Cabin Crush ( A Walker x Y/n Story)

Pt.2 Paddle boarding aint a sport, but damn am I sweating!

The morning light spilled through the cabin windows, casting a soft glow across the room and gently nudging me awake. I could hear laughter outside, already filling the air with excitement. Stretching, I sat up and caught a glimpse of the lake from my window, glistening under the sun's warm rays. Today was going to be perfect.

When I made it downstairs, Charlie was flipping pancakes, and Dior was humming along to some song playing on the speaker, her energy infectious even this early. Walker was leaning casually against the counter, sipping coffee with that messy, just-rolled-out-of-bed hair and a slight smirk, like he already had some plan up his sleeve.
"Mornin'," he greeted, giving me a little nod. "You ready for a lake day, Y/n/n?"
I raised an eyebrow, trying to shake off my sleepy haze. "Define 'ready.' Because if you're planning to drag me into some overly ambitious water sport, I need at least one coffee and a pancake first." He chuckled, pushing a plate toward me. "Consider it my treat. Dior and McKenna are already trying to figure out some volleyball tournament rules. And you, my friend, are paddle boarding with me today." "Oh, am I?" I laughed, taking a sip of my coffee. "When did I agree to that?" "You didn't," he said with a playful grin, "but you're not getting out of it."
Soon enough, we were packing up for the beach, grabbing snacks, towels, and a couple of surfboards that I could already tell were going to be involved in whatever plan Walker had. As we filed out of the house and made our way down to the lake, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. The guys had hyped up this beach day all week, and I couldn't help but feel the anticipation build.

When we arrived, the place was like something out of a dream. The water was a perfect shade of blue, the beach soft underfoot, and the sun warm but not overpowering. Dior and McKenna wasted no time finding a great spot right in the centre of the beach, while Aryan and Charlie headed straight for the water, already shouting about who'd swim out the farthest.
The beach was alive with energy as we unpacked our stuff under a huge, striped umbrella. The lake glittered in the sun, and the water looked too good to resist. Dior was already plotting some epic swimming contest with McKenna and Leah, while Charlie and Aryan were busy setting up their little "base camp" with snacks and towels. Walker strolled over, a surfboard under his arm, and offered a teasing smirk. "Seems like it's time to try your luck at paddle boarding?" he grinned, nudging the board toward me. He looked effortlessly cool in a navy swim shirt and swim trunks, his hair ruffled from the wind. I bit my lip, glancing at the lake's calm water, acting nonchalant even though, internally, I was freaking out a little. "Sure, but I'm warning you, I'm not exactly a pro." He laughed, handing me the paddle. "Lucky for you, I'm a fantastic teacher. You'll be a pro in no time." Rolling my eyes with a smirk, I followed him down to the water.

We waded out to where it was shallow, and Walker placed the board in front of me, motioning for me to hop on. "Okay, just stay balanced. Don't try anything fancy," he instructed, his tone half-serious, half-mocking. "Oh, like this?" I raised an eyebrow, pretending to wobble dramatically as I climbed onto the board. He laughed, steadying the board with one hand as I tried to get my bearings.
I was barely getting comfortable when, somehow, my foot slipped. I lost my balance and felt myself tip forward. My hand grabbed at Walker for support—big mistake. Next thing I knew, both of us tumbled into the water with a splash. I landed smack on top of him in about a foot of water, close enough to see every fleck of color in his blue eyes, both of us blinking in shock.
There was this split second of silence, and then we both just started cracking up. I could feel my face heating up, but I was laughing too hard to care. "So much for being a 'fantastic teacher,'" I teased. He was grinning up at me, still sprawled out in the shallow water, looking unfazed. "Hey, it's not my fault my student is terrible at balance." I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the butterflies as I quickly scrambled off him and got back on my feet. Just as we stood up, a shout from the shore caught our attention. Aryan was laughing his head off, holding up his phone and recording the entire scene. "Nice move!" he called out, waving his phone. "This is totally going on the highlight reel." Walker let out a mock growl, shaking his head. "Aryan, when we get back, you're done for. Just saying."
Aryan only shrugged, laughing even harder. "Bring it on, dude!" He knew Walker was kidding, but he didn't look like he was going to stop filming anytime soon. Trying to brush off the embarrassment, I grinned and nudged Walker as we got back on the board. "Alright, teacher. Let's see if you can actually teach me something without us falling over again." "Challenge accepted," he said, flashing me that ridiculously confident smile.

We spent the next hour out on the water, Walker showing me the basics of paddle boarding. Once I actually got the hang of it, we fell into a relaxed rhythm, gliding over the lake and chatting about everything from random summer memories to favorite late-night snacks. Every now and then, Walker would throw in some playful teasing, and I'd nudge him with the paddle, laughing as he tried to keep his balance.
"So," he started after a while, his voice carrying over the water, "what do you think your favorite part of the cabin trip is gonna be?" I thought for a moment, looking out at the endless stretch of lake. "Honestly? Just... this. Hanging out with everyone, being away from everything." Walker nodded, looking thoughtful. "Same. It's like a little break from real life, right?" "Exactly." I smiled, catching his eye. "It's nice just... I don't know, existing without all the usual noise." He grinned. "Deep, Y/n/n. Very deep."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I'm done sharing my heartfelt thoughts with you." "Hey, I thought it was cute!" He gave me a light splash with his paddle, laughing as I tried to dodge it.
We drifted closer to the shore, the lake shallowing as we neared the edge. The rest of the crew had migrated down to the dock, and Dior waved, motioning us to join them. We paddled over, Walker helping me off the board. "Alright, guys," Dior called out, hands on her hips. "It's beach game time. Who's in for some volleyball?"
The next couple of hours were a blur of sand, laughter, and sun. We split into teams, with Dior, Walker, and I going up against Aryan, Charlie, and McKenna. Leah acted as the "impartial" referee, although she definitely had some biased calls in Aryan's favor. Every time our team scored, Walker would flash me a high-five and cheer, giving me that kind of smile that made my heart skip a beat.

Finally, as the sun started to dip lower, casting a warm orange glow over the beach, we all sprawled out on our towels, feeling blissfully worn out. Dior nudged me, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief. "So, Y/n/n, I saw that little moment on the paddleboard. Care to share any details?"
My face heated up instantly. "It was nothing! I just... lost my balance." Walker, overhearing, leaned over and added, "Yeah, she just couldn't handle my amazing teaching skills." I threw a handful of sand his way. "Oh, please. You were the one who fell too." "Hey, I was just trying to help," he shot back, laughing as he dodged the sand.
Aryan chimed in from the other towel, still grinning. "Don't worry, I've got the whole thing on video if you want to see what really happened." Walker rolled his eyes, giving Aryan a mock glare. "Dude, that video better disappear." "Not a chance," Aryan laughed, holding his phone protectively.
As we lay there under the golden sky, I couldn't help but glance over at Walker. He caught my eye, his expression softening a bit as he held my gaze. There was something in the way he looked at me—like we were sharing some kind of unspoken secret. My stomach did that stupid little flip again.

Eventually, we packed up our stuff and made our way back to the cabin. Walker and I lagged behind a bit, walking in comfortable silence. Just as we reached the porch, he nudged me with his elbow, a smirk playing on his lips. "So," he said casually, "do I get bonus points for not letting you drown out there?" I laughed, shaking my head. "I think you owe me an apology for being a terrible teacher." He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, terrible teacher? I'll have you know, I got you to stay on the board... for like five whole minutes." "Wow, five minutes," I deadpanned. "You should write a book."
He chuckled, holding the door open for me. "If I do, you're writing the acknowledgements."
Inside, Dior and the others were already raiding the fridge, planning some epic dinner feast. I slipped into the kitchen to grab a snack, and Walker followed, leaning against the counter as I searched for chips.
"So," he said, his voice low, "are you ready for the next paddleboarding lesson? You know, if you're feeling brave." I glanced over my shoulder, trying to keep my cool. "You think I need another lesson?" "Oh, definitely," he replied, his grin widening. "But this time, I promise I won't let you fall."
I smirked, grabbing the bag of chips and heading toward the living room. "I'll believe it when I see it."
The night wound down with us all crammed onto the couches, watching some random horror movie Dior picked. At one point, a jump scare had half of us shouting, and I couldn't help but notice that Walker's arm somehow ended up around my shoulders, casual but unmistakably there. I tried to play it cool, but I could feel my heart pounding.
As the credits finally rolled, I leaned back, feeling a strange mix of exhaustion and happiness. Walker nudged me lightly, whispering, "So, ready for round two tomorrow morning?" I grinned up at him. "You better bring your A-game, Walker." He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with challenge. "Oh, I will. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."
With that, he stood, offering me a hand to help me up. The warmth of his hand in mine sent a spark up my arm, and I couldn't help but hold onto it a second longer than necessary. "Goodnight, Y/n/n," he murmured, flashing one last smile before heading toward the stairs. I watched him go, feeling a smile spread across my face as I headed to bed. Something told me this summer was only going to get more interesting.