Page 9 of The Games We Play (Balance of Power #3)

SEAMUS

“ So, why have you never come here before this summer?” Mimi asks.

The first day of camp was interesting, needless to say.

She saved me from what was probably going to end up a fist fight, then we spent the majority of the day together with her showing me around the grounds after finding our cabins. She’s absolutely gorgeous, in every way, and I find myself lost in her whenever she talks about, well, anything.

“I had never heard of this place, until my mom mentioned I was going. She just felt like it would be a good break for me this summer.” I keep it simple and change the subject away from me. “How long have you been coming here?”

“Oh gosh, forever it feels like. Since I was seven, I think,” she replies with a smile. “Yeah, this will be my tenth year. I met my best friend here, and this is the first year she couldn’t come.”

“Ah, I see, I’m a pity friend. The temporary replacement,” I reply, nudging her with my shoulder.

“Well, I mean, I sort of did pity you. You were totally going to get beat up by Tweedledee and Tweedledum at check in, so I had to do something.” She nudges me back.

“For the record, I would have taken both of them on…easily.” I clear my throat and sit up a little taller.

“Oh, I’m sure of it, Rambo.”

“Rambo, huh?” I chuckle. “He has the best one liner in the history of all action movies, so I’ll take it.”

“Which one is that?” she asks, and I assume she hasn’t actually seen any of the Rambo movies, so I recap the scene.

“The bad guy in the movie, he’s all shocked by John Rambo’s abilities, because he’s killing off all his men and finally asks him through a walkie talkie, “Who are you?” I say with an accent, “and Rambo replies, ‘your worst nightmare.’” She jinxes me with the quote as she says it with a deep voice at the same time I do, and my head snaps in her direction.

She’s got a wide smile, and giggles at my shock.

“My dad is a huge Arnold and Sylvester movie buff. So, he’d probably challenge you to a one liner competition. I’ve seen all of them, and I would say that Arnold holds the record for that.”

My face falls and I stare at her in complete shock. And excuse me while I fall immediately in love with this girl.

There’s an awkward silence, like she knows it, and I have the urge to lean in and kiss her. Before I can, she interrupts. And I’m grateful for it, because I don't want to make things weird on the first day.

“The seniors, the campers who are here for their last year, we’re having a sort of homecoming party at cabin one tomorrow. You should come.”

“Eh, I’m not really coming home,” I air quote with my fingers, “so to speak. I’ll probably pass.” Because nothing sounds worse than spending an entire night reuniting with people I don’t actually know.

“I’ll be there and you can hang with me,” she replies smoothly. I steal a glance at her and I love that she’s so carefree and easy going. Everything she says is effortless, and kind, and I can’t help but smile. No one has ever just made me smile.

She holds her fist in her palm and says, “Let’s Roshambo for it?”

I glance down at her hand, then up to her adorable face. Her eyebrows raise and my lip turns up in a lopsided smile. Well, I can’t say no to that.

“Okay,” I concede, holding my fisted hand in the palm of my other, “on three.” We pat our palms and she covers my rock with her paper, and beams a bright smile.

“Ha, I win! Mimi one, Seamus zero. You’re coming.” She rests back on her elbows, staring out onto the lake, and I can’t suppress my stupid smile even though I just lost to her.

“Okay, sunshine, you win.” I’m smiling, even though I lost.

“Sunshine?” she questions.

Yeah, you’re radiant and everything about you screams happiness. At least in how she makes me feel. So yeah, sunshine.

“Yeah, sunshine,” is all I can manage to say.

I peer out at the moon’s reflection shining off the ripples of water in the lake.

It’s so clear out here, I can easily spot Orion, my favorite constellation, making its presence known against the night sky.

It’s a peace I rarely feel, and I don’t know if it’s the lake, the sky, or the girl next to me.

The combination is overwhelming, in the best way, and I’m craving more of it.

A horn sounds, indicating it’s time to get back to our cabins for the night, and I feel disappointed. I want to stay here with her.

“Looks like we have to head back.” I stand up, holding my hand out to help her up.

She places her hand in mine and jumps to her feet at the same time I pull her up, creating more force than needed, and her body falls flush against mine.

I freeze for a moment, holding her, and I’m tempted to pull her even closer.

I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear.

She looks at me, blinks, then backs away and I realize I may be reading her all wrong. Maybe, she is just being friendly.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she replies as she steps completely out of my grasp. She turns, skipping toward her cabin, but not before yelling out, “Stay out of trouble, Rambo.”