"How cold do you think the lake is?"
She smirks at me. "Wanna go find out?"
I laugh, and we run down the hill to the lakeside. Well, I run - she tumbles, rolling on her side.
I can't stop laughing; when she stands her hair is covered in grass and feathers, shoes left on the hill behind her, and I can just see her pulling a funny face in the moonlight.
I dip a toe in the water. It's cold, but not as cold as I thought it would be. She splashes in up to her knees, the hem of her shorts just touching the water.
I haven't laughed like this in a long, long time. "What're you doing?"
"Come in!" She yells, and then presses her hand to her mouth, looking in embarrassment in the direction of the campground. She motions frantically at me, and I have no choice but to take off my shoes and roll up my pant legs to join her.
Water is weird - it always seems deceptively warm when you test it, cautiously dipping a toe in - but when you jump in, the real cold hiding below surrounds you.
"It's nice, isn't it?" she says, looking up.
"Everything about this is nice," I reply. She nods in agreement, and points at a couple of meteors rushing by.
I laugh. "I haven't done anything like this in a long time."
"Like what?"
"I meant anything as fun as this," I correct myself.
"I'm glad you came along - it's a lot less boring with someone else."
"I'm glad I can be of entertainment."
"That's not what I meant," she says, smiling, looking into my eyes, stepping closer.
"What do you mean?" I counter.
"I'm really happy that I met you."
"Me too, Elle. Me too." I avert my gaze up into the sky, and she looks away. I know I've destroyed the precious moment. She yawns.
"Do you not sleep at all?"
"I sleep sometimes. Tonight, I don't think I will," she says, looking back into my eyes.
"Well, I might need to," I say awkwardly, and she laughs.
We trudge out of the lake and walk back up to the camera. "What time is it?" I ask.
"Around 3:30, 4. You can sleep if you want."
"I'll only sleep if you sleep."
"Fine, but only for an hour or so."
She dries herself off and slips into her sleeping bag.
"'Night," she says, lying on the ground.
"'Night."
As I look at her, one half of me is worried, scared even, and the other half is deeply, deeply in love.
YOU ARE READING
Plot Twist
Teen FictionElias is a runaway author with his debut novel all planned out. But his main character was supposed to be fictional, right? He meets Elle, and the only thing he didn't expect in his book outline is himself.
