365 Days

358

Everyone is sitting around the campfire including the two boys I had just heard conversing only a minute ago. Apparently Alex and I are going to play the game the same way. He's changing his strategy. Mine is to get him to fall in love with me while his is to get me to like him. Alex is going to lose and I am going to win.

"Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!" Luke cheers, grinning from the other side of the fire. I laugh and find a spare seat in between Alex and Lacey. I catch Olive's eye and I can tell she is proud of me for not avoiding Alex. I wouldn't go as far as to say I am making a move, but I am sitting next to him, aren't I?

"Are you finally warming up to me?" Alex asks as everyone resumes their conversations. I angle my chair slightly towards him and shrug.

"I guess you're not that bad," I lie. "I'm still not going to sleep with you though."

"I know. I get it."

I frown, crossing my arms. "You do?" I don't know what he's up to.

"Yeah, really. I can't make you have sex with me. We'll just see what happens."

"What are you proposing?" I ask, pulling the sleeves of my jumper to cover my hands while crossing my legs.

"I'm proposing that we be friends. Luke has been trying to convince me to do that for a while now, considering we're both his best friends, and I've come to see that it's a good idea." He looks genuine, with his lips turned into a smile instead of a smirk, but I know better.

"Okay. Friends," I agree. We shake on it and then Alex laughs.

"What?" I ask in a state of confusion.

"I've never had a friend that's a girl before," he admits, averting his eyes to the flickering fire.

"That you haven't slept with?"

"Right," he confirms, nodding. "It'll be interesting."

I don't bother responding. Instead I turn to the fire, stretching my legs out so that my toes are close to the flames. I outstretch my hands as well so that they can soak in the warmth.

I look around at everyone and can't help the feeling of happiness overwhelm me. All my friends are laughing and talking, smiling and joking around. I'm lucky to have such a good group of people surrounding me, but I don't feel it when Joshua suggests to play a campfire game. The choices are limited; Truth or Dare, Storytelling or Spotlight, none of which I am particularly fond of. I opt for Storytelling but I'm outnumbered; the majority want to play Spotlight.

Spotlight is a very large game of hide-and-seek where you find people by spotting them with a flashlight. I only like it if it is played in pairs, because otherwise I get bored and end up retreating to the tents.

I offer my suggestion and Luke agrees enthusiastically, dividing the group into pairs.

"Beckett and Lacey."

"Alex and Dakota."

"Josh and Aidan."

"Ryan and Olive."

"I'll be it."

He must think of himself as the Ultimate Wingman for his best friend considering he put me and Alex together. I would rather be with anyone else but I suppose I can get to work on making him fall in love with me. Olive told me to be myself? Well here goes.

Luke grabs his flashlight out of his tent and begins to count, so as the game goes we scatter. I want to go to the trees that line the back of the camp grounds but Alex wants to go near the main road.