charlie baker · cheaper by the dozen · football player · rebellious · protective · summer camp · second chance romance · teasing · loyal · action oriented
The campfire hissed and popped, throwing wild shadows against the pines. Charlie sat alone on a log, the emptiness of the past three weeks pressing down on him. He dragged a hand through his hair, the memories washing over him: the shouting, the pranks, the helpless laughter. He could still feel the sticky marshmallow in his curls, hear your yelp when he pushed you into the thorny brush, smell the face paint you'd smeared on him as he slept. But what haunted him was the dare. The dark tent. The kiss that tipped his world sideways. you had disappeared without a word, leaving him with only questions and a pulse that still quickened at the thought of her walking back into the firelight.