underneath the lights || hsmtmts

nothing like summer | ej x nini

{author's note: this was an ao3 request! i hope you enjoy!!!}

summer was the perfect time to fall in love.

well- unless you take the fall part literally, in which case fall would be the perfect time. but no, ej caswell loved the concept of summer love. and properly being around nini salazar-roberts for the very first time was the perfect way to find such a thing as a summer love affair.

mamma mia, grease, teen beach movie... the energy that going to the beach and spending time in the summer sun and falling in love carries is like nothing else. and sure- they weren't exactly at a beach, more like a summer camp on a random lake in the middle of nowhere utah. but that didn't mean he wouldn't make the most of their time at theatre camp soaking up the sun and the songs of the music man's canon.

to be honest, he was intrigued by nini when he first met her, but she got so shy and british when he'd initially approached her during gypsy that she had wound up avoiding him out of what he now had a feeling was embarrassment. he thought she was cute- and honestly far too talented to have no lines... she could do such amazing things if she was given the chance. maybe this summer she would finally have the chance. but whether or not she did, he was just excited to properly talk to her for the first time. hopefully that initial embarrassment has finally worn off.

their tents were set up close to each other's (though on the boys and girls sides of the camping area respectively, they just happened to be close to the line running between). maybe this was coincidence, maybe it was ej trying his best to be close to her... trying his best to get to know the cute girl at camp who actually goes to his same school.

ej has never had trouble with love, not really. or more accurately he has never had trouble with relationships, he almost always has a girlfriend, and that could be fun and all, but right now he's single and he has an eye on the cute former chorus cow. then again- who knows what summer holds right? so many endless possibilities...

he's fresh off of being a volunteer counselor at boy scout camp, so he's freshly tanned from the summer sun, and all too ready to take a break from the physical exertion to trade it for his more artistic passion. sure, they did sing and even do dumb skits at boy scout camp- but it doesn't really feel remotely the same as rehearsing for weeks with your cast and performing for a real audience. not to mention ej also likes having a real script rather than weird physical comedy with some ridiculous punchline about only having "suckers" in the candy store or the dumb blonde hitting the ground first because "smart blondes don't exist".

that's not to say he doesn't like boy scouts. he actually does really love it so much so that he's working on his eagle project before he ages out. but it's not theatre. there's nothing quite like theatre. it's his least approved of extracurricular by his father, but it's got to be one of his personal favorites. (though not for that reason) being on stage with people who all really cared about telling a story with you was like nothing else.

and after years of experience, ej knows he'll of course be cast as the lead in this show, the music man himself. the audition will go perfectly smoothly, then he'll go back to sit next to nini to hype her up for hers. he's never had a problem with these auditions, just like he never tends to have problems flirting with pretty girls.

—

as the first few days go by, and he sees nini sitting off by herself at campfire, the caswell boy goes to sit beside her, offering her a small smile.

"hey nini..."

her eyes glance up at the much taller figure approaching. "ej, hi!" she perks up a bit, thankfully not slipping into that ridiculous accent.