by Naomi Niles
I wanted to jump up and down with excitement; water day was always my favorite when I was younger, and I couldn't wait to experience it as a counsellor. “And at the end of the day, we will have our famous water obstacle course.”
I glanced over to Rhett, who was grinning as brightly as me. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, then gave a disapproving look to the other counsellors standing around us, demonstrating his confidence in our ability to win. I nodded back, agreeing with him, before we were finally sent on our separate ways to meet our teams.
My girls were all living in the Bear cabins, near to me in case they had any issues, so it was easy to find their rooms. As I stepped into their cabin, I was filled with déjà vu. I remembered my own time in a similar place, surrounded by girls I didn’t know. I recalled the anticipation, the nerves, the crazy over-the-top excitement, and I felt like I could see it in all of their eyes, too.
“Hi, everyone,” I smiled brightly, realising that it was my duty to break the ice. “My name is Danica; can you please tell me your names.”
They glanced around shyly at one another, before starting to speak. Marcie, Charlotte, Vicky, Rebecca, Jasmine, Holly. Luckily, they were all very different looks wise, so I wouldn’t have any trouble telling them apart.
I instantly felt a soft spot for Holly–the small, hunched-over redhead who looked absolutely petrified. She was clearly a shy and quiet girl who didn’t do too well in social situations. I would have her feeling better about herself by the end of the week–that was what camp was for, after all! From my memory, the shy ones always ended up the loudest in the end.
“Okay, well, I’m really glad to have you all here, and I’m grateful that you’re my team.” They all looked a little uncertain about that, so I quickly continued, no wanting to give them enough time to start doubting themselves. “I don’t know how much you know about Camp Woodtree, but we’re a sports and activity based camp. At the end of each day, we compete in whatever we’ve been doing.”
I smiled brightly at them all, but they didn’t seem quite ready to return that enthusiasm. “And, we will be teamed up with a group of boys...”
There it was: I had their attention. Their eyes sparkled with excitement, and I could sense a hush around the room. They finally had something to bond over, and that made me smile. Once they had a connection, something to gossip about into the early hours of the morning, the teamwork and the winning would follow.
And to be honest, however competitive I was, it was far more important for these girls to have a good time. As long as they had fun, I would be able to leave there a happy woman.
“So, shall we go and meet the boys then?” They all nodded enthusiastically, even Holly. “It’s water sports today, so I’ll give you a moment to get yourselves organized.”
As I waited outside for the girls to get dressed, I could hear them squealing with excitement. They seemed like really good girls and a whole lot of fun.
“Everyone ready?” I asked, as they all stalked out in their wetsuits, clearly keen to get started. Then they followed behind me, almost acting like my shadows while they figured out what was to come next.
“Well hello there, girls!” Rhett cried over to us, revealing his own group. “It’s nice to meet you all.” We stood facing one another, introducing our teams.
“Here’s Marcie, Charlotte, Vicky, Rebecca, Jasmine, and Holly.” I indicated to them all in turn.
“And my team are Ben, Ricky, Gary, Mark, Timmy, and Frank.” The excitement fizzing between them was contagious. “Right, let’s get in the water–we’re swimming or snorkelling first, the choice is yours. You can even try a bit of diving if you like.”
As the teams got into the water and began splashing about, Rhett came to stand far too close to me all over again. The heat and chemistry was radiating off of him, making it difficult for me to concentrate.
“So,” he leant closer to me, practically whispering into my ear, causing goosebumps to pop up all over my skin. “Do you think we should be running a more regimented training session, getting them to the top of their ability?”
I couldn't help but laugh at that. “This is supposed to be fun, you know? It’s not training for the Olympics or anything.”
“I’m perfectly aware of that, but we need to win, as well,” he replied, very seriously. “We need to be the team to beat.”
“We will be,” I nodded confidently. “Look at them.”
As we both looked onto our teams, playing about and enjoying themselves, we realised just how able they all were. We were lucky to have kids that we could just leave to mess about. They wouldn’t need any training from us; they were going to get through this just fine.
“Danica,” Marcie squealed excitedly, popping up above the water, quickly removing her snorkelling gear. “This is amazing!”
“That’s awesome. I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it.” I was pleased that she felt close to me already. I hadn’t expected that. I could already feel a bond between all of us, one I hoped would continue.
“So, what’s the strategy for the race then?” Rhett asked, dragging my attention back to him. “Or are we just going to wing it?”
“Well, I think we’re all right with the swimming relay race,” I indicated towards the water once more. “Although I have noticed that Ben is your strongest swimmer, and Rebecca is mine–so maybe we should place them last. They can be our sprinters.”
“Wow,” he sounded gobsmacked by my revelation. “You’re observant. I hadn’t even realised that, but I can see that you’re right. It’s a good job that we’re on the same team because otherwise, I’d actually have something to worry about!”
***
Once we’d spent the afternoon on the boats, devising a plan for winning that race, too, it was time. Both my and Rhett’s team felt fully prepared to take on everyone else, and I was actually feeling a little nervous that we wouldn’t be able to live up to all of our expectations. We hadn’t even seen the others yet–only from a distance–so we had no idea of their abilities. I just prayed that we weren’t setting ourselves up for a fall.
“Okay, guys,” Rhett hushed as we all stood in a hugging circle. “Now, we all know exactly what we’re doing, and as long as we stick to that plan, we will crush everyone else.”
As he motivated the children, I flickered my eyes over all of their faces, drinking in their seriousness. Rhett was really inspiring them, which tugged at my heartstrings even more. Despite his fairly laid back attitude, he seemed to have a charisma that was difficult to resist. “Now, come on.” He put his hand in the middle of the circle, and we all imitated the action. “Go Team Belion!”
“Erm...” We all looked at one another really confused. “Rhett, what the hell is Belion?” I felt compelled to ask.
“It’s a combination of bear and lion. I don’t know, it sounded better in my head.”
After we’d all finished laughing, we repeated the same action, this time all shouting, “Belion!” as we flung our hands in the air. I just knew that this silly word would become our thing while we were here, a little inside joke just for us, and I was glad. What better way to solidify our friendships?
Rhett and I took the stands to watch the races, while our kids positioned themselves where they needed to be. I felt a little tremble make its way through my body as we waited, and I wasn't sure how much of that was nerves and how much of it was because of Rhett’s arm that was lightly touching mine. I was acutely aware of every single inch of him, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was feeling the same way.
He didn’t seem as reactant as me, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
And then the starting gun rang out and the activity began.
We cheered louder than everyone else as the teams competed, practically screaming as they raced across the water, and thankfully, our strategy was perfect because although we only just scraped the swimming race, we annihilated the other teams in the boat race. Our girls and boys kicked ass–it was act
ually amazing to watch.
“Oh my God!” I screamed as they crossed over the finish line, and Rhett threw his arms around me in excitement. “They won,” I yelled into his chest. “They did it! First place.”
It was only when he held onto me for a few seconds too long that I realised my heart was no longer racing just because of excitement. Now, it was because of Rhett and his close proximity to me.
I pulled back quickly, suddenly worried that everyone else was staring at us, noticing exactly what was happening between us, but of course, they weren’t. To everyone else, it was only a hug; plus, they were all involved in their own business.
“I...” I started at the same time as Rhett spoke out.
“We...”
We both giggled a little awkwardly as an intense blush filled my cheeks before turning away from one another and eventually leaving the stands to congratulate our groups.
Chapter Four
Rhett–Wednesday
I was still on a high all night and into the next morning after our crushing win at the water sports. It showed me just how good our teams were, and how likely Danica and I were to win the whole week.
We’d been very lucky with getting great kids, but a lot of it was to do with her, too. The kids idolized her already, that was easy to see, and I could understand why. Her sweet, friendly nature drew people in and made her utterly irresistible.
God, was she irresistible.
As we prepared for today’s competitive activity, which centred on a complex–but seriously fun–obstacle course, I kept finding myself just staring at her, imagining what it would be like to kiss her. There was no way that I could remain just friends with this girl; I was far too attracted to her. But there was no way I would be able to get things to progress with all these children around.
I needed to find a way to get us some alone time. That would be the only way.
“Oh my God, Rhett,” she gasped excitedly at me. “We’re going to win again, I can just feel it!”
I laughed at her appreciatively, nodding in agreement. “Come on, it’s time for the kids to eat. This isn’t a training camp for the Olympics, you know,” I repeated her comment from the previous day, which caused her to burst into giggles–a sound I didn’t think I would ever get bored of.
“Come on, Belions,” she called out, using our adopted nickname we were growing to love. “Lunch!”
We all sat at a table together during lunch, laughing and joking while discussing strategy. We had started to become like a big family, which I felt was a massive contributing factor to our success. Our table was definitely the loudest, and we seemed to be having the most fun. I wondered of everyone else was jealous of us or if they just hadn’t managed to bond as well.
“Do you think we’ll win again today?” I heard the smallest, red-haired girl ask.
“Of course.” Danica pulled her in for a hug, grinning widely at her while the girl looked up at her as if she were in the presence of a goddess. “We’re the best team here by far. There isn’t one weak link here.” I could tell that she was saying that to soothe the girl’s fears about her own ability, and it really did make me flutter inside. Danica was so intuitive, so kind, and I liked her all the more for it.
“Right,” I announced as soon as lunch was finished. “Let’s get ready for this competition!”
***
I couldn't even get myself to lie in bed later that night, despite the fact that the moon was out and we had another big day ahead of us. My insides were freaking out and driving me wild in the process.
Our team had absolutely dominated in the competition–we had blown everyone else out of the water, solidifying our first place for the week–but that wasn't what was standing out in my mind. It was the accidental, sultry look that Danica had given me as our team had been celebrating. I was sure that she didn’t mean it, that it happened without her control, and that made it even more exciting for me. It was instinctual, which made it all the more genuine.
She liked me, and I liked her. It was now abundantly clear to me.
I rubbed my head with frustration as I remembered those bright-blue eyes gazing up at me. I couldn't stand it–there was no way that I could go another whole day without some serious one on one time with Danica. I absolutely had to get her alone before I drove myself to distraction.
And since I couldn't sleep, tonight seemed to be the perfect moment to do that!
With that thought in my mind, I shoved a short sleeve t-shirt and khaki shorts on quickly, my heart pumping with anticipation. As I pushed my way out into the cool, night-time air, I was overly excited, not even considering the consequences of my actions. It wasn't until I knocked on Danica’s door and she answered in her cute, cartoon pyjamas that I realised what a bad plan it was. What if she flatly refused to hang out with me? What if she’d been asleep?
“Rhett?” she gasped, which filled me with hope once more. There was definitely happiness lacing her tone, meaning she was glad to see me. “What are you doing here?” She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, glancing down at her clothing. As her skin turned pink, I realised that she was actually embarrassed for me to see her in such a way, which was ridiculous.
“Walk with me?” I asked her simply. She bit her lip and nodded quickly. “I’ll wait by the lake.” I wanted to give her the chance to get dressed, for which she seemed grateful.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll... I’ll see you there.” There was a question in her eye, one that wanted to know what my plan was, but I didn’t intend to give her any hints. Not yet, anyway.
“See you in a minute.”
As I stood by the lake, simply looking over it and admiring the beauty of the place, I eventually heard footsteps creeping up behind me. I spun around to see a vision in a white sundress. Danica had kept her fully-natural look–hair hanging loose, no makeup on her face–which made her even more gorgeous. A warm happiness burst inside my chest at the mere sight of her.
“Shall we walk?” I asked, holding my hand out to her. As she slipped her fingers in between mine, and we moved hand in hand, it felt like the most natural thing on the entire planet. As soon as I was certain we were alone, I struck up a conversation. “Tell me about yourself,” I asked. “I don’t really know a lot about you outside of here.”
“Erm okay...” She thought for a second before speaking out. “Well, I’m twenty-one, I grew up not too far from here, and I...” She was struggling to think of something interesting to tell me, which I found incredibly cute. “Well, I go to college nearby, too, St. Henry’s.”
“No way!” I couldn't stop myself from interrupting. “I’m starting a fast-track course at Grange this year.” Our schools wouldn’t be too far from one another, which meant that we could see each other after the summer if we wanted. “I can come and visit you.” As soon as those words left my lips, I began to cringe inside. How forward was that? What if she thought I was a stalker or something?
“That sounds good,” she shot back quickly, stopping my brain from going too far into a negative tailspin. “I’d like that.”
Oh. My. God.
That had to mean something, right?
There was so much excitement coursing through my veins, that I hadn’t even realized we’d reached the end of the pier that hung over the lake until Danica asked if I wanted to sit there for a while.
“It’s really beautiful out here at night,” she sighed happily, as we both dangled our feet into the water, and I couldn't help but agree–except my focus was mainly on Danica and how stunning she looked under the glistening moonlight. I was entranced by her pale skin, her red, kissable lips, and those eyes...always those eyes. I felt like I could lose myself in them forever.
As she told me another funny anecdote of her childhood time at Camp Woodtree, I found myself completely unable to focus on her words. There was a fierce passion coursing right through me, urging me to make my move. As I looked at Danica, it felt like I’d already left it a lifetime before kissing her–far too long
.
But what if she pushed me away?
No, she wouldn’t do that; I was sure of it. And even if she did, I wouldn’t be able to leave there having missed the opportunity. At least I would know either way. Sure it would make the rest of the week a little awkward, but that was far better than not knowing.
So I shifted myself closer, positioning myself better. Danica seemed to sense that something was happening and that the night was finally going somewhere, so whatever she was saying fell apart on her lips and a hush overtook us.
I tossed my arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to me before lightly resting my forehead on hers. I wanted to start kissing—of course I did—but the lead up, the anticipation, was almost as good as the action, and I wanted to hang on to that for just a few more seconds.
But when Danica’s breaths started to shorten with nerves, I knew that it was now or never.
I pulled her face closer to mine, resting my hands on her cheeks, and I went in for the kill. As our lips crashed together, fireworks of chemistry burst inside my stomach and bolted through my veins. She moved her body closer to mine, melding into me, before parting her lips, allowing my tongue to snake in–a sensation which sent shivers down my spine.
An involuntary moan escaped her lips, which led me to grow in excitement, too. As my hands found their way all over her body, I started to wonder if things were going to go even further.
“...and then he said that he didn’t because...”
“What’s that?” Danica hissed into my chest, panicking just as much as I was. There were other people sneaking about in the dead of night, which meant that we were dangerously close to getting caught.
Probably a good job things didn’t go any further!
“Voices,” I whispered back. “Come on, let’s hide.” I grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her into some nearby bushes. There we waited, huddled together, while we listened to the snippets of the girls that had almost caught us out.