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I glanced over at Ben, who had settled down on a nearby bench with his nose buried in his book.He let me do the entire talk, then set the book down and quietly helped me hand out bows to the campers.I threw myself into teaching the campers everything I knew about archery, watching Ben out of the corner of my eye.He was quiet, unlike Jay, but was good one-on-one with campers.Although he let me take the lead with instructing, he made a notable effort to help kids who were struggling.
Maybe Ben wasn’t so bad after all.
As the campers got the hang of things, we both stepped back, and I walked over to sit next to Ben.He grabbed his book, then paused, glancing at me.
“I don’t hate you, you know,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow at him, chuckling softly.“Thanks for that.”
“It’s sometimes better to lose myself in here.”He tapped his book.“Instead of worrying about how socially awkward I am, and all the other real-life crap.”
Well, that was something.“Okay.Well, I don’t mind socially awkward,” I said.
“Yeah, I had a feeling it didn’t trouble you much,” Ben said, winking.“Since you’re in love with Jay and all.”He picked up his book and went back to reading as if he hadn’t completely blown my mind, and I sat there, trying to figure out if he was right.And if he was right, how the fuck would he know that I was in love with Jay before I did?
The lunch bell rang and I leaped to my feet, startled to find that so much time had passed.We hustled the campers to put their archery gear away.We were scheduled for a picnic lunch, so Ben and I took our campers down to Eagle Lake where we’d eat at the picnic area, then spend the afternoon swimming.As we approached the lake, I spotted Parker, Jay, and their campers already there, and I smiled.We needed to compare schedules — maybe we’d get to see each other more than I thought.
Eagle Lake was the picture-perfect setting for a summer day.The crystal-clear water sparkled under the sun, inviting us to jump in and escape the heat.The soft sand beach stretched out before us, warm underfoot and soft for lounging.Tall pine trees bordered the area, casting dappled shade on the ground and filling the air with their earthy scent.
“Hey, Aiden!”Jay called out as he spotted me, waving energetically.“Looks like we’ll be sharing the lake today!”
“Yeah, it seems that way,” I replied, trying to keep my excitement from showing too much.
He fluttered his eyelashes and bit his lower lip.“Maybe we can find a moment alone.”
“Fuck, baby.”I glanced back toward Ben and sighed.“If only I could trust Ben to pay attention to the campers, I’d have you behind a tree right now.”
“Definitely,” Jay agreed, his eyes twinkling with mischief.“Should we steal Ben’s book?”
“No, the whole reason we got into this mess was that we weren’t being responsible counselors.Let’s be good, and I’ll watch your glistening alabaster skin from a safe distance, thinking about the dirty things I want to do to you.”
“Fuck off,” he laughed, shaking his head.“I’m not that pale anymore.”
I glanced down at his naked torso and blinked.“I’ll stop teasing.You’re gorgeous, baby.Knowing I own that body does all kinds of things to me.I love your skin.”
“Right, so we’d better stop before we both have awkward erections,” Jay said, rolling his eyes.“Though you could put sunscreen on my back in a totally platonic and PG display of affection.”
He handed me the tube, and I groaned, not sure how I’d be able to manage having my hands all over his lean, muscular back without one of those awkward erections he’d mentioned.But I couldn’t resist touching him — didn’t think I ever would be able to, and massaging the slick sunscreen over his warm shoulders and gorgeous back was well worth the potential embarrassment.There was something there when we touched, a spark I’d never felt with anyone else that made me crave him like a drug.It made me feel like even these innocent displays of affection could be my undoing.
When there was no way I could spend any longer on Jay’s sunscreen without drawing attention to ourselves, I let him go back to his campers, who laughed and asked him if I was his boyfriend.The boys seemed nice, and surprisingly accepting, though I did hear one kid sing that old song about kissing in a tree, encouraging laughter from the other campers.The afternoon was filled with laughter and splashing as the campers enjoyed themselves in the water.
Ben continued to bury himself in his book, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and walked over to sit next to him, keeping one eye on the campers.“The Mages of Aleron,” I said, reading his book cover.“Never heard of that one?”
Ben raised an eyebrow, a smile twitching around his lips.“You read?”
“Fuck you.I like books,” I laughed.“But it’s a beautiful day.You should join us in the water.It’s really refreshing.”
“I’m at a good part,” he whined.
“What’s it about?”
“Um.Maybe I’ll tell you later,” he mumbled, not even looking up from his book.“Let me finish this chapter, and I’ll come swim.”
I sighed, feeling a pang of loneliness.I missed the easy camaraderie I shared with Jay, and I couldn’t help but seek him out.My eyes locked onto him the water, and I smiled.
As I watched Jay playing with the campers, diving into the water, and laughing, it became increasingly difficult to focus on anything else.His muscles rippled beneath his pale skin as he threw a frisbee, and his eyes seemed to sparkle even brighter in the sunlight.
“Come on, Aiden!”a camper named Collin called, interrupting my thoughts.“Join us for a game of water volleyball!”
