Authors: Katlyn Duncan
“Take her down,” Will calls from the pier.
I shoot him a glare but they quickly succeed in their mission. My knees are the first to fall, digging into the floor of the lake. I recover for a second and stand up, moving toward the pier. Other kids join in the fight to dunk me. Soon enough I’m surrounded, my back to the pier.
“On three,” Will says.
I look up and see grinning faces. Will blocks the sun, creating an orange glow around his body, shadowing his face. My breath hitches. He’s gorgeous.
That is, until they jump.
I cover my face as I’m assaulted with water. My hair sticks to my face and back. Will’s face floats up from the surface, close to me. I tuck my body under the pier. With the success of getting me wet, the kids swim away to find another dry counselor, but Will remains.
I dip my body under, leaving only my head above the surface. My hair swirls around me. “Thanks for that.”
Will dips his body until we are just two floating heads. He nears, until we are both under the pier. I dig my toes into the sandy floor as his arm brushes against mine under the surface. The water is cooler under the shade, but it’s not the only reason tingles explode across my skin.
“Well you can’t come into the water and expect not to get wet,” he says in a low voice.
“And here I thought you were a Southern gentleman.”
He inhales sharply, wading his body around mine. “It seems you have the wrong impression of me. I’m not as nice as I seem.”
I roll my eyes. “You might think you’re a rugged cowboy, but I still see you underneath the surface.”
“Do you now?” His hand brushes across my arm.
“Yup,” I say quickly, my breath catching in my throat.
“I might have to work on my rugged cowboy persona a little more then?”
I inhale sharply. “Well, I do like the accent.”
Our bodies brush up against each other again as he swims around to my front. “Is that all?”
“That’s pretty much it,” I say with a grin.
“When did you become so superficial?” he teases.
“Oh come on. We both know how gorgeous you are.”
“And here I thought I was a rugged cowboy. Gorgeous is reserved for those of the female persuasion.”
His hand breaks the surface and brushes against my cheek.
My breath hitches and I’m frozen in place. His eyes move over my lips, up my nose and finally reach my eyes. Neither of us breathe. His other hand reaches out to my hand, the touch scorching me.
“Hadley.” My name on his lips is filled with the same want and need that's inside of me.
A shrill whistle bursts our protective bubble. He blinks several times before removing his hand from my face.
Ugh!
I reach out and take his hand, turning him to face me. “Will.” I’m unable to form any other words, unable to scramble a coherent thought from my head.
He swallows hard and blinks a few times as if breaking from a trance. “We should go.” He turns away from me and swims toward the shore without looking back.
***
Will
I reach the shore before Hadley does, even though I’m hyper aware of her sloshing right behind me. She was always the shining light at the end of the tunnel and all I want to do is warm myself in her glow. The glow that makes me forget everything in my life, except for her.
I walk purposefully towards my towel. The sand cakes over my feet as I follow the group back to the cabins to change before the next event. I ignore the glare from Lily as I pass. I grab my towel and sneakers from the ground and walk towards the cabins.
I can’t decide the course to take. My head is a mess but my body craves Hadley’s touch. She’s my lifeboat as I’m slowly drowning back into my past. I move my hand over my neck, massaging the tight muscles. What are my options here? She’s breaking down my wall piece by piece and I struggle to hold up the crumbling rock. I can’t be the man she wants. And I’ll hate myself for hurting her again.
I brush my feet off at the edge of the sand but don’t put my shoes on. The pebbles under my feet dig into my skin, grounding me. Aiden and Tyler are coming out of the cabin as I arrive.
“I’m going to take a shower,” I say to them. “I’ll meet you at the cafeteria.”
I enter the cabin and sit on the bed. The thin mattress bows under my weight, but I lean forward and rub the towel over my feet, ridding the skin of the rest of the dirt and sand.
The cabin door opens. “I said I’ll be right there.”
“Will?” Hadley says softly.
My head snaps up. She’s wrapped in her towel, her damp hair curls at the ends.
I stand up from the bed. “Yeah?”
She bites her lower lip and steps through the doorway. She releases her lip and meets my eyes. The screen door snaps closed behind her.
She's taking deep breaths. Droplets of water splash the floor by her feet.
“I can’t—” she says, and closes her eyes briefly.
My chest tightens like a vice wrapping around my lungs, but I don’t say anything.
“I can't pretend anymore.”
“Hadley I—”
She puts her hand up to stop me.
“I can't pretend there's nothing between us.” She steps closer, her eyes piercing mine, fixing me in place. “I don't know why, since I spent the better part of two years hating you.” She shakes her head, more droplets hitting the floor. “Not hating you, but hating the idea of you. After that night, you left me without another word. And from the moment you arrived I'm thrown back to the life we had before. As best friends and maybe more. I just need to know if you feel the same.” She looks at me through her thick eyelashes.
What do I say? I'm riding a fine line between what I want and what I should do. But the more I look at her, the more the want takes over. I take a step closer. Then another. Her eyes don’t move from mine as I near her.
“I can't promise you anything,” I say. “At the end of the summer I'm leaving.”
She nods. “I know. Me too.”
I step closer until we are only one more step apart. “I do want you.”
Her shoulders rise as if she's holding back a shiver.
Something inside of me awakens. I love the effect I have on her. That last step between us is like a bridge to another life. If I take it, then I know I’ll never be able to take it back. If I don’t, then I know it will be the biggest regret of my life.
I take it.
Her eyes widen. I reach up and touch my fingertips to her cheek. Her teeth chatter a few times. I trace a path along her smooth, soft skin, brushing her earlobe before cupping my hand around her neck. Her hair moves over my hand and I stare at the sweet spot on her neck that I've wanted to bury myself in ever since the bowling alley. I move my thumb in slow circles over her soft skin. Her pulse thrums under my fingers. Her eyelashes flutter slightly as she takes in a breath.
I lean closer until my forehead rests on hers.
Her fingers touch me right above my shorts, steadying herself.
Damn the consequences.
I lift her chin, tilting her head back. I dip my head and brush my lips against hers. Her lips move against mine, soft at first but the more I taste of her, the more I want. I move my other hand to the small of her back, pulling her against me. The towel feels like sandpaper compared to the skin that matches what I feel on her neck. I want to touch every inch of her. I need to. A gasp bursts from her lips but I don’t pull away. Both of her hands are on my waist as if we are holding each other up.
Her lips taste like freedom, like the light in the darkness of my soul. Kissing her is my salvation and I never want to stop.
A scream from outside breaks our kiss. I glance out the screen door to see three boys running toward the cafeteria.
“We should—” she pauses, licking her lips.
“Go?”
She blinks her eyes a few times, her eyelids weighted. “Yeah.”
“Mmm,” I say against her lips, pressing them to hers one more time. Her body molds against mine and it takes all of my strength to pull away from her.
She pulls her fingers through her hair and moves towards the door. “I’ll see you at the cafeteria?”
“Sure,” I say.
She hesitates, but a few seconds later she turns away from me and walks out the door.
I rake a hand through my hair and breathe for a moment. Deep, heavy breaths. What have I just done? Without her here to distract me, I can focus. A smile touches my lips and I rub a hand over my mouth. I don't want to focus on anything but her. And for the time being, I won't.
Hadley
I stumble up the steps to the cabin and beeline towards the bathroom. No one is in there and I close the door behind me, leaning up against it. My arms drop to my sides like sandbags. A breath whooshes out of me and I struggle to keep myself in a standing position as my legs have already gone numb. As far as kisses go, that was seriously impressive. Will’s touch was like fire against my skin. A delicious thrill swirls through my stomach. The towel drops to the floor and the air against my flushed skin snaps me back to reality.
I lean down and scoop up the fabric, hanging it on the hook. I take the quickest shower of my life and get dressed. Every time I think of Will my lips spread into a stupid smile but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Wasn’t that the point of summers? To be happy and carefree? I'm taking a big chance on my heart but this time we know how and when it will end. And I can get the closure I need.
I twist my hair up into a ponytail and check myself out in the mirror. My green eyes seem brighter, fuller than normal. Lily said I wasn’t myself for a long time; maybe that part of me is finally resurfacing and I have Will to thank for that.
A few minutes later I enter the cafeteria. I don’t know what to expect but as far as I can tell nothing has changed. The world has not imploded and everyone is going about their afternoon. That is, until I catch Will’s eye on my way to the empty buffet section. My heart squeezes at the sight of him and I stifle a smile as I grab a plate and whatever food is left over.
When I reach the table, Will slides over on the bench and I sit next to him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say to my plate.
His warm body moves closer to mine until our legs press against each other. His fingers slide over my hand and I gasp lightly. I look around and no one seems to have noticed us. I find Lily at the table across from us but she’s wrapped up in a conversation with Sebastian.
I eat silently, watching the kids talk to each other. Brenda is just as close to Dylan as Will and I are to each other, but he’s been quiet for most of the meal. Every few minutes I can feel him look at me. And I couldn't honestly care less. It’s amazing what one kiss can do. This morning I was confused about Dylan and now look where I am.
I swipe a napkin over my mouth and finally look at Will. At this distance I see the tips of his still damp hair and my fingers twitch, wanting to run my fingers through it. I was immobilized before in his cabin. But now, even in front of the group, I have an overwhelming urge to touch him. For the sake of not losing myself completely I hold back the urge. Instead I settle for flipping my hand over in my lap, like I did at the fireworks. And like that night, his fingers move over mine, finding their place. He squeezes my hand and I squeeze back, as if we’re dangling over a precipice and we are each other’s lifeline. It’s a scary yet amazing place to be.
Brenda stands from the table and calls out the next activity. “We’re going back to the field and participating in group sports. This time we’re going to work in our age groups.” As she lists off the age appropriate activities, Will starts stacking our plates and utensils. He and a few other counselors head to the trash bins.
His lips brush against my ear and I stifle a shiver. “I’ll see you out there.”
“Okay,” I breathe.
I gather up the rest group and fight to keep my eyes on the task at hand. This is going to be a long afternoon.
***
Later that night, the whole camp sits around a large bonfire behind the main stage. Lily and I help Brenda and a few of the other Camp Henry counselors pass out supplies for s’mores. Harry and Devon sword fight with their sticks and soon other groups take on their own “fights”. It takes a while for us to get the kids to calm down enough to actually toast their marshmallows.
Sebastian stands up and is able to quickly grab the kids' attention. “Who likes ghost stories?”
Several of the kids jump up, raising their hands.
Lily stands next to Sebastian. Last year I helped him with the story, but I'm happy she's paired with him. I was a terrible storyteller and she is already doing a better job than I did and she hasn't even said anything yet. I had been a jittery mess.
“In those woods right there,” Sebastian points at the forest's edge that is barely decipherable in the darkness. Some of the kids closest to it run across the way and sit in front of the fire, away from the focus of the story. My back faces the forest and I know where the story is going so I stay put. I'm the 'victim' this year. Lily informed me when we arrived at the fire. I put on a brave face, knowing that I am an important piece of the story.
The story progresses, about the camp kid who disappeared one night many years ago. He 'lived' in the forest for the chance to take another kid as his friend. The lonely cries heard at night were his broken heart. The story is meant to keep the kids in their cabins at night and by the terror on all of their faces, I know we won't have any trouble with them tonight.
Will is entranced by the story and I take the time to memorize the lines of his face in the flickering firelight. We purposely kept away from each other today, only stealing glances during the football game we played with the kids. This was our time to explore whatever it was that we were doing and we made a silent agreement on it.
Will turns to me and I don’t look away this time. Everyone is wrapped up in the story. A twig snaps behind me and Will’s face tenses. His eyes dart to the space behind me, but I shake my head once and hold my hand out in front of me for him to stay put. His hands clench into fists but he doesn’t move.
Sebastian reaches the climax of the story as more twigs snap behind me. I hold my breath. Even though I know what’s behind me the anticipation is worse than I imagine.