AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Plus, I don’t think he’s exactly paying attention to his friend. The two of them have been thick as thieves since Kayde showed up two weeks ago, though I can’t be sure if it’s a true friendship on Kayde’s part, or merely a cover up to make him not look so suspicious.
Frankly, it could be either.
“You’re pouting,” Kinsley sighs, shoving half of her brownie in my direction before settling against Liza’s arm that rests on the back of her chair. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you’ve brought it up now…” She shrugs. “Why are you pouting?”
I take the brownie with a groan of thanks, shoving it into my mouth and making my cheeks puff up like a chipmunk’s.
Which, of course, is the moment Kayde’s eyes find mine across Otter Hall. He pauses, brows rising just a touch, and he almost appears incredulous, if not incredibly amused. His lips move, and seconds later his eyes flick back to Daniel as he replies to something the other counselor said.
“I’d like to know too,” Liza admits, reaching up to dig her fingers lightly into Kinsley’s hair. My best friend sighs and leans back into the scalp massage, eyes going half lidded. For a moment, as I look at them, I wonder if there’s anyone, kid or adult, in Camp Crestview who doesn’t know they’re dating.
Surely not. It would take someone blind, deaf, and in a coma not to see it with how obvious the two of them are in their absolute adoration of each other.
It’s adorable.
It’s enviable.
And no, it’s not something I’ll get from Kayde.
But after watching them, I can’t help but look back at him, who’s watching me again, this time with something like curiosity on his face. God, I hate when he’s curious, or interested. It usually means I’m going to regret it later.
No, you won’t, that treacherous little voice in my brain whispers. You’ll love it later, you just don’t want to admit it. But I shut her down, drowning out the voice and reminding myself that there is no later because this is not the same as two weeks ago. There’s no game, no deal, no nothing.
Except my trepidation and anticipation of Kayde that continually wars in my chest to see which is in the lead at any given moment. I suck in a breath and look away, eyes going to Liza and Kinsley.
Of course they’re staring at me. They know where I’ve been looking, I’m sure, but at least they’re decent enough not to say anything about that.
“I’m pouting over Kayde,” I mumble, glancing down at my mostly empty plate. “Okay?”
“What did he say to you?” Kinsley sounds unsure of the question, and quickly adds, “I don’t want you to think you have to tell me. If It’s personal, or if you’d rather not?—”
“He explained why he left,” I admit, shrugging my shoulders as thunder rumbles overhead. I glance up at the gasps of some of the kids, though Melody just looks thrilled at the prospect of a storm hitting tonight.
Admittedly, a lot of the kids look forward to them. Even if they are terrifying for the campers sometimes, there’s something about a thunderstorm at summer camp that hits different.
Somehow, it feels special. Like an event, instead of just weather patterns in the mountains. It isn’t raining yet, as far as I know, but a second rumble of thunder follows the first. I doubt we’ll be having a campfire tonight, at this rate. It’ll likely end up being game night here, then an early night with a softer bed time than usual, since the kids will probably be up with the storms for a while.
“He said…” I can feel the flush staining my cheeks, and I fight the urge to reach up and press my cooler palms against the heated skin of my face. “Well, he wants to make it up to me. He wants me to feel the same for him as he does for me.” That’s as close as I can come to the actual conversation, and I’m still squirming in my seat at just this much of the truth.
The two trade a look, and I can see the silent conversation that passes between them. Finally, Liza reaches out to clasp one hand over mine, and pulls my attention up to her with a tap on the back of my hand before she speaks. “Do you want to give him another chance?” she asks, no trace of judgment or condescension in her voice or her face.
“Yes.” I don’t mean to say it so quickly. Kayde is…well, he’s Kayde. “But I’m so mad at him. I hate him a little. But I also… Umm. Well, I don’t hate him all the way.” God, I must look so embarrassed. I feel the urge to kick a chair into Darcy’s path, just for fun, just to do something unkind and get the attention off of me.
Plus, I’m still upset with her. I despise her, and I’m dying to hear about her reaction to Kayde coming back.
If she has one, anyway. I’d expected her to join him at Daniel's table, Shawn in tow, like always. Yet she and Shawn are sitting in the far corner of the dining hall, neither of them even looking at anyone else other than their kids occasionally.
“So do you want me to punch him in his pretty face?” Kinsley definitely sounds a little too eager at the idea, and she shifts in her seat, eyes on mine as I pull my hand back from Liza to sit back in my chair.
“No,” I assure her, holding a hand up for mercy. “No, I like his face as it is. And I’d love to complete this week without any bruises.”
Both of them fix me with a look, and when it dawns on me what they’re referring to, I feel a new rush of heat in my face all over again.
“Okay, okay,” I hiss, closing my eyes hard. “You know what I mean. Violent bruises. From getting hit with kayak paddles and nearly drowning or, like, getting punched in the face. I don’t mean other bruises.”
Because if Kayde does anything, it’ll probably result in bruises littering my throat and shoulders. I’m certainly not naïve enough to think I hate him enough that I don’t want him. At the very least, on a physical level.
And, well, more than that, if I’m completely honest in my own thoughts.
