New Intimacy

Please note: This story is a continuous, multi-chapter narrative. You can find the correct order in the right sidebar. All texts were originally written in German and translated into English using AI. I asked the AI to preserve the original stylistic flair wherever possible.   The drive didn’t last long before the vehicle stopped, and Ebram heard both doors open and close again. Abby’s voice rang out: “I’ll get the doctor.” Then another voice—one Ebram hadn’t expected to hear: Bernard. “No, I’ll get him.”
Ebram threw back the blanket and sat up. He blinked, adjusting to the dim light around him, and looked toward Bernard’s voice. The foreman was pulling on a pair of trousers, his body still smeared with red paint, though he didn’t seem to care. He straightened to fasten the waistband just as their eyes met—and froze.
“Ebram, I… I’m sorry… I mean, for the punch.” His gaze was searching, apologetic.
Ebram had heard the words but hadn’t understood them. He was still trying to grasp why Bernard was here. Slowly, the realization dawned: Bernard had never been one of the cultists. He’d played along—to save him. So had Abby, whom he now saw in a completely different light. Bernard stepped closer, watching him carefully. “Ebram? Are you alright?” he asked, concern in his voice.
With the realization came awareness, and Ebram nodded slowly. “Yes… I think so. I just need a moment to process.” He tried to smile.
He watched Bernard walk around the truck to the tailgate, open it, and gesture for him to climb down. Ebram shuffled forward with the blanket, then slid awkwardly onto the forest floor, his legs still shaky. They stood facing each other: Bernard—tall, broad-shouldered, barefoot, blood-smeared, wearing only trousers. And Ebram—neatly dressed in shirt and tie, tweed vest and slacks, though dirty and torn at the knees.
They looked at each other—Bernard’s eyes asking for forgiveness, Ebram’s filled with admiration and gratitude. A quiet tension hung in the air.
Without a word, Bernard pulled Ebram into an embrace. Ebram stiffened at first, ready to resist—but something held him back. Slowly, cautiously, as if it might be dangerous, he returned the hug. His hands rested on Bernard’s back, feeling the muscles beneath the skin, the warmth—and the goosebumps Bernard got from his touch. It unsettled him, and he began to pull away, but Bernard shook his head, held him a little tighter, and said in a rough voice, “No, stay. It’s alright.”     The moment didn’t last long—Abby joined them. “Hey, lovebirds, did you forget we’ve got a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics on our heels? We need shelter, and fast. So cut the cuddling and grab the gear—or I’ll start cuddling!”
Embarrassed, Ebram pulled away from Bernard and tried to regain his composure. His cheeks flushed, and Abby laughed. “Doctor, you really are a girl, aren’t you?”
She slung a backpack over her shoulder and handed Bernard a cotton shirt. He grinned at her as he pulled it on. “Then I’ve got two girls!” Not sure if Bernard was joking, Ebram looked at him, trying to read his face—but Bernard had already turned away and was pulling two backpacks from the truck bed. One was large, stuffed to bursting and covered in gear; the other was smaller and lighter.
Ebram took the smaller pack and started to open it, but Bernard, now kneeling to lace his work boots, shook his head. “Abby’s right—we need to move. Our lead is slim. They’ve probably realized you escaped by now. You can check it later.”
Without another glance at the pack, Ebram slipped it on and nodded. “You’re right.” His words sounded like he was drawing strength from them. Bernard finished tying his boots, stood, slung his heavy pack over his shoulder, and turned to Abby. “Got the compass?” She held it up and, after a quick look, pointed. “That’s exactly the opposite direction from the camp.”
Bernard nodded and started walking. “Good. We’ll go at an angle, not straight. Abby, keep us on track if we drift. Ebram, watch our rear, try to keep up—and if you can’t, say so.”
Ebram lifted his chin proudly. “I’ll manage!” He heard Abby sigh in annoyance, and Bernard stepped toward him. “No, Ebram—no false pride. If you can’t go on, say it. If things get dangerous, we won’t be able to carry you. You need to be ready to run or fight at any moment. Got it?”
Overwhelmed by Bernard’s intensity and closeness, Ebram nodded almost eagerly. “Of course. You’re right again.”
Bernard smiled at him, started to reply—but instead placed a hand on Ebram’s neck, leaned down, and kissed him gently. The kiss was brief, interrupted by Abby’s exasperated groan, but it triggered a cascade of indescribable feelings in Ebram.
When Bernard pulled back and let go, Ebram was left wrestling with his thoughts. Bernard chuckled softly. “Your first kiss?”     The big foreman strode ahead, Abby followed with ease, but Ebram was struggling after just an hour. His thoughts spun in chaotic loops, trying to process everything: the capture, the escape—and most of all, the kiss.
He stumbled behind them, too lost in his own mind to ask for a break or look around. His gaze kept drifting to Bernard—his broad back, his strong hands. Ebram’s emotions were on a rollercoaster, and every time the kiss replayed in his mind, every time he felt the touch on his lips and the hand on his neck, his legs went weak and his stomach fluttered. It felt like riding a fast elevator upward.
Soon, his labored breathing was audible, and Abby pointed it out to Bernard. He nodded quietly. “I know,” he sighed. “But I was planning to set up camp for the night anyway. Hopefully I’ll find a good spot soon.”
Abby glanced at the wheezing doctor, then back to Bernard. “He won’t last much longer.”
Sighing, Bernard took off his pack. “Alright, let’s settle here—this place is as good as any.” Abby also sighed as she removed her pack—hers was a sigh of relief at finally shedding the weight.
  Ebram leaned against a tree and looked at them. “Are we… taking… a break here?” The camp was little more than three blankets with sleeping bags. The backpacks served as pillows for Ebram and Abby. Bernard didn’t lie down—he stayed alert, standing nearby.
“I’ll sleep a bit toward morning, then I’ll wake you both to take watch,” he said in response to their questioning looks. Still exhausted from the previous night and the day’s ordeal, Ebram fell asleep almost instantly.     Ebram woke to a gentle shake on his shoulder. As he startled awake and opened his mouth, a finger pressed softly against his lips. “Shh, Abby’s still asleep.”
He looked into Bernard’s eyes, which held a strange expression he couldn’t quite place, and nodded, assuming it was time for his watch. “Okay, I’m awake. Should I take over the watch?”
Bernard’s face briefly showed a puzzled, thoughtful look, then he suppressed a laugh. Only then did Ebram notice that the large man had his arms braced on either side of his head, leaning halfway over him. Bernard hesitated, then leaned in closer, a questioning look in his eyes.
Ebram didn’t know where to look. He couldn’t move either—his heart was pounding in anticipation of what might come next. He wanted it—but his mind resisted, leaving him frozen in expectant tension. The first light of dawn allowed Ebram to see the longing in Bernard’s eyes, even if he couldn’t name it—and that longing stirred the same in him.
Unconsciously, he parted his lips slightly, which Bernard noticed instantly—and sealed them with a tender, fervent kiss. Ebram’s body welcomed the touch, his mind pushed aside. Awkward but eager, he returned Bernard’s kiss, and when Bernard briefly lifted his head to look at him, Ebram followed, giving him no chance to stop.

Bernard let out a soft moan and then pulled away. “Ebram, please!” He placed two fingers gently on Ebram’s lips and smiled warmly, though tension lingered in his face. “I can barely hold back—sorry.”
He sat up quickly and exhaled deeply, head tilted back. Ebram sat up too, looking dazed. His whole body still yearned for the feeling of moments ago—and now Bernard was pulling away? Why?
  “Are you two done?” came Abby’s bored voice from the side. She had her head propped on one hand, lying on her side in her sleeping bag, watching them. Bernard burst into loud, liberating laughter. Ebram flushed red with embarrassment and turned away.