"I thought you were joking," Joey said when she opened her cabin door and found Connor on the porch, holding a bouquet of flowers.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would I be joking? I completely embarrassed myself by doing that."
"No, you embarrassed me," she corrected. "I don't understand why you couldn't just take no for an answer."
"Because I like you." Connor held out the flowers. They were orange, Joey's favorite color. "Flowers?"
"I'll take those!" Silena reached over Joey's shoulder and took the bouquet inside the cabin.
Charlie appeared behind her, draping a jacket over her shoulders. "You two have fun." He gently pushed her out of the cabin.
"But not too much fun!" Luke's voice came from somewhere inside, followed by Clarisse and Silena aggressively shushing him.
Charlie pursed his lips. "Ignore him, we're all pretty protective of our little Joey," he said, squeezing her shoulders.
"Ew, Charlie, get off," Joey said, shrugging his hands off of her.
He raised his hands in surrender, shot Connor a look that said, Keep her safe or I'll kill you, then shut the door.
"Your friends seem nice!" Connor beamed.
"They aren't," Joey deadpanned, putting her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. "Where are we going?"
"Strawberry fields." He held out his hand.
Joey shook her head. "I'm not holding your hand."
"Fair enough. Follow me!"
⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚
They spent a few minutes picking strawberries in an awkward silence. Clearly, Connor hadn't prepared any conversation topics, and Joey had no interest in talking to him anyway.
Until she spotted him raising a strawberry to his lips.
"Don't eat that!" she exclaimed, smacking it out of his hand.
"Wha—" Connor stared at his strawberry, now covered in dirt. "What was that for?"
"You have to wash them before you eat them, doofus."
"Yeah, I knew that."
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"
"Yeah!" Connor exclaimed. "I just... live on the edge, you know?"
"Live on the edge, then, Connor. Eat as many bug-infested strawberries as you want, see if I care."
Connor paused, staring at Joey with curious eyes. "I thought you didn't like me."
Joey turned away from her strawberry bush, furrowing her brows at him. "I don't. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Then why do you care about me eating bugs?" he asked, his face breaking into that stupid grin he always wore.
"I don't," she argued. "I said see if I care, not that I care."
"Well, usually, those two go hand-in-hand."
"No, it's just something you say when a dumb person doesn't listen to your helpful advice."
"Is it?"
"You're impossible!" Joey said, exasperated.
Connor tilted his head to the side. "Then why are you here?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you on this date?"
Joey went quiet, licking her lips and avoiding eye contact. Connor took a few steps towards her. He raised his eyebrows, as if to say, Well?
"I don't know," she answered, lifting a shoulder. "Pity?"
Connor laughed. "Pity?"
"Yeah, pity," laughed Joey. "You asked me out in front of a crowd of people, I couldn't have said no."
"Oh, you totally could've."
"No, I would've looked like such an asshole."
Connor furrowed his brows. "Joey, you are an asshole."
"Huh," Joey said, pretending to have some sort of life changing realization. "You're right. I should've said no."
"But you didn't! And now you're stuck with me." He smiled.
"Yay."
⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚
The pair spent the next few hours until the sun began to set at the strawberry fields. They picked strawberries until their baskets were full, then sat in the dirt and talked until Mr. D's voice sounded over the speakers announcing twenty minutes until lights out.
They'd stayed out so long that they hadn't even noticed that they missed dinner.
Connor walked Joey back to her cabin, and she even agreed to hold his hand on the way back! (As long as Connor agreed to drop it if a single camper looked their way, but none did, so he held it until they got to her porch.)
"I had fun," Connor said when they got to her door, squeezing her hand gently.
"Makes one of us," Joey joked with a small shrug.
Connor laughed, and leaned in for a goodbye kiss, only for Joey to completely dodge it.
"Dude!" he complained.
"I don't kiss on the first date," she told him.
"Fine." He settled for kissing the back of her hand, then bid her goodnight and watched as she entered her cabin.
For a moment, Connor stared blankly at the closed door. Then, he sighed to himself and declared, "I'm so fucked."
⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚
Charlie!!!!
Joey!!!! Yo I am so cooked 😭😭
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MATTHEO. Connor rlly laying it on her to get her to fall for him and accidentally catching feelings for her in the process is so Connor Stoll coded in ways I can't explain
