eighteen
Autumn
Mostcampfirenightshadan agenda, but Mondays were chill hangouts at the bonfire. This wasn’t out of laziness on the camp’s part. We’d just learned that people liked to unwind on their timeframe after a long day in town.
I stood victorious in a pile of giant Jenga pieces, holding back my fist pumps as Lamar shrugged in defeat. We bent over to pick up the pieces, and I used that time to covertly look around for a familiar face. Luckily for me, he wasn’t here yet. Did I want him to show up? No. No, that was definitely not what I wanted. I just wished things didn’t have to be so awkward.
I’d been ruminating on everything since our near-kiss, and I’d decided to put some distance between the two of us. It wasn’t like I’d been trying to spend time with him before the almost-kiss fiasco. Okay, maybe I’d sort of tried a couple of times, but other than those, I’d been working like I normally would. It wasn’t my fault I was intercepted by his gravitational pull like a planet orbiting the… Actually, that was a terrible metaphor.That would make him the sun, and he wasn’t that important a presence in my life, previously or otherwise.
Dammit.
“Round two?” Lamar asked. When had all those pieces been put back together?
“If I spank you twice in front of all these people, I look like an asshole, Lamar.”
He didn’t argue. Instead, he rolled his eyes at my cockiness.
We were a competitive bunch at this sweet little camp, and we tried to harness that when guests were around.
Lamar looked for a new contender. “You.” He pointed at an unsuspecting Ian, who promptly finished a s’more and stood up, brushing the crumbs from his shorts, determination in his gaze. This was shaping up to be something interesting.
I loved the atmosphere around the campfire. People were either relaxing or goofing off, and my pod was no exception. Laughter came from across the seating area. Kell-i, Kell-y, and Janna were having a good time, pointing at the clear alcohol-looking mess down the front of Kell-i’s shirt. Then Janna snorted as she finished patting her shirt dry, and they were busting up again.
I scanned my surroundings and found my target behind the stage. He was standing in a group of women, their eyes rapt as he told some wild story.
I grabbed the bag that Jack had given me and pulled out the foot tambourine, dropping it to the ground.
Leo’s head whipped around so fast I thought he might go full exorcist. I swear his ears went up like a dog hearing a squeaky toy.
I pushed it behind me to block it with my foot as he made a beeline for me.
“Autumn…”
“What?” I feigned ignorance as his eyes darted around. I backed my heel into the thing so that he heard a small jingle.
“I heard it. The call of the siren.”
God, he was a nerd. I couldn’t hide it any longer and bent down to retrieve the bright blue foot tambourine.
Leo’s face was the epitome of happiness. “You found one!”
He tapped his foot, playing with it, dancing to the jingling beat. I began clapping to match his rhythm as we acted like kids at our first barn dance. We linked arms and started a little do-si-do, kicking out our heels and giggling together.
Once our dance was done, Leo threw his arms around my shoulders and gave me one of his famous squeezing hugs, nearly taking my breath away. “Now I’m going to win the talent show,” he whispered manically into my ear, and I’d be afraid if I were competing this time around, but thankfully, this wasn’t my week. “No, really, thank you.”
He kissed my cheek and turned to his original location, kicking the tambourine up into his hand as he arrived, to the delight of his adoring fanbase. I rolled my eyes. Just what Leo needed: groupies.
Too bad for them. He didn’t hook up with campers.
“If anyone could make a tambourine hot, it’s that man,” Emerson whispered beside me.
Sometimes, I forgot about Leo’s allure, but I had to admit, the man was attractive. I’d probably notice it more if he didn’t feel like my brother.
I turned back to giant Jenga and found Lamar flirting with his competition and wondered if this was a diversionary tactic and then thought better. I’d known him for the two years he’d been here and had quickly learned that he was the flirtiest of us all, but I never knew if he was looking for follow-through or if that was just his way.
The air felt heavier, more than just the smoke hovering around us. Or maybe it was just the weight on my chest. I sighed and couldn’t figure out if I felt melancholy or relief. I’d had a good day today, but I still felt like I was drifting like embers in the fire. Smoldering wood and evergreen scents tickled my nostrils, the enchanting sounds of laughing campers and crackling logs my ambient noise. It still felt like something wasn’t quite right.
The warmth overtook me and I noticed the fire was bigger than usual. Sawyer was in charge of the wood, what a surprise, and I was about to go tell them to tone it down when an unusually despondent Jack walked my way.
