asked as Jack worked his hand beneath her underwear.

“Well,” Jack worked her soft, flaccid cock and balls out over her underwear, “If not, I guess you better find somewhere to pull over.”

“Oh really. It's like that?”

Jack undid his seatbelt and bent, lowering his head into her lap.

“Uh, what about consent?” Anna demanded, almost laughing as she said it.

Jack paused, one hand holding her slowly swelling prick just inches from his face.

“I guess if you said 'no'... I would stop.” he managed to sound more or less serious despite smiling.

Anna pouted, again glancing from the road to the situation in her lap and back again.

“Who's a little bit evil now?” she chided.

“Heh... That didn't sound like 'no.'” he observed before dragging his tongue over her balls.

“Mmph,” Anna took a deep breath, then sighed as Jack's tongue slid up the underside of her cock. “Okay, just... Don't get carried away and do anything crazy. I am driving.”

“Standard road head. Nothing crazy. Just slow and steady. Gotcha.” Jack acknowledged.

Anna rolled her eyes, wondering if he was going to pull that slow, torturous edging approach he sometimes used. It was always pretty amazing, but she wasn't sure how well she'd handle driving with such a potent distraction.

Mostly it was other cars that moved around them, passing or being passed. If their drivers or passengers happened to look over, they wouldn't be able to see Jack – just Anna trying to keep a straight face. She passed a slow moving bus at one point, though. There was a thrill at the idea of being seen with Jack's head bobbing in her lap. Some stranger's eyes on her while she moaned quietly at the pleasure and tried to maintain her composure.

She couldn't bring herself to look up, though – in case somebody's kid or elderly grandmother were at a window peering down at her.

Her attempts to keep her attention on the road and not lose herself to the pleasure had the usual paradoxical effect of seeming to increase the pleasure. Between that and the brief exhibitionist thrill with the bus, even Jack's slow and steady treatment didn't hold her back for long.

“Huh, huh, mmp... Jack...” she gasped, tapping his shoulder urgently.

Jack gave a wordless, vibrating, 'mmhmm.' He continued to suck, but only just past her head, stroking the rest of her length ever more rapidly with one hand.

“Mmph! Fuck!” Anna's hand clamped down on his shoulder as she twitched in her seat, filling Jack's mouth with spurt after spurt of hot seed.

Jack swallowed, continuing to stroke until Anna finally tapped his shoulder again.

“Okay. Easy.” she breathed.

Jack lingered, making sure she was done before withdrawing. He sat back up, wiping his mouth and chin.

“Um.” he glanced around. “The speed limit's 70 here, right?”

“Wh- Oh, shit.”

She had done an admirable job of driving while subjected to extreme distraction. Except that she had unwittingly slowed to about 50 miles per hour. Everybody else on the road was zipping by them. Stepping on the accelerator, she was just thankful nobody had laid on their horn. Probably would've put a damper on her enjoyment of Jack's attentions.

Jack chuckled and fished a pack of gum out of a pocket.

“Well, we're not winning any races, but we're still alive. Not bad, Sexy.”

“Mm, well, it was my first time – while driving.” Anna replied. “Kind of exciting. And good. Only down side is now I gotta drive, so I can't lay around all dopey or doze off like I usually do.”

“Life is full of pain and disappointment.” Jack opined, still smiling.

Anna gave him a look, then shrugged a smiled.

“Well, as long as you're around...” she trailed off, then added, “To blow me.”

Jack snorted.

“It's good to be appreciated.” he joked, laying a hand on her thigh and giving it a squeeze.

Some minutes later, Anna flicked on the turn signal and took an exit.

“Bathroom break.” she announced.

Jack glanced up from the second volume of Kill Six Billion Demons, nodded, and went back to reading.

“By the way,” Anna continued, “Have you heard from your family lately?”

Jack looked up, but remained silent for a moment.

“Is that your latest way of bringing up meeting my parents without bringing up meeting my parents? Or were you just curious?”

“Both?”

Jack thought for a second.

“Oh. Hmm. My mom called last week to ask about that storm that ended up not even hitting us. She has some kind of weird obsession with natural disasters. Every time bad weather hits, she calls – like she thinks I'm gonna be floating on a wardrobe like Leo from Titanic, but also answer my phone.”

“Aw. She worries about her little boy.”

“I really think it's more that she's hoping for some vicarious excitement. Anyway, about the other reason you asked. If we can set it aside for this trip, I'll call them and ask them about visiting when we get back.”

“Really?” Anna asked as she pulled into a gas station parking lot.

“I promise.” Jack assured her with just a touch of exasperation.

*

Breckenhurst, where Anna's parents lived, was neither a particularly small, nor particularly large town. But it definitely wasn't a big city. And their property, some six and a half acres, was situated well away from the center of town. Forest skirted one side of the property. The nearest neighbor was a good eighty meters up the road.

The house, a two story of vaguely Victorian style, stood at the end of a thirty foot gravel drive. It didn't suggest wealth so much as a certain level of comfort – which thought made Jack smile, remembering Anna's penchant for 'maximum comfort.' More than anything it reminded him of the homes you saw on some of the family friendly sitcoms of the 80s and 90s.

Jack had expected to be a little anxious, but while getting out of the car and pulling baggage out of the back seat, there was something else. A vague uneasy feeling, which it would take him some time to figure out. In the meantime, he and Anna trundled their suitcases up the front steps onto a partially enclosed front deck.

“Shit. I should've shaved.” Jack blurted at the last moment.

“Relax. It's fine.” Anna smiled at his uncharacteristic nerves.

Mr. and Mrs. Durand (Jack's mind suddenly refused to recall if he had ever heard their actual names.) opened the front door and showered the two in greetings.

“So, this is Jack.” Anna gave a bare bones introduction once they had all moved into the house. “Jack, parents.”

“An-na.” Mrs. Durand used the tone universally understood to mean 'at least pretend to care about manners and etiquette while we're making a first impression.'

“Marco.” (Jack stamped on a sudden idiot urge to say 'Polo.') “It's good to meet you, Jack.” Anna's father extended a hand to shake.

“Thanks. You too.” Jack returned the firm handshake.

Aside form the childhood party game, his mind normally associated the name Marco with the notion of suave Italian men or cologne ads. Mr. Durand was of similar build to Jack, with grey mustache, receding hairline, and a set to his face that naturally made him look very serious. Thankfully, his mild tone, warm intelligent eyes, and propensity for quick but genuine smiles soon allayed any concerns Jack might have had about getting along with the man.

When they had finished the standard, brief men's meeting ritual, Anna's mother stepped up, arms spread.

“And I'm Susan – or Sue. Or Suzy, except you're too young to flirt with me. From what I've heard, you can call me Mom.”

While Anna clearly got her height, hair color, and eyes from her father, she got her curves – those that were natural – from her mom. Sue was about five and a half feet tall, with long chestnut hair featuring the odd grey strand. She wore glasses in the style of aviators scooted down low on her nose so that she could tip her head down and look over the rim. And she was a hugger.

“Uh, hi. Er... Mom.” Jack awkwardly accepted the hug.

This time Anna and her father both smiled at his uncertain reaction.

Making their way into the next room, which turned out to be the den, they were greeted by a handful of balloons tethered to a weighted cardstock cutout reading 'Happy Birthday Anna.' They were also greeted by more family. Another wave of introductions began. As it turned out, two aunts, one uncle and one cousin had turned up for Anna's visit. While the introductions were being made, Marc sidled over and spoke quietly to Jack.

“Sorry about the ambush. They love an excuse to get together and gossip. I think you two have just about edged out politics as the current hot topic.”

Jack smiled weakly.

“Don't worry. It's just for tonight. If they get too nosy, do what I do. Just smile and nod.”

“Mar-co.” Sue employed the same intonation she had used on Anna earlier.

Jack chuckled.

When the second wave of introductions were finally finished, Mr. Durand insisted they allow Jack and Anna to stow their suitcases in her old room and relax for a little while after their ride. He announced that supper would be ready within the hour, and then, as per family tradition, there would be games. Or Netflix for those who didn't feel like playing.

Anna's old room had been repurposed as a guest room after she moved out. The décor was inoffensive but dull. That was, until Jack noticed the line of framed photos on one wall. They were pictures of Anna with her parents and varying contingents of other friends and relatives. A couple were taken out at the front steps, while the others all appeared to have been taken with the subjects gathered around the dining room table.

Anna came over to stand next to him.

“They take one every time I visit.” Anna explained before pointing out and naming off those relatives whose names she knew. “Next time there'll be one with you in it.”

“Hm.”

“Having second thoughts?” she asked, half turning and looking up to see his face.

“Me? Nah. I was thinking, it's probably annoying sometimes, but it might be nice to have a family that actually gets together and... Does shit. We almost never saw our extended family. Still don't. Well, uncle Henry's in prison, so he has an excuse, but other than that...”

“Wait, stop.” Anna spoke up.

“Hm?”

“You're doing that thing again.”

“Which thing?”

“The thing where I can't tell if you're serious or just fucking with me.” Anna stated bluntly.

“About...?”

“Your uncle. Being in prison.”

“Oh, yeah. He's been in since I was like twelve, so it's just the way it's always been. Doesn't really come to mind as being noteworthy, I guess.” Jack explained.

“Why'd he go to prison? There must be a story there. Unless – is it horrible? He didn't-”

“It was all money stuff.” Jack interrupted. “Fraud, forgery, tax evasion. Stuff like that. He never did anything violent or whatever. Pissed off the IRS pretty bad, though, apparently. There are a couple of funny stories. Think I should share them during game time, or would that be weird?”

“If they're funny, go for it. Everybody here likes a good story. Long as you don't get too into politics or religion, you should be fine.”

“Well, that's a standard policy of mine anyway, so that works out.”

Supper turned out to be a Thanksgiving style spread, with a whole roast chicken in the center of the big dining room table surrounded by several other dishes. Mashed potatoes and a gravy boat, glazed carrots, green beans, a platter of deviled eggs, a sweet potato casserole, and hot, fluffy rolls.

“Mum, I told you you didn't have to do all this.” Anna commented as they were all getting seated around the table.

“It's not every day my little girl visits. On her birthday, no less.”

“It's the first time she's brought someone with her.” Anna's aunt – Madison, if Jack remembered right – pointed out.

Jack took a big bite out of a roll, in case someone looked to him for commentary.

“Anyway,” Sue carried on, ignoring probably-Madison, “your father actually helped with a lot of this.”

“Really?” Anna asked, “And the house is still standing.”

Jack swallowed.

“So you get your cooking ability from your dad, huh?” he smiled.

This won a few laughs around the table, and a good-natured poke in the arm from Anna.

“Mm,” Sue finished a mouthful of turkey, “Is she still living on pizza?”

“No, she's not.” Anna glowered, then added with a smirk, “I have him to cook for me now.”

“Oh, nice catch.” Anna's other aunt – whose name Jack really couldn't remember, unless she was Madison – approved.

“Next time we'll have to get you to cook.” Sue smiled.

“Um, okay. If you're willing to have me in your kitchen.” Jack agreed.

The meal and company were enjoyed by all. Jack was feeling more comfortable by the end of it, when everyone was surprised by the sound of a horn honking out in the driveway. That was when Jack realized what it was that had felt off. Noise. Busy-ness. There were sounds out here, but it wasn't the same. His subconscious had been holding it's breath, waiting for the ambience of the city.

In due course it was revealed that the new arrivals were more or less the black sheep of the family. Another aunt and uncle and their three 'slightly rambunctious children,' as Mrs. Durand tactfully put it. They professed to have already eaten, but nonetheless grazed on the leftovers while Sue and one of the aunts began clearing the table.

When the table was well cleared, birthday celebration protocols were observed. Anna rolled her eyes as the assembled began singing Happy Birthday. Then added a moan of 'Oh, god,' when she noticed Jack recording the occasion on his phone.

“We forgot about getting the little candles.”

“Seriously?” Anna shook her head, smiling, as her mother set a single lit taper in a candlestick on the table in front of her.

“Make a wish.” somebody called.

Anna flashed Jack a long-suffering look, then blew out the candle.

When the intermittent cheers and clapping died away, gifts were presented. Jack excused himself to run out and retrieve a package from the car. Pictures were taken while Anna tore away wrapping paper and complained again that it was more trouble than they should have gone to.

From the aunts and uncles she received wool socks, regular socks, an Amazon gift card, and a sampler package of gourmet coffee. From her parents she received a copy of Stephen King's latest in hardcover. She found an envelope containing some money inside the cover.

“Hope you haven't read that one already. You know we don't know anything about the gaming stuff, so it's pretty much books or clothes.” Her father explained.

“And there's probably enough there to cover gas for the trip, at least.” Her mother added.

“No, I didn't know he had put out another one.” Anna said, scanning the teaser text on the inside flap. “Thanks Mom. Dad.”

“You uh, might want to check and make sure all the pages are there.” Marco suggested casually, staring off into space.

Anna frowned for a moment, then caught on. Yet another family tradition. Her grandfather had always liked to hide things in the gifts he gave. Curious, Anna set aside the envelope she had already found. She then opened the book upside down and fanned the pages back and forth. There was a dull clunk when a little orangey-yellow envelope slipped out and landed on the table. It was no more than an inch and a half by three. Anna's name had been written on it in black maker by someone with a blunt, blocky hand.

While Jack watched, curious, Anna smiled and set the book aside.

“He has as many bad days as good now. He said to apologize that he wasn't here, but he didn't want you to see him that way.” Marco sighed. “Said you'd understand. And he made me promise to sneak that into something. And not to open it. You can wait. Open it in private if you want.”

There were a few solemn murmurs from the rest of the family.

Anna nodded thoughtfully, then pried up the little flap and poked a finger into the envelope. Holding it up at an angle, she peered inside. Her eyebrows rose. Closing it again, she slipped the little envelope into a pocket of her jeans.

“I think I will read it later.” she said with a half smile which both Jack and her parents recognized as her 'I have an amusing secret' smile.

Jack was still very curious, but whatever was in the envelope was clearly personal. He'd at least wait and ask about it later. In the meantime, he presented her with the last of the gifts – his.

Anna snorted and shook her head at his idea of wrapping paper. He had used white packaging paper, covering it in drawings of characters from Anna's favorite MMORPG – in chibi form. They wore party hats and one pair held a sign that read 'Happy Birthday.'

“Nice job, Nerd.”

“An-na.”

Jack laughed.

“It's fine, Mum.” Anna insisted, beginning to pick at the tape securing the makeshift wrapping paper.

Jack held a hand up and nodded.

“It's okay, really. It's sort of a pet name.” he explained. “I'll be nice and not mention hers in present company.”

Marco turned an abrupt laugh into an unconvincing cough. The others around the table, (those who actually picked up on what he was saying) were even less subtle about their amusement.

“Better not.” Anna mumbled, still smiling.

When she had finished carefully unfolding the wrapping paper, then folding it up and setting it aside, she opened the box.

“Such a smartass.” She said quietly.

Each of the items amidst the bedding of foam peanuts was individually wrapped. The chibi characters he had drawn on these were all sticking out their tongues.

“This isn't gonna be one of those Russian nesting doll tricks, is it?” she asked, shooting Jack a look.

He shook his head.

The first item she drew out and unwrapped turned out to be a bottle of the body wash to which she had, months before, in her shower, introduced Jack.

“I thought they stopped making this,” Anna remarked, “like they always do when I like something.”

“Turns out they just stopped importing it. That,” Jack pointed, “was shipped from merry old England. Ordered it online.”

“Huh. Nice.”

“He knows which body wash she uses.” Mrs. Durand said, turning her head to give her husband a look.

“Yes, well...” Marco avoided meeting the look, instead speaking as if confidentially, “Maybe dial it back on the good boyfriend shtick, Jack. You're gonna make the rest of us look bad.”

“Don't give him ideas,” Anna commented, opening the wrapping on a flattish rectangular item, “It balances out his thing about practical jokes.”

“I thought you loved my practical jokes.” Jack feigned tragic disillusionment.

“Meh. Hit or miss.”

She examined the object she'd unwrapped. It was a framed five by seven drawing. A very good likeness of Nikki and Crystal.

“Aww.”

“That one's from the girls. Nikki had asked me about what to get you. There are a couple more drawings in there behind the first one. And uh... A coupon. Nikki's idea.” Jack elucidated.

Anna's brow furrowed. While her father leaned to examine the drawing over her shoulder, she turned her arched eyebrow on Jack.

“A coupon?”

“For your favorite.”

“See, I kind of assumed you would give me pizza as a joke. Points for subtlety.”

“Impressive,” Marco commented, “Show your mother.”

While Mrs. Durand admired Jack's handiwork, Anna fished around in the box. When she was satisfied there was only the one hefty item left in the box, she drew it forth and indulged in shredding the wrapping this time. Revealed was a thick, hardcover book. Text on the cover read: 'Weird Tales: Selected Stories from Volumes 20-25.' Anna flipped to the table of contents.

“Hmm. Lovecraft. Robert E. Howard. Greye La Spina? When were these... The '30s. Wow.” She spent another moment scanning the table of contents, then closed the book and set it atop the King novel her parent's had given her. “Nice new, well – old, but new to me, reading material for the ride home. Thanks, Jack.”

Jack nodded.

“You'll have to let me borrow the books when you're done with them.”

There was a small ice cream cake which was cut and served around. When that was polished off, Marco announced game time. Most of the adults gathered around again and played a form of dominoes they called Mexican Train. Jack sat next to Anna and just watched for the first game. She explained the rules as the game progressed, with helpful commentary, taunts, or complaints from the other players, as their luck inspired.

When, at one point, Marco stood and moved around the table to take a few pictures, Anna leaned close to rest her head against Jack's shoulder. For his part, Jack smiled, experiencing a hint of that surrealness he sometimes felt. After the first picture, Anna started to straighten up. On a sudden whim, Jack leaned, tipped his head, and kissed her on the cheek. The camera flash flared again.

“Aww.” Mrs. Durand favored them with a wistful smile.

Just for a moment, Anna's own smile was bashful. Then she met Jack's eyes and shared a lingering, meaningful look, still smiling, before casting her eyes back down to her tiles.

They played long into the night, various visiting family members taking their leave in between games. There was much talk. A fair share of tactful and friendly questions for Jack. Stories, including one about Jack's jailbird uncle, and another about the time Marc was a young man in the boyscouts and stole a car to drive an injured hiker to the hospital – being briefly arrested for his trouble. Another family tradition was observed during this period, in the form of benign attempts to embarrass the party who had brought someone new, in this case Anna, with stories and anecdotes.

Jack had wondered how Anna's transitioning had gone over with her family. If there was any awkwardness or friction. Thankfully it seemed that any issues there might once have been had since been worked out or gotten over. Or at least, if anybody still had issues, they hadn't shown up to the gathering.

He had also wondered if anybody would be so indelicate as to bring up sex or sexuality or the like, but the questions he got were more or less run of the mill, meeting the in-laws type questions. How had he and Anna met? What did he do for work? Did he like living in the city? That sort of stuff.

Naturally Jack left out their initial meeting online, skipping to the story of Anna and her box, but the rest of the questions he answered truthfully.

Eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, everybody agreed to call it quits. Mrs. Durand hovered about for a bit, asking if Jack and Anna needed anything, if they had enough blankets on the bed, and so on. Finally Mr. Durand came and herded her away.

“Alright, come on Sue. Let the kids sleep, or read or play on their phones if they can still keep their eyes open. Time for the old folks to get to bed before the sun comes up. Goodnight Anna. Jack.”

“Night, Dad.”

“Mr., er, Marco.”

“Goodnight. You two just yell if you need anything. And you,” she addressed Mr. Durand, “speak for yourself. I'm not old folks.”

“Night, Mom.” Jack and Anna replied together.

“Well, I am.” they heard Marco reply as the two moved back up the hall, “But I feel younger with you around.”

Anna closed the door behind them. Moving back to the bed where Jack sat, she found him smiling.

“They're nice.” he observed.

“Yeah. So, you wanna read or 'play' on your phone?”

Jack lay back and lifted his arms to lace his fingers behind his head.

“I dunno. I could maybe read a little. Pretty wiped out.” He glanced over while she set her birthday gifts down on a bedside table, then moved to lay down next to him. “It was a good day. Kind of a lot, but... good.”

“Yeah it was. Eat too much, or just tired?”

“No, but I definitely ate enough. Just tired. You?”

“Yeah. Just tired.” Anna rose briefly to lock the door. “If you need to use the bathroom or anything, remember the door is locked.”

“Do your folks sleepwalk? Or is there, like, a werewolf problem around here? Should we check the windows?”

“No, smart guy.” Anna clicked on a little lamp on the bedside table and turned off the overhead light. She stripped down to her underwear before rolling back onto the bed. “Maximum comfort, remember.”

“Not even bothering with pajamas, huh?”

“Nope.” She turned over onto her hands and knees, moving to straddle him. She took a moment to undo her bra and toss it over the side of the bed. “I don't think you should either.”

“I didn't bring any pajamas.” Jack pointed out, admiring her in the soft light of the lamp.

“Pajamas, clothes...” Anna put her hands on her hips, “I'm saying get naked.”

Jack tipped his chin up, lifted a hand from under his head to curl a finger in a beckoning gesture. As Anna lowered herself atop him for a kiss, he raised his hands to her sides and then up her back to hold her.

After several seconds of tender kissing, they lingered in each other's arms for a bit.

“You sure?” Jack finally asked, “Your parents are just down the hall. And we both know you're the one they're gonna hear if-”

“I'm not saying we have to fuck.” Anna interrupted, sitting up again. She hitched back enough to undo his belt and unzip his fly. “You can keep quiet though, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I mean...” slowly pulling his shirt off.

“Good. Then there's no problem.” Anna smiled, hitching his pants and boxers down.

“Sure...” Jack agreed while Anna decided to go ahead and slip off her last article of clothing, “You mind if I read?”

“Very funny.” Anna slid her right hand up between his thighs and wiggled her fingers, gently jostling his balls. “Brave Nerd, cracking jokes while I'm down here.”

“I'm banking on the assumption that you won't damage your favorite toy.”

Anna rolled her eyes before dipping her head to plant a kiss on his still soft shaft. She moved up to take his head into her mouth, giving a soft moan as she felt him swelling. Still playing with his balls, she sucked and teased with the tip of her tongue until he was fully hard.

“Yeah, you can read... If you don't think you'll be too distracted.” Anna popped his cock out of her mouth to comment.

She locked eyes with him while tapping his glistening tip against her lips.

“Or...” Jack began.

“Or?”

“Orrr you could spin around. I could give you a massage if you really don't feel like getting off.”

“A massage?” she arched an eyebrow, beginning to slowly stroke his length.

“Yeah. Or a foot rub.”

“I thought you didn't have a thing for feet.”

“And you were glad, because you have a thing about your feet. I remember. I'm not Quentin Tarantino.” he smiled. “But a foot rub feels nice, and I thought, who knows, it might help you with your issues.”

Anna gave him an appraising look, pursing her lips.

“Mm, maybe. I guess probably I should try to get over it some.” she grudgingly allowed.

“Durand.” Jack whispered.

“Yeah, yeah. Just don't crack any jokes. They're like, my one dysphoria thing that never really went away.”

After planting a smacking wet kiss on his dick, she shifted around. Straddling his torso reverse-cowgirl, legs spread wide, she bent her knees to bring her feet back close to Jack's face on either side.

Jack brushed his hands lightly along her shins, bringing them to rest on the insteps of her feet. He peered at the extremities in question while Anna again took his cock in hand. She hesitated.

“No, they look the same. Normal, proportionate feet. Nails perfectly trimmed and polished. Toes aren't even weird lengths.” he whisper-rambled, beginning to work the pads of his thumbs in along her arches. “If it ever stopped bugging you, you could probably be a foot model or something.”

“Pfft, Jack...” she chided, feeling herself smile a little at his good-natured reassurances.

She felt him applying both hands to her left foot as she resumed going down on him. And she felt his chest vibrate under her with a half suppressed groan. Somewhat distracted with arousal and her focus on pleasuring him, she soon forgot to feel weird about someone seeing or interacting with her feet.

She came up for air and paused to consider what he was doing and how it felt. Just then he licked the bottom of her foot. The sensation came as a surprise. She'd never let anyone do anything like this before, and she hadn't really considered that it might feel good. Still...

“I thought you said-”

“I know what I said, but did it feel good?” Jack interrupted.

“Well...”

Jack pressed his open mouth to the soft inside arch of her foot, slid his tongue against it, then sucked hard. Anna drew a sharp breath. She hadn't considered that it might feel good, never mind arousing. Her already engorged cock, trapped between them, gave an involuntary throb.

“Mm, somebody likes it.” Jack commented.

“Kinda weird, but...”

“But?”

“Keep going?” she said, sounding uncertain.

“Yeah? Alright, Sexy.” Before doing so, he added, “You too, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Keep going.”

“Oh, pfft. Smartass. Like there was any chance I wasn't gonna...” she trailed off, circling the base of his shaft with thumb and forefinger and bouncing it so that the head slapped wetly against his tummy.

While she resumed sucking and stroking, Jack continued to lavish attention on her feet. Thankfully, as a result of her insecurity, Anna very deliberately took special care of her feet – and hadn't done anything strenuous enough to sweat during the day.

Soon noticing her beginning to writhe, her hot, throbbing erection grinding against him, Jack extended the massage up her legs. Over the smooth contours of her calves. Up silken thighs. And finally squeezing and kneading her full cheeks.

The urgency of their movements gradually increasing, they did their best to stay quiet. After a certain point, Anna rolled her hips back and lifted her hind quarters as best she could. Jack retired one hand from groping to hook an arm around her leg and apply that hand to her twitching cock. He kept his own groans under control as he nibbled and licked her soles, leaving it to Anna to control herself or cover her cries somehow.

Anna was already close when she felt Jack's hand on her. It wasn't easy, but she managed to keep herself reasonably quiet – her lips sealed around him, her moans resonating in her chest and throat, emerging muffled against his cock.

“Mmph, hon... Gonna cum.” Jack gasped under his breath, his free hand giving her ass a particularly rough squeeze.

The last few seconds might have been a competition to see who could stroke faster. Feeling himself at the edge, Jack did his best to get Anna off with him, and she reacted in kind. It wasn't quite the same moment, but feeling Jack pulse in her hand, his hot cum surging into her mouth, she quickly followed.

The two rode out their orgasms, jerking and moaning against each other. Anna swallowed, only letting herself come up for breath when she knew she wouldn't cry out.

Though she thought they had been quiet enough, Anna listened, belatedly, for any noises beyond their heavy breathing. When she had caught her breath somewhat, she rolled over off of Jack to lay on her back.

“Sorry about that.” she offered, lifting her head to look up his long midriff, where she had left pale, oozing proof of her climax.

Jack cracked his eyelids lazily and smiled.

“'S'okay. I never mind having a little you on me.” he said, laying a hand gently on the inside of her thigh.

“Good.” She shifted onto her side. “But I don't wanna get it all over the sheets, so...”

Leaning over him, she cleaned him off as best she could with her tongue. When Jack, meanwhile, twisted just a bit to touch his lips to the top of one of her feet, she resisted the faint urge to move her feet away. She waited, finishing licking away the salty residue on his tummy before sitting up. She clicked off the bedside lamp, then lay again, this time right side up, so to speak.

“Hey.” Jack whispered.

“Hey.” Anna cuddled up for a kiss. “That was good. Little risky, but... Thanks for giving me a hand.” she added the last bit with a sly smile.

“My pleasure. So, about the massage...”

“Mm? Oh, you mean about my feet. I'm not like, suddenly okay with them or whatever, but... It was good.”

“Good.”

“I kinda thought it was just a joke. The thing about feet being... What's the word? Erogenous?” she mused.

“Guess not.” Jack smiled.

“Yeah. Still want to read? I could turn the light back on.” She offered.

“Hmp. Thanks anyway. I'm definitely ready to crash now.”

“Mmkay.” She patted his chest. “Roll over. Let me be the big spoon this time.”

Jack obliged. He felt her press herself close, her softening cock nestling against his ass, her breasts against his back, her lips briefly kissing his upper back and neck. Then he felt her reach around to take a loose, gentle hold of his slightly sticky member. He wondered at first, but when she simply held him, he smiled to himself and relaxed. Shortly she slipped her fingertips down over his balls once before trailing her hand up to his tummy.

“Happy Birthday, by the way.” he murmured.

“Hmp, hmm... Thanks. G'night Jack.”

“Night Sweetie.”

*

Jack woke, late in the morning, to an empty bed and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. From one direction came the sounds of quiet conversation. There was also the faint sound of birdsong just audible through the closed windows.

He noted Anna's absence, yawned, and rose to dress. Retrieving a clean set of clothes from his suitcase, he visited the bathroom before heading out to the kitchen. He was met with a round of 'Good morning's, from the clear and chipper tones of which Jack inferred that Anna's folks were members of that dark cult known as morning people. They were sitting around the table, sipping coffee and reading sections of the newspaper. Anna rose, handed him the comics and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I was just telling them I'd talk you into making brunch, but I'll let you wake up a little first.” she informed him, sauntering over to pour him a mug of coffee.

Jack noted that she wore a big white Concrete Blonde band shirt and familiar grey sweatpants – and socks, of course. Apparently even Ms. Maximum Comfort showed a little extra modesty around her parents. Just as well. Sure, they were a couple of adults, but he would definitely feel a little awkward around Sue and Marco if Anna were wearing her usual idea of pajamas.

Anna brought him the steaming mug while Jack read the comics.

“I could get used to this.” he joked.

“Enjoy it while it lasts.” Marco remarked mildly.

“Dad.”

“Marco.”

“See what I mean?” Marco quipped, folding his section of the paper and setting it aside.

Jack smiled and glanced over at Anna.

“Actually, that's what I told myself when we first met.”

“Oh yeah. I remember, you said... About not overthinking.” Anna mused.

“And what were you telling yourself when we first met?” Mrs. Durand questioned her husband.

Mr. Durand considered the question.

“I seem to recall thinking 'she's cute, and she doesn't sound as ditzy as her friends. I wonder if she only smokes socially.'”

“I thought Dad was the one who smoked back in the day.” Anna interjected.

“Who do you think got me started?” Mr. Durand tipped his head in his wife's direction.

“Wow. Was it all lie? Am I adopted, too?”

“No, you're definitely your father's child.” Mrs. Durand countered, rolling her eyes.

Jack sipped his coffee and listened while Anna's folks went on to reminisce about the good old days. When he had finished the coffee, he offered to follow up on Anna's suggestion of brunch. While he busied himself, and Mrs. Durand helped him find things in the kitchen, Anna took a quick shower, then gathered their things in preparation for the next leg of their travels.

Jack managed to impress with poached eggs on toast, sausages seasoned with sage and thyme, and a moderately spicy fresh salsa. He graciously accepted compliments from his hosts before they all dug in. They talked off and on while they ate – discussing the projected weather, the route from the house out to the camp, and the state of the camp itself.

Mrs. Durand insisted that they pack a cooler and bags with plenty of food and drink. She was not to be put off by Anna's reminder that they would only be staying at the camp for a couple of days, tops.

“There's the old Junction Store. 'Bout fifteen minutes up the highway from camp if they need anything.” Mr. Durand pointed out. He added, speaking specifically to Anna, “And if there's any kind of emergency, you go two doors down to the red camp. You remember old Marty North. He was a corpsman in the Navy. Lives up there year-round now.”

“I'm sure everything will be fine.” Anna insisted.

“Two doors down, red camp, Marty North. I'll remember.” Jack offered diplomatically.

“Thank you, Jack.” Mrs. Durand moved around the table, collecting the dishes.

At her insistence, Mr Durand brought Jack along to help him find the largest of their coolers in the garage. It turned out to be a dinged up old grey Coleman cooler almost as big as a foot locker.

And once it was brought back to the kitchen, the cooler was filled to the brim with ice packs, water, various cans of soda and beer, frozen meat, bread, and so on. Anna and Jack both insisted they couldn't possibly use so much food and drink between them.

Mr. Durand nodded, topping the contents off with a sleeve of graham crackers and a bag of marshmallows.

“I know, but you know how your mother is. No point in arguing. Just be glad she's not going along to inspect the outhouse and make sure you eat your vegetables. Which reminds me – go grab yourself a roll of toilet paper to bring along just in case.”

Jack made a mental note to ask Anna about his use of the term 'outhouse' later.

“Anna dear, while you're at it, why don't you ask your mother if she has any other demands. Jack and I can load the car.” Mr. Durand said, closing the lid of the cooler and taking hold of the handle on one side.

“Uh... huh.” she arched an eyebrow. “Is this like, a guy thing?”

“I'm always bragging that it's wonderful having such a perceptive daughter. Never having to explain subtext.”

Jack coughed into a hand to hide a sudden smile.

“Clever.” Anna snarked. “You can ease up on the smartass thing, Old Man. I get enough of that at home now.”

Jack took hold of the handle on his side, whistling and looking around, the picture of feigned innocence.

“'Old Man'? I hope you're not this abusive with Jack.”

“Weeeell.” Jack said, as if thinking about it.

“One of these days the sarcasm in this house is going to go too far and collapse into a black hole of facetiousness.” Anna predicted, rolling her eyes as she walked away.

Mr. Durand took the opportunity while they carried the cooler and luggage out to the car to have a sort of man to man talk with Jack. Having noticed that Jack was on a similar wavelength – with a calm demeanor and an affinity for sarcasm – he didn't bother changing up his own usual manner of speaking.

“So, Jack... You and Anna are pretty serious.”

Jack nodded mildly, having seen this coming.

“Yes.”

“Hm. Well, I'm not going to do anything as cliché as threaten to come after you if you hurt her.”

They hefted the cooler into the open trunk.

“And by telling me you're not going to do it, you avoid cliché while still bringing up the idea.” Jack interpreted aloud.

“Pretty sharp.”

They made another trip to carry out the luggage.

“She didn't talk much about... relationships – avoided it, really – until she first told us she was seeing you. It's been a short visit, but you seem happy together. At the risk of sounding cliché after all, do you have plans... For the future?”

“Uh, well, we've talked a little about moving in together. We didn't want to rush into anything, and it's been convenient to keep our separate apartments.” Jack began.

“Sensible.”

“Anna's practically running the bookstore at this point. She really seems to like it, so, if business keeps picking up, I think we'll want to find someplace that's in the same area. Like, within a reasonable distance to drive regularly.”

“Probably wise not to rush anything. Especially the way things are. In this economy and everything going on in the world. I know things get busy. Time has a way of getting away from you. I'm not always very good at keeping in touch with people myself. But we'd appreciate it – Sue especially – if you could text or call once in a while. Let us know what's going on. Maybe see if you can get Anna to call more often.”

“And when you do decide on moving, or any other big decisions that might come up,” Mr. Durand paused meaningfully before going on, “or if you need help with anything, or you want to visit again. Don't hesitate to call.”

Jack assured him he would keep it in mind and see what he could do.

When they had finished stowing the luggage, Mr. Durand paused and leaned back against the car, staring off, fingers wedged into his pockets.

“I don't know... If there's anything I should say... About Anna being trans. Seems like things have gotten better, in general.” he shrugged. “But then it seems like there's always some people in every... demographic... that want to act like they've lost their minds. And there are always a few bad apples.”

Jack nodded slowly, eyes wandering over the lawn.

“She's smart. Independent. It'd be nice to know there's somebody there to help. To make sure she's not taking on too much. Or to help when she does.”

Jack smiled.

“I'll do what I can.” he said, his tone earnest.

“Good. Guess that's about it. Just like the talk Sue's old man gave me. Except for the trans part... and the fact he was on his second beer before lunch at the time.” Mr. Durand said.

They shared a chuckle, and when Mr. Durand presented a hand, they shared a firm handshake.

“So, you two are heading up to the camp. It's nice.” Mr. Durand mused as they headed back in to tell the women they were packed and ready to go. “Just watch out for the moose spiders.”