“I’m sure you can, but I’ve never witnessed it for myself.” I smirk. “It was impressive.”
He raises his eyebrows, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Is that how you want to be?”
“What if it is?” I challenge, propping my hand on my hip and lifting my chin.
This banter, the friendly debate and competition between Gage and me feels so familiar and natural. It’s easy to sink into the moment and leave my brain on autopilot.
“Well, then,” he starts, stepping close to me, “I think…” He wraps his arm around my waist and effortlessly lifts me. I squeal and kick my feet to try to force him to put me down.
“...we need to cool you off,” he finishes as he gently drops me into the creek. It’s only ankle high, but I end up sitting in the shallow water with my hands braced behind me and my knees folded up near my chest.
The water iscold,and it’s seeping through my thin running shorts, chilling the skin underneath.
I glare up at Gage. “You’re in big trouble now.”
He pouts his lips. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I shouldn’t have dumped you in the creek, no matter how funny it was.”
He sticks out his hand in an offer to help me up. I take it, immediately yanking him toward me with as much force as I can. I don’t know how he’s not expecting it, but he’s not, so he topples forward and lands in the water next to me.
His mouth hangs open, but if he’s surprised, it’s his own fault.
“I can’t believe you fell for that! It’s literally the oldest trick in the book. Super cliché.”
He laughs, and the sound echoes through the trees around us, floating up into the Texas summer sky.
We finish our hike in damp clothes, which actually feels nice once the sun starts beating down on us.
Back at camp, we each break off to our own cabins to shower and change into dry clothes. We meet up again at the mess hall for lunch. A few of the other counselors—including Brynn and Matt, and some others I haven’t spent much time with yet—have also stayed at camp this weekend.
We all eat together, and then Brynn suggests playing a game. We find a deck of giant Uno cards and play game after game until the other counselors all step away one by one. By the last game, it’s Gage and me in a bitter fight to the death, neither of us holding back on the action cards.
Finally, I’m down to one card, a red five. Gage plays a wild card, and I hold my breath waiting for him to decide which color to call. I have a one in four chance here; either I’ll win with my next turn, or I’ll have to take my chances with the draw pile.
After what feels like forever, Gage says, “The new color is … red.”
“Ha!” I shout, slapping my card onto the discard pile.
Gage hangs his head and groans. “Ihadto pick red.” He lifts his head. “Do you want to play again?”
“Nah, I’d rather make sure I go out on top,” I tell him with a grin.
Still, neither of us make a move to leave. I don’t want to play another game of Uno, but I also don’t want to stop being with Gage.
So, I ask him a question about his experiences in college and playing baseball, and we sit at the table in the mess hall talking for at least another hour.
Before we know it, Rob and Stephanie are setting food out for dinner, and a few of the counselors we were playing with earlier wander back in.
“Have you two been in here the whole time?” asks a confused Brynn.
Gage and I exchange a look and shrug. “I guess so,” I say.
Brynn tilts her head, staring at me. Most likely she’s trying to reconcile what I’ve told her about not being interested in Gage and all the time we’re spending together today.
I’m not sure I can explain it either.
I should stay away from Gage and continue to fight this desire for him that has lain dormant in my heart for so long now. But it’s reawakening, as dangerous as it was in high school.
Other than us both being five years older, nothing else has changed. He’s still a brainy go-getter on his way to amazing achievements, and I’m still me, struggling to find anything I’m good at off the soccer field. If anything, the imbalance between us is even more stark now, and I’m still nowhere near good enough to date Gage Carter.
