The Cabin on The Blue

He nodded wordlessly, and Rachel rolled her eyes as she walked past him, pulling on one of his hoodies over her clothing as she made her way to the tiny laundry room that was housed on the enclosed back porch. When she returned, she hung the items of clothing from the hooks embedded in the wall near the stove, filled and put on the kettle, then sat at the kitchen table with a book. She could feel his eyes on her while he worked, but she kept her face buried on the page. John busied himself with finishing dinner, but she knew he was pausing from time to time to look at her.

"Dinner's ready," John announced, setting a small bowl of rabbit stew in front of each of them. He slid a sectioned platter into the center of the table, steaming chunks of squash on one side and pieces of flatbread on the other. "I made a lot of stew. You can have more if you want and we'll still have enough for leftovers," he said, dipping a piece of flatbread into his bowl.

"Thanks," Rachel said, throwing him a smile.

He paused, as though he had been expecting a different reaction. "Sure."

They ate in silence for a while. The stew was still very hot, so Rachel focused primarily on the squash - and following John's example of soaking her flatbread in the savory broth.

"It's been getting colder," Rachel noted.

John nodded. "Almanac says we'll have frost within a week. I spent a lot of time planting winter crops this year, so we should be fine."

"What kind of crops?" Rachel asked.

"Root vegetables, greens, beans, peas, and wheat," he shrugged. " Nothing fancy."

"It's food. It's plenty fancy," she smiled.

"Winter will have us a bit leaner on protein on the ol' homestead, at least the fresh stuff, but we've got lots of beans and lentils. Nuts and seeds. The oils will do us good. We get most of our oil from fish now, but there's less fish too."

"We should both sleep in the bed," Rachel said quietly, looking down at her dinner. She could almost hear him start. "It's big enough, and we'll go through less firewood." John was looking at her from across the table, and she met his eyes as she carefully blew on a piping hot piece of orange autumn squash. "Does the idea of heat conservation offend you?"

"No." John smirked at her. "I just- Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't see why not. We're both adults and we can set down rules that everyone is comfortable with." Rachel said, taking a spoonful of the stew.

He cocked his head to the side. "...Rules?"

"Yes," Rachel replied. "I remember some of what happened last time, and- well, I think it's smart to be careful."

"Okay...What sorts of rules?" John narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful. "The kissing - was that a one time thing?"

"Oh, I hope not," she replied instantly, then clapped her mouth closed, dismayed.

He smiled, obviously pleased. "Tell me what you have in mind."

"Ummmm..." She pushed her hair behind her ear, fidgeting. "Well, in undergrad, we called it 'dry humping rules'. So no sex. Everyone keeps their pants on but everything else is allowed." Rachel paused, staring at him. While she had been speaking, his face had grown more and more confused.

"No...sex," He raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "No sex?"

"Well...umm, yeah," Rachel said, taking in his reaction. "For now, anyway."

John rubbed his hand over his face, nonplussed, and leaned back in his chair, staring off into space. "I can feel you watching me while I work."

"Okay," Rachel said, her brown skin flushing. "What's your point?"

"Why?"

Rachel blinked at him. "Well...You're usually half naked. And you look like that."

He looked down at himself as if he didn't know what he looked like, and Rachel shook her head in annoyance.

"You like to watch me work...because you find me attractive?" John asked, bemused.

"And?" Rachel replied crossly. "This is news? We answered that question when I was practically in a coma and I tried to have my way with you. And also, you have fucking mirrors and working eyes."

"Right," John raised his eyebrows at her vehemence, and she felt the color rising in her cheeks. "But...you don't want to have sex with me?"

"Oh my god," Rachel sighed, burying her head in her hands. "I- you know, I do, uh-"

"I would really like to be able to understand what you're saying right now. Can you move your hands?" John asked, direct as usual.

Rachel slapped her hands down on the table, glaring at him defiantly as he shook his head at her outburst. It only annoyed her more. Why did he have to be so mature all the time? "There are other concerns besides what I want to do. Like pregnancy. And, you know, to be honest, we barely know each other." But I would absolutely fuck you if we had some sort of preventative, breaking eye contact as the thought popped into her head. Her birth control implant had run dry nearly a year before, and she had been effectively celibate for some time even before then anyway. The end of the world as she knew it had been harrowing.

John chuckled. "You're overthinking it."

"I'm overthinking getting pregnant? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What do you think, I'd kick you out if you got pregnant?"

"I don't know you, John!" Rachel snapped at him. He looked taken aback, but she plowed onward. "And you're not the one who would have to be pregnant and push out a baby without medical personnel or drugs. A baby is not nothing! " John looked at her over long, steepled fingers, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Look, if you don't want to agree to my terms, fine! I can-"

"I agree to your terms," John said immediately.

"Oh." Rachel blinked at him, settling back into her chair as she calmed. "Well, okay. Thank you." He inclined his head at her, and a warm, shy smile split her face.

John smiled back at her. It wasn't difficult - looking at Rachel usually made him want to smile. She was a lovely young woman, with golden amber eyes, delicate features, and a petite, appealing, hourglass figure. Women had always been uncommon in these parts, and beautiful, shapely ones even rarer. If he was being honest with himself, he knew that he would have agreed to almost anything she wanted. He had been intrigued by Rachel from the moment she had collapsed on his riverbank.

Rural, off the grid living was fulfilling, but it could be lonely even during the best times. This area had always been sparsely populated, even before the relatively recent City Riots and Wars. Most of the residents were migrant workers - single men who worked seasonally and travelled to nearby towns to spend their hard-earned cash on assorted pleasures, or family men who sat around fire pits at night with their wives and families; half of the landowners were his relatives. John had learned at a young age that it was a combination that made for slim pickings in the romantic arena.

John had spent every summer vacation at the cabin under the care of his grandparents. He helped his grandparents with chores, swam in the river with his cousins and friends, worked for pocket money at local farms and homes, and drank moonshine in abandoned sheds with other youths. He had spent an extra week there after his grandfather died, helping his newly widowed grandmother until she had lovingly shooed him away. "You'll not be missing any schooling on my account," she scolded him, handing over a bag of freshly baked cookies for his ride back to civilization with his parents.

And then, one summer, his parents had died of the Antarctican Ice Core Flu. It had swept through the cities, but completely avoided Blue County. He stayed with his grandmother from then until he left for college several years later, using some of the money from his parents' life insurance policies to pay for his tuition and expenses, as well as working part time. He interned during the summers, networking and building his experience. Upon graduation, John was able to land a good job in his field, software development, and rented a guest house from an elderly retired couple that reminded him of his grandparents. He helped them out with various chores in exchange for a reduction in rent, and he joined them for dinner most Sundays.

And then he abruptly became a property owner; his grandmother had left him the cabin in her will. For some time after he had inherited it, his younger cousin Katie had been the caretaker of the property. It had been a good partnership for both parties. Nineteen year old Katie had been a waitress at Sugar's, the area diner and bar. She was eager to get some much needed space from her family, but still needed to save up every spare dollar for school. John, who was mostly concerned about having a responsible, trustworthy person around, was more than happy to let her stay at the cabin rent-free in exchange for looking after the place. She sent him thank you cards after every harvest, thankful for the mounds of extra produce that she was able to sell and trade; John was able to settle into his career, confident that the place was being properly looked after.

Several years later, John was ready for the peace and quiet of life along the Blue, and his cousin was ready to move away from it. He had lived quite frugally while in the city; between his personal savings and the remaining life insurance money, he had a healthy nest egg, and more than enough money to cover the minimal expenses he would have in Blue County.

He settled into the place, upgrading and modernizing the cabin here and there. He had upgraded his internet service almost immediately, wondering how Katie had managed with the much slower internet subscription she had had. To keep himself mentally stimulated, John continued working took on remote consulting work from time to time, all done online.

John had discovered that little had changed in the rest of Blue County: all of the women he encountered were either taken, too young, horribly unattractive or some mixture. He made his way once a week or so to the 'nearby' bars or lounges, a trip that still took over an hour one way. The inconvenience was well worth it for the increase in options. Tall, attractive and charming, John never had a hard time meeting women who were willing to invite him home with them.

The political and social climate began to change shortly afterwards, and the entire country was quickly thrust into chaos. His business dried up quickly; there was little need for software consulting work when the economy was tanking. When the Wars began, almost all of the men in the area joined the local militia, migrants and long term residents alike, enticed by the promises of money and glory. John rode along with the others - he had no interest in fighting his countrymen, but he felt he had an obligation to do something. He decided to offer his skills as a medic.

The medical tents were understaffed, and once the senior doctor and nurse discovered his experience and knowledge they assigned him more responsibilities. The carnage he witnessed during those weeks was tremendous, giving him a crash course in trauma care - and enough to fuel several years of nightmares. In addition, one of the junior field officers made it his mission to recruit John as a fighter, telling him that his size and strength was being wasted in the hospital tents. The combined stress sent him riding out under cover of darkness. By the time he had returned home, everyone was gone, and most of the farmhouses showed signs of attack - broken windows and doors, scorch marks from fires, designed to force hiding prey into the light.

With nearly all of the able-bodied men away fighting, the few remaining - women, children, elderly - had been discovered as easy prey, and as scattered as the houses were, there were no warning screams for the others...

John pushed those memories aside. He would rather focus on the present.

He had lucked up into a wonderful and surreal situation: living with a gorgeous young woman who was also feisty, capable and winsome. John had plenty of magnetism himself - even if it was a bit rusty, nowadays, having had no humans to sharpen it upon - and since she was clearly attracted to him he had little doubt that she would soon change her mind about her 'no sex' terms. Adding in the horrible fact that the population was even sparser now - he hadn't seen another living person in well over a year, and he wasn't sure how long it had been since he had seen a woman - he wasn't going to push anything. Yet.

Besides, he understood her reluctance. One night stands were one thing, but their current situation was much more complicated. John had been respectful while caring for Rachel in her less than lucid state. But when he pulled off her soaking wet clothing to warm her chilled body and tend to her wounds, he was abruptly reminded that he had never practiced or worked on a woman's undressed form during the years he had spent learning field medicine or volunteering. At night, it had been impossible to push out the thoughts of her body. His lovely house guest had been the star of every sexual fantasy he had had in recent weeks. His smile broadened; he could already envision having her luscious little body underneath of him. "You want to go to bed and make out?"

Rachel's eyes widened, and she ducked her head down, blushing furiously. "Ummm," she began, chewing her lip, "I- we cannot do that. We could...make out on the couch, and then go to bed. But separately, because, you know...."

He smirked at her. "Alright," he drawled, offering her his hand. "Come here." She accepted, and John pulled her close to him, pressing his lips to hers. Although he was still seated, he was so tall that she could kiss him without having to bend down. John grabbed her waist, pulling her into his lap again as he kissed her, lightly running his hands over her body. She felt oddly nervous, but warmed up to his touch quickly. Being so close to his warmth was intoxicating. He cupped her ass in one hand while running the other slowly underneath her shirt, as he delighted in the flat planes of her stomach. Rachel shuddered, pressing her face into his neck and nipping him slightly as she wriggled in his lap. He reached both hands up, eager to cup her sweet, perky breasts. Rachel gasped as he fondled her, and John moved back to capture her mouth again as his fingertips caught her nipples, gently teasing the hardening tips. His fingers were calloused from labor, adding an extra dimension to the feeling. His cock jumped as she moaned in pleasure, instinctively grinding against him.

With regret, John gently disentangled his mouth from hers. "I don't think," John said slowly, "that we should keep going. Even though I sorely want to," he added, rubbing his face along the soft skin of her neck. "I just know that I'll have an even more difficult time stopping if things go any further right now."

"Yeah, uh, yes," Rachel replied, her breathing hard. "We should, um, stop. Yeah," she repeated, as she reluctantly extricated herself and stood.

John stared at the ceiling for a long moment before nodding to himself, taking a deep breath in and out. He pushed his chair back before he stood; he wanted as much space between the two of them as possible. "I'm going to check on the animals before bed. I'll see you in a little while?" Rachel nodded as he pulled on a jacket and then headed outside.

"Oh my god," she muttered.. Rachel ran her hands through her hair, trying to compose herself. She couldn't believe how turned on she was, and they hadn't even been making out for that long. Apparently that was what happened when you kissed a delicious smelling, ruggedly beautiful man after month and months and months of celibacy.

It was going to be very, very difficult not to have sex with John.

Rachel hurried to the bathroom, determined to be in bed before John returned. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and rubbed a few precious drops of moisturizer over her face. She secured her long dark curls into a knot for sleeping as she stood in front of the mirror, looking over the t-shirt and sweatpants she wore. They were rather unsuggestive as clothing went, but she was pretty sure John knew what a woman had under her clothing, especially if that woman was one that he had been caring for on his own for a number of days. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that he'd probably seen her naked. More than once.

She frowned at her reflection. Perhaps she had been overly harsh with John earlier. It wasn't entirely fair to say that she didn't know him. After all, they were spending their days working as a team - even when they weren't working side by side. He was hard-working, dependable and appreciative of her efforts. He had saved her life - likely twice over. He had taken care of the man who had been after her, watched over her while she had convalesced, and had been the paragon of a chivalrous, charitable host.

Then she heard Beth's voice in her head. They all want the same thing, but they get there differently. Just because John hadn't taken advantage of her while she was ailing and incapacitated didn't mean he was a saint. Some men would prefer a lively, conscious woman, strong enough to resist and fight back.

Rachel groaned, frustrated. Paranoia could be healthy, but not if you saw enemies even in the face of your friends. The trick was knowing the difference - before it was too late.

She massaged her temples, forcing herself to take calming breaths. If she was in bed before John returned, she could at least pretend to be asleep and avoid any further awkwardness or temptation before morning. She climbed into bed, pulled the warm covers up to her neck and closed her eyes. Rachel fell asleep faster than she had expected.

A short while later she woke to hear water running in the bathroom and realized that John was taking a shower. He had entered the bathroom from the main room of the cabin instead of coming in through the bedroom. Odd, she thought as she drifted back to sleep. She had never known John to shower at night, though it was possible that her arrival had disrupted his usual routine and he was simply getting back into his old habits.

On the other side of the wall, John had just finished relieving himself, braced against the shower wall as he unloaded his heavy and overly full balls. He still didn't feel entirely sated, so he switched to a much needed cold shower. The chilly water helped, but it wasn't as though John was new to taking cold showers. The cabin's hot water had been much less reliable before he had installed the solar paneled system.

When he slid into the bed, Rachel stirred slightly, snuggling into the warmth of his body as he settled beside her. John wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close, burying his head in her hair before falling asleep.

When she woke in the morning, John was gone, the cabin smelled like bread, and she had lost her hair tie at some point in the night, leaving her hair loose and tumbling over her shoulders. Rachel ran her hand over the other side of the bed; the sheets were still somewhat warm, so he hadn't been gone for very long. She stretched contentedly, smiling. Sharing the bed with John had been cozy and pleasant, and she had really enjoyed the feel of his strong, virile form beside her.

The door opened and John leaned in, catching her in the middle of a very thorough stretch. He paused, staring down at her, and Rachel realized that she had lost most of the blanket, baring her firm lower belly. The position of her arms thrust out her chest prominently, the cool air in the bedroom had stiffened her nipples as soon as they had left the warmth of the covers, and her long flowing curls completed the sensual image. John licked his lips reflexively as his eyes wandered over her and she felt her face flush.

"Hi," Rachel said awkwardly, sitting up.