The cabin didn't stay quiet for long.
Voices drifted in from outside—laughter, someone yelling Jake's name again, and the dull thump of a cooler hitting the ground near the fire pit.
Camp Willow Creek was waking up.
Ray adjusted the waistband of his shorts and glanced toward the door.
First day. New place. Too many people he didn't know.
Hopefully there are at least some cute girls...
Across the room, Kate stood near the bunk, brushing a strand of red hair behind her ear, pretending not to think about the awkward moment they'd just shared.
Outside, the noise grew louder.
The rest of camp was waiting.
"So… it was nice meeting you, Kate."
Ray said her name like he wasn't quite sure he was allowed to—his voice a little too careful, almost shy.
Kate noticed. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, though she didn't say anything.
"I'm gonna head for a walk around the river," Ray added after a moment. "I don't really feel like meeting the group yet."
The noise outside drifted through the thin cabin walls—laughter, voices, the distant crack of a cooler opening.
Ray glanced toward the door, then back at her, like he wasn't sure if he needed permission to leave.
"I'm gonna stay put," Kate said. "I don't feel like getting creeped on today."
She looked at him for a second, then added,
"Also, if you don't come back before nightfall, I'm leaving you to the wolves."
Ray let out a short laugh at that and nodded.
Then he grabbed the cabin door, pushed it open, and stepped outside, the noise of the camp immediately rushing in as he headed off toward the path leading to the river.
He'd wanted to go for a walk.
But he already knew how it would end.
"Ray! Come to us! Drink with us, mate!" Jake shouted from across the clearing.
Ray sighed quietly to himself, glancing toward the path that led to the river… then back toward the fire pit where the others were already gathering.
"I need to stretch my legs. I'll get to you guys later," Ray called back.
A few more shouts followed from the group gathered around the fire—half teasing, half trying to pull him over anyway. Laughter drifted through the clearing as someone kicked the cooler shut.
Ray took a deep breath and headed toward the narrow path between the trees that led down to the river.
"It's weird there's no staff around," he muttered to himself. "But I guess we're all adults anyway."
He thought about the guys he had just met. They seemed fun enough. Like always, though, he needed time to get used to new people.
Luckily, he had two months for that.
He kept walking, the sounds of the camp slowly fading behind him as he got closer to the river.
Fuck, I can't get her out of my head… the way she looked…
As he walked, his mind drifted.
He thought about some random girl from school who had sent him nudes a few months ago. Maybe if he had been braver, he could have actually done something about it… maybe things would have been different.
The thought lingered for a moment.
Then suddenly his attention snapped forward.
A deer burst through the trees ahead of him, running across the path before disappearing into the forest on the other side. Ray stopped for a second, watching the branches sway where it had just passed.
"One thing's for sure," he said quietly to himself, looking around.
This place is beautiful.
The river came into view ahead, sunlight reflecting off the slow-moving water as it slipped between smooth rocks. The forest around it was calm, the noise of the camp almost completely gone now.
He sat there longer than he meant to.
By the time he noticed, the light was already fading. The sky slowly darkening above the trees.
He was still close enough to see the thin trail of smoke rising from the campfire in the distance.
Still, he figured it was time to head back. He didn't really want to find out whether Kate had been serious about leaving him outside for the night.
Ray pushed himself up from where he'd been sitting and brushed the dirt off his shorts.
He hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting there.
He headed back along the same path he had taken earlier.
As the trees thinned and the camp came back into view, he saw everyone gathered around the fire. The flames flickered against the darkening sky, people sitting on logs and coolers, drinks in their hands, laughter carrying through the clearing.
Everyone was there.
Everyone except Kate.
Ray glanced toward the cabins.
She had been serious about staying inside the cabin.
Shouts erupted the moment they saw him.
"Come on now, let's drink! It's summer camp—don't be a pussy!" Jake screamed from the fire.
Ray's posture finally loosened.
"Just one!" he shouted back as he started walking toward the fire.
As Ray stepped closer to the fire, the circle of faces became clearer in the flickering light.
Jake was sitting on a cooler like he owned the place, already halfway through another beer. Next to him was a tall blond guy with broad shoulders and a lazy grin.
"That's Liam," Jake said, pointing his bottle at him. "Our camp philosopher when he's drunk."
Liam raised his drink slightly. "Which is always."
A darker-haired guy sat on a log beside him, quietly watching the flames.
"And that's Marco," Jake added. "He doesn't talk much, but don't let that fool you."
Marco gave Ray a short nod.
On the other side of the fire, another guy leaned back in his chair, spinning a bottle slowly in his hand.
"Dylan," Jake said. "Thinks he's the smartest one here."
Dylan smirked. "I am the smartest one here."
Ray couldn't help but laugh.
Across the fire sat a small group of girls. Mia was there of course, the one who had shown him to the cabin earlier. She waved when she saw him.
Next to her sat a blonde girl with bright eyes and an easy smile.
"That's Sarah," Jake said.
Beside her was a darker-skinned girl with long braids, quietly sipping from a can.
"Nia."
Another girl with curly brown hair sat cross-legged on the ground, poking the fire with a stick.
"And that chaos gremlin is Zoe."
Zoe looked up immediately. "I heard that."
Next to her, a tall brunette leaned against the log bench, watching Ray with amused curiosity.
"And that's Emma."
Jake finally tossed Ray a cold beer from the cooler.
"Now," he said with a grin, "the camp's officially complete."
Ray sat there for a while, the fire crackling in front of him as the conversation around the circle shifted from jokes to half-drunken stories.
By the time he realized it, he was already on his fourth beer.
The warmth of the alcohol was starting to settle in, loosening his shoulders and making the whole situation feel a lot less awkward than it had earlier.
Across from him, Zoe leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees as she looked at him with a mischievous grin.
Zoe leaned forward, a grin already forming like she'd caught onto something.
And now she had decided to talk about the redhead in his cabin.
Zoe started teasing him about it, her tone playful but relentless, like she'd already made up her mind about what kind of situation he'd walked into.
"Hey, it's nothing like that. She's cute, but—"
Ray stopped mid-sentence as soon as the words left his mouth.
Across the fire, Zoe's grin widened instantly, like he had just handed her exactly what she'd been waiting for.
The flames flickered between them as a couple of the others glanced over, already sensing the conversation was about to get a lot more interesting.
"So you'd tap that ass, huh?" Jake said with a laugh.
Marco immediately shook his head from across the fire.
"Stop it, Jake," he said, tossing a small stick into the flames.
A few of the others chuckled quietly while Ray sat there with his beer in hand, already realizing he had walked straight into the kind of teasing that wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
"Maybe we should talk about you, Jake, huh?" Liam said, laughing. "We all saw the way you've been looking at Mia."
Jake's grin faltered for a second as the attention suddenly shifted to him.
Across the fire, Mia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little shy under the sudden spotlight while a few people around the circle started laughing.
Suddenly Jake didn't look so cocky anymore. The confidence slipped off his face for a moment, replaced by a nervous grin as the attention landed on him instead.
Luckily for him, the moment passed quickly. Conversations around the fire drifted back into smaller groups, laughter and side discussions taking over again before things could get too awkward.
Ray finished the last of his beer and stood up, stretching his legs.
This time even Jake didn't shout anything after him. It was getting late, and most people looked like they were slowing down anyway.
Ray gave a quick round of goodbyes and started heading back toward the cabins.
The walk through the trees was only a few minutes, but the darkness made it feel longer. The path was barely visible under the dim moonlight, and he had to watch his steps carefully.
Still, he managed it without tripping.
And seeing the light on inside the cabin helped.
"Eh… what a night," Ray muttered to himself as he approached the cabin.
"You're drunk, huh?"
The voice came from the side of the porch.
Ray stopped.
The faint smell of cigarette smoke drifted through the cool night air. Leaning against the wooden railing was Kate, the small orange glow of the cigarette between her fingers briefly lighting up her face.
Ray hadn't noticed her at first.
Now that he did, he froze.
She was standing there in her night clothes, the porch light behind her casting a soft outline around her red hair. For a moment, Ray couldn't find the words.
He just stood there, staring.
She didn't say a word.
She simply took another slow puff of her cigarette, the tip glowing softly in the dark, and looked at him.
Then she smiled.