Wayne Gray

@JeffreyL, @chris191070, @droughtquake, @Fae Briona, @GanymedeRex, @Hawgdad, @Rupert, @kbois, @Quixo, @Geemeedee, @KayDeeMac, @Jack Renny Sorry to do this all in one post, but man ... life is insane. Thanks to everybody who commented on the chapter. Shawn definitely came through for Bailey (and Harlan too). The dinner went far smoother thanks to his help. Speaking of dinner ... Harlan and his explanation of his past. That was so fun to write. Some of the commenters were right ... he didn't lie exactly, but he was definitely not transparent either. I personally consider withholding important information needed for a person to make a decision to be an attempt to mislead. Harlan painted a very different picture for Bailey's benefit than what we know to be true. Elias is taking his time with Rayne. Elias was abused, and he has some "rules" that he won't break to make sure he never makes anybody he's with feel the same way. So yes, he's very careful. Thanks everybody for your comments. I do appreciate them.

Thanks, Jack. I try to keep things real, because that’s the only way I feel characters are relatable. I’m glad that comes through!

Thanks for the nice words, everybody. No more drinking for a while. 😬

Do you really want to know who I am? Or do you want the carefully edited version of who I want you to see? Of who I expect you'll want to see? Because the real me? Well, he's doughtful, and questi0oning, and drunk, and scared. And he doesn't really know what tomorrow will bnring. Reality is niot clean or carefully designed. It simply is. And if you can't handle that, then you should unfollow this imperfect vessel. And maybe follow someone who will more careully alighn himselrf with what you expect of an author of stories, tales, and maybe even legends. I'm not that. I'm just me. Ugly, flawed and real. I know ... that's just awfulness wrapped in a pretty bow. If you want a cracked ghem with a tight band of leathe4r wrapped 'round, to hold it all together ... Well, I'm your man...

It was now a little after ten a.m. Bailey and Harlan had spent a few hours of the morning together. First, they'd awoken and had that delicious sex. Then they had breakfast, coffee, and lazed around. Now it neared time for Bailey to set things in motion for their dinner date tonight. Only a few minutes earlier, Harlan had told him that he needed to do some work for his dad, then he'd left for Crescent City. Bailey entered his cabin. He thought for a while about how he wanted things to go

Hi, Stefanlinx. They're far from perfect, but that’s what makes them human. The story was meant to be goofy, but it has some more serious elements running through it. We’re glad you’re enjoying it!

Grant is afraid. He values what he has with both Troy and all of the friends. He's got a lot to lose now. This is something he put off just a bit too long, and now ... well, now he's worried. Thanks for the comment!

First you need some talent for the written word. Second and maybe the biggest thing is: Authors have to improve themselves. I agree entirely. I used to believe everyone could write if only they wanted to. I'm nothing special when it comes to the written word, but I know how to build a story. Which ... turns out is sorta special after all. It took quite a while before I realized that was true. So ... I've got it. That little spark we need to tell a coherent, compelling tale. For anybody with that spark, the second bit is the toughest. Without practice and exposure to that which we want to achieve we'll never improve. It's up to nobody but us. We have to be willing to hear the bad in addition to the good. We have to understand that our talent isn't perfect. It lets us begin the process of storytelling, but it doesn't make us masters of it. That's up to us. And the path to better are all of those things you listed above. Nice post, tim. Thank you.

That’s certainly how they see it.

Thank you, Tyri. I like these characters a lot, and they fit one another well. I’d very much want to meet them all in person - even Georgette!

Thank you, molly. 🙂 I look back at the beginning of this story, at Greg first laying eyes on the campground. I roll around with him as he considers what could be. How the dream grew from his leap of faith to a place where all of these connections were possible. It really became a refuge. I used to not like him much - Greg. He felt sort of plain. But someone once said (paraphrasing here) "He's steady. He's calm, sure, and steady and many times he's the only one who is." And I guess that's true. Sorry ... this is all tangential to your comment. For some reason my brain went back to the beginning when reading it, and it made me think of those first, few moments when the dream became "real." Thanks for the affirmation of how Orson felt relating to Elias moving out. He knows it's good and right, but emotionally ... well, it still hurts. I'm glad I got that right.

OMG ... that sounds awful! lol Nice chapter, tim. I like Smeeth's dedication. It's good to have a friend willing to jump on a boat to come to our rescue!

Thanks, Parker. I thought the title fit too. Man, that moment when the word "Dad" slipped out of Elias's mouth ... frankly, I wondered if it was too much when I first wrote it. Elias has only been with Orson for a year, but he has really grown tremendously. It is almost entirely thanks to Orson that he has. So, I decided that it wasn't too much. That Orson has filled the void left in Elias' heart a father - a Dad would occupy. Good question concerning Elias, Rayne and Huck. Good question indeed. 😄

Isn't that funny? How a little slip in conversation reaffirms Orson's place in Elias' life, right when Orson needed it? They will be fine, because there's just too strong of a connection (and love) there for them not to be. That shell you mention around Harlan is slowly getting peeled back. It's effortless on Bailey's part, too. It's just happening because Bailey is allowing Harlan to explore emotion in a way he never has before. And ... Bailey isn't exactly immune either. 🙂 Thanks for the great comments, Quixo.

It's one of my favorite moments too. I'm really glad it appealed so much. I do think Joseph is right as well; Elias loves Orson, and needs him the way a kid should need his parent. In Elias' life, there has been no more important person than Orson. That little slip, that single word showed it in a way that nothing else could have. Thanks, Fae.

Yes, I'm not a fan of music "shared" when I am not interested in hearing it either! Thanks, tim. And I'll join you in working on ours either after work today or tomorrow. Soon, regardless!

Gotcha, huh? Good. 🙂 Thanks, Geemeedee.

Thanks, Tom. You know, there are all sorts of things going on in the lives of our campers. Change is a constant, and how we deal with that change is the story. I'm having fun too. They're worth knowing, I think.

Thanks, Rupert. That's the goal, really. I want to write relatable, real, and flawed characters dealing with situations any of us might face. It's not always going to be clean or happy, and my characters will royally screw up sometimes. I know some readers really don't like that. But it's just not "real" any other way. I'm happy you like how this one is going. Stay tuned. More's on the way. 🙂

I think it's pretty accurate, no? hehehe. Yeah, Harlan seems to have it so bad for Bailey that others can easily tell. Thanks for the comment, droughtquake!

Thanks, kbois. Harlan does have it bad, and I think it's fun to watch him fall over himself in the process of getting to know Bailey. Huck needs knowledge. He's motivated to get it, so it would have happened regardless ... but having Clay right there, willing to help and familiar with all of the things he's struggling through was a tremendous asset. Looks like the camp is doing what it was designed to do, eh? 🙂 Orson is struggling with the idea of letting go of Elias. Even if he's planning to live just a few hundred feet away, he won't be right there. So there's an adjustment, certainly. I too think Joseph is right; Elias will forever need Orson in some capacity.

Thanks, chris. 🙂 Harlan is different in this light. Unsure, a bit skittish, nervous and even shy. I like him this way. Rayne and Huck are getting on. Clay definitely helped allay fears he had concerning his boy, and he's feeling a bit better about things. Mainly he wants Rayne to be safe and happy, like a dad should. Elias certainly has plans. His slip calling Orson "dad" wasn't planned ... but that just makes it even better; he felt it before he said it. 🙂

Thanks, Jeffrey! He has come so far. Orson gave him a safe place to grow and become the person he's meant to be, and so I do think you're right. "Dad" was okay. Orson earned that. He might have some adjusting to do in terms of Elias' push for independence, but with help he'll get there.

Harlan watched Bailey as he ate. An offhand portion of his brain noted that Greg observed them, but he eliminated that as any sort of threat. Despite his earlier suspicions, Greg and Clay didn't seem interested in Bailey—not sexually at least. Bailey glanced at Harlan as he put a spoonful of the delicious beef stroganoff into his mouth. He chewed and smiled. A cocked smile appeared on Harlan's face, then he looked back down at his own bowl. He resumed eating, enjoying the warmth of Baile

Thank you, Parker. There really is a lot going on for all of these guys. Bailey, Rayne, and Huck are new to this story, but they’re beginning to mesh and fit with those already at the camp in different ways. Elias and Orson are a special case, I think. I like writing the changes in their relationship. There’s more coming for them. Let’s see if you’re right. 🙂