"You up for it? Or are you a chicken?" He crossed his arms, causing his muscles to become more defined. I gulped down more of my beer before setting it down next to his. I started removing my clothes to be in just my swimsuit. Once my shirt was off I imitated his pose.
"I am not a chicken, Joe."
"Ready, set-"
"Go!" I yelled, running to the water.
"Hey!" Joe yelled from behind me. "No fair!" I was running fast while trying not to laugh. I suddenly saw Joe at my side. He flew past me and into the water. Once I reached the water, I caught my breath.
"How did you win even though I cheated?" I complained. I waded into deeper water, letting more of my body disappear from view.
"Why would I tell you my secrets? We just met."
"I guess that's fair." Joe was swimming closer to me. I realized we were a bit away from everyone else. "So, how do you know Brian?"
"I met him in school. We did theater together."
"Oh, cool. Brian's really great."
"Yeah he is. Do you know Meredith from here?"
"Yeah I do. We met when we were 12. We've been best friends ever since."
"That's nice."
I looked off at the sunset. The sky looked wonderful. It was orangey and vast. You couldn't get a view like this from an apartment. I sighed.
"It's beautiful," Joe said. I looked at him. The light covered him perfectly. He looked down at me. A small smile played on his lips. I looked away from him to hide my blush. I melted under his gaze.
A voice called from the beach. "We've got the fire going!" I looked back to see the flames licking away at the sky. People began getting out of the water. I turned back to Joe.
"We should head up. I'm getting kind of chilly anyway." Joe agreed and we swam to shore. I wrapped myself in my towel and attempted to get dry. It was even colder out of the water. I slipped on my flannel and took a seat on a bench around the fire.
Joe sat down next to me. His body heat helped immensely. The fire roared in front of us. Dylan was passing out marshmallows and sticks to roast them on.
We all joked around, drank, ate s'mores, and got to know each other more. Joe, Brian, and Joey told some stories from school. They were really funny guys. Whenever Joe got excited about something, he would bounce his leg. It was really cute when he talked about the things he loved. His laugh was infectious as well.
I let a yawn escape and slumped down a bit. "Are you getting tired?" Joe asked.
I shrugged and said, "Yeah. I think I'm gonna head back to my cabin."
"I'll walk you back," Joe said. "It's dark and dangerous. We wouldn't want you to get kidnapped or attacked by wolves or something."
I said goodbye to everyone else and grabbed my damp towel. We started the walk back to the cabins. The trail was dark because of the heavy canopy of trees above us. Luckily, Joe had brought a flashlight with him.
"So, why did you want to spend your summer here?" I asked. Joe thought about it for a moment.
"I guess I just needed to get away. It sounds dumb, but I wanted away from my life. Everything was getting messy and complicated. This just sounded like the perfect place to go to clear my head." He looked down at me. He was nervous.
"That didn't sound dumb. I understand completely. That's why I come here. I don't like where I live, I don't like my job, and I don't like my friends. This is where I feel like I can actually be me. I'm not putting up a front. This is who I am."
There was silence between us. I felt bad for dumping all of my issues on Joe, but it was nice to finally say it out loud. It was strange how open I felt with him. I wasn't scared.
"Sorry. That was a lot."
"No, it's okay. Don't be sorry," Joe reassured me. "I don't know what 'front' you usually put out there, but I really like the real you." I looked down. I was happy for the darkness because Joe couldn't see that I was blushing.
"Thanks." The cabins came into view. I wasn't very tired anymore. I just wanted to keep talking with Joe. "Do you mind if I ask what you wanted to run away from?"
"I don't mind," he said. "My last girlfriend cheated on me. With another guy from my theater. I caught them in our apartment."
"I'm so sorry," I said. "That's horrible."
"It's okay. It was a few months ago. It just sucks. Two people I thought I could trust betrayed me. And then I had to find a new place to live. I've struggled with being happy in my situation since then. I figured this place might help me out."
"I hope it does help."
"I think it's already started to." When we got to my cabin, we stopped. We were facing each other. I brushed a piece of hair out of the way.
"Thank you for walking me back," I said.
"Of course. Thank you for talking with me."
"Anytime. You know where to find me," I said, gesturing to the cabin. "Goodnight, Joe."
I turned away and walked up the stairs onto the front porch.
"(Y/n), wait," Joe said. I turned around. He walked up the steps to me. Suddenly, he pulled me in close and kissed me. I was surprised at first. Quickly though, I melted into the kiss. He pulled away and looked down at me, waiting for my reaction. I smiled before reconnecting our lips.
When we broke off, he took a step back. He cleared his throat. "Uhh, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
With that, he walked away. I entered the cabin and collapsed onto my bed. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop thinking about Joe. I couldn't stop wishing he hadn't left. I sighed before getting up to get ready for bed.
This was going to be one hell of a summer.
Summer Camp // Joe Walker & Reader
Start from the beginning
