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“Yeah,” Colin said, blinking rapidly. “Sounds great. It’s a clear night, so the stars should be out on the walk home.”
“Can you even see them with the trees?”
“If you know where to look,” Colin said, his voice pitching slightly lower. He waved to Simon, the bartender, and quickly paid for their beers, ignoring June’s attempts to pay for her tab. “You can just owe me tomorrow,” he said, that half smirk turning to his lips again.
Now that she had more time, June returned to her study of Colin’s lips. A full lower lip, slightly chapped from being outside, surrounded by a day’s growth of brown stubble. Her fingers itched to run her nails over it, feel the scratch against her skin, her face, her legs. She watched those lips say “good night” to the bartender, then felt his hand gently at her lower back guide her out of the bar.
“How are you feeling?” Colin said, shrugging on his sweatshirt as they walked out the door of the tavern. June was zipping up her own fleece jacket, though she didn’t even feel like she needed it. It was a crisp evening, just a hint of spring in the cool mountain air. Her face was hot, though she knew it wasn’t from the beer.
“A bit buzzed,” she replied honestly. “It feels really good to just talk to someone that isn’t working at our school. I feel like I’ve been in this weird bubble for the past few years.” She had shoved her hands into her pockets, but as Colin came up beside her to her left, he tugged her hand out of her pocket and intertwined his fingers with her own. “Why do you ask?”
“I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be pressing you to do anything if you had too much to drink,” he said, ducking his head slightly. She shook her head, and they began to walk slowly down the path next to the highway, drifting apart and then together in that slightly hazy way that meant the end of the night and the potential beginning of something more.
Approaching the entrance to camp, the wooden archway vaguely lit by a few scattered lamps, Colin paused a moment and slightly tightened his grip on June’s hand. She turned around, and he tugged her closer, just a few millimeters, but it felt like taking a giant step.
“Look,” he said, tilting his chin up to the sky. June followed his gaze, and was greeted with a shimmering sky, inky blue with pinpricks of stars. The moon cast a milky glow on the trees, catching the tips of the mountains in the distance that still had snow on their caps. June let out a slow breath - it was, and there was no other word for it…magical. She took a moment to soak it all in - the vastness of the sky, the rustling of the aspens and pine trees, the chill of the air, the warmth of Colin’s hand in her own, the slight pressure of their fingers against one another. June felt a small smile bloom on her face. Perhaps everything wasn’t entirely shit after all.
"It's gorgeous out here," June breathed.
She turned her gaze back to Colin, and realized he had been watching her. Their eyes locked and June saw his lips form a quiet smile that matched her own. She had forgotten what this felt like - that moment when you felt that connection with another person, that acknowledgment that they saw you and felt it too. That moment when you knew that you were creating the fragile beginnings of some kind of bond. Colin stepped closer to June, their chests almost touching. She tilted her head slightly to maintain her gaze.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, his hand lifting as if to cup her face, but stopping until she gave her permission. She nodded, almost imperceptibly, then felt his hand rest on her check, rough and calloused. With the smallest movement, she pressed her cheek into his hand, soaking up his touch. June loved the slight scratch of his palm on her smooth cheek, reminding her this was real, even through the haze of the late hour and the beers.
Colin leaned down and pressed his lips to June’s, more softly that she would have anticipated, given his rough palm and general outdoor aesthetic. It was chaste at first, just slight, dry presses of lips, which eventually gave way to wetter sips and nips, warming and liquefying both June’s mouth and her insides.
June slid her hands around Colin’s neck, played with the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of his bun, and ran her nails lightly over the nape. She grinned against his lips as she felt him shudder, loving that she could pull a reaction out of him so quickly. She felt Colin’s tongue slide against her lips and met it with her own, opening her mouth and deepening the kiss, tilting her head slightly to increase the pressure on his lips.
Colin’s hand slid from her cheek to her shoulder, pulling her body closer to his own. He tasted like beer and salt, she thought, as he caught her lower lip between his own and sucked slightly, pulling her lip out. She gasped slightly, the cold evening air flooding into her lungs, then immediately flushed with warm air as his lips covered her own again, continuing to explore and caress. Colin’s other hand slid around her lower back, pulling her closer, closer, until their bodies were pressed firm against one another, their heads angling from side to side to find new angles to explore their kiss.
June slid her hands from his neck around to his shoulders, feeling the sinew and muscle and slight jut of bone, then down to his chest. She pressed her palms flat against his slight pecs, enjoying the rise and ridge of muscle, feeling his breath through the rise and fall of his chest. She pushed him away slightly, needing a moment to catch her own breath.
June opened her eyes and met Colin’s, bright and glassy under the reflection of the light and the stars, underlaid with the heat they had both cultivated. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and June started to giggle.
“This is ridiculous,” she whispered, chuckling softly.
“You’re gorgeous,” he replied seriously, capturing a wild piece of hair that had fallen into her face. June rolled her eyes and blew a stream of air in her face to move even more curls away, trying to ignore the flush of heat that settled low in her belly at the compliment. Colin pressed a kiss to her forehead, then slid his hand down to once again interlace their fingers. “Let’s get you back to your cabin. I have breakfast duty tomorrow morning.”
“I will be worshiping at the altar of the shit camp coffee, I'm sure,” June said, continuing to follow Colin down the path that led to the teacher’s cabin. "I don't know if I've stayed up this late in months." Colin laughed softly, then a quiet calm settled between the two of them. They walked together in silence, the only light shining from the entryways to the student cabins and the moon.
“Do you think they’re all asleep?” Colin murmured as they approached the entryway to the teacher cabin. He nodded his head towards the cabin, where all the lights were out, save a single lightbulb over the front porch. It illuminated the two of them now, a soft shelter of light cast over their bodies. June felt the connection between them, wanted to wrap up this moment in that tiny umbrella of light and hold it to her chest and never let it go.
“Oh, definitely,” she laughed. “Miriam is a new mom who hasn’t slept since her baby was born 9 months after school shut down.” Colin barked a quick laugh, then slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with a guilty look that June couldn’t help but feel attracted to. “Shh,” she giggles, placing a finger to his lips. Colin rolled his lips between his teeth, but June kept her forefinger there, pressing slightly. He sighed, closed his eyes for a moment, looking temporarily overwhelmed. June realized what she had done and pulled her hand back, curling her fingers into a fist. “And Kevin’s a lightweight. He slept over a bunch during distance learning when his husband was out of town. Trust me, I snore, and he never said a word.”
“Good to know for this week,” Colin said, that spark lighting up in his eyes again. June couldn’t help but grin, then pressed her mouth to his again, warmth spreading through her as his lips opened quickly and the kiss turned heated again.
“Uh,” June said, between kisses. “Do you,” kiss “Want,” Kiss.
“Yes?” Colin said, laughing against her lips.
“Do you want to come in?” The words spilled from June’s mouth before she could say anything. June felt Colin’s body go rigid and inwardly cursed her big mouth for, once again, running away from her.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said, pulling away from their kiss. A chill ran through June’s body, flushing out the warmth that had been there just a moment ago.
“Oh - okay,” June murmured. She turned to open the door and forget this entire evening happened when Colin placed a warm hand on the outside of her arm. He steered her around, turning her to face him.
“It’s not like that,” he said softly. “Trust me, I want to, but-” he sighed. “It’s policy that staff don't go into guest housing.”
“Because it would be unprofessional?” June couldn’t keep the sourness from her voice.
