Choosing how to love.

I was not staring

HOLTON

"Thanks." Holton smiled down at Maddy. The fire lit her face, and for a brief minute, he let himself look over her soft features. How did she get prettier every time he looked at her? And for that few brief seconds, he could have ruled the world. 

Maddy bit her lip and quickly looked away, so he did the same, knowing the way he was thinking was against all the rules. 

"Ok, general, it is time for bed. I am tired and there is a long day of paddling ahead." "Aye Aye Captain." He laughed, and after he tossed his cans in the bag, he followed her to the tent, all the while thinking how easily it would have been to kiss her. She looked so beautiful there in the fire. Craig was a lucky man, and Holton hoped he knew just how special she was.

And as they all got comfortable that night, he was also thankful that Craig was on the cot and not curled up with her. Then he stripped off his shirt and noticed how it smelled of her and campfire. He looked back, and her section was zipped half up, but he could see her little feet poking out from the blanket, and it made him smile. Then he laid his shirt by his head and curled up to a dream filled sleep.

***

When Holton woke, the first steaks of dawn had just started, and from the sound of it, no one else was awake. Quietly he slipped out of the tent and walked around between two of the trucks to relieve himself.

As he looked over the campgrounds, he noticed how calm and peaceful everything was. Then he saw her. Maddy. Like a dream she floated by him, not even noticing. She must have come down from the bathrooms from the direction she was walking. She was dressed in a t-shirt and little cotton shorts, her hair up in a bun and a smile on her face. She was carrying a little bag which probably held toothpaste or something and he could not look away.

She was beautiful and he just stood there watching. Then she disappeared around her brother's camper and he realized he was still standing there, open, and exposed. Shit. He buttoned up and walked around to where she was, hoping to stay hidden from her view.

Her brother Roger was there, and she had walked into his hug. They looked so similar, how had Holton not noticed before. Same hair, same smile, even the same way they stood.

Roger must have told her something funny because she tilted her head back and laughed. Then she brushed a piece of hair off her face and laughed again. That smile could light up a room and watching her made him happy.

"You know, this is highly frowned upon in today's society." Dave whispered over Holton's shoulder, making him jump. "Shh." "What are you doing?" "Watching." "I see that. And since I doubt Roger is appealing, why are you staring at Maddy?"

"You know why." Holton growled. "You told me you were leaving it be. She's Craig's girl." "I am. Nothing wrong with watching though." "There is." "Well tough. This is the best I get." He groaned.

"What are you two doing?" Maddy's voice whispered from next to them causing Holton to jump enough that his feet left the ground. "SHIT!" Holton snapped. "What the hell woman?" He added as he grabbed his chest while his heart raced against his ribs.

"Hey, I'm not the one hiding behind campers and whispering." She laughed. He had to think fast. "We were draining the tanks." He tried. "Together?" She giggled and it went right through him. Such a perfect sound.

"No." Dave groaned. "He was draining, I had yet to. I found him slinking in the shadows." Dave ratted him out. Damn dude, you could have backed me up. He groaned internally.

"What were you slinking for? If you were trying to scare me, forget it. That gigs up. I know you all will be at it now." Maddy put her hands on her hips and Holton wanted to growl out his frustration.