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“The word for animals that are active at dusk is crepuscular,” Kevin explained. “Your superpower makes you a whiz at figuring out science words, too!” Tasha pumped her fist, and then looked over her shoulder, into the dining hall, where her friends had begun to sit down for their breakfast. Warmth flooding into June’s chest - this is why she had gotten into teaching. To have kids realize all they were capable of, to provide them with a safe space to be themselves. To make them smile and to push their brains to grow more. She’d miss the connections with students like Tasha if she left.
When she left.
“That’s enough hearing us teach you boring stuff,” June said, smiling warmly. “Go sit by Cassie for breakfast!” June held her hand out for a high five and Tasha slapped it, then ran off to join her cabin at their table.
“How did you know how to get her to that word?” Kevin asked.
“I do pay attention in class,” June mimicked Tasha’s comment to him, sticking her tongue out at the end of her sentence. Kevin rolled his eyes, then his vision caught on something - or someone - behind her.
“That was quite a nice tag team,” came Colin’s voice. June felt her stomach flip and all of her nerves began to tingle.
“Thanks,” Kevin said. “Fun fact: June is bilingual.”
June’s face reddened with embarrassment at the compliment. “I’m not, actually,” she explained, still not turning around to face Colin. “I just took a few classes in college and have the kids teach me when they want. I know enough to chat to families about their kids, but I’m not bilingual.”
“Impressive,” Colin said, his voice dropping a half octave lower. June felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She turned around in her Adirondack chair to look at him.
Colin in the evening was a Camping Sex Dream, all bundled up and messy hair and scruff. Colin in the morning took her breath away. His long hair was down from its bun and a Camp Peek-N-See beanie was tugged over his ears. He wore an unzipped black puffy vest over a long sleeve gray t-shirt with some kind of nature-inspired design on the chest. June allowed her gaze to dip lower. He was in dark gray joggers and, of course, his sandals. June noticed he still wore thick wool socks - this time decorated with tiny mountains - underneath the thick webbing. He held a worn metal coffee mug that he used to salute June when her eyes returned up to his.
“Morning,” she said. She turned back to pick up her coffee mug and glanced at Kevin. He looked like he was going to explode. June scoffed at him as she rose out of her chair and leaned against the banister of the deck, facing Colin.
“How’d you sleep?” Colin asked. June noticed his cheeks were slightly pink and she didn’t know if it was from the slight chill of the morning air or if he was embarrassed to talk with her. It had been a hot minute since June had a hookup she had to encounter again, but she had survived these past three years, so this tiny bit of awkwardness was nothing. She had a student scream “fuck you” in her face just a few months ago, so she could probably handle this.
“Fine,” she said. Actually I went to bed slightly drunk, horny, and confused, she thought. “You?”
“It was a bit tricky to fall asleep,” Colin said. Kevin made a skeptical noise that he attempted to cover up with a cough. June looked pointedly at him and gave Kevin her best “please shut the fuck up” teacher eyes. What worked with her students did not work on Kevin, because he opened his mouth instead.
“Thank you for getting June home safely,” he said, innuendo dripping from every word.
“No sweat,” Colin replied. “Uh, June?” She looked from Kevin to him. “Would you want to help me?”
“Do what?” Kevin interjected.
“Something important, I’m sure,” June said, lightly punching him in the arm. Kevin winced and June rolled her eyes. “Go get more coffee,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Colin tipped his head in the direction of the path from the dining hall to the camp offices. June followed him with her coffee cup still between her palms, though he deviated from the main path, taking a single track that led through a small thatch of trees to a clearing with about a dozen stumps. June assumed it was some kind of outdoor classroom. Colin stopped and sat down on one of the stumps, his knees almost touching his chest. He indicated for June to sit on the stump next to him. She walked over and gingerly sat down, crossing her legs at the ankles, unsure of what to say to break the silence that had fallen over them on their walk.
He sighed and looked up at the cloudy morning sky. “That wasn’t stealthy at all was it?”
June couldn’t help but let out a tiny chuckle, shaking her head. “No, Col, it wasn’t.” She didn’t know where the nickname had come from, but it felt right.
“I don’t usually do this,” Colin said, blushing slightly and tilted his head down.
“What?” June said, trying to play it cool. She could be relaxed and just roll with the punches and pretend that this didn’t happen for the rest of the week. She was good at pretending to be happy at work, she could be good at pretending that Colin didn't set her panties on fire.
“I, uh,” Colin's jaw clenched and he rubbed his hand along his jaw and June could hear the scratch of his faint stubble. “I don’t hook up with teachers,” he finished. He cocked his head for a moment and seemed to reconsider his words. “I mean, we didn’t really hook up, but I don’t make it a habit of making out with teachers, just so you know.”
June didn’t quite know how to respond. Was this him shutting down anything else? Regretting it? Thinking she was not who she seemed in the light of day, removed from beer goggles? “Uh, okay?” she stammered.
“I just didn’t want you to think that this is something I do,” he said, running his hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t just pick the prettiest teacher and get drunk with her and make out with her after we leave the bar, it’s not a thing I do.” June felt her face start to match Colin’s as a blush spread across her cheeks. Colin continued to prattle on. “Yes, you’re really pretty, but I also really liked talking to you and, if it’s not too weird, I’d love to hang out with you again this evening. We don’t have to go to the Tavern, we can grab pizza in town or you could come over to my house, but I don’t want to be too forward -”
“Colin, breathe,” June said, giggling. She struggled to keep the smile from spreading all over her face. “I had a lot of fun last night…”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’,” Colin said.
“Now, it was going to be an ‘and’.” June corrected him. “And I’d love to hang out with you again this evening…”
“Now here comes the ‘but’.”
