The city boy spent much of the afternoon with his lucky hook baited in the water. He was slowly growing addicted to this game. His heart raced with even the slightest whisper of movement on the line. He knew better now than to act impulsively. Some of the catches were small enough to reel right out of the water, while the occasional few needed to taunt him before they would give in. None of them were near the size of the large-mouth bass, but that didn’t stop him from lingering in proximity to Dusty just in case.<br/><br/>Caelan was halfway through a satsuma when he realized that the boat had stopped moving. He flicked a peel into the water and followed Dusty’s gesture to the line of ramshackle cabins. Parts of their silhouettes could be seen through the foliage. “Does anyone live here now?” Caelan questioned, worried that if he stared any longer at the houses, he’d end up seeing someone staring back at him.<br/><br/>“Are we allowed…?” His voice trailed off as Dusty pulled his shirt over his head. Dusty's deliciously tan and rugged skin teased him. His muscles rippled beneath his flesh, paired with the glimmer of sunlight radiating off of his body. Caelan was breathless. Maybe it was the heat or the excitement from a successful day or the two beers he sipped on. He was not unfamiliar with the man's body. Not entirely. He had already experienced it, but that didn’t stop him from remembering<i>exactly </i>how it felt to have Dusty bent over him and fucking-<br/><br/>Caelan followed Dusty without hesitation. He stopped short, standing at the edge of the boat. Dusty surfaced shortly after diving in, beads of water running in lazy rivers down his face, neck, and arms. The man was like a siren, lulling him closer with an extension of his hand.<br/><br/>He moved slowly. His eyes stayed on Dusty while he removed his shirt and shucked his jeans. Caelan kept only his boxers and shoes on. There was no way in hell that he was going to let some fish nibble on his toes, let alone<i>touch </i>something on the river bottom.<br/><br/>Caelan worked his way into a seated position on the lip of the boat. His legs dangled over the edge. He let out a shaky breath as he submerged his sneakers into the water. Caelan inhaled sharply, as if the movement caused him physical pain. The sensation was terrifying and it was apparent in his body language. He held onto the lip with one hand, gripping the metal so hard that his knuckles flashed white. Caelan dared to reach with his other hand, his soft hand gliding against Dusty's callouses. “Don’t let me go.” He breathed, shaking from atop his perch.<br/><br/>He could feel his stomach roll with fear. When he said his father had no time to teach him to swim, he meant it. The deepest pool of water that Caelan had ever been in was a bathtub, if that. He didn't remember the experience, but he had been told it happened. While his grade school friends were attending summer pool parties, Caelan worked in the orchard. The rivers around the state filled with his classmates, and Caelan was reduced only to staring through the car window as his father drove them back and forth to the garden store. This was all new to him.<br/><br/>Caelan exhaled and worked himself off the edge of the boat. He slid awkwardly into the water, staying close to Dusty so much so that their bodies rubbed together beneath the surface. His grip on Dusty served as the only thing that kept him from sinking to the bottom. Caelan held on, one arm wrapped securely around his shoulders and the other hand locked in his.