Train Tracks // Nick Wilkins x OC

bagel

I had changed my mind– I was excited about the trip today.

Millie had also told me she would be coming after all, and that she would be bringing Oliver, too. I wondered if Ryan would still be there.

Casey texted me the location. I chucked my bag into the car and leaped into the front seat. Casey's idea had also been that you drive with your tentmate, so I waited, scrolling through my phone, for Nick to scurry out of his door.

He tossed his bag into the back next to mine and threw himself into the seat next to mine. "Feeding your obsession, I see." A smile played on his lips. "Who ya watchin'?"

"You," I nudged him in the side. "It's pretty cool you put out a video with Casey."

"Did you see the one I took on my trip?" He asked excitedly. "Of course I did," I answered, and looked up at him. He was smiling at me brightly.

I started the car. "So, do you plan to film this trip?"

He thought for a moment. "Parts of it, sure. But I sorta want this just to be a thing between us friends."

"That sounds like a great idea," I said as he proceeded to lean his seat back as far as humanly possible. The ride was set to be an hour long, not too bad but a good amount of time to relax in the car. Just as I thought he was about to fall asleep, he whispered, "You have a really comfy car."

I giggled. "Don't fall asleep on me or I'm gonna have to get Panera without you!"

"Oop!" he said, and his seat was back to its normal posture. I saw him peeking at me, and trying to pretend he wasn't looking.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he tried, "It's just, your legs are so abnormally long."

I burst into laughter, though it didn't feel like I was going to burst, it felt like I was going to drift into the air. "Oh, yeah, I know that. Just the top part– my thigh bones, they're longer than my dad's, and he's 6'2."

He whistled. "Your torso is so small."

"Hah! Just like your d–"

"Huh?"

"D- d- digits? Like your fingers? That doesn't sound any better, does it?"

"It really doesn't," he laughed.

A silence filled the car.

"Wanna see me drift?" I asked with a mischievous grin.

His face became flushed. "Only if I don't die."

"Nah, it's a low chance you will," I told him assuringly.

"How low?"

"Like, a 40% death rate. Let's go!"

I pulled the wheel and the pedal at the same time and drifted the car around the corner. I laughed at Nick's screaming like a little girl.

"Holy– holy crap," he caught his breath. "That was super cool."

He caught his breath and I proceeded to drive more safely. Eventually, after scolding Nick at least 24 times for getting bagel crumbs all over my car, we arrived at a parking lot down a winding road by a forest. I spotted Casey, who waved me over.

"We're all at the lake swimming before it gets dark," she informed me. I followed her to a clearing, waiting for Nick to stop examining a frog sitting on a rock. "I think Scarlett would really like this," he muttered before scooping the frog into his hoodie pocket. I felt a pang of jealousy for him being so thoughtful to Scarlett. She's my friend, though! I should, like, shut up!

In my tent, I began to unpack my bag and change into my swimsuit. Once I was finished, I found the rest of the group already jumping into the lake. It was a clear lake that reflected the cloudless sky, and was so large that it stretched almost to the east horizon. Casey was climbing a spruce tree that branched above the lake, Oliver was talking with Millie on folding chairs by the shore. A tall, dark-skinned man in his early twenties sat by them with a smile. "Hey," Millie called out to me, but her voice was quieter than a shout, and I could barely hear. "This is Ryan, my friend I've been telling you about."

I waved to him and stood by them, staring out to the lake with my feet in the cold water. "Where's your sister?" I asked Millie.

"Over there in the water with Jared," she said before turning back to talk with the two guys. I spotted them splashing each other about 20 feet out. Then, I saw Nick.

He wore blue swimming trunks and was standing atop a large rock, ready to dive into the lake. I immediately trudged into the water to make sure it wasn't shallow in that area.

Instead of diving, he saw me watching and announced his "Cannonball!" instead. Once he emerged from the water, shaking his head like a dog to dry himself off, we stared at each other for seven seconds straight. I counted. "So. I... I like your swimsuit."

"I like yours too," I replied. "Do you want to go roast hot dogs?" I eyed Millie standing next to Ryan, who was failing to start a fire. Nick gave me a genuine smile. "I'm proud of you."

My eyes grew wide and I stumbled in the water. "Woah, that came out of nowhere. For what?" I asked, though I knew "for what".

"For eating today." He leaned back to float on the surface of the water. It lipped around the really hot person I was trying not to notice. "A bagel, with cream cheese, and now a hot dog. What's next, a s'more?"

"Maybe, you'll never know," I smirked with a hint of sincerity in my heart. He glanced back to the rock, probably around four meters high, jutting out above us. "Let's go jump off."

I squirmed nervously before following him up. "Can't we just... go get hot dogs?"

Nick and I both glanced back to the campsite, where Jared was stomping around the tent trying to get the poles to stop poking him in the eyes. I saw Millie glancing at Alyssa, who was thankfully cracking up.

"How about you jump off once and then we go get whatever food you want? Just once," Nick suggested. My gaze shifted to the water so far below us. "I don't know," I stuttered, backing away from the edge.

Suddenly my feet were lifted up and I felt myself being pressed against Nick's body as he picked me up and jumped into the water.

I caught my breath, and he grinned at me, surfacing once again. I coughed out water, while a look of sudden concern flooded his face: "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" I told him, realizing his arms were still around me. I didn't want him to realize, lest he stop holding me, as if protectively. Scarlett yelled in our general direction. "Hey, don't get too rowdy out there, kids!"

Nick blushed and reluctantly let go of me. "Let's go get some hot dogs," he sighed.

A/N

Uh. Hi, Nick?

(1144 words)