Missed Connection -

Cassi and Chris had made love a couple more times and had fallen asleep holding each other, exhausted from the events of the day. Cassi woke up to the sun heating the tent. As she lay there, thinking about the previous day's events, she couldn't quite comprehend it. They had made love, for sure. Cheesy, harlequin romance novel lovemaking. The way he had touched her, looked at her, protected her... it had felt real, deeply intimate. She felt drawn to him the way the tide is pulled by the moon--powerfully, inescapably--but also so naturally that she couldn't imagine a world without it.

Cassi lifted her head slightly to look at Chris while he slept. He looked kind and gentle--he was kind and gentle. "Oh, what have I done?" she thought. She sat up further, looking off into the distance and chewing on the side of her thumb. She considered sneaking out and taking care of things before he woke up. It wasn't like she owed him an explanation. Not really. But she did. Oh, dammitdammitdammit! She must have been so lost in thought she didn't hear Chris awaken behind her.

"You're pretty cute when you're worried. But why are you?" Chris's voice drifted up from beside her, even more gravelly than usual, still heavy with sleep.

"Morning!" she chirped, dropping her hand from her mouth. "I'm not worried. Just thinking... About whether my tent will still be there." She laid back down on her side, folding her hands under her head, facing him. When she saw his face again, she couldn't help but light up.

"Hi," he said, beaming at her.

"Hi," she smiled back, feeling nothing short of twitterpated when he looked at her.

"Well," Chris started and then scooped Cassi up and sat her on top of him with an excited squeal, "we will go check on the status of your tent right after..." He leaned up to kiss her and then changed his mind, laying back on the pillow. "Come here." He gently pulled her forward, up his chest, hooking his arms underneath her legs and guiding her with his hands on her bottom.

Cassi giggled and blushed.

"What are you doing? We had sex all night, after I danced all day..." she squirmed, trying to scoot back down. "You don't need to do that."

"I know," he said, remembering what she had said to him the night before. He added, "But I don't know that I've wanted to do anything more." Cassi let herself slide up until she was straddling his face. He looked up at her and realized she still looked uncomfortable.

"Hey," he said, kissing the inside of her thigh softly, gently. "It's okay if you don't want to." He kissed her thighs in playful, lighthearted pecks. "We can just lay here."

God, he was so sweet, and attuned to her--it was refreshing.

"Sorry, I guess I don't feel sexy--haha! Hey, stop it, that tickles!"

Chris had gone from ping-ponging pecks from thigh to thigh to blowing light raspberries into them and lightly tickling her behind the knees.

"Oh, does it?" He continued blowing raspberries into her legs until she squirmed herself right onto his face. She realized what she had done with an expectant sigh.

He moaned into her and kissed her gently, flicking his tongue inside of her.

"Mmmm..." she arched her back, giving him more access. He massaged her ass and spread her open, exploring her. His lips were full, his mouth wet and warm, and his tongue soft and wide. He circled her clit twice in one direction and then twice in the other before sucking it into his mouth. Cassi quivered against him. He sucked, flicked, and then licked her back to front, nibbling ever so softly along his way back to her most sensitive spot. It was all she could do not to grab his hair and ride his face.

"Oh god, that's really good..." she groaned, "oh don't stop..."

"Oh yeah! Uh! Yeah! Do me, Chris!" mocked a voice from outside the tent--just outside the tent.

"Collins, bro, you gotta turn down your phone volume when your--" Suddenly the tent unzipped and a dark-haired guy in a Phish T-shirt poked his head in.

He was holding whiskey in one hand and OJ in the other.

"Ohhh shit!! Guys, Collins got a chic on his face, bro!" he called over his shoulder.

Looking back to her--looking at all of her--he wiggled his eyebrows, pretended to tip his hat, and said, "My lady."

"Gub dambit, Monbey! Get obba here!!" Chris was yelling from in between her legs, tickling her.

Cassi started laughing hysterically. One, it tickled. Two, she didn't know why. She should have been embarrassed--or at least modest--but the whole thing just had her laughing until tears streamed from her eyes.

"Don't lab ab me," Chris said into her, making eyes at her from just above her.

Her abs hurt she was laughing so much. He grabbed her legs tighter and went back to what he was doing, and soon her screams of laughter turned into those of pleasure again. She ran her hands through his hair and focused on the waves of orgasms he was giving her. She shook and pulled back slightly, sensitive from cumming, but he pulled her back down, sending aftershocks through her so long they flowed right into another orgasm.

"Ffuuuuuu..." She moved her hips back and forth, accepting her punishment for being overcome--with the giggles. She dipped her clit in and out of his mouth as he reached up and brushed her opening with his thumb. She came again, dripping at the thought of having any part of him inside her.​

"Please..." she moaned, breathless, "please let me fuck you." She lifted herself over his arms and shimmied down his torso to find him very willing. She used one hand to steady herself and the other to guide him inside of her.​

"Holy shit," Chris mumbled as she slid down onto him. "You feel as good as you taste," he whispered, placing one hand on her hip and the other on the side of her face, placing the thumb that had just been inside of her right outside of her mouth. She took it in, sucking on it. He closed his eyes, stroking the side of her cheek as she did so.​

She began riding him slowly, knowing that she was only seconds away from another orgasm. Cassi was blessed in that if she was into it, she could always have multiple orgasms, and it seemed the more she had, the easier they would come. She had fucked herself dehydrated on more than one occasion, usually when bored and alone. She had never been comfortable enough to have so many with a man before.​

Cassi's toes curled underneath themselves, and she bit her lip, enjoying the tension. She slowed her movements until she almost stopped riding him, just holding him inside her, milking him with her Kegel muscles. Chris was whimpering beneath her. She released her grip and pushed him deep within her, crying out as he pressed against her cervix. She came and came and came.​

"Stop, fuck..." Chris was begging her, trying to hold her still.​

"I can't..." she rode him hard and deep, cumming all over his cock. She would press against him deep for a beat and then go back to moving her hips back and forth and squeezing him in rhythm with her pelvic muscles. As the tension was building again, she picked up the pace, fucking him hard and rubbing her clit against his pubic hair.​

"Oh my god, Chris..." she scratched at his chest while arching her back and cumming on him again. She continued riding him like this, positively torturing him, using him for her own pleasure. Chris looked like he was in labor, the way he was trying to control his breathing. She would plunge his cock inside her deep and pull it out slow, squeezing it in pulses as she lowered herself back down. Letting her pussy open like a flower when she was close to cumming, and then squeezing tightly again as she rocked back and forth, letting the waves of pleasure roll over her. Chris would go rigid at this, practicing for a Lamaze class, hands on her hips ready to yank her from him at any moment. She rubbed herself hard against him, cumming once more.​

"Ahhh...fuck!" Chris suddenly lifted her up and back, groaning as his cum shot into the space in front of her.​

"Oh!" she said, leaping to put his cock in her mouth and suck the remaining orgasm from him.​

"Holy fucking hell," he cried as he finished in her throat. Chris wanted to explore that part of Cassi further; she took his whole cock in no problem. "Holy fucking shit," he repeated.​

She sucked him dry and licked her lips. "You're fucking amazing," she said to him, smiling.

"For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, which nobody.... ey! Ey! Ey!" The tent was being shaken by more than one set of hands, and they were being serenaded by a chorus of drunken hippies, making sexual sounds and gestures.​

"Fuck off!" Chris cried out, "go to bed, you idiots."​

"Never!" one cried, gaining a jovial reaction from the others. She saw a shadow that resembled a man doing a helicopter with his penis on one side of the tent; another wall was being humped by two others. Another was using a tree to pantomime fellatio and making gagging noises.​

Cassi had crawled onto Chris and covered them with the covers. It felt like they would be riding out another storm together. They heard the tent unzip again.​

"Come on, man," Chris groaned, sticking his head out. The same man, who went by Monkey apparently, stuck his head back in and cleared his throat.​

"Hello, miss. I'd like to welcome you to our humble abode. Would you like a glass of champagne? Bit of nosh?" He waved the bottle of whiskey in, the amber liquid sloshing in the bottle, and then waggled the orange juice once he regained his balance and pulled up his pants. "Breakfast of champions!" he burped.​

Cassi flipped the covers off her head and darted her hand out like a trained jungle cat and snatched the bottle of whiskey from Monkey's hand. She sat up, straddling Chris and smiling.​

"Hmm?" she said, first offering him the bourbon.​

"Ladies first," he said gallantly.

She put the bottle to her lips and tilted her head back as the caramel liquid poured into her throat. She reached out her hand in a clamping motion, crab-pinching the air in the direction of the OJ. Monkey passed her the juice, his jaw slack.

She stopped drinking and handed the bottle to Chris.

"Sorry babe, I was thirsty. Did I save you enough?" There was about two fingers' worth left in the handle. There had been more than twice that when Monkey had so rudely interrupted them. She sipped the OJ delicately. "Mmm," she said, looking over at Monkey, still completely naked. "That is good. Thanks, Monkey, is it? Such hospitality." She bowed slightly, then slid off Chris and lay tits-up beside him. "What a great start to the day!"

Chris stared at Monkey, smirking. Monkey stared at her, then at his now empty liquor bottle.

"Heyyyy! You drank all the rum! You damn bum, ya drank all the rum!" He thrashed about at the entrance of the tent for a moment. Then he saw her dress lying there. "This-- is now mine," he swooped it up and ducked out of the tent as quickly as he had come in. "Guys, he's got himself a baddie in there, nice rack, no lies! Lucky man, good man, good man. But...! We are now out of whiskey. Never fear! I have a new dress...!" His voice faded as the lot of them went off on their next adventure.

"So, your friends seem nice," Cassi said. She was lying on the floor, playing with her nipples and smirking at him.

"He'll bring your dress back. I'm sorry, I have something you can wear. I should have gotten it. I'm sorry," he started.

She laughed. "I don't care. I was drunk from all the orgasms you gave me, and then I chugged whiskey on an empty stomach... I don't care about much." She laughed again. "Ohh... biscuits and gravy!"

"Yeah, food is a good idea, and maybe a nice dip in the river," Chris said.

"Ohh yeah... water would feel sooo good," she said, eyes half-closed.

"Let's do food first though, huh?" he smiled. She nodded without opening her eyes.

"Will these work? With a belt? Or... maybe some string...?" he handed her some cargo shorts and then, slowly, found a faded Grateful Dead tee shirt. "This is one of my favorite shirts though, so I'm going to need it back..." he set it on the air mattress.

"Oh! Pockets!" she cried as she put on the shorts that went far past her knees. She was 5'8", he maybe 6'2", 6'3". "Boys have the best pockets," she twirled in his pants, stumbling slightly. "Whaddya think?"

"I think we'll get free biscuits and gravy if you go out there like that," he said.

She pushed her arms out, posing topless, her breasts jutting out daringly under their own weight, her nipples small but erect.

"Yeah? Ya think?" Cassi tilted her head and shrugged. "I'll take one for the team."

Chris pinched his eyebrows together at the comment and helped to gently pull his shirt over her head, caressing her body softly while he helped her slip her arms into it.

"I can buy my lady biscuits and gravy." When her head popped up through the neck hole, he pulled her hair out lovingly. She looked like she was about to cry. She bit her lip, staring at him.

"What's wrong?? Go topless if you want, I'm not trying to stop you!" Chris said, putting his hands in the air.

"No," she said with an airiness in her voice. "Sorry, I... I don't know. Thanks." Why did it feel so unnatural to be cared for in a basic way? Everything he did just seemed intentional, tender. Her lip was quivering. "Chris, I..."

He pulled her close, kissing her head.

"Come on, my little whiskey kitten, let's get some carbohydrates and water in you," he interlaced his fingers with hers and led them out of the tent.

The fresh air felt amazing. The tent had gotten warm as soon as the sun had risen, and now it was positively muggy with sex. They both took a deep breath and looked around. Cassi jumped up and down, testing her makeshift belt and examining all her pockets. Chris heard her mumbling about stealing them and shopping in the men's department from now on. He shook his head. Goddamn, she was adorable.

"This shirt is really soft," Cassi stated, running her hands on it.

"Nope," Chris said, shaking his head firmly. Something stormy crossed his face.

"Nope?" Cassi asked, dancing along, exploring the movement of her new clothes, enjoying the company of him and the sunshine of the day.

"Nope," Chris repeated. "I've lost too many of my favorite shirts. You girls steal them and don't give them back! And hats, why the hats? I love that shirt. I want it back," he finished the sentence firmly.

Cassi felt her body flush with jealousy. Who were these girls, stealing his hats and clothes? How many women had lost their clothing in his presence? She looked up at him and could understand why that number could be high--he was handsome, confident, tall, kind. But why couldn't she borrow it? Didn't he want to see her again? She suddenly felt wildly insecure and dropped his hand.

"Yeah. Of course," Cassi stammered. "I just need to get my dress back from your friend or get to my tent, and I'll be out," she said the last bit curtly, baiting him, whether she was conscious of it or not.

He missed the shift in her energy because they had made it to Shakedown Street. Chris was already waving at people and looking for the truck that had breakfast this late. A couple of people had already clapped him on the back; Cassi wondered if they were part of Monkey's tribe. There was a distance growing between them; he was back in his element, comfortable, cool, and she felt like an outsider, a dirty one-night stand, another notch in his belt.

"Do you want coffee?" Chris asked her.

"No," Cassi said, feeling dejected. She wanted to get out of there. She felt ridiculous for letting herself get so comfortable so quickly. She began tapping her hand on her leg and bouncing her foot. She had no right to be jealous. She had been trying to tell him all morning that she had come here with somebody else. She just hadn't wanted to. She didn't want to hurt him, and she really liked him. She had tricked herself into thinking he was different. Of course he's not, she thought. She met him at a festival, for fuck's sake.

Chris stood in line for breakfast when a girl approached and playfully slapped his ass. They hugged, and Cassi stepped back. He seemed to know everyone. While the girl and Chris talked to someone else, she slipped her arm around his waist, and Chris draped his arm over her shoulders, as if they had known each other forever. Maybe that was just his vibe. If she hadn't been feeling so damn insecure, it might have been sexy.

Cassi fell back further and began chewing on her thumb. It took a while for Chris to realize Cassi wasn't beside him. Cassi didn't know why, but when he began to turn in circles looking for her, she hid behind a tree. She waited for him to call her name, but he didn't. He kept looking around, but when the food came up, he shrugged and offered Cassi's plate to the sexy, dreadlocked woman, who crinkled her nose at the sausage gravy. He shook his head and shrugged, and then the woman hooked her elbow in his, and they walked away. Cassi's eyes filled with tears. She took off in the other direction, thinking, "Guess I am keeping your shirt, asshole."

At the bottom of Buzzkill Hill, Cassi stopped. What am I doing? she thought. She started walking back up, back towards Chris. She stopped, began walking back down. She decided she would just talk to him about it, spun, and headed back up the hill. Halfway up, she turned again. Nope, he had a girlfriend. Or something. He's a player. And you came here with somebody. She trudged back down, stopped.

"Ugh!!" Cassi yelled, kicking her feet and looking back and forth, trying to make up her mind.

"Hi there..." someone from the medic tent had taken notice of her. "Are you okay? Are you lost? Do you remember what you took?" he approached her slowly, like a man who had dealt with mentally unstable people a lot in his life.

"No, no..." she waved him off, "I'm not tripping. Well, I am, like trippin', ya know..." she laughed to herself, shaking her head. "Oh, that is probably not helping," she mumbled to herself, cracking herself up more.

He nodded, whatever you say, crazy lady. Just be cool.

"Not off drugs. Like I am trippin', ya know? Just from a dude, okay? Trippin', not like, TRIPPING. I can handle my shit. Damn. I'm fine. I'm fine!" she shouted the last part as the medic had gotten too close for her comfort.

"Cassi? Oh my god, there you are!" Another voice came from the medical tent. A familiar one.

Shit, she thought. Well, that decides that.

"Cassi! Whose clothes are you wearing? What the hell happened? Are you okay?" The guy who had invited her this weekend was standing there. She looked at him and immediately felt bored and couldn't think of his name. She glanced over her shoulder, yearning to be back up there eating biscuits and gravy with Chris's arm around her. But his arm was around someone else already, she scolded herself. Her heart sank at the thought. She shook it away; it was just a fling, a one-night stand.

Cassi gave "not-Chris" a weak smile and nodded along to his story about the storm. She tucked her face into the shirt Chris liked so much, breathing in the smoky, peppery scent and holding back tears. She vowed never to wash or return it.