Every Summer Has A Story

Ch. 12 - Kindred Spirits

"Tell me a secret," Maverick said quietly, his voice floating languidly among the night sounds.

Eve tentatively dipped her toes into the calm Lake Michigan water, feeling pensive.

"Hmm," she hummed, "light and fluffy, or deep and dark?"

Maverick paused,

"Light and fluffy."

"Hmm," Eve puzzled again, chewing her lip softly.

She could feel Maverick's bright blue gaze fall to her mouth again as he relaxed next to her on the dock. She quietly relished the new-found power.

"I'm addicted to Monster Energy Drinks," she admitted, "I seriously cannot human without caffeine."

Maverick chuckled,

"You'll fit right in. I can't even begin to calculate how much Mountain Dew is consumed by our staff over the course of a summer."

"Sounds like math I can't do," Eve deadpanned.

"It's a sight to be seen."

A comfortable silence passed.

"Your turn," Eve teased, turning her head to look at him in the moonlight, "light and fluffy for light and fluffy."

"I knew you'd ask. I guess my fun fact is that I've been working here for 14 years in total. I was a CIT, a senior counselor, and now the Boy's Village Director."

Eve wasn't surprised,

"Yeah, I could pretty much smell the "lifer" on you."

He laughed,

"Who taught you that word?"

"Auden," Eve giggled.

She could make out Maverick rolling his eyes,

"Of course she did," he joked, "she's well on her way to becoming a "lifer" too."

Eve shook her head,

"No, I don't think she will be. She's taking her last teaching certification test this summer and then she'll be signing a contract."

"Where at?" Maverick asked.

"Grand Rapids," Eve replied, naming one of Michigan's fastest-growing cities, "she's been apartment hunting."

Maverick nodded slowly.

"That's awesome for her, I'm actually glad to hear she's moving on."

Eve could read between the lines pretty easily,

"You don't think this thing with Zayne, whatever it is, is good for her either?"

"Look," Maverick sighed heavily, "Zayne is my boy, always will be, but he isn't serious about Auden. Or any girl, for that matter. Last summer Auden was talking about taking a job close to camp, or even staying here to work, and I didn't see it being a good fit for her..." he trailed off for a moment, "Does Auden realize Zayne isn't serious about being with her?"

Eve hesitated.

"She doesn't want to accept it, but yeah, she's aware. I've always heard about him just being a camp thing. When we were in high school she called him her "not-boyfriend" camp boyfriend. I didn't really understand what she meant until I got here and saw it first hand, but now it makes perfect sense."

"She deserves the world."

"She truly does."

Maverick studied her side profile intently,