Camp Echo Falls (Completed)

Chapter 3

His butter smooth voice makes me melt in under a second. He smells like salt water and warm aftershave. Other than playing football back home he surfs in his free time, he's promised me he'll teach me soon, but we don't see each other often. Long distance is hard between us, we rarely see each other unless it's during school break. That's why I enjoy the summer so much, I get to spend endless days with the boy I love.

His arms loosen from around my waist and he places me back on the floor, his hands still rest on my waist. His eyes travel down my body and I think I can see him grinning lightly I ignore it, "Hi," I return smiling, taking his hands into mine and lacing my fingers through his, missing the way his rough skin felt against mine. I'm just about to ask how school has been, but something behind him catches my eye. I take my gaze away from Will and look behind him. My brows pinch together as I notice someone I don't recognise.

A boy who I've never seen before, is leaning propped up against the blue directions post, his eyes down pinned to his phone. He's casually scrolling across the screen, completely oblivious to the hundreds of buzzing people all around him.The boy has broad shoulders which fill a tight black t-shirt. His tanned legs are in black shorts, a thin silver chain around his neck tucked slightly under his top. His demeanour is calm even with, as I've just noticed, several girls eyes fixed in his direction. Whispers and giggles filling the air, even in the caotic buzz that is the first day of camp.

The mystery boy has raven black hair, long enough to cover his eyes as he looks down, having to be pushed out of the way as he runs his hand through the mess that is his hair. His stern lips letting out a long sigh before his tongue runs slowly along his bottom lip, his eyes still focused on the screen in his hand."Will, who's that?" I nod my head in the direction of the boy, realising that I must have been staring. I'm not sure why but I'm curious. Maybe it's just an unfamiliar face that intrigues me, or maybe it's something else.

My boyfriend looks over his shoulder confused, like he's about to brush off my question, but as he sees who I'm looking at he sighs. I see something tighten in his frame but he reluctantly turns back around to smile at me. He lays his hands on my shoulders and squeezes lightly, "No one." He says shortly. I raise my eyebrows, pushing him for an answer, and knowing he won't be able to get out of telling me, he sighs, before clearing his throat, "Guys," he calls lazily, getting the attention of the rest of our group. "This is Leo," Will tells the whole group, pressing his lips into a line as he lets everyone take a glance at the boy who's name is now Leo."We go to school together, so I said he can hang out with us for a bit, as it's his first summer at camp." Will doesn't sound as enthusiastic as his words come across as, but no one apart from me seems to notice.

For the first time since we arrived, the boy looks up from his phone. He nods his head, as everyone introduces themselves to him, the girls first and then Eli and Jax. The boys seem quite happy to welcome the new addition to our group, apart from Will who is stood by my side with his arms crossed. I notice that it's only me left who hasn't said anything, I clear my throat and look in his direction. He pushes his sunglasses up through his dark hair to rest on top of his head. His gaze is uninterested as he turns his phone off, shoves it in his front pocket and looks up to meet my eye.

And then I'm staring right at him. The first thing I notice is that his eyes are a bright, almost emerald green. The second thing I notice is the slight tilt of his head, looking me and up and down once before straightening his posture, shoving himself off the post and taking a step in my direction. I'm just about to tell him my name, but the speaker loudly interrupts - instructing everyone to make their way into the main hall. The group look at each other and then just shrug, all following into the crowd of people who are starting to make their way into the hall.

I smile up at Will as he loops his arm through mine, pulling me closer to his side before I have a second to say anything. The blonde boy doesn't look down at me though for some reason and I follow his eyes to see he's staring at the new boy. Who happens to be staring at me. His green eyes on my body like a hawk's eyes on its prey. A bad feeling creeps up the back of my neck and have to shake it off by tugging on my boyfriends arm. "Come on, lets go." I say trying to ease the tension in the air, feeling my cheeks starting to heat up and my breathing catching in the back of my throat. 

We all leave our suitcase where they are in a circle, knowing we'll pick them up after the introduction speech, and make our way to the hall. Unexpectedly, Will takes his arm from mine and steps out in front, leaving me to stand by myself, as he strides away from me, not once looking back. I roll my eyes, not wanting the start of the summer to be spent dealing with Will's negative attitude, so I'm thankful when Naomi and Alison each grab one of my arms. We walk as the three of us girls, and I join them as they start excitedly talking about his fun this summer is going to be.

Jax and Eli follow in behind us, still bickering over who's better at some video game and I drown them out as I look back at the only person left behind, who's still standing at the post looking at his phone. "You coming or what?" I shout over my shoulder in Leo's direction, I turn my gaze just in time to see him tilt his head up, making his green eyes meet my grey ones. A small smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth, but he doesn't let it break into a full smile. He sighs and puts his sunglasses on, covering his eyes and follows everyone else in. I feel a smile creeping along my lips, now facing towards the crowds of people walking in through the entrance. Breathing in a deep breath of fresh summer warmth, I shake my head lightly.

This is going to be fun.

- - -

We take our normal seats along a sturdy wooden table with benches on the left side of the room. There are at-least twenty benches, all in vertical lines filling most of the space in the hall. The stage taking up a small slither at the centre front of all the tables. Children of all ages, backgrounds and races fill the room, laughter and chat makes it hard to hear what Naomi beside me is rambling on about. I take a seat at the end of the bench, feeling the smooth wood underneath my jean shorts. Will sits down next to me, not looking in my direction as he runs both his large hands through his dirty blonde hair, sighing as he looks around the room almost anxiously. Jax takes the seat on the other side of Will, both of them now talking about a football match.

Eli, Alison and Naomi fill the other seats of the bench, leaving the space opposite me empty. I look around the room - it's a wide and open space, the doors pinned open to make the room look bigger. It gives off 'activity hall' vibes as the far wall is lined with hand drawn pictures, illustrating children running and playing around the camp sight. Warm sunlight lights up the wood scented room, metal wind chimes dangling from doorways, twinkle in the light breeze, sending a meaningless melody through the hall.

I smile as I glance out the large glass windows the line the wall beside me, giving a clear view of the dock leading into the shining lake. Memories of Will taking me out on the water in a kayak, for our first date flood back. Smiling as I inhaled deeply, letting the fresh air and forest aroma calm my breathing. Squealing and shouting as he flicked up a splash of cold water in my direction with his oar. His head thrown back in his boyish laughter, a bright grin spreading across his face as I wiped the water from my cheek glaring in his direction. Countless images of the group down at lake, sunbathing, drinking cokes, or splashing around in the shallow water that meets the bank. Watching the boys pushing each other over the docking, cheering and shouting as they each take a run up from the bank and cannon ball into the water over the edge.

I'm only brought back to reality when a slither of black hair catches my attention. The older looking boy seems to be blocking out the ear-deafening noise that floods the hall easily. His eyes glued down at his phone screen, unfazed by the sea of children running in and out of his path. As he gets closer to the end of the table, he effortlessly glides his sunglasses up through his hair, resting them on top of his head once again. Hooking his legs under the table in one swift movement, he sits down at the bench without saying a word, not once taking his eyes off the device in his hands.

I feel Will shift slightly in the seat next to me, putting an inch of space in between where our legs use to be touching. I turn my head so I'm looking up at the blonde boy at my side and smile softly, a question forming behind me eyes, which he doesn't seem to notice. He smiles back down at me for a moment, a smile that I notice doesn't quite meet his eyes, before turning his attention Jax and getting lost in nagging his younger brother to stop staring at Alison. I get an odd feeling in the pitch of my stomach, but choose to ignore it, hoping instead to fix my attention on something more positive. Something that I'm not sure where it will go quite yet. The dark haired boy, who seems uninterested in everything around him, smirks down at his phone before typing something in as he shakes his head slightly.

Him being sat opposite to me, combined with the fact he's ignoring everyone at the table, or maybe he's just shy because he doesn't know everyone that well. I think to myself that this would be the perfect time for me to properly introduce myself.