Shadows of Desire

Chapter 4

Camille stared at the blank document on her laptop screen, the cursor blinking accusingly. Professor Abernathy's assignment for her Creative Writing seminar loomed over her: "Write a personal narrative exploring a transformative moment from your past." She'd been putting it off for days, but with the deadline approaching, she could procrastinate no longer.

Taking a deep breath, Camille began to type:

The summer before my senior year of high school, I fell in love for the first time. His name was Jake, and he was everything I thought I wanted: charming, athletic, with a smile that could light up a room. We met at a bonfire on the beach, our eyes locking across the flames...

As Camille wrote, she lost herself in memories of that summer. The excitement of first love, the stolen kisses behind the bleachers, the way Jake had made her feel seen in a way no one else ever had. But as she delved deeper into the story, she found herself exploring not just the joy of that relationship, but also its complexities and ultimate end.

...I thought Jake was my forever. But as summer faded into fall, so too did our connection. The spark that had burned so brightly began to dim, replaced by a growing awareness that we wanted different things. Our last kiss tasted of salt – from the ocean or from tears, I couldn't tell...

Hours slipped by as Camille poured her heart onto the page. When she finally looked up, the sky outside her dorm room window had darkened to a deep indigo. She flexed her cramped fingers, surprised to find her cheeks damp with tears.

"Wow," Michelle's voice startled her. "You've been at that for hours. Must be some paper."

Camille quickly wiped her eyes. "Yeah, it's... it's for my Creative Writing class. Personal narrative."

Michelle flopped onto her bed. "Sounds intense. You okay?"

"I'm fine," Camille assured her, managing a small smile. "Just got caught up in old memories, I guess."

"Well, don't forget we have that study group with Steve tomorrow," Michelle reminded her. "For the midterm, remember?"

Camille's stomach clenched at the mention of Steve's name. Since their kiss in the library and the charged brunch at his house, she'd been doing her best to avoid him. But between Michelle's biology class and Steve's persistent text messages about their promised "tour of the city," it was proving difficult.

"Right," Camille said, closing her laptop. "The study group. I remember."

The next day, Camille arrived at the designated study room early, hoping to compose herself before facing Steve. But as she rounded the corner, she found him already there, setting up his materials.

"Camille," he said, his voice warm. "I was hoping to catch you alone."

She tensed, clutching her textbook like a shield. "Professor Carlson, I don't think—"

"Steve," he corrected gently. "Please. And I just wanted to apologize for my behavior at brunch. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

Camille relaxed slightly, nodding. "It's okay. We both... we both made mistakes. But it can't happen again."

Steve's expression tightened, but before he could respond, the door burst open and Michelle entered, followed by a stream of other students.

The study session progressed without incident, though Camille was acutely aware of Steve's gaze on her throughout. As the other students filtered out at the end, Michelle turned to Camille.

"Hey, I'm gonna grab coffee with Zoe to go over some notes. You good to pack up here?"

Camille hesitated, glancing at Steve. "I... yeah, sure. I'll see you back at the dorm."