Nothing was the same in Smile.
After s’mores and story time, the kids went to the lodge to clean up, use the bathroom, and get ready for bed. Not roughingit entirely, but it was a nice blend of the two. While the other parents took the kids, he stayed behind to help Jillian tidy up the campsite area.
“Zane’s an amazing storyteller,” Levi said, twisting the bag of marshmallows closed.
Jilly looked up, an unopened bag tucked against her chest. “He’s very good. He’s actually a successful author. He writes under a pseudonym, but every year, he writes a story featuring all of the kids in Christopher’s classes, since preschool.”
“Wow. That’s really awesome.” He picked up the sticks, laid them in the box Jillian had brought out of the kitchen. “I should ask him about helping me with my menu. I like the idea of quirky names and descriptions.”
She stepped closer. “Like Get Lost Tacos? Those were delicious.”
He played with a lock of her hair just for an excuse to touch her. “You should try my fresh buttermilk pancakes.”
“Is that an invitation?”
Leaning in, he nuzzled against her neck, feeling her tremble against him. He pressed a kiss to the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder. He wanted to kiss her everywhere. She sighed against him and he knew they only had a couple of minutes so he pulled back. “I will happily make you breakfast any time. But tomorrow, your invite includes about twenty-five other people.”
Her fingers traced over the stitching on the front of his hoodie. “As long as that’s not the norm. Though, in the summer, if you visit us here, it might be, sometimes. Not twenty-five, but that dining table gets pretty full.”
It made him smile that she was thinking ahead. Sure, only to the summer, but still. Cautious Jilly was starting to trust him. Trust them.
“When the kids are tucked in and everyone is asleep, meet me on the dock.”
The chatter of kids and parents came through the trees.
“What?” Jill’s gaze widened.
“You heard me. One hour. Everyone will be tucked in and asleep. Gotta love fresh air. One hour, Jilly.”
Levi wasn’t sure if being with Jillian made him feel like a lovesick teenager because he’d been into herwhenthey were teenagers or if this was just how it felt to fall in love. He settled on the scuffed and scarred wooden planks of the dock. Maybe tomorrow his dad could give them an estimate on extending and replacing some of it.
While the parents had tucked the kids in, Levi cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for the morning. When he’d left them to it, he’d laughed, hearing one of the parents tell them the first out of the tents were responsible for getting camp set up for breakfast—which pretty much ensured they’d all try to be last out of the tents. Smart. He hadn’t seen Jilly when he came back out to the fire but he’d gotten a chance to speak with Zane, who said he’d be happy to chat with him about putting together some content for a cool menu.
When the hour passed, he’d quietly slipped away, anticipation humming in his blood. Even a few minutes alone with Jilly was enough to look forward to. His feet hung over the edge of the dock, and though he wasn’t touching the water, he could feel the cool chill of it rising up into the air. The stars and the moon worked together to cast shadows and beams over the pool of darkness. It seemed infinite.
His entire body was chill, but the second he heard her approach, his heart actually soared. Like it was taking a leap off a high-dive board into the unknown waters below.
She sat down next to him, her feet swinging next to his, her thigh touching his, her scent, floral and fresh, wafting around him with the breeze, wrapping him up. It was both stirring and comforting.
He took her hand, and his smile widened as he ran his fingers over the back of it. “I imagined this when we were younger. Not here but just hanging out by the water with you. Just us.”
He turned to see she was already looking at him, her gaze so sweet, he could hardly stand it.
She leaned in, kissed him softly. Everything around them was so still, so quiet, this moment between them felt amplified. “Fifteen-year-old Jilly might have passed out if you’d asked.”
He laughed, laced their fingers together. “I’d have waited around until you came to.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I think this is better. Back then, I wanted you to kiss me more than I wanted the second Hunger Games to release.”
Levi slid an arm around her shoulders. “Wow. You really were into me.”
Poking him in the side, she tipped her head back against his shoulder so she was looking at him. “But I wouldn’t have known how to process my feelings. And you still would have left. This is better, no matter how much I wanted to make out with you.”
Levi sucked in a breath. “There’s that past and present colliding again. Wanting to kiss me then and me wanting to kiss you now.”
Jilly sighed into the kiss, meeting him somewhere in the middle. The water continued to rock the dock beneath them with a gentle cadence that seemed to complement their own movements. Her sighs and his echoed over the water as his hands memorized her face, stroked over her shoulders, along her back. They turnedin to each other, shifted so they could be closer. He was certain it would never be close enough.
As their movements became more frantic, their breaths more erratic, he tried to slow them down. Leaning away, he slid his hand along her jaw, held her hooded gaze, offering only the lightest of touches. It was torture for them both. Exquisite torture like he’d never known, but they were at a camp filled with a bunch of kids and parents. He’d just give them something to look forward to. Something more to anticipate. Levi trailed kisses along her collarbone, up the side of her neck, slowly, sweetly, feeling her soften and all but melt with each one.
