by Naomi Niles
“What’s your name?” he eventually asked, drawing my attention back to the present moment.
I blushed as it hit me that I’d just been staring at him like an idiot; what the hell would he think of me?
“I ...erm, I’m Danica,” I stammered, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. He took my hand in his and shook it lightly. It was enough to send lightning coursing through my entire body, like a shocking bolt of lust. It made me sit up straighter, to grip onto him tighter. The longer we held onto one another, the more intense the connection sizzled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you,” he turned back to face the front, where I assumed someone would eventually be along to discuss the next few days with us. “God, I’m so excited to be here.” There was a heat radiating off of him, one that kept me staring at him even though I knew it was teetering on inappropriate. “This week is going to be so much fun!”
I found his enthusiasm enchanting because it matched mine so perfectly. When I’d seen that miserable guy outside, a part of me had been very worried that everyone else’s negative attitude would bring me down and make this much less exciting. I couldn't believe my luck that I’d sat next to someone who wanted this just as much as I did.
“I know. I love it here.”
“Have you worked here before?” he asked inquisitively.
“No, I haven’t. But I’ve been here a lot.” The pleasant memories of my youth spent at Camp Woodtree flowed through my mind. “My mom started sending me here over the summer, to make up for the fact that I’m an only child...or at least, I always assumed that much,” I laughed, and thankfully, despite my bumbling idiocy, he joined in. “And I loved it. It’s where I learnt to sail and where I built up my strength in the water.”
I smiled to myself, remembering myself transforming from a young, weaker child into someone who actually loved exercise and athletics. “I also made some pretty amazing friends, too.”
“Yeah?” He seemed genuinely interested in what I was telling him. “Still in touch with any of them?”
“Nah,” I shook my head, trying to disguise my sadness at that fact. “You know how it is; you write for a while, vow to stay in touch forever, but then real life crops up and gets in the way.”
“I don’t, actually,” he shrugged, which drew my attention to the sleeveless shirt he was wearing and the sinewy, toned muscles underneath. “I’ve never been here before. Or to any camp, for that matter.”
“Wow,” I chuckled. “Then you’ll have to let me show you around.” As soon as those words left my lips, I wished that I could pull them back in. They sounded far too flirty! I cringed internally, feeling the heat consume my body. I was so embarrassed.
“That would be brilliant, actually,” he said, taking my offer far too seriously. “If you don't mind.”
My heart began to pound heavily. It was so loud that I thought he might be to hear it, so I talked quickly just to try and cover it up. “Well, I had my cabin number in my welcome package. Hang on, let me find it.” I rummaged around in my backpack quickly, trying to hide my red face from him, talking the entire time to keep his attention on my words.
“If you come over early in the morning, before the children arrive, and I’ll show you everything that you need to know. Ah, here it is. I’m in Bear Six.” All the cabins were labelled after animals, which I personally found adorable. “It’s over that way,” I pointed vaguely in the right direction. “By the tallest trees.”
“Right,” he laughed at me, clearly bemused by my rubbish explanation. “The tallest trees, I’ll remember that.”
But before I got the opportunity to defend myself, the man who owned the camp came in, ready to give us all the information we needed.
“Hi, guys,” he started. “It’s great to see you all here.”
As he droned on, boring me with everything that I already knew, I tuned out his words, focusing solely on the chemistry I was certain I could feel flowing between myself and Rhett. At least, I hoped it was. I was definitely feeling it, at any rate; he was doing all kinds of things to me!
“Right,” I finally pulled my focus back onto the owner as his tone changed. I had a feeling that we were coming to the end of our lecture, and I wanted to at least look like I was paying attention to the health and safety information. “Now it’s time to assign teams.”
Teams?
I glanced around to see if anyone else understood these words, but everyone looked as blank as I felt.
“As you may or may not know, we have sets of teams of children led by one female and one male counsellor.” Ah, as he said those words, I started to remember as much. “The female leader will have a team of girls that they are responsible for and the males a team of boys. For activities, you will combine your teams.”
I recalled the excitement we all used to feel when we would be combined. It was almost the highlight of the trip, the chance to hang out with cute boys. Not that anything ever happened—we were much too young for that—but it gave us lots to gossip about all the same.
Suddenly, I was dragged from my thoughts by teams being spoken aloud.
“Michelle Davis and Gary Jay.” My eyes flickered around the room, wondering who I was going to be paired with. I didn’t dare dream that I would be as lucky to be put with Rhett: a prospect that filled me with terror and excitement equally.
“Danica Tustin and...Rhett Jones.”
Oh my God.
I looked over anxiously, and he shot me a winning smile back. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” he whispered, leaning far too close to me, sending me a little wild.
“Yeah,” I replied weakly, feeling myself crumbling a little. “Tomorrow it is.”
Chapter Two
Rhett–Monday
I wasn't an early riser. In fact, I normally slept in as late as I possibly could. But this day was different: I had a date with the stunner from the orientation meeting and I couldn't wait for it.
I’d barely slept with the excitement bubbling up inside of me, and I was out of bed as soon as the sun started to shine through the slats of my cabin. I had myself showered and dressed long before everyone else had even stirred in their beds, and then I’d been forced to wait until the time was appropriate. I didn’t want Danica to think I was crazy!
Danica Tustin. She was something of a mystery, and I couldn't wait to unravel her.
As soon as I had laid eyes on her, drinking in her shiny, blonde hair and her piercing, blue eyes—plus a rocking body that I’d spent the night fantasising about—I felt something deep inside. It was some sort of connection of indescribable origin, and I couldn't stop craving more.
I had never felt something instantaneous like that. I was always the slow-burning kind of guy, the sort that fell for girls I had been friends with for a long time prior. But maybe that was why nothing ever came of any of my relationships. Maybe the lack of spark and passion was why they always fizzled out into nothing.
Just thinking about Danica had my heart racing quickly and my chest a little tight. I liked her, a whole lot, and I became increasingly excited at the prospect of what the week ahead would hold.
I’d come to be a camp counsellor to have a week away from real life, to enjoy myself in the sun while earning some extra cash in the process. I never expected anything like this to happen.
Sure, at twenty-two-years-old, I knew that I should probably have some more focus and direction in life–I’d been told so enough times–but that just wasn't me. I enjoyed being laid back and taking every day one at a time. I assumed that one day my attitude might change, but for the time being, I was content with my life.
Especially since it had led me to here.
I glanced at my watch quickly before ruffling up my hair in the messy, just got out of bed style that suited me best, and I walked outside into the cool, early-morning sunshine. As I stalked across the camp from the Lion cabins to the Bear cabins, I breathed in the refreshing air. There was just something so calm
ing about being by the water. It made someone who enjoyed athletics and activities as much as I did feel right at home.
This was going to be so much fun.
The shyness didn’t kick in until I was standing outside Danica’s cabin. It suddenly hit me that this was going to be my real chance to make a good first impression. Sure, we’d had a brief interaction yesterday, but that had been in a bit of a pressured situation. This would just be us, alone. This would determine how the next week was going to go–especially since we were going to be teamed up on all activities. If I fucked this up now, things were going to get very awkward. It would ruin everything.
“Come on,” I hissed to myself, hating that I was acting like such a pussy. “Just knock.”
But before I got the chance to do so, the door swung open and Danica unwittingly stepped outside.
“Oh,” she gasped as she bumped into me. “Sorry; I wasn't expecting you to be here.” The blush filling her cheeks caused me to warm up to her all over again. She was just so irresistibly adorable. “I was just coming to wait for you, in case you couldn't find it.”
“Yeah, no, I found it okay. I just got here.”
Oh God, this was so awkward. Not a good start at all.
“So, shall we?” She indicated for us to walk, and I laughed thankfully. Hopefully, if we were doing something, it wouldn’t allow things to get strained again.
“...and this is where the raft building material is.” As Danica spoke, I felt my heart melt. There was just no way that I couldn't become increasingly enamoured with her. She was fun loving, confident, and more down to Earth than anyone I’d ever met before.
When I thought back over all of my friends, and my exes, I struggled to think of anyone I connected with as much as I did this girl, and we barely knew anything about each other. Sure, I got on well with my best friend James, but I didn’t always feel like he understood me. Not in the way that I felt Danica could. I knew I was being crazy because I’d only just met the girl, but I couldn't help the way I felt.
“I just can’t wait to get started,” I grinned happily back at her. “It’s gonna be so much fun.”
“Oh, it’s not all fun.” She looked cheeky, which had me intrigued.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Well, it’s going to get very competitive,” she continued as we moved. “Our teams are going to be competing in activities all the time. There will be a record kept, and at the end of the week, the winning captain...” she trailed off sneakily.
“What? Will I be getting a prize?” She laughed loudly at my bold statement–a musical sound that made me feel really happy.
“I will be getting... Okay,” she finally admitted. “You get nothing. Just bragging rights. But just to let you know that during all the times I came here, I never, ever lost.”
She was trying to rile me up, and I loved that. I much preferred girls who had a bit of banter about them, rather than the ones that just fell at my feet. It made things interesting; it kept me wanting more.
“Is that right?” I joked, grabbing her and pulling her closer to me. I slung my arm over her shoulder, noticing butterflies popping up in my stomach as she slipped in under my arm. I leant in closer to her, hoping that she could feel my breath on her cheek. I wanted to excite her, to drive her a little wild. I got the impression that she liked me back, but I wanted to be absolutely sure before I did anything silly. “Well, I’m afraid to tell you that I’ve been sent here purely to break that winning streak because I never lose.”
“You’re far too confident for my liking,” she teased playfully, not moving away from me. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you down a peg or two.”
Then, she grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me along to an archery field. As I ran behind her, watching her ass swing as she moved, I realised just how much I liked this girl. She was perfect: gorgeous, sweet, and apparently even more athletic than I was. Although, I doubted that much. No one had managed to outdo me at sports just yet.
“Is this your speciality?” I asked. “Do you think your team is going to beat me here?”
“Speciality, no.” She pulled a bow and arrow out from the nearby shed. “And my team? No. I’m going to beat you right now, to show you just how wrong you really are.”
I laughed loudly, crossing my arms over my chest. “Okay, that sounds good. Shall I go first, or do you want the honour?”
She handed me the equipment, confidence spread across her cheeks. “Newbies first, that’s always the rule.” I winked at her, grabbing things confidently from her. Any nerves I’d been feeling before washed away as I stepped forward. Sports were my speciality, and I was glad of the opportunity to show off in front of Danica. I wanted her to be impressed.
I drew the bow backwards, focusing solely on the target. I centered myself, breathing deeply, slightly adjusting my stance. The air was still and silent, as if it was waiting for me. I prepared myself, then let go.
“Eight,” Danica called. A good score, but not good enough. I repeated my action, this time hitting nine. I needed to get a ten or I was screwed. A nine was brilliant, but I needed the ten. I pulled back, and carefully let go, praying that I was going to get the bull’s eye.
“Ooh, so close,” she teased. “Another nine.”
I was angry at myself, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I forced my expression to remain smooth as I stepped back and allowed her to take the lead.
She hit the ten right away, without even taking too long to do so. “Lucky shot,” I teased, secretly gulping down some worry, watching her line up for the second shot. Ten again. I hung my head in shame. With the final arrow, she only hit a nine, but it was too late: my pride had already been mortally wounded.
“Okay,” I smiled weakly. “You’ve proved that you’re better than me at archery, but that doesn’t mean your team will beat mine.”
“I know.” She shrugged her shoulders casually. “Our teams will be working together to beat the other counsellors’ groups.”
“What?” I exclaimed loudly. “You let me believe that we were going to be competing!”
“I know,” she laughed, rubbing my arm in a comforting gesture. “It’s fun to wind you up.”
While that new information swirled around in my mind, Danica let me know that she was up for some more fun. “Do you want to see the climbing walls? Maybe have a whirl?”
I nodded happily, excited to have another chance to show off. I knew for a fact I could climb well.
By the time we were kitted up in all of the safety gear and ready to climb, I realised that it was almost time for our date to end. “The kids will be here soon,” I glanced at my watch. “We better be quick about this.”
“Oh trust me, I’m always quick.” The competitive tone was there all over again, which sparked desire inside of me. This girl was something else.
“Come on, then.”
We moved up the wall rapidly, but Danica was true to her word and beat me with ease. I wasn't sure how much of that was due to my distraction–I couldn't stop looking at her–and how much of it was because she was genuinely better than me, but I no longer cared. I liked this girl too much to allow my mood to sour. At the top of the wall, I turned to offer her my congratulations. “Well done, Danica,” I smiled. “You’ve proven that you’re better than me in every way. I bow down to you, master.” She laughed at my mock bowing. “You know, I’m happy to have you as a partner,” I announced, turning my tone more serious. “You really are great. I don’t think our team is going to have any issues in the competition.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, smiling widely at me. “No one else stands a chance.”
I was sad for our date to be over, but glad to move onto the next stage of our day. I couldn't wait to inspire the children, to make their summer great, and being able to do that with someone as awesome as Danica made it all the more exciting.
“Come on,” she said as she finally started to slide down the wall–an action which I imitated. “Let�
�s get ready to go and meet our new, ass-kicking team.”
“Let’s.”
Chapter Three
Danica–Tuesday
The rest of the morning went past in a bit of a boring haze, to be honest.
The children needed to be registered and sorted out into their specific cabins and groups, so apart from writing down names and sending them off in the right direction, there wasn't a lot for me and the rest of the camp counsellors to do. It was the owner giving the initial health and safety lectures, so we were left a little like lose ends–just waiting for the real fun to begin.
I glanced down at the list of names, just for something to do, which made me start wondering what my group was going to be like.
Marcie Jackson.
Charlotte Hall.
Vicky Baker.
Rebecca Shaw.
Jasmine Bennet.
Holly Price.
I didn’t recognise any of them, not even the family names, but that didn’t matter. They were going to be the best damn group ever; I would make sure of that! Just as I was plotting the ways that I intended to motivate my girls, to get them through the races and challenges in the best way possible, my eyes scanned across the camp and accidently landed on Rhett.
Or maybe I was attracted to him like a magnet. Either way, we were staring at one another.
He shot me a smile, one that sent my insides coursing with excitement. I just couldn't believe my luck, I’d been determined to have some fun here, but I’d never expected to meet someone quite like Rhett. He was a dream come true!
And, the way he was looking at me suggested he might just feel the same way.
Just as I was about to go over to him to have a little chat while the children unpacked, the owner of Camp Woodtree yelled out, grabbing all of our attention.
“Right, guys, everyone is set up now. The children are ready to begin.” This filled me with an intense excitement. I couldn't wait for camp to properly begin. I loved the buzz of the activities. “And for those of you who haven’t memorised the itinerary yet, today is water themed. The children will be experiencing water rafting, snorkelling–or swimming for the children who aren’t as confident–and a bit of diving.”