linger longer
for: amy, @mindwcrdsfics
by: hannah, @dulcedeliam / @primetimewritings
summary: Indi thought this summer would be another one full of exhausting, activity-filled days under the sun and mountains that she had known since she was a camper. Along with her best friend, Harry, the two would be counselors again and making the most of their summer by running after campers and trying to make sure everyone wore sunscreen, the latter mostly being Harry. But with a new summer brings new faces, Harry bringing his college friend, Liam. Suddenly, Indi realizes, this summer is going to be unlike any other.
A summer camp au featuring khaki shorts, giggling campers, and a tank top of Liam’s that gives Indi a run for her money.
word count: 8,703
warnings: mild drinking, brief language, enthusiastic camp counselor harry
main pairing: liam/ofc
June
One of the main reasons I loved working at Camp Holly Brook was because of the trees that surrounded it and the lake that kissed the shores of the camp itself. It wasn’t that I had a lack of trees back home –my college had trees lining the streets and the buildings throughout campus, so my tree appreciation was pretty well rounded no matter where I was. But the trees at camp relaxed me and made me feel like I had escaped the busy life of college and the real world. Harry laughed at me when I told him about my fascination of the trees that made up camp, but I knew he understood too. Especially since he did yoga some mornings in one of the clearings down by the lake.
With campers arriving the next day, everyone was rushing all over camp doing things in preparation from figuring out cabin assignments, organizing activities, and make sure everyone had enough bug spray and sunscreen. I found my best friend yelling about the latter at the program office, the central headquarters for campers and counselors where they could do anything from check their mail or use the computers (which was a counselor privilege).
“Has everyone got their sunscreen? Come on now, don’t want to be a bad example for the kids with a sunburned nose right?” Harry shouted as fellow counselors walked by. Most either ignored him or shared a laugh in agreement.
I was grinning as I walked towards him. “Harry!”
His hair was thrown up into a bun, it had gotten that long since I had seen him over Christmas and he had a white t-shirt on and jean shorts that were cuffed. His face broke into a massive grin when he spotted me, and we ran to each other, throwing our arms around one another like we had been separated for years, not months. “Indi! I can’t believe you’re here! Glad you aren’t late like last year,” he noted, still hugging me after I had let go.
“Oh shut up, I wasn’t that late last year,” I said dryly, remembering my car trouble that hindered me from getting to camp on time.
Harry chuckled, his dimples coming out and making me smile. “Well now that you’re here, let’s go find Julian and get your cabin assignment yeah?”
We found Julian down by the water, assessing the canoes to make sure they were sturdy enough for campers with minimal canoeing knowledge to paddle. Julian was the director of the camp, his appearance fitting the camp director title. He had a head of dark curly brown hair, curlier than Harry’s, and an around the clock scruff that gave him that extra woodsy look.
He gave me a one armed hug once he spotted Harry and I. “Was wondering when you’d get here, you’re in the Dogwood cabin. You’ve got six girls this year, think you can handle it?” He challenged, raising an eyebrow at me in jest.
“As long as Harry and I are near one another, everything will be just peachy Julian,” I said with a confident nod.
He nodded, sending us off to unpack and returned to his canoes.
“Think we’ll ever see him clean shaven?” I questioned as we climbed back up the hill to unload my car now that I had my cabin. I had had a cabin of six once before but my past two years I was a counselor to four campers, so this was nothing new to me.
Harry shook his head, his bun shaking in its hold. “Nope, he says the rustic look attracts the women when he goes back to the city. I guess they like lumberjack outdoorsy types.”
**
We had just brought in the last of my things when someone was calling Harry’s name down the line. There were two separate rows of cabins and split into two sections for the boys and girls, with a massive wood staircase filled with woodchips in between leading up to the program office.
Harry stood up and poked his head out of the cabin since we had propped the door open. “Ah Liam!” He said cheerfully, disappearing down the stairs.
I frowned, dropping the t-shirt I had been folding on my bed and followed behind. I didn’t know a Liam, but then again we had new counselors every summer just like we did campers.
“Mate! Get settled in your cabin okay?” Harry asked a boy near his height with short brown hair and I quickly noticed the tattoos going up his arms.
Liam, whoever he was, glanced my way before looking back at Harry and giving him a nod. “Yeah, it’s great. I’ve got six campers apparently, I just got their names and everything.”
“Ace, oh yeah,” Harry said, suddenly remembering that he was helping me. “Liam, this is my friend Indi, she’s been here nearly as long as me.” He lowered his voice enough that I could still hear from my spot on the steps. “She’s not as cool as I am though, the campers love me.”
“Oh that’s such bullshit! They love me just as much as they love you,” I protested, stomping down the stairs and walking towards him. “The only reason they love you is because you’re an easy target and they’ll have you screaming for mercy in the grass after a game of kickball.”
Liam started laughing, his eyes crinkling and his hand on his stomach. I smirked in satisfaction and Harry’s expression was full of indignation.
“That’s so not true. I’m just loveable and a joy to have around,” Harry defended himself, putting a hand on his chest to show his worth.
“Are you a golden retriever? Because I’m pretty sure you just described yourself as one,” Liam noted, making me laugh next.
Above us at the top of the hill, the bell rang signaling lunch. The dining hall was straight ahead at the bottom of the hill with a view of the lake from its windows. Harry, Liam, and I walked together towards it, chatting away about what activity we wanted to be in charge of for the summer.
The dining hall was like a replica of the one in The Parent Trap except elevated with more windows and honey colored wood that gave the room a sense of openness and comfort. We sat together with some veteran counselors, Poppy, Miles, and Naomi.
Working through our BLTs, I found out Liam went to school with Harry and had been his roommate freshman year. I had never heard of Liam before but I didn’t question Harry about him. Liam had a knack for grabbing someone’s attention when he was talking because I was hanging on every word. He moved his hands a lot when he talked; even when he was seated he was still animated.
After lunch and Julian’s announcements (to which we all banged our fists on the table –a camp ritual), the three of us set off back to our cabins to change into our bathing suits for boating and swimming.
“No it was you that used my toothbrush after we did that beer crawl!” Harry stressed to Liam, both of them engaged in a story that had started over Liam noting that he forgot to bring toothpaste.
Suddenly Harry stopped and patted the pockets of his jean shorts. “Shit, I left my phone back in the dining hall. You two go ahead, I’ll just see you at the docks.”
We watched his tall, lanky frame grow smaller as we put our distance between the dining hall. “Honestly, it’s like he needs a string tied to him and connected to all his possessions. Does he lose his phone a lot at school?” I asked Liam, trying not to take too long to stare into his warm brown eyes.
Liam shrugged, a small smile on his face. “Sometimes yeah, usually he can’t find his glasses, or his phone and flops around like a lost puppy until he suddenly remembers where he left them. It’s amusing after you’ve been studying for six hours straight.” He pinched the skin between his eyebrows, as if the stress of school made him twinge.
I chuckled. We parted ways once we reached his cabin and I didn’t have to go far to mine. Being at camp was like escaping from the world. All insecurities and worries went out the window when it came to things like putting on a bathing suit. No one worried about how another looked because it was camp, everyone was here to have a good time.
I spent the afternoon lying on my towel in the grass with Poppy and Naomi while the boys and other counselors paddled around in canoes and kayaks or messed around in the lake. I wasn’t ready to full embrace the lake yet but I would once camp started. We talked about the past school year and who had studied what and more specifically who. Once camp started, all talk of so-called non-camp activities and language wasn’t allowed, so today was our only day to fill each other in on the non-edited versions.
We had a night off from camp before campers started showing up the next morning so we pulled ourselves together in our best non-khaki shorts and polo shirts that we could. I applied some make up and pulled on a pair of black jeans since it was chilly at night up in the mountains.
A knock on my door made me quickly grab for a t-shirt and cover myself up. I didn’t really have anyone to hide from but it still made me hesitate. “Who is it?”
“It’s Poppy, can I come in?” I laughed, giving her the okay and throwing my shirt back on my bed. I was glad she stopped by so she could help me figure out what to wear.
**
We took Poppy’s car into town since she had a Jeep and it was made for the hilly curves opposed to my Honda Civic that tried its best to get up here. The town down the road only had a handful of bars that were half family restaurants before eight. It probably a little overwhelming when ten camp counselors in search of beer breezed through The Bear Claw just after seven.
“Do you really have bears around here?” Liam asked, his expression full of worry.
I shook my head, laughing at Liam’s uneasiness. “There are some around here but they never come into the camp. At least I’ve never seen one.” Harry chose that moment to appear with Graham, another counselor, with drinks in hand.
“Rum n’ coke for you Indiana,” Harry announced, placing it in front of me like we were in a restaurant.
“Thanks Harold.” I took a sip of my drink, ignoring Harry’s use of my full name and turning back to Liam. “Don’t ask Julian if he’s seen any bears though. He’ll try and tell you about the time he saw one and climbed a tree to spy on it.”
“He got me with that one,” Harry said forlornly, bringing his beer to his lips.
“That’s because you’re one of the most gullible people around Harry,” Poppy commented next to me.
Harry scoffed. “Am not, I have a wonderful sense of humor thank you. I just like to put on a façade of gullibility to add to it.”
“Not sure gullibility is a word but I’ll let you have that,” I told Harry, laughing as I brought my glass to my lips.
Having no desire to have a hangover the next day, I cut myself off after two drinks knowing how busy tomorrow would be. In between catching up with everyone, I stole glances from Liam as he got to know everyone around him. At one point I was staring off into space with my head in my hand and Liam looked over at me. He moved over until he was in my line of vision, breaking me of my reverie and making me laugh.
**
“INDI! I can’t believe you’re my counselor!” Lily, a camper that I had grown to know the year before, greeted me as I came out of the cabin.
“Lily! I can’t believe you’re my camper!” I gave her a hug before introducing myself to her parents. Lily was the second to arrive with Gigi arriving twenty minutes before. It had been whirlwind morning already and coffee from the dining hall was my life source. I had glimpsed Harry running around on the boys’ side of camp unloading cars and bouncing between parents. Liam had nearly crashed into me when we were in the dining hall, claiming he was still half asleep. I saw Liam carrying trunk after trunk into his cabin.
Within the hour, Maggie, Amanda, Katy, and Emma joined Gigi and Lily and the cabin was full of high-pitched voices as everyone unpacked. I chimed in when the girls asked me something or gave me a chance to join in. I knew half of them from the year before but the other girls were fresh faces.
After moving in, everyone made their way down to the dining hall for the first lunch of the summer. Counselors went first to set the tables and get the food from the kitchen for each table and ensure there was enough for everyone. It was amusing to me as the dining hall filled up with campers of various heights and features, Julian greeting everyone as they rushed past.
“One of my campers tried to put up a Frozen poster in the cabin today and I was like I can’t break this early in camp, it’s the first day,” Poppy said dryly as our table filled up with campers once they found their table assignment.
I shook my head, laughing and smiling once our entire table was full. We sat down shortly after everyone made it inside. After a round of introductions around the table, a customary requirement at the start of camp, everyone tucked into lunch. The familiar din of voices carrying over the clang of silverware hitting plates filled the dining hall.
The rest of the day was spent running to and from activity and back to my cabin. I barely saw the girls except for when they came to sign up for activities. I was in charge of Land sports mainly, but on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, I spent the morning down by the docks. Harry and I had become certified lifeguards together after our first summer so we were able to be in charge of water activities. My campers and some of Harry’s (who enthusiastically greeted me) were quick to sign up with me and made sure to get in for my canoeing classes.
Before I knew it, I was crashing into my bed, feeling thoroughly exhausted than any college course could make me feel. The girls were quiet too as they got ready for bed and we were going to play a card game as an icebreaker of sorts.
**
“Alright everyone, you know the drill, grab a life jacket that fits, a paddle and meet me down by the dock!” I shouted to my group of canoeing campers, Harry fiddling with his whistle in his mouth. “Cut it out, you’re going to blow our ears out before you know it,” I warned, pushing him in the ribs.
He winced, holding his ribcage. “Ow, you know I’m still sunburned there from last weekend.”
I snorted, unlocking the dock and stepping onto the warm wooden planks. Last weekend we had our swim & boat meet and with Harry and I running the canoeing part, he had forgotten to reapply his sunscreen and had gotten a nasty sunburn across his chest and back. “Idiot.”
Soon enough the campers filed out onto the dock, holding their paddles like the pros they were slowly becoming. One of Harry’s campers elbowed another and they giggled when one of them nearly fell in.
“Oi! Alex! Don’t do that or else I’ll send you in as well!” Harry reprimanded, shaking his head.
Across the water, Liam, who I learned was lifeguard certified and all to eager to be in charge of kayaking, was pushing campers into the water and lifting kayaks off the racks. I caught myself staring one too many times since activities had started, Poppy was the only one who knew of my vague interest in Liam.
I turned away from Liam, helping the kids drop their canoes into the water. I relaxed once a handful was out paddling around and a couple other counselors joined them in kayaks. It was a brisk, warm day for boating, making me remove my loose tank top, revealing my bathing suit underneath. It wasn’t anything special, a simple bandeau with straps since I knew I would be moving about.
With his kayakers somewhat safely paddling around, Liam came over to the canoe docks to see what we were up to. “Who wants to do canoe slides?” Harry asked the campers hanging out on the docks. An expectant chorus of cheers followed, making us grin. I loved canoe slides, we anchored the canoes in the bottom of the lake, wet the underbellies of them, and the kids were able to slide down and swim around. Another canoe was set up as a ladder so they could repeat the process.
“I’ve never done a canoe slide,” Liam mentioned, standing next to me. He was shirtless, in just a pair of swim trunks. Even though I had seen him shirtless from afar, seeing him up close was another story.
I forced myself to breathe and give him a smile. “They’re so much fun, try surfing down it. So much more fun, ‘course the kids can’t do it. Don’t want them to hurt themselves.”
“Oops, watch out!” Harry yelled behind me, as he lost his footing and sending me into Liam.
We both knew what was happening before we could hit the water. I heard myself screaming Harry’s name and Liam’s hands wrapped around my forearms. We hit the water with a smack, going under the surface. I was coughing and sputtering as I stood up. The lake wasn’t deep right by the docks but it was still up to my waist. Next to me, Liam was rubbing water out of his eyes.
I was ready to bite Harry’s head off, but I remembered the campers still watching the whole ordeal. Most were laughing along with the counselors out in the lake.
“You absolute idiot,” I glared at Harry, swimming over to the canoe to bring myself up. Harry was grinning once I stepped on the wooden planks, but he was soon to be a dead man.
“That was beautiful,” he said in between laughing breaths, clutching his ribs.
“If the kids weren’t around, you’d go right in too. But I’m going to be the better person and not do that,” I said, shaking a finger in his face. I had forgotten about Liam, the other poor unfortunate soul that went down with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him swiftly lift himself out of the water, making my jaw drop.
“Indi, there are still children around,” Harry whispered in my ear, breaking my stare at Liam’s abs. “Best close your mouth until you’re alone,” he suggested, and I snapped my mouth closed, still glaring at him.
Liam and I made our way up the dock, still dripping water everywhere once we made it to the boathouse.
“What happened to you two?” Heidi, one of the other kayaking counselors inquired as we came into the counselor room to grab our towels.
“Harry the horrible pushed me in-“ I started, dabbing my face first.
“-Then took me with her,” Liam finished, wrapping his lower half up and his bare chest exposed. Heidi burst into hysterics once he finished, clapping her hands. “Classic,” she added on her way out.
I was a pro at revenge, so ten minutes before the bell rang and Harry and I were pulling the last canoe in, I pushed him into the water. My laughter combined with the campers up at the boathouse drowned out Harry’s protests as he went underneath.
“Now we’re even Styles!” I yelled, running back up the dock.
**
Tucked back off one of the main paths through the camp and overlooking the lake was the Ark, the one place counselors could replenish what sanity had been taken by rabid, energetic campers. There was a television circa early 2000s set up with a unique collection of DVDs ranging from Elf to The Lego Movie to Gone with the Wind. I figured Julian’s obscure taste mixed with movies donated by past counselors had something to do with them.
Naomi, Graham, and Heidi were watching a movie in the old squishy chairs and out on the porch, some counselors were working on their camper letters that went out to the parents every week. I chose to make myself at home across the room with a magazine I had picked up on my day off and turned my phone on for the first time in days.
I heard the door open and someone breeze through as I scrolled through Twitter and Facebook. I felt a presence by my foot, and I glanced up from my phone.
Liam smiled down at me, gesturing to the chair across from my spot. “Mind if I sit?”
I shook my head. “No go ahead, it was just going to become my footrest anyways.”
“If your feet fall asleep I’ll be your footrest,” he offered, making my heart beat a little faster over a simple suggestion.
“The man of my dreams,” I muttered, smiling at my phone screen even though it had nothing to do with how I felt. I locked it and turned towards Liam. “So, have you enjoyed your first month of camp? Are your campers giving you a hard time?”
Liam chuckled, nodding at me. “I’ve loved it so far, I’ve never been to a camp like this so I feel like I’m a grown up camper here. I think one of the boys cut the sides off one my t-shirts though, so I look like some wannabe muscle head if I wear it.” I giggled, not wanting to be the one to point out that he could rival Zac Efron in Neighbors if he did.
T-shirt worries aside, we moved onto how Liam enjoyed running Archery, which was in the field next to mine while doing tennis and kayaking as his other activities. He was the most active counselor within the camp I knew, all Harry did was his yoga and occasional runs with me around the camp. He asked me about my camper days and I was more than happy to dish out embarrassing stories about Harry, which usually involved me being tied up in them too.
Shortly after midnight, the Ark had cleared out except for the two of us and I was about to fall asleep in my chair from another strenuous day of activities. Liam walked me back to my cabin, which was on the way to his.
“I’m actually kind of scared of the dark so I’m kinda glad I have the company,” Liam voiced truthfully, the rocks crunching beneath our feet.
I stared at him, the moonlight illuminating his features, and fought the urge to laugh at him. “I hate to break it to you, but you are carrying a flashlight that you could turn on at anytime.”
Liam glanced down at his flashlight, which wasn’t on. “True but what if it attracts a giant frog? Have you heard those things? They sound terrifying.”
He was scared of frogs and worked at a camp settled by a lake. Brilliant. I was still laughing once we reached my cabin, which was dark and silent inside. After saying goodnight, I watched Liam make his way down towards his cabin. Only once I was inside, did I see the beam of his flashlight come on.
July
June moved over for July, which was hot after a particularly roasting Fourth of July. The camp had jumped into full patriotism with various water games on the lake and kickball on the land sports field. On the archery field, red, white and blue balloons had been taped to the targets and once campers shot them, they exploded with glitter, making the grass sparkle. By the time the camp gathered for the barbeque, Poppy, Liam, and I were somehow covered in glitter. Once the fireworks started, I ended up sitting next to Liam as the fireworks exploded against the black night sky.
Ever since that night at The Ark, Liam and I had become closer friends. We walked to meals together, usually exchanging stories about what camper had done what in our activities. When he wasn’t up in the archery hut, Liam usually helped campers with their shooting, occasionally waving my way as I ran around the land sports field. Harry acted like one of the campers getting candy for the first time in weeks when he figured out that Liam and I had become friends.
Being friends with Liam meant I was spending a lot more time with him than before. I had to control my heart racing every time he took his shirt off, which seemed to be a lot. From going swimming, returning from his runs around the lake, to when he played soccer with some of the guys, I couldn’t take it.
One day during free time, I was sitting in the computer lab at the program office watching Youtube videos when Liam came in with Graham and sat down next to me. It only took one glance his way for me to burst out laughing.
He held up a finger in front of my face but I was laughing too hard as I took in his appearance. Liam had chosen to wear the t-shirt that his campers had turned into a tank top with no sides, exposing his ribcage and the sides of his torso. “Stop laughing!” he shouted, putting a hand over my mouth.
“Laundry day get all of your shirts then?” I asked once I had finally calmed down. His cheeks were flaming as he punched at the keyboard.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He shook his head and avoided my eyes.
“You look great,” I said dryly, still giggling at my screen.
**
As much as I enjoyed being with my campers and camp life itself, I was grateful for two days off away from it all. The girls were sad that I was going to be away for two days, they had become like my little group of followers. They all formed their own little bonds between one another and I loved seeing them in my activities.
When it came to days off, a group of counselors would go and the other group stayed behind to cover the camp with Julian. So Naomi took care of my cabin along with hers and Poppy had another counselor take care of her girls. Poppy’s parents had a house near the camp that they let us stay at on our days off so we could have fun in town and have somewhere to sleep for free.
“It feels so nice to not have a child yelling in my ear,” Poppy noted as we browsed through one of the little shops lining the main street.
I nodded. “I know, I don’t think I’ve had this much quiet since the day before camp started.”
We shopped a bit more, eventually adding another bag to the ones we had already collected. The weather wasn’t blistering hot for once and I had traded in my uniform khaki shorts for a pair of jean cutoffs and a white t-shirt.
“You and Liam have become quite the pair,” Poppy voiced when we sat down for lunch.
I sipped on my drink, staring at her over the rim. “What do you mean?” I knew we had become friends, but Liam was still Harry’s friend.
Poppy stared back, unamused with my nonchalance. “Don’t try and tell me you don’t like him, like like him Indi.”
I shrugged, dancing around her. “He’s cool, we’ve had a good time this summer.” I paused, looking around the restaurant. “Do you know something I don’t know?”
She shrugged, glancing down at the table and back up at me. I narrowed my eyes at her. “I mean the way you two keep running into each other all over camp-“
“The camp’s not that big,” I pointed out.
Poppy waved a hand, dismissing me. “Whatever. And then you falling into the lake with him. How the two of you are always at the coffee station together…walking from the Archery fields like you’re both in on your own secret.” She pointed a finger at me, “There’s something there.”
My heart started beating quicker than it was minutes ago, my mind trying to pin point what Poppy meant with all of this. “What’re you trying to say Pop?”
She shrugged, pulling on her straw. Our food arrived then and she took her sweet time answering me. “I think you should do something about whatever’s going on between you two before August.”
I didn’t say much more after that, but Poppy’s words stayed in the back of my mind. The rest of the afternoon we ambled around the rest of the town and went back to Poppy’s. We watched a bit of the Kardashians, which was mindless entertainment if anything. It was like we were cut off from the real world at camp when in reality, technology just wasn’t a big thing within the camp’s borders.
That night we headed down to one of the bars, which was packed. Poppy and I weaved around people, my shoulder nearly pressed to hers.
“Well will you look who’s here,” Poppy said, stopping short and colliding with me.
“Jesus Poppy, warn me next time,” I huffed, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Guess who’s here,” Poppy ventured, grinning like mad.
I rolled my eyes, a dull throbbing coming up under my eyebrow. I needed a drink if Poppy wanted to play guessing games. “Channing Tatum,” I guessed dryly.
Poppy snorted, standing close to me and leaving inches between us. “Nope, better,” She paused in thought. “Maybe.”
I followed her gaze, spotting Liam sitting across the room. Electric shocks went down to my heart to jump-start it and spread through my torso as I stared. “Oh great.”
Poppy took my hand in hers before I could protest. “C’mon, let’s go say hi.”
Liam along with Graham and Eli, another counselor, were sitting up at one of the high bar tables, beers all spread out in front of them. Liam was laughing at something Eli was saying and I suddenly wanted to be the one to make Liam laugh. But my brain was having a hard time communicating with my vocal cords as Poppy pulled me along.
“Hi guys, funny seeing you here,” Poppy announced once she reached the table. At once three sets of eyes looked her way, immediately lighting up once they realized who was speaking. I smiled at Liam before glancing away. Idiot.
“Because there are so many options around here right?” Eli voiced dryly, taking a sip of beer.
“This seemed like the best option to be honest,” Poppy agreed, taking the seat Graham had pulled out for her. I ended up next to Liam, who kept his arm around my chair as I climbed in.
“You look nice,” he noted, raising his eyebrows at me.
I rested an elbow on the table and looked at him. “Well thank you. It’s weird not seeing you in khaki and a camp T-shirt.”
Liam shook his head at the thought of our uniforms. “I know, when I got dressed this morning, I almost went for the khakis and I was like, ‘No, you can wear jeans for once.’ It took me a minute to even put on a shirt that didn’t have the camp logo on it.”
“Or one that has sleeves that haven’t been cut off?” I grinned smartly as he rolled his eyes.
“Never going to let that go are you?”
I shook my head. “Never, I keeping that etched in my brain forever.”
The boys took our drink orders, which gave Poppy the perfect opportunity to heckle me about hooking up with Liam. “At least try and get him alone. It’s so obvious that you two like each other. At least to me it is.”
“Because you’re my relationship advisor,” I added tonelessly. I tapped my fingertips on the tabletop to give me something to do.
“For the time being, yeah I am. I’ll tell Naomi about this later.” Poppy shut up shortly after that, the boys returned with our drinks and fresh beers for themselves.
Getting Liam alone wasn’t really that hard, especially since a couple hours later he was the one to ask me to come outside with him. I ignored Poppy’s eyes boring into my back as I followed Liam through the bar. While the inside was packed wall to wall, the porch that wrapped around the bar was pretty empty. Some of the tables held couples sharing appetizers and having a cigarette.
“I know smoking’s really not that great so if it bothers you, you can leave me here. I just needed some fresh air,” Liam said, pulling a pack out of his back pocket.
I turned my head to the side in amusement. “You want fresh air but you’re going to smoke a cigarette. Somehow that doesn’t quite make sense.”
Liam paused, unlit cigarette between his lips. Lips that were so nice and supple, I wanted to kiss them so bad. He chuckled, which made my eyes snap up from his mouth to his eyes. “Guess you’re right. I’ll just save this then.”
He leaned against the railing, his hands resting next to him. I stood in front of him, our feet about a foot apart. My head kept trying to convince my feet to move forward but they liked where they were.
“How many times have you wanted one of those while being a counselor?” I inquired, intrigued.
Liam shook his head, “You have no idea how many times. One of my campers, Nick, wakes us up every morning singing whatever song he heard the day before. I’m thinking about investing in ear plugs but then I’d probably miss the wake up bell.”
I laughed as he finished, campers were something else. “Which song did you hear yesterday?”
“’Anaconda,’ please don’t ask me how but all through breakfast as I ate my bagel I kept thinking, ‘my anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns hun,’ it was horrible!” Liam started laughing with me halfway through his sentence, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I don’t know where he comes up with these things, it’s something else.”
I was laughing so hard that my whole body shook, my laughter had me nearly crying. Between laughs, Liam continued to tell me to stop as he laughed along, probably more entertained by me now. I swiped under my eye as Liam’s hand took mine, pulling me closer. My eyes quickly met his, the ghost of my laughter on my lips.
“You’re really cute when you laugh. I thought I should tell you while I was thinking about it,” Liam voiced, his golden brown eyes pulling me in.
My heart was beating against my chest, my hand still in Liam’s. “Thanks.” Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Nonplussed by my gratuity, he smiled. “You’re welcome.” He paused for a moment before I pushed myself against him and caught his bottom lip between mine. His other hand came around and wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him.
I imagined my heart doing some sort of salsa dance in my ribcage and there were fireworks in my brain. Kissing Liam was the best thing that had had happened all summer, I knew it already. What I didn’t know was how long we stood there intertwined until Liam finally pulled back, taking a deep breath. I breathed too, filling my lungs back up with air.
“I’ve been wanting to do that ever since that day we fell in the lake,” Liam said first, catching me by surprise.
“You mean when we were dripping lake water everywhere? And I was about to make Harry my first murder victim?” I asked with mild interest.
He nodded, pinching his bottom lip between his fingers. “Mhm, you were standing so close but I wasn’t sure if we were friends yet so I couldn’t touch you or anything without it being weird. Then next thing I know we’re in the lake and you looked just so surprised. I don’t know what came over me. Once we were drying off, I realized I wanted to get to know you more than I already had.”
Blood was rushing through my ears, everything asking, ‘is this even real?’ I laughed softly, reaching out to take Liam’s hand. “Do you know that I started to look forward to walking to meals with you? Like I would purposely take longer to gather up the soccer balls just so we could finish up at the same time.” Putting away soccer balls only took five seconds, but I made it last until Liam locked the archery shed.
Liam laughed with me once I finished, his fingers slotted between mine. We stood there until we realized we had left our friends for way too long. I avoided Poppy’s eye once we returned to the table, and the pinch I received on my knee that came from her too.
Our little group left the bar together after midnight and Liam and I made plans to hang out the next day before returning to camp that night. Once I got back to Poppy’s, I spilled all the details of what happened on the porch as she tried to open a wine bottle. She was struggling since she was trying to listen to me at the same time, too focused on me to worry about the cork that blocked us from the wine.
“Oh I knew it! I’m so happy for you two, he’s so hot Indi, like seriously,” she said with an air of desire. I smiled demurely into my wine glass, still remembering the way Liam’s mouth felt on mine.
**
After spending our second day off together, Liam and I didn’t return to camp until way after our campers were fast asleep. We were lucky it was dark out as Liam kissed me outside my cabin. The next morning at breakfast, the air between us was loaded with a clueless Harry between us.
“So, tell me about your day off. Did you two run into each other at all?” Harry asked cheerfully, his hair tied back this morning in an army green leaf printed scarf. He looked like he belonged in the woods, up a tree.
Liam coughed, and I looked at him quickly. “Yeah, we, uh, saw each other at one of the bars. Indi and Poppy showed up like an hour after us and we all hung out.”
“Typical. Even on a day off, we still end up spending time together,” Harry added.
We reached the dining hall, which thankfully was buzzing with fellow counselors getting ready for breakfast. Quiet murmurs came and went as we set the tables, the smell of pancakes filling my nose. My stomach growled as Julian let everyone in for breakfast. “Hungry Ind?” Harry inquired, smirking at me.
“You know how I love pancakes Harold,” I shot back, leaning back against the wall as our table filled up. We changed table assignments every week, counselors and campers moving around the room so keep things fresh.
If Harry suspected anything between Liam and I, he didn’t show it. Not even during our run that we took every afternoon once our last activity had ended. It wasn’t that I was keeping me kissing Liam from Harry, I just didn’t know what to do with that information once I gave it to Harry. Who knew where Liam and I would go from there? Even though every time Liam was near me, I had to resist the urge to pull his face towards me and make out with him in the middle of camp. Julian would probably disapprove of that.
**
I didn’t have to worry about keeping anything from Harry a few days later since he went on his days off with the other shift of counselors. Liam was in charge of Harry’s cabin in his absence and I had my own to tend to as well, along with my own cabin. The girls all wanted to have a cabin sleepover with the others, which had to be cleared with Jamie, the head counselor and second in command under Julian. They were cousins, baring no family resemblance with Jamie’s clear blue eyes and chocolate brown hair compared to Julian’s dark features.
The morning after the sleepover, which Jamie had agreed to quickly, I was already emotionally done. I had gotten little sleep since the girls were giggling the whole night about a lake monster and how kissing boys was gross. The latter made me chuckle, even as Liam walked through the kitchen door that morning with his eyes half shut.
“Morning, sleep okay?” he asked quietly, grabbing a coffee cup beside me. We had fallen into a routine of meeting at the coffee maker and preparing our coffee together. One morning when I was running late, I had found a cup of coffee already sitting by my plate.
I groaned automatically. “Hardly. The ten girls I had in my cabin last night decided to have a giggle-thon and I can still hear it in my ears.”
“Shit, sounds like you need coffee more than I do,” he sympathized, rubbing my back gently. We faced the kitchen, which was empty save for the kitchen staff.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod, moving towards the door. “Tell me, what song did Nick grace you with this morning?”
“’Single Ladies,’” he said with a shake of the head. “I appreciate his taste in music, I don’t understand where it comes from. Or how he learned to do the hand movements as he made his bed.” Liam had a look of slight torture on his face which made me giggle. We both had been through some shit this morning and it was hardly nine.
We parted ways once I reached my table, but I had to get up again as one of the campers emptied the cereal container that I wanted. I took a sip of coffee as I got up, ignoring Nina, the counselor sitting with me, who offered to go. “Need to get the blood moving this morning.”
The kitchen had a mixed line of campers and counselors waiting for refills on eggs and who knew what else. Thankfully it was moving quickly and I was standing before Rob, the head cook, before I knew it. I slid my empty cereal container across the counter, putting on a smile. “Can I have some more Lucky Charms please?” After the night of sleep I had, I could have the palette of an eight-year-old.
Rob shook his head. “You can wait until tomorrow morning.”
My false cheer disappeared and I glared back at Rob. “I can see the container right there. You can give me one bowl if that’s easier.”
Rob refused, and we fell into a stare down. I wanted fucking Lucky Charms and I wasn’t leaving this kitchen until I got some. I tried to bargain with him again until I felt someone put their hand on my arm and pull me away before I had the nerve to whack Rob on the head with my Lucky Charms dusted container.
“Okay, let’s go outside,” Liam said smoothly, giving Rob a winning smile to match my sneer. He escorted me quickly past Rob and out the backdoor of the kitchen, which was usually off limits. Rob must have really wanted to get rid of me.
Outside, I spun around, facing Liam. “Why did you do that?”
Liam smiled, pulling something from behind his back. “So I could steal your cereal for you.” He handed me the full container and I hugged it to my chest. “And you were holding up breakfast for everyone in line.”
I tried to hide my smile as we went back into the dining hall, Jamie’s eyes following us as we slipped in. Nina was dumbfounded as I sat back down in my seat with one more container than I originally started with.
“Cereal anyone?”
**
Harry returned from his days off still oblivious to Liam and I. He only paused when he caught Rob glaring my way as we set the tables for lunch.
“What’s got Rob all pissy with you?” Harry asked, French fry between his teeth.
“I have no idea,” I said with a casual shrug. “And stop eating the fries before the campers get here,” I scolded, slapping his hand away.
That afternoon, once the bell rang signaling the end of activities for the day, I walked over to the Archery hut to wait up for Liam. Since he knew my secret of loitering around, I didn’t have to do it anymore.
When I came around the corner, he had an arrow loaded into one of the compound bows, aiming at a target. I watched silently as he pulled back, his bicep bulging against the fabric. He let go smoothly, and the arrow soared, landing in the target two bands away from the bull’s-eye.
I clapped my hands, walking out from under the trees. Liam turned around, quickly, lowering the bow. “That was impressive.”
Liam beamed sheepishly, bowing slightly. “Thank you. I know I can do better though.”
“Want to let me have a go?” I asked, dropping my water bottle on the steps of the hut.
He nodded. “Absolutely.” He stepped back while I loaded my bow. “I don’t think I’ve seen you shoot at all this year.”
“I’ve been a bit busy running after rouge kick balls, thank you,” I pointed out, taking aim as I spoke. I focused on the target, pulling back and once I felt it was right, I let the arrow fly.
A noise sounded as my arrow hit the target, landing two bands in from Liam’s arrow. A grin broke out on my face as I realized I had hit the center. “Oh my God! I haven’t gotten a bull’s-eye in years!” I turned around and I saw Liam with a look of surprise on his face.
“Good job! That was…amazing,” he breathed.
I laughed, pulling him close to me, my lips clashing with his. My body experienced the same feelings it had the first time I kissed Liam, which seemed like ages ago not a few days.
“You should be teaching archery, not me,” Liam said once we broke apart.
“Bullshit, you’re really good.” I stepped back, our hands keeping us together. “I watch sometimes from the field.”
A new voice coughed nearby and I jumped when I realized Harry was standing feet away from us. Our hands dropped quickly, one of Liam’s flying up to his hair and mine to my mouth.
“Well aren’t you two just the cutest thing,” Harry said, voice full of delight.
“Excuse me?” I asked because it was the only thing that came to mind. My mind was still full of Liam and Harry’s sudden appearance.
Harry came closer, chuckling. “I came to see if you wanted to still go for a run and I guess I walked in on something else.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Harry. I guess I forgot,” I said lamely but he just smiled.
He threw his hands up in forgiveness. “Who needs running? I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”
Liam finally spoke, his tone full of shock. “What do you mean you’ve been waiting for this to happen?”
Harry looked from me to Liam, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “There’s been something going on between you two since you got back from your days off. Call me gullible all you want, Indi, but I can be perceptive when I want to. Just please, keep it to a minimum when it’s the three of us yeah?”
Liam started laughing at Harry’s dry tone, making me join in, feeling more relaxed at Harry’s reaction than what I thought it may have been. Harry tried to give us a hug like a proud dad but we both ducked around his embrace, running ahead of him.
Once Harry found out about the two of us, we didn’t bother with hiding our feelings. Julian caught wind of our new relationship status, if there was one, and clapped Liam on the back, smiling between the two of us.
“Well it’s good camp is over soon so you two can act your age. But for now, just keep the PDA to a minimum please. I don’t want the kids in hysterics if they see two counselors making out,” He held up air quotes around ‘making out’ and continued. “Hand holding, nice and simple.”
For the rest of camp Harry kept a smug expression on his face whenever it was the three of us. Liam told him to give it a rest before pushing him into the lake one more time. I broke into hysterics up in the grass with the other campers like we had back in June.
The arrival of August was bittersweet and a sense of sadness had washed over the camp. Even though activities were wrapping up and campers were acquiring all their things from around the cabins, there was also a sense of happiness. It had been a jam-packed summer as usual, everyone leaving with something they didn’t expect to receive.
Of course I hadn’t expected Liam and I was still caught off guard when he would come around the archery shed and pull me to him.
On the day before the end of camp, activities were done, final shows performed, leaving the camp to host a giant party for the last night. Tables were set up all along the waterfront and in the same clearing where we had our Fourth of July barbeque. Campers and counselors were scattered across the grass with music playing throughout. Liam and I got snow cones at one point, mine turning my mouth blue and Liam’s turned red, making both of us laugh at each other.
Once camp was over, Liam and I had about two weeks before we had to be back at college. We hadn’t discussed much of what we would do about the fall, instead we chose to enjoy our time together.
We had dinner down near the boathouse, where everything really started for us. Occasionally we said something that made the other laugh, dancing around the college talk. Finally I spoke up, telling him what I really wanted.
“I think we can continue this once school starts. It’s really not that far for us to come visit, that is, if you want me to come see you,” I said, biting my lip.
Liam looked over at me, his index finger grazing my hand. “Of course I want you to come visit. I can come to you too, you don’t have to do all the driving.”
“Harry will probably want to see me too. Now that I think about it.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend, who was currently playing Frisbee with some campers. I watched him run away with it before being tackled to the ground.
“I know he will, he’s already been buzzing about all of us being together at school,” Liam agreed, following my eyes.
I turned back to Liam, putting my plate to the side and resting my shoulder against him. The sun was just going down, washing everything in a golden tone. “Besides, we’ll always have camp.”
“I never imagined having the summer I did,” Liam said honestly, pressing his lips to my temple. “You’re right, we’ll always have camp.”