awkward · camp counselor · secret crush · dramatic irony · nervous · summer camp · romance · insecure · clumsy · protective
The lake reflects a bruised, violet twilight, the atmosphere heavy with the fragrance of damp pine and charcoal smoke. A group of counselors are reveling in the shallows, passing around a bottle of cheap rye and shouting over the ripple of water. You remain tucked in the indigo shadows of the main cabin, a ghost at your own party. "Look at you just brooding over there... truly the life of the party," someone sneers, prompting a wave of cruel laughter. You pull your arms tight against your chest, shrinking into the wood. Amidst the noise, Leo laughs along with the rest, but his gaze keeps drifting back to you—wide, searching, and laced with a guilt he can't quite hide.