5. Arlo

Chapter 5

Arlo

The idea of accepting help didn't sit well with Arlo. He was fiercely independent and liked to do everything for himself. And the fact that he was seemingly now agreeing to take help from a total stranger was adding to Arlo's feeling of discomfort.

Axel might have been all kinds of hot, but he was still a stranger who had appeared out of nowhere. And Axel did come over as awfully sure of himself too. Arlo had only known him for a matter of moments, but he was already feeling the need to kick back against his somewhat bossy demeanor.

‘This tent has never let me down before,' Arlo said as he gathered the largely torn remnants to go with what was left of the main structure. ‘If these repair people are up to the job I'll be expecting a totally dry and leak-free night.'

‘ Uh-huh ,' Axel replied, a slightly impatient tone in his voice. ‘Like I say, they're great. I'm talking from personal experience. You can trust me on that. '

‘Trust you?' Arlo asked. ‘I met you a couple of minutes ago. I know you like swimming in your Speedos but that's about it.'

‘I could say the same for you,' Axel retorted. ‘And yet here I am, stepping in to help.'

Arlo didn't respond. Axel kind of did have a point after all. But there was no way that Arlo was going to give him the satisfaction and concede any ground. Not yet anyway.

‘Okay, I want to be back on camp by tonight,' Arlo declared. ‘We'd better get walking.'

Axel nodded and offered his hand out to take one of Arlo's bags.

‘I'm good, don't worry about me,' Arlo replied, proudly hooking his second bag over his shoulder and marching ahead of Axel. ‘If anything, I'm worried whether you can keep pace with me.'

With that, Arlo walked ahead of Axel until he realized that there was no one following behind him. When he turned around, Arlo could see Axel and his dog standing next to one another, the pair of them looking rather too pleased with themselves.

‘I know a shortcut,' Axel chuckled. ‘It's time to let me lead. And I'm not asking either. I'm telling. Let's move.'

Arlo felt his cheeks flush beetroot with frustration.

Despite the fact that the last thing Arlo wanted was to be taking orders from Axel, he knew that he probably did know all the shortcuts. Axel was clearly a local man, and while it might not have felt good to take orders from him, Arlo had little choice but to follow along if it meant his tent would be fixed quicker.

‘Fine,' Arlo said, biting his bottom lip. ‘And what's the dog's name? He's… kinda cool.'

‘Oh, that's Laser,' Axel said, his eyes lighting up. ‘There isn't a man or beast who knows these forests and mountains better than him. Don't worry, we're in great hands. Or should that be paws?'

‘Whatever,' Arlo replied, refusing to acknowledge Axel's little joke despite actually feeling like he wanted to smile. ‘Let's move.'

With that, Arlo reluctantly allowed Axel and his dog to take the lead and soon enough they were walking through the forest and on their way into town.

As they walked, there wasn't too much conversation. But Arlo had to admit that Laser the dog was super cool, despite his uptight owner…

‘So how does a guy like you have such an awesome dog?' Arlo asked, deliberately trying to push Axel's buttons as they walked a few paces away from one another.

‘I don't know what you mean,' Axel replied, not rising to the bait. ‘And I thought you wanted to get your tent fixed as quickly as possible. Less talk, more walk.'

Arlo rolled his eyes and continued to move in time with Axel as Laser zoomed ahead.

It was by no means a certainty, but Arlo was picking up very strong Daddy vibes from Axel. He might be a little awkward when it came to conversation, and he sure as hell wasn't overly enthusiastic or cheerful, but Axel's overall demeanor was very Daddy-esque.

Axel was gruff, a little brusque, and he clearly liked being in charge.

Physically, Arlo was still trying his best to put the memory of Axel in his revealing Speedos out of his mind. But that was proving rather difficult. Axel might have put his t-shirt back on after arriving at the camp shirtless, but Arlo's mind was overflowing with crystal clear images of Axel's bare chest, his strong legs, and of course the sizeable junk that very much appeared to be residing between his legs.

In fact, Arlo's cock was tingling with excitement and making its feelings on Axel's masterfully put together body more than clear…

Urgh. Just calm down Arlo!

No more thoughts of Axel's big Daddy dick.

Or anything to do with his body! Argh!

Arlo shook his head to break himself out of his horniness and decided that the best way of avoiding any more thoughts of Axel was to run ahead of him and try to keep pace with Laser.

‘I'm running ahead, try not to be too slow,' Arlo said, flashing Axel a look before calling ahead for an excited Laser. ‘See you at the truck, slowcoach.'

The sooner Arlo was in town, the better…

After dropping the tent off for repair in town, Arlo had agreed to head back to Axel's place to allow him to unpack his truck and give Laser his food.

Arlo might not have been super-enamored to be spending too much time with Axel, but there was absolutely no way he was going to keep Laser from his much deserved snacks.

‘He's a cool dog,' Arlo said, kicking his heels and looking around the inside of Axel's smart townhouse. ‘This place is fine too, I guess.'

‘It's home,' Axel replied, opening the back door so that Laser could head out into the garden when he was done crunching on his dog biscuits. ‘I bought it a few years back. It was a real doer upper. Us tree surgeons aren't exactly millionaires, so I needed something cheap I could gradually transform. I'm happy with it.'

‘You should be, it's actually kinda great,' Arlo said, his harsh stance on Axel easing off as he saw how proud he was of his home. ‘And… you're a tree surgeon?'

‘Yup,' Axel said, handing Arlo a tall glass of water. ‘You can't beat the outdoors. Even in the coldest winters, I'd rather be out in nature and offering a helping hand to keep trees healthy than stuck indoors all day. Maybe I sound crazy…'

‘No, you don't,' Arlo replied, blushing a little as the pair of them held eye contact for a moment. ‘I'm the same. I'd never want to be sitting down looking at a screen all day. Yuck . No thank you!'

‘Hey I guess we're not all that different,' Axel said, before suddenly turning away and busying himself over by the kitchen cupboard. ‘Want to help me unpack this stuff?'

As Arlo helped Axel restock his cupboard with cans of beans, lentils, and other long-life products, he noticed that his kitchen was generally very well stocked with all kinds of fresh produce too.

‘You're hungry,' Axel said, evidently noticing the look on Arlo's face as he eyed up the potatoes, vegetables, and various condiments that were all on display. ‘Let me make some food for you. I mean, for us. I'm actually pretty damn hungry myself.'

‘Well… I don't know…' Arlo said, part of him not wanting to accept yet another favor from Axel, but also at the same time totally unable to deny just how hungry he was.

‘I'll take that as a yes,' Axel chuckled. ‘But don't think you'll be getting an easy ride in all this. I fully expect you to be on chopping and slicing duty too. Here, start with peeling and chopping these carrots.'

Arlo giggled and happily took the peeler from Axel and set to work on his duties. This felt less like accepting a free meal and more like working for his dinner. And Arlo was cool with that.

And as the time passed and the food prep turned into devouring the vegetable stew, Arlo and Axel both relaxed into one another's company. Arlo even began to tell Axel about his military background, albeit without going into detail over the unfortunate situation that led to his exit .

‘Well thank you for your service,' Axel said, taking a sip on his small glass of red wine. ‘That was an amazing thing you did. You should feel very proud of yourself.'

‘Thanks,' Arlo replied, suddenly feeling shy and submissive as he accepted Axel's praise. ‘That means a lot. I mean, it always does when someone says that.'

‘So… what does the future hold?' Axel asked, stroking Laser as he walked past and took his place in front of the now roaring wood burner.

‘I don't know,' Arlo answered, genuinely not knowing the answer himself. ‘I've got some things to tie up. Loose ends. But once that's done, I think I'll need to work something out. I've been enjoying travelling around and living the camping life. But I know I probably can't do that forever.'

Arlo could tell that Axel was listening to him and taking in what he was saying. It felt good to talk to a man who wasn't just out for what he could get from him, or looking for some kind of angle to seduce him. Despite his initial misgivings, it was becoming clear to Arlo that Axel might actually be a decent guy after all.

‘Did you always know that you wanted to be a tree surgeon?' Arlo asked, finishing off his glass of wine and carefully placing it on the little table next to the couch. ‘It sounds fun. Hard work, but definitely fun.'

‘Now there's a question…' Axel chuckled. ‘I guess I didn't always know. I think like a lot of my friends I grew up wanting to be a football player or astronaut or secret agent. You know, those totally normal jobs. But while being a tree surgeon isn't as glamorous, I'm pretty contented with my choice. '

‘That's good,' Arlo said, a wistful tone in his voice as he felt the wine warm his insides. ‘That must be a really great feeling.'

The conversation was flowing between them, and Arlo very quickly forgot all about the tent repair and his desire to head back to the camp that evening.

‘Here, put this blanket on,' Axel said, noticing that Arlo was beginning to fall asleep as the pair of them sat on opposite couches in the living area.

‘Thanks,' Arlo said, suddenly realizing just how exhausted he was. ‘I'll just shut my eyes for a minute.'

‘I'm that boring, huh ?' Axel joked. ‘No, I get it. You've been through a lot today. Close your eyes for a minute while I take Laser out for his bedtime walk. I'll be back in five.'

And with that, Axel got up and him and Laser made their way out of the house.

‘He's really not all bad…' Arlo whispered to himself as he heard the front door shut.

With the blanket over his body and his eye lids now feeling heavy, Arlo allowed himself to shut his eyes for just a moment. Arlo wanted to keep the conversation going when Axel returned, so was determined not to fall asleep.

Or that was the plan at least…

When Arlo opened his eyes, he let out a groan. With the sound of Axel's coffee machine chugging and whirring and Laser's tail wafting past his face, Arlo was experiencing a very different kind of wake up call to the normal sunrise that he had gotten used to recently.

‘What time is it?' Arlo asked, rubbing his eyes.

‘Wake up time!' Axel laughed. ‘Coffee? Or are you more of an OJ boy?'

‘OJ, thanks,' Arlo said, suddenly realizing that Sass was tucked under his arm.

Wait… I didn't take Sass out of my bag.

So how did he…

Axel must have put him there.

Arlo blushed as he realized that Axel had probably arrived back from his final walk with Laser and found him fast asleep, probably snoring his Little heart out. Suddenly the notion that Axel might be a Daddy was seeming more and more likely. If he'd seen Sass and assumed that Arlo slept with him every night, then the chances are that he knew he was a Little too.

Before Arlo knew what was going on, his mind was running wild with the thought of having been tucked up and put to bed by a Daddy. And now here he was, in his house, and getting ready to receive a freshly squeezed glass of OJ…

‘Thanks, D-' Arlo said, stopping himself from saying the D-word just in time. ‘Thanks, Axel. This is just what I need.'

‘Don't mention it,' Axel smiled, standing over Arlo with an espresso in his hand. ‘I'm thinking we drink these and head into town. Your tent will be ready to pick up soon so why don't we pick up some breakfast in the diner first. That'll set you up for the day and you'll be back up at your campsite before you know it.'

‘Yeah, sounds good,' Arlo replied, trying to hide his disappointment that his time with Axel might be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

As much as Arlo wanted to have his repaired tent back, he knew that this meant he wouldn't be spending another evening with Axel.

Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy whatever time he had left with him – and if that also included some of the diner's apparently delicious pancakes, then that was all the better…