the second time, and shook a finger in my face. “Why don’t you let the experts handle the tent building while you go… you know… show your hero some love?”
I glanced over my shoulder to where Seth and Julian were twining together pine branches for roofs on their lean-tos. I could tell whose shelter was whose because Julian had used his walking stick as a support for one wall and his cape as a door. Who knew his role-playing stuff would come in handy in the wild?
“Earth to Lauren?” Alex waved her fingers in front of my nose. “Get over there and talk to him before we dare you to do it.”
Jackie smothered a giggle, but I definitely wasn’t ready to laugh about what had happened between me and Seth. I didn’t think I ever would be. Those emotions ran deep. Then again, this was summer camp. And Truth or Dare had been a longtime Munchies Manor ritual. Maybe I could at least explain that to Seth and ask for forgiveness now that he wasn’t as upset with me.
Nodding, I marched toward the boys before I lost my nerve.
Seth looked up, his hands stalling on the knot he’d been tying in the twine around a bunch of pine boughs.
“Hey.” Yes, call me the Queen of Conversation.
“Hey,” he echoed, watching me closely while the Diva girls belted out some pop tune at the top of their lungs.
For once though, no one else seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood as the sun started to set. I saw Piper and Trinity dancing in their bare feet to the bad singing and I had to smile.
“Can I … um.” I glanced at Julian then back to Seth. “Talk to you for a second?”
Seth frowned. “I’m kind of in the middle of—”
“I’ll finish the roof, man.” Julian took the boughs away from Seth, leaving my former boyfriend with no excuse not to talk to me.
At that moment, I was more scared than when I’d started to fall out of that raft. Back in the old days, I would have joked about lending him some Bat rope to finish the lean-tos faster. But not now. Not with my knees shaking.
“Okay.” Seth nodded at his friend. “Thanks.”
Dizzying relief washed through me. This was my chance, especially with the counselors distracted while they set up our makeshift camp. Please God, don’t let me mess it up.
We walked toward the river, a direction that we seemed to agree on naturally even though we’d never camped here before.
“First, I wanted to thank you.” I licked my lips because my mouth was so dry. My brain buzzed with some kind of static signal and I felt like I was speaking to Seth from far away. I tried to ignore all the nerves and speak from the heart, but it was tough to have him so close and not be able to touch him. “You saved me today and I’m really…” Touched. Surprised. Grateful. “It was great of you to do that.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just walked beside me in silence. I stopped and glanced over at him, trying to figure out his mood. Maybe he’d remembered to be angry with me.
“There’s the first star.” He pointed up at the sky. “Or is that Venus?”
Was he trying to keep conversation from anything personal? But if he was trying to distract me, it was tough to mind. At least I got to stand beside him at dusk and watch the stars come out.
For a moment, it felt like old times.
“That’s Vega,” I reminded him, knowing we’d talked about this once before. “Remember, it’s—”
“—right overhead.” He looked at me instead. “I remember you telling me that one time.”
I looked him in the eye as we stood several yards from the river. It was calmer here even though the water was high. I pointed to a fallen log nearby and he joined me on it, taking a seat that was close, but not too close.
A “just friends” kind of close.
My chest ached.
“Seth, I also want to apologize for what happened with the kiss. I should have told you about the dare and I’m sorry.”
He stared out at the water. Silent.
Hurt.
I could sense his pain as clearly as my
I glanced over my shoulder to where Seth and Julian were twining together pine branches for roofs on their lean-tos. I could tell whose shelter was whose because Julian had used his walking stick as a support for one wall and his cape as a door. Who knew his role-playing stuff would come in handy in the wild?
“Earth to Lauren?” Alex waved her fingers in front of my nose. “Get over there and talk to him before we dare you to do it.”
Jackie smothered a giggle, but I definitely wasn’t ready to laugh about what had happened between me and Seth. I didn’t think I ever would be. Those emotions ran deep. Then again, this was summer camp. And Truth or Dare had been a longtime Munchies Manor ritual. Maybe I could at least explain that to Seth and ask for forgiveness now that he wasn’t as upset with me.
Nodding, I marched toward the boys before I lost my nerve.
Seth looked up, his hands stalling on the knot he’d been tying in the twine around a bunch of pine boughs.
“Hey.” Yes, call me the Queen of Conversation.
“Hey,” he echoed, watching me closely while the Diva girls belted out some pop tune at the top of their lungs.
For once though, no one else seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood as the sun started to set. I saw Piper and Trinity dancing in their bare feet to the bad singing and I had to smile.
“Can I … um.” I glanced at Julian then back to Seth. “Talk to you for a second?”
Seth frowned. “I’m kind of in the middle of—”
“I’ll finish the roof, man.” Julian took the boughs away from Seth, leaving my former boyfriend with no excuse not to talk to me.
At that moment, I was more scared than when I’d started to fall out of that raft. Back in the old days, I would have joked about lending him some Bat rope to finish the lean-tos faster. But not now. Not with my knees shaking.
“Okay.” Seth nodded at his friend. “Thanks.”
Dizzying relief washed through me. This was my chance, especially with the counselors distracted while they set up our makeshift camp. Please God, don’t let me mess it up.
We walked toward the river, a direction that we seemed to agree on naturally even though we’d never camped here before.
“First, I wanted to thank you.” I licked my lips because my mouth was so dry. My brain buzzed with some kind of static signal and I felt like I was speaking to Seth from far away. I tried to ignore all the nerves and speak from the heart, but it was tough to have him so close and not be able to touch him. “You saved me today and I’m really…” Touched. Surprised. Grateful. “It was great of you to do that.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just walked beside me in silence. I stopped and glanced over at him, trying to figure out his mood. Maybe he’d remembered to be angry with me.
“There’s the first star.” He pointed up at the sky. “Or is that Venus?”
Was he trying to keep conversation from anything personal? But if he was trying to distract me, it was tough to mind. At least I got to stand beside him at dusk and watch the stars come out.
For a moment, it felt like old times.
“That’s Vega,” I reminded him, knowing we’d talked about this once before. “Remember, it’s—”
“—right overhead.” He looked at me instead. “I remember you telling me that one time.”
I looked him in the eye as we stood several yards from the river. It was calmer here even though the water was high. I pointed to a fallen log nearby and he joined me on it, taking a seat that was close, but not too close.
A “just friends” kind of close.
My chest ached.
“Seth, I also want to apologize for what happened with the kiss. I should have told you about the dare and I’m sorry.”
He stared out at the water. Silent.
Hurt.
I could sense his pain as clearly as my
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