fake | tratie | EDITING |

| ten |

To say I was on-edge would've been a huge understatement. The anxiety of rolling out of bed to behold something awful nearly made me suffocate. I tiptoed everywhere, dreading leaving the cabin for fear of his prank.

The worst part trickled in throughout the day: nothing happened. Paranoia tapped at the back of my head with every corner I rounded, every door I opened. I suspected him as we walked to breakfast together, but nothing happened. I suspected him as he offered to walk me to the strawberry fields, yet he didn't do a thing. I suspected him as he drew me into a long hug and promised he'd see me at the cabin counselor meeting in the afternoon.

Nothing was going on.

The only thing that got my mind off of the prank rapidly approaching me was gardening. Helping things grow gave me a peace of mind I didn't get from anything else. The soil gifted a calming sense of nature, of the earthiness I stood in the midst of. Even though my garden was right off to the side of the cabin, I felt like I was nowhere near a soul.

But he even ruined that, because he found me and loomed over me as I drove my trowel into the damp soil. 

"Can I help you?"

"No." He crouched down next to me, resting a hand on my knee. "Just looking at you."

I cringed. "That's creepy. Go away."

"Nah, I'm good."

I harrumphed and returned to my gardening. Maybe, I hoped, if I ignored him, he'd leave. If I could just dig a little deeper into the dirt, he'd be gone. If I could inspect the ground for weeds a little harder, he wouldn't keep bothering me. If I could spread the wildflower seeds a little quicker, he would just walk away.

Obviously, it wasn't that easy. 

"I feel like you've been avoiding me today, Kates." His statement went over as serious, genuine, even longing. 

I shrugged. "Maybe there's a reason."

"I miss you." 

Ugh.

"Trav, you do remember we're not really dating, right?" I would've felt bad for being so blunt, but there wasn't anyone around to pretend for. 

He smirked. "I know, we hate each other. That doesn't mean I can't ask you why you're distancing yourself."

"Did you forget about yesterday?" I stuck my trowel in the ground and held a hand up. "I'm not exactly dying for a ginormous prank, Stoll. What'd you expect me to do, hang around you and beg for it?"

"Well, you'd think you would know how good I am at pranks," he reminded me. "It doesn't matter if you ignore me or not. I'll get you when I'm ready."

His wink made me want to punch him. Like normal.  

"So whatta you say, wanna come to fireworks with me tonight?" He gave me his Magnificent Quirked Eyebrow, which was what I'd dubbed his way-too-hot-to-admit eyebrow raise.

I huffed. "I hate that we're together, Stoll."

"Say what you like, I know the truth." 

Fireworks was a much different environment than the last one: Ashley held her distance from us, but she still glared at me every chance she got. Travis was exceptionally sweet. He'd offered me his hoodie when I said I was cold, which I inspected for anything before suspiciously taking it. He pulled me into his lap to watch the fireworks, resting his chin on my shoulder. 

I didn't trust him for a second.

We laughed with friends, joined at the hip, never leaving the other. Never once did Travis make me feel like I wasn't comfortable around him, or like I wanted to get away from him (which was, indeed, a feat). He was the perfect fake boyfriend - he almost made me not hate him.

In other words, I had to remind myself I hated him.

"So, Katie-kat," Travis started, swinging our arms back and forth as we made our way to the cabins after fireworks. "I noticed we had a particular lacking of a certain girl named Ashley." 

I subconsciously wrapped my absent fingers around his forearm. "Yeah, I did, too."

"Guess this whole fake-dating thing is doing its job."

Oh. 

I only hummed in response. Glancing up at him, I tried to decipher what was going through his head. His face was impassible, stony features exaggerating his cheekbones. I itched to reach out and trace them with my fingers. 

"There's a party in the Apollo cabin tomorrow night, I was hoping you'd come with me." He changed the subject, kicking at the dirt on the pathway.

I squinted at him. "Is it a past-curfew party, or a regulated party?"

He chuckled. "Which one do you think it is?" 

"Nope. Not going."

"Aww, come on, Kates," he whined. "I'll look like a dweeb if I show up without my girlfriend!"

"You should've thought of that before you asked me to be your girlfriend." He knew as good as everyone else that I never partied, even if the party was at camp in a safe place. 

He pouted. "Please? I'll make it up to you, promise."

"What could you possibly do to make it up to me?"

In one fell swoop, he stopped in his tracks, jolted me back to him, and melded his lips with mine. 

And he was kissing me again. 

This kiss was much more different than the one at the family reunion. That one was for show, that one gave publicity to our false relationship. This one... this one felt real.

Goosebumps rose up my arms, and shivers raced down my body. Gods, why'd he have such a huge effect on me?

His hands ghosted over my hips before settling on my waist, and mine found a natural space around his neck, fingers fiddling with his hair. I melted into him and lost myself once again, forgetting my surroundings and wishing deep down that it wouldn't end. His lips were softer than before, more inviting and warm.

Not that the first kiss wasn't spectacular, but this one...

This one was for the books.

Breaking off all too soon, he studied my face and grinned. "That," he declared, "is how I'll make it up to you."

"Oh." I cursed the gods for how stupid I sounded, how lost in him I was. This was my mortal enemy we were talking about. Why couldn't I formulate a single sentence?

I cleared my throat and tried again. "Like that would make up for anything."

"Don't worry, there's way more where that came from." He began walking away, turning around only to tell me, "Keep the hoodie, it suits you."

And he slipped into the Hermes cabin, leaving me with my conflicted thoughts and his oversized hoodie.