There’s a familiar look on her face. She’s exasperated with me. She doesn’t know whether to laugh at my antics or slap me upside the head for being a dumbass. But I’m no fool. I’m going to take advantage of the fact that she’s not currently yelling at me.
“But there’s one thing about this year that’s different. You know what that is, Luce?” I ask, sitting up.
She shakes her head as I stand and cross the two steps that separate us.
“This year, I’m not waiting all summer to kiss you,” I say, tipping up her chin and bending to brush my lips against hers. She leans into my touch, and God, nothing has ever felt better than Lucy in my arms.
I could stay here all night. I could kiss her until morning. I could hold her like we have the rest of our lives together, instead of the next several weeks.
But I don’t push my luck. We’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and we’re already breaking rules. Since I’m trying like hell to get on Lucy’s good side and stay there, I pull back.
“Sleep tight, Luce,” I tell her, walking to her door. “And lock up. It’s past curfew, you know.”
* * *
Lucy
We’ve been here at camp for a week and I’m getting settled in. Change is not my favorite thing, even when it’s a good change or a change I initiated. It always takes me a while to adjust to new surroundings. To be fair, part of the issue could be that Caleb Whitman is part of my new surroundings.
And unlike last year, when we kind of skirted around each other all summer, he’s always around this year. We eat most of our meals together, he comes over to hang out on my cabin’s deck at dusk and leaves after giving me a goodnight kiss. He even organized a dodgeball tournament between our campers just so we could hang out.
And I don’t mind a bit.
There’s a movie at the rec hall tonight and I might sit next to him. I might lean my head against his shoulder. I might even share my popcorn.
Things are getting serious. Not serious, serious. More like summer serious. I have no time in my life for a boyfriend. But this summer? I can bend the rules just a little. After all, what happens at summer camp stays at summer camp, right?
The door to the craft cabin squeaks open, letting in the morning sun. “Hey,” I call to Kennedie, my craft partner this morning. “Did you bring any rope?”
“Uh, no. And I definitely did not expect that left turn into kinky town. But maybe I should have? It’s always the quiet ones, right? And there’s no shame in the kink game, Luce.”
The unexpected sound of Caleb’s voice has me dropping the box of construction paper I’m carrying. He nabs it before it crashes to the floor.
“Caleb! What the heck are you doing here?”
“You keep asking me that question, Lucy, and I’m going to start thinking you don’t want me here.”
“Of course, I want you here,” I tell him, walking into his open arms and reaching up for a quick kiss. “Just nothere.”
“What?” he gasps. “You don’t think I’m worthy of craft cabin? Ouch, Luce. I can’t believe you doubt my artistic abilities.”
I laugh because I know he’s joking. He’s always joking. “I’m sure you’re quite the artist, and I have no doubt you make a mean hemp bracelet, but you aren’t supposed to be here. I’m working with Kennedie this morning. We’re making nautical vases,” I say, showing him the prototype I worked on yesterday.
“Correction,” he says, smiling. “Weare making nautical vases.”
“No, that can’t be right. Kennedie and I talked just yesterday, and—”
“And that was before she swapped jobs with me.”
“Caleb,” I tell him, arranging art supplies on the tables. “It’s not that I don’t want to work with you, but…well, I’m fairly certain we’ll drive each other crazy in the first five minutes and—”
“Nope. I swear. I promise to be on my best behavior. I am a genius of the art world, but I don’t have the first clue about how to make a rope-covered vase. So, I’ll just follow your lead.”
I look up at him. “You can’t just switch shifts with people so we can hang out. We are working, you know.”
Suddenly, his bravado disappears. “No, I know. And I didn’t switch just to be close to you, though I gotta be honest, it’s a perk.” He rubs the back of his neck before continuing. “I had beach patrol. It’s fine. I mean, it should be fine. It’s not like they’d make me lifeguard or anything. All I have to do is walk around the shore and make sure none of the kids are getting into too much trouble. But…damn, I just…”
Craft cabin will open for business in about twenty minutes. I have a full roster for the first three classes. But I’m not thinking about any of that now. I walk back to him, and this time, it’s me with my arms out. He holds me close, and we stand together for a minute or more, just holding on to each other.
