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Summary: During your sister's bachelorette weekend in Vegas, you wake up in a stranger's bed with little to no memory of how you got there. When you notice a wedding ring on your finger, you go through your phone and find out you got married on a whim while you were drunk.
Word Count: 3.6k
Warnings: Vague NSFW 18+ (flashbacks of having sex, but nothing too graphic), memories of drinking to the point of blacking out, hangover, accidental marriage, flirty banter with a stranger, fluff??
A/N: Was inspired by a post I saw online and it was fairly obvious that I had to write this concept with Todd. I did write it from a more realistic POV so I apologize if that's not what you wanted LOL. Still a happy ending!
Every joint, muscle, and limb in your body was tense with an ache that made it nearly impossible to move. Your eyes were basically glued shut, your mouth was dry, but nothing compared to the pounding in your head like hammers thwacking against your skull. You were rock solid in this bed, or at least you wanted to stay that way.
Somewhere beyond you, your phone buzzed incessantly, and while it wasn’t loud, it may as well have been nails on a chalkboard right now. Without looking up, you reached in the direction of the nightstand, fumbling around until you found the vibrating phone. You peeled your eyes open just enough to catch your sister’s name before answering it.
“Hello,” you uttered in a hoarse voice.
“Y/N, where the fuck are you? I’ve called you like 20 times! I was about to call the police.”
You scowled at her aggravating tone. “Jesus Christ. What time is it?”
“It’s two in the afternoon.”
You sat up with a gasp, your brain tossing around like sludge as you confirmed the time. It wasn’t like you to sleep in so late, not unless you had a pretty crazy night, and…well…
“Wait. No fucking way.”
“Yeah, you missed brunch!”
“Shit. Why didn’t you come wake me up?”
Your sister scoffed. “Wow, you don’t remember anything, do you? You left with that guy, Y/N, remember? That…Todd guy. You didn’t tell me where you were going. I called you a million times. I thought he killed you.”
With wide eyes, you slowly peered over your shoulder. In the darkness of the room, all you could barely make out was a lump in the sheets. You used your phone as a light and saw that the lump was a sleeping naked man with brown hair. You were naked too.
A giggle bubbled in your throat. “Oh.”
It was supposed to be your sister’s bachelorette weekend, and you were spending three full days in Las Vegas to celebrate. You all arrived early yesterday and spent the day engaging in activities. The entire group caught a show before going out drinking. There were a few bars, some dancing, but the rest was a muddied mess in your memory.
You heard your sister’s voice over the phone. “Y/N?”
“Hold on.”
Using your phone’s flashlight, you carefully slipped out of bed to search for your clothes, which consisted of a very tight dress and some tall heels. On the way to the bathroom, you noticed empty food trays, balloons, and an empty bottle of champagne beside some glasses. There was obviously a small party here, and the place was in disarray.
You took your stuff into the bathroom, locked yourself in, and hissed as you turned on the bright light. One look in the mirror and the evidence of a night well spent was all over your face. Your mascara was smudged, your lipstick was mostly gone, and if you looked closely, the foundation around your mouth was basically nonexistent. Whoever Todd was, he must have fucked you good, or at least you hoped he did. Too bad you barely remembered it.
“Oh, my God.”
“Y/N?”
You placed your sister on speaker as you used the toilet and got yourself semi-ready to make your walk of shame.
“What the fuck happened last night?” you whispered sharply.
“We went drinking after the show, remember? Then we went to the club where we booked a table. That’s where we met that group of guys. Former frat boys, I think. You and Todd started talking. I think it was his birthday. You were all over each other - talking, dancing, and making out. I mean, I don’t blame you; he was hot. The last thing you told me was that the two of you were leaving, and at that point, I was too drunk to tell you no. I didn’t hear from you all night after that.”
You recalled most of this with a nod. The club slowly came back to you, as did this supposed man’s face - Todd. He was very attractive and had a charismatic smile to match his personality. You could have sworn he had a southern drawl, but maybe you made that up in your head.
“Well, I’m alive,” you replied. The pounding of your head made you wince. “Well, kind of.”
In the process of washing your hands, you noticed a sparkling diamond ring on your left hand. You stared at it with a bewildered frown, not fully processing what it was, because as far as you knew, you were single and not married at all.
“Hey, did I steal your ring by any chance?” you asked.
“What? No. I’d kill you if you did,” your sister said.
“Then why am I wearing one?” you asked, your eyes slowly widening.
“What?”
It wasn’t just the diamond ring, but the very obvious wedding band beneath it. Did you commit some kind of robbery? Steal it off of some stranger’s finger? No. With a sinking feeling, you had an idea where they came from. After all, you were in the most obvious place to do something like this.
“Did I get married in Vegas?” you mumbled.
Your sister’s voice went shrill. “You what?”
With trembling fingers, you went into your phone and searched for any evidence on what you did last night. There were some pictures from the morning, but most were from the evening, particularly the club. Your sister and friends were in them, but then Todd started to appear in the images. There was a selfie that you took at the VIP booth where you were practically in his lap, and you were both smirking at the camera, clearly inebriated. Right next to it was a short video of the two of you dancing with your arm draped over his shoulder and his hand resting on your waist.
The latest pictures, however, were worse, not because they were horrible to look at, but because they were damning. Someone else took them, and they were of you and Todd at the altar of a chapel. There was an Elvis impersonator and some guys who must have been Todd’s friends. A tiny veil was on your head, and there was a bouquet in your hands. Swiping through them was like watching a stop-motion film as you exchanged vows and then rings. Todd picked you up bridal style, and then you flashed your ring at the camera with the biggest smile in the world. The fact that you remembered none of it boggled your mind.
“Holy shit, I got married in Vegas,” you whispered shakily.
You sent some of the pictures to your sister, and she immediately screamed.
“Y/N!”
Heavy knocking came at the door, making you jump with a gasp. At first, you thought it came from outside the bathroom, until you realized it was the main door.
“Todd, are you in there?” a male voice called out.
You slapped your hand over your mouth to quell any possible noise, your heart thrumming like a hummingbird’s wings.
You took your sister off speaker and whispered, “I have to go.”
“Y/N, are you kidding me? We need to get you a divorce lawyer or something!”
“Let me handle this! I’ll let you know when I have an update!” you hissed, before hanging up.
The knocking turned into pounding.
“Hey, Todd! You alive, man?”
A vexed groaning came from within the room. “What the fuck do you want?”
“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, man. Just wanted to check in since you haven’t answered my calls.”
“Shit.”
“Did the missus tire you out or what?”
You glared at the door with disdain.
“The what?” Todd asked in confusion.
The voice on the other side of the door laughed. “Shit, you really were fucked up. Some of the boys and I are eating at the place downstairs. Come down when you remember.”
“Remember what?” Todd demanded.
The other person disappeared without an answer. You heard Todd curse, there was rustling, and then all of a sudden, footsteps approached. The doorknob jingled, and your breath hitched.
“The fuck?” Todd whispered. “Is someone in there?”
“Ummmm….maybe.”
“Wha…Excuse me, who are you?”
You tried your best to clean up your face so you looked less like a harlequin doll. When you were done, you adjusted your wrinkled dress and opened the door. On the other side was your one-night stand and possible husband, looking disheveled and hungover as you did. His long hair was unkempt, and there were pillow marks on the side of his otherwise beautiful face. He was also stark naked, which didn’t seem to bother him despite being in your presence.
He narrowed his eyes at you curiously, but then you watched as some realization dawned on him.
“Hey,” he uttered slowly.
“Hi,” you replied.
“Y/N, right?”
Fuck. He was hot and had a southern drawl. His voice was huskier this morning, too. Damn.
“Yeah, and you’re Todd.”
“Wow… somehow you’re hotter without the alcohol in my system,” he said with a chuckle.
You scoffed, heat blooming in your cheeks. “You too.”
Todd squeezed the bridge of his nose as if fighting off a migraine.
“I remember how we met, but can you remind me how the night ended? It’d be nice to know how we ended up here.”
You sighed heavily. “I was going to ask you the same thing, because I have no fucking clue.”
“Great,” he muttered.
You didn’t mean to give him a once-over, but you also couldn’t help it. He was tall with a decent amount of muscle, and he looked good naked. Flashes of last night bombarded you in the span of a few seconds. You remembered kissing him more than a few times and then being pinned beneath him as he pounded into you on the bed, with you clinging to him like a lifeline. Then you were face down on the mattress as he fucked you from behind. A rush of heat skittered down your body, making you shudder. It didn’t help that his dick was fully out for you to see.
When he noticed you staring, Todd smiled devilishly, and your skin went hot.
“Since we’re sober now, I’d be more than open for round two,” he drawled.
You swallowed thickly, truly pondering whether it was worth getting yelled at again if it meant fucking this man with better memory. However, with one glance at your left hand, you knew you had more important things to do.
“Tempting,” you said, “but I fear we have problems.”
You raised your left hand, showing off the (supposed) diamond ring with a wiggle of your fingers. Todd furrowed his brow as he stared at it with the same confused expression you did at first. He then looked down at his own left hand, which had a shining wedding band. Todd’s face fell.
“Aww fuck. That’s what the idiot was talking about,” he cursed.
“Yup.”
“Are you serious?”
You opened your phone to your saved pictures and handed him the proof. You bit at your thumbnail nervously as he scrolled through the images of your Vegas elopement, and watched as his blue eyes widened.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he rumbled. “Elvis?!”
You nodded, on the verge of laughter. “Yeah, I guess we wanted the true Vegas experience.”
Todd returned your phone and put his face in his hands with a groan. He raised a finger and disappeared for a moment. When he came back, he was wearing sweatpants, which was somehow hotter than him being naked.
For some reason, you expected him to have some kind of outburst, but it was the opposite. Instead, he started chuckling, slowly backing away. You leaned against the door frame, eyeing him curiously. When he met your eyes, he seemed completely torn.
“Can I see the ring?”
You presented your hand, and he took your fingers gently to scrutinize the diamond. Even in this light, it sparkled. You didn’t know much about identifying real diamonds, but Todd confirmed your suspicions.
“That’s fucking real,” he stated with a grimace. “Of course, I got you a real ring. I don’t know whether to be angry or proud of myself.”
You raised your eyebrows in surprise. If the diamond was real, then that meant Todd was wealthy enough to buy an engagement ring on impulse. And the more you looked at the room, the more you realized how luxurious it was. He may have been a frat boy at some point, but he was no ordinary man. Not to mention he had good taste, because the ring itself was stunning.
“Are these things even valid? I mean, it’s Vegas. It probably doesn’t mean anything,” Todd offered.
“Depends. Do we have a marriage license?”
You stared at each other for a moment before immediately jumping in to search. The two of you scoured the room, rifling through drawers, but to no avail. For a moment, you thought the problem was solved, until you went into your bag. There, you found a folded marriage license signed with your names and a witness in the state of Nevada.
Your shoulders drooped.
“Oh, it’s valid,” you muttered.
Feels illegal for drunk marriages to be valid.
Todd looked between you and it before taking it. With one look, he sank into the bed, running his hand over his chin.
He chuckled. “That’s great. Hilarious.”
You plopped down beside him, taking another gander at the document. Todd carded his fingers through his hair with a sigh, setting the document on the bedside table. He eyed you hesitantly as if approaching a wild animal. You knew that look. It was like he was about to let you down gently.
“Listen, Sweetheart, you’re gorgeous, and I’m sure you’d make an amazing wife, but this is not…this isn’t…” He shook his head, struggling with his words. “We just met, and if I’m getting married, it’s not like this.”
You nearly collapsed with relief. You wouldn’t know what you would do if you got stuck with some freak who refused to give up.
“No, no, I completely agree,” you replied with a vigorous nod. “Like, no offense, but I don’t know you, and I’d very much like to not be married to a stranger. Even if you are hot. I’d also like to remember my wedding.”
Todd huffed a laugh. “And preferably with no Elvis impersonator.”
“Well, you don’t remember him. What if he was good?” you asked with a playful smirk.
He raised his brows at you. “You’d want an Elvis impersonator at your wedding?”
You shrugged, fighting a grin. “If he’s good, then maybe.”
Todd hummed warily. “Well, if you ever decide you wanna marry me again, then we can cross that bridge when we get there.”
Your mouth fell open in surprise as you caught a glimpse of the charming man who swept you off your feet last night. Todd gave you a shit-eating grin, and again, you saw flashes of last night, but this time, you were laughing and talking with him animatedly. It was still a blur, but the pieces were slowly coming together.
“Well, you’d have to take me on a proper date first and make sure we don’t skip all the other steps again,” you replied.
Todd’s smile made your heart flutter. “Obviously. I’d also like to be sober, so I can remember everything we talk about and all the things we did, because it’s breaking my heart not knowing what we did on this bed.”
The delivery of that statement with the low quality of his voice sent heat down between your legs, and you unconsciously pressed your thighs together. You found yourself clinging to the dirtier memories of last night, and despite what Todd said, you had a feeling he’d be remembering soon, if he didn’t already.
“What was your name again?” you asked. “Your full name.”
“Todd Stevens,” he replied.
You smiled. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N. Although I guess I’m technically Y/N Stevens for the next however many hours it takes to fix this.”
Todd swallowed thickly, his cheeks going pink. You narrowed your eyes at him.
“Are you blushing?” you teased.
He rolled his eyes. “It’s my first time being married. Give a guy a break. No one’s taken my name before, and to be honest, it’s kind of nice. If that’s what you want, obviously.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” you answered, reiterating his statement.
It was strange how natural it was to engage in banter about something that should have had you both running in opposite directions. Instead, you were joking about the possibility of getting married for real one day, although you weren’t entirely sure how much of a joke it was at the moment.
You stared at each other with matching wicked grins when all of a sudden, your phone went off again. You tore your eyes away from Todd to answer yet another call from your sister.
“What?”
“What the fuck happened? You said you’d give me an update. Are you married or not?”
You rolled your eyes, ever annoyed by your sister’s inability to chill for one second.
“I told you I had it handled,” you stated. “I’m leaving his place right now. I’ll head over to the hotel and tell you everything there.”
She groaned. “Fine.”
You hung up and heaved a disgruntled exhale. When you glanced over at Todd, he was watching you curiously.
“Who was that?”
“My sister,” you replied, rising to your feet. “Ironically, she’s the one who’s getting married, and it’s her bachelorette weekend. She’s pissed that I disappeared and will probably be even more pissed when she finds out I got legally married before her, so I should probably go.”
You took a picture of the marriage license, and Todd followed you to the door. The two of you exchanged numbers and lingered on opposite sides of the doorway. As you were about to part ways, you found yourself wishing you could prolong this. Not the marriage itself, but whatever this happy accident was between you and Todd Stevens.
He took you in thoughtfully with his hands in his pockets. “I’ll talk to my lawyer and let you know what he says.”
You raised your eyebrows at him. “You have a lawyer?”
“I do. Family lawyer.”
“Convenient.” You looked down and raised your left hand with a sudden realization. “I should probably give these back.”
Before you could remove your rings, Todd stopped you.
“Actually, keep them for now.” When you looked at him in surprise, he smirked. “You won’t have them for much longer anyway. Why not enjoy them while it lasts? Just give ‘em to me later.”
It was such a casual, earnest statement that it made leaving even harder. You barely remembered anything about your night with Todd, yet you desperately wished to get to know him properly and sober. Even if this didn’t last beyond the weekend.
“Promise you won’t run away?” he asked. “If you do, I’ll have to come find you.”
“Oh no, whatever will I do?” you said dryly, repressing a giddy laugh.
Todd released a breathy chuckle as he slowly bridged the distance between you. Your heart stuttered at his proximity, heat, and the intensity of his gaze. His blue eyes flitted to your lips.
“May I have a kiss before you leave, Mrs. Stevens?”
A nervous giggle rumbled in your chest. “Okay.”
You both leaned in at the same time, meeting each other halfway until your lips met. He cupped your jaw gently, and your hands found their way onto his bare chest. There was nothing soft about the kiss, not rough but solid. Solid and fervent with an assuredness that completely lacked awkwardness. It was like you knew each other’s mouths before meeting at all, and you could never get enough. You kissed until you were out of breath, and Todd was the one who pulled away. His eyes were alight, his lips pink as he smiled at you.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna stay for breakfast?” he asked. “Or I guess it’s lunch now.”
The invitation was so tempting that it hurt you to decline it.
“I wish I could, but it’s not my weekend, and if I take any longer, my sister will kill me,” you grumbled. “Don’t wanna be a shitty bridesmaid.”
Todd nodded in understanding, though you could tell he seemed mildly disappointed.
“Talk to you later, then,” he said.
You nodded dazedly. “Talk to you later. I’m here the whole weekend anyway. I have a divorce meeting later.”
Todd scoffed. “Funny. Send me those pictures, will you? For the family album.”
That made you genuinely laugh, a sound that was surprisingly light even for you. Todd watched you slowly back away towards the elevators with a soft smile. Even when you turned away, you could feel his attention on you. You took one glance back, and as soon as you made eye contact, you exchanged a grin with your husband before leaving him behind.
In the elevator, you slumped against the back wall and had to resist the urge to slide down to the floor. Your body was working double time to hold itself up despite how sore, hungover, and ravenous you were. You looked down at your ring and made your fingers dance so the diamond’s facets glittered in the light. It almost seemed unreal that it was yours at all, but you got to pretend for a while that it was.
Somehow, you left that room feeling more wistful than regretful. At the very least, you chose a halfway decent man to elope with in a drunken stupor. You could give credit to your judgment for that (for now, anyway). Even though the marriage itself wouldn’t last, you had a feeling you’d be seeing a lot more of Todd Stevens in the future, and you didn’t mind that at all. Not one bit.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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bishova nation how yall doing 🛐🛐 it's been a long time
i watched top gun movies earlier this year and was compelled by the aesthetics
so i present you a vision of kate and yelena being academic rivals/frenemies in the top gun school and later becoming an iconic inseparable duo in the sky 🦅🦅
please share your thoughts, opinions, headcanons, anything with meee. i've been on a self imposed bishova drought since last year and i didn't realize how much i missed them
The Six Times You Met Bob Floyd In School and The One Time You Didn't || Robert "Bob" Floyd
Description: How Single Dad!Bob x Teacher!Reader's relationship progressed over the course of a school year
Content: emetophobia warning (mentions of upset stomachs and throwing up but it’s very minor), the bird strike is a plot line, mother's not being the best sometimes (it's like one sentence), bob is a great father figure, fluff
Word Count: 9k (I'm so sorry lol)
A special thank you to @imjess-themess for mentioning this in the discord and everyone who helped talk about the backstory/offer stories from their childhood ( @hederasgarden, @mayhem24-7forever, @jostystyles). Of course, thank you to @callsign-phoenix for rereading this a million times, encouraging me, and for making this beautiful header.
If anyone likes this or wants more about this story, I have an entire google doc of headcanons waiting for the internet to see!
One:
The first day of school was always exciting, it was a mark of a new beginning and a new time of change. You didn’t realize how true those two things would become until later in the school year. Standing by the door of your newly decorated classroom, you greeted each child as they came in, doing your best to learn their names as soon as possible. You tried to make a mental note of how many students had come in. The task was becoming increasingly more difficult as more families crowded the hallways and children rushed passed to get to their new classrooms. A short blonde girl with mismatched socks and crooked pigtails caught your eye as she hurried down the hall, a big smile spreading across her face as she made eye contact with you. When she got to where you were standing, you leaned down to ask her name but were cut off by a voice.
“Cassie! You forgot your lunch, I know you’re excited but-” the voice stopped as he got to where you were standing.
Your eyes were met with a pair of old converse and when you looked up to see who they belonged to, you were caught off guard. He couldn’t have been much older than you and was by far the youngest parent you’d met all day. As you stood up straight to introduce yourself he looked down at the girl, Cassie, the name rang a bell but you couldn’t remember why.
“Cassie! You forgot your lunch, I know you’re excited but-” the voice stopped as he got to where you were standing.
Your eyes were met with a pair of old converse and when you looked up to see who they belonged to, you were caught off guard. He couldn’t have been much older than you and was by far the youngest parent you’d met all day. As you stood up straight to introduce yourself he looked down at the girl, Cassie, the name rang a bell but you couldn’t remember why.
“She’s very um… very excited, I’m so sorry.” He adjusted the small backpack on his shoulder to try and stick his hand out to shake yours, “I’m Bob Floyd, her uncle and legal guardian and I’m assuming you’re Mrs-”
“Miss…” you corrected him, suddenly embarrassed by this, “I’m not married.”
“Oh I apologize, I guess I just assumed…” he trailed off as his gaze fell to your empty ring finger, looking away quickly before he leaned down, “Cassie, how about you go inside and see where your seat is.”
A big smile spread on Cassie’s face as she hugged his neck goodbye. You saw tears well up in his eyes as he whispered “I love you” into her shoulder. He stayed crouched down as he watched her walk into the classroom, greeting everyone she saw.
He stood back up and stuck his hands in his pockets as he lowered his voice, “I’m not sure if they told you about Cassie’s situation, but I could uh-I could tell you more about it if you had any questions.”
You were suddenly reminded why the name seemed so familiar, you had received an email regarding the custody status of one of your students a few weeks ago. It wasn’t unusual to have students being taken care of by relatives, especially so close to a military base. The file didn’t share many details, only that Cassie’s mother had lost custody at the beginning of the summer and an uncle was going to be receiving full custody. You had to admit, when you heard she was going to be taken care of by an uncle, you expected him to be an older gentleman. Yet, here he stood, slightly taller than you and in casual clothing. He had a baseball hat and glasses on, making it impossible to see most of his face, but you could tell he was quite attractive. Not that it mattered, it would be inappropriate to crush on a student’s guardian.
“No need for that, the school told me that you would be taking care of her and as long as she is happy and safe, that’s all that matters.” You replied as you looked at Cassie and back to Bob.
Your heart swelled at the smile on his face as he watched Cassie continue to introduce herself to everyone. Bob turned back to you, your eyes meeting for the first time and you were taken aback by how blue his were. Your voice was caught in your throat as you watched him scan your features. After a moment, he looked down and cleared his throat to speak.
“I should get going, if you ever need a volunteer to help around the classroom, please don’t hesitate to ask. I wanna make this school year as good as possible for her.” Bob said as he stole one last look at Cassie.
“Absolutely, you’ll be my first call.” You replied, trying to stabilize your voice. This was going to be a long year.
Two:
As the first month of school came to a close, you had decided you wanted to have meetings with Bob to discuss Cassie a bit more. While phone calls home and meetings with parents were usually a bad sign, this one couldn’t be farther from. It wasn’t any of your business and you expected Bob to tell you off for asking, but you were curious to see if Cassie was adjusting well at home. She was the perfect student in class, but sometimes that can be a way for children to overcompensate. As you read her file, you saw Bob’s number and dialed it. You had no idea what he did for work but you just hoped he wasn’t busy. After a few rings, he picked up.
“Uh, hello?!” He semi-shouted into the phone, noise filled the background and it caused you to slightly pull the phone away from your ear.
“Hello?” You cleared your throat slightly, “Is this Robert Floyd?”
You heard him excuse himself and the sound of a door slamming before the background noise became nothing more than a dull hum, “Yes, may I ask who this is?”
“This is Cassie’s teacher, I was wondering if we could schedule a meeting to talk about a few things.” You answered, cursing yourself for how stern your voice came out.
There was some shuffling on the other end of the line before Bob was mumbling something you couldn’t make out under his breath. “Um, yeah” he started but was cut off by the sound of a door opening and some shouting that sounded urgent, “I’m sorry, things are crazy here right now, can we do it today when I pick her up?”
You barely got a reply out before he rushed to say goodbye and you heard the beep of the phone call ending. You felt horrible, obviously he was busy at work doing whatever he does and you had to call and bother him instead of just waiting until the end of the day to ask. This was not how it was supposed to go, you wanted to explain to him that this was a good meeting and tell him not to worry, but there wasn’t enough time.
Meanwhile at base, Bob was freaking out. For one, he knew that meetings like this were not good signs. It was typically because a child was acting out or causing problems during class. Cassie was an angel at home, sometimes she could get moody when she was tired, but besides that, she always listened. Secondly, this meeting meant he was going to have to sit across from a woman he considered to be the most beautiful person he’d ever met and actually talk to her for more than 3 minutes in a hallway. Not to mention, the idea that she might view him as not cut out for this filled him with dread.
He tried to distract himself with training and drills but nothing worked, his mind was stuck on the meeting planned for this afternoon. When the time finally came for him to leave to pick up Cassie, his palms were sweating and his voice was shaky as he bid everyone goodbye.
Once he got to the school and made his way down the hall he saw Cassie sitting in the hallway, not a good sign. She looked up and her face lit up with a big smile when she saw Bob walking towards her. Bob kneeled down to greet her, trying not to show the nervousness he was feeling as he kissed her forehead and mumbled, “How was school today pumpkin?” against it.
“So good Uncle Bobby, we did multiplication and I learned how to spell Massachusetts!” Cassie beamed with pride as you walked out of the classroom and ushered Bob in, telling Cassie it’d only be a few minutes.
As soon as the door closed, Bob began to rattle off apologies. “Listen, I’m so sorry if she has been acting out, this has been a huge adjustment period for both of us and I’m kind of working on setting boundaries and none of these parenting books prepare you-” He stopped abruptly when he noticed a big smile appear on your face as you let out a chuckle and waved your hands to motion him to stop talking.
“Mr. Floyd, that’s not why you’re here.” You said and he let out a sigh of relief and rested his hands on the back of a chair. He watched as you sat behind your desk, motioning for him to join you. “Like I said Mr. Floyd, Cassie-”
“Please just call me Bob” he interrupted and wiped his palms on his jean clad thighs, “It’s what everyone else calls me, Mr. Floyd makes me feel like I’m old.”
“Okay,” you started again, “Cassie didn’t do anything wrong, quite the opposite actually. She is one of the brightest students I have, not to mention she is incredibly kind hearted and will do anything to help around the classroom”
Bob felt his heart swell with pride. He loved Cassie more than anything in the world and was so happy that she was adjusting to a new school, new house, and even a new guardian so well. Not that Bob taking care of her was anything new, it had just been a few years since he’d been that active in her life and he was terrified of falling short.
Your voice got his attention again, “Her file doesn’t say much about her life before moving here…” he could tell you were proceeding with caution to avoid overstepping so he sent you an encouraging smile.
“Cassie doesn’t know the details on why she is here if that is what you wanted to ask,” Bob cleared his throat and looked down at the carpet, “I’ve just told her that her mom needed a little help and that she would be staying with me and my friends for a little bit. I think she’s still distracted with how new this life is to realize this is forever…”
Bob didn’t have to look up to know you were staring at him, gaging his reactions. He quickly wiped a tear that had started to fall before he stood up, accidentally scaring you with how sudden it was. “If that’s all, we really better get going, Cassie gets hangry if she doesn’t have a snack around this time.”
Bob took a step away from his chair when you stood up to walk him out, “Of course, it was lovely seeing you again, you two have a good night.”
As soon as he was out of your eye sight, Bob let out a deep sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, trembling from the aftershocks of seeing you again. What was he going to do the rest of the school year?
Three:
As the school year continued, flu season quickly arrived. It was inevitable for kids to become sick and once one kid had it, it was like wildfire in the school. Which was how you ended up sitting on a plastic bed in the back room of the office, trying to comfort Cassie while they called Bob for the third time. You still didn’t know what he did for work but you imagined it must have been something really important that he couldn’t pick up the phone.
“Has Uncle Bobby answered yet?” Cassie asked through sobs and your heart broke further when you had to shake your head.
Another twenty minutes had passed and Cassie calmed down a little, but was still sniffling. It was at this point you had begun to become impatient and frustrated with him. How can you not answer your phone and make the emergency contacts impossible to reach as well? As if on cue to your thoughts, the front office door burst open to reveal a very sweaty Bob in a green flight suit.
“Oh no,” you muttered as you stood up and took a few steps towards where he was standing. You were filled with guilt at your thoughts because you now understood that he wasn’t just busy at work, he was 30,000 feet in the air. You stayed halfway down the hall and observed as time slowed and nearly everyone in the office stopped to admire him for a moment. His hair that was regularly in perfect condition was now windswept and slightly damp, his fair skin had become flushed and the sleeves of the suit were rolled to his elbows. It wasn’t until he began to frantically ask where Cassie was that everything came back to full speed and he was motioned to walk towards you. Bob didn’t slow down as he got closer to you and it forced you to have to explain what happened as you tried to keep up with his long strides.
“She said her stomach started hurting a little after you dropped her off, but she didn’t seem too sick so we held off from calling but then,” you turned your head to look at her through the window into the small room, “She got sick and we tried to call you as soon as it happened because she was so upset but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone.”
You watched Bob clench his jaw as he watched Cassie begin to doze off on the plastic bed. Your stomach turned as you feared he was angry at you for not calling earlier and you prepared yourself for the worst. To your surprise, Bob turned to you and placed his hand on your arm to get your attention. In a soft voice, he spoke as you made eye contact, “I’m really sorry, I can’t have my phone up in the plane and the two emergency contacts were also up in the sky with me. It’s my fault,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I’m just so new to this whole thing and when they asked who I wanted, I put the two people I trusted most, but neglected to think about how one of them is flying my plane. Thank you for sitting with her.”
You gave him a soft smile and cleared your throat as you felt eyes fall on the two of you. He took the hint and pulled his arm back before walking into the room. You stood in the doorway and watched as he kneeled next to the bed and gently shook Cassie awake. She sat up quickly and began to get upset again when she saw Bob was in front of her.
“Uncle Bobby,” she took a deep breath as tears started to slide down her cheeks again, “My stomach really hurt and then I got sick and it got on my desk and on my clothes.”
You took a step back as Bob wiped her tears and pushed the hair off of her face and behind her ears. He spoke in a calm voice and reminded her to take deep breaths. You had a small smile on your face that dropped quickly when you saw Cassie try and push Bob back as he raised his arms to hug her. A confused expression fell on his face as he tried to understand what he did wrong.
“NO! My clothes are gross and I smell bad, I don’t wanna get you sick!” Cassie raised her voice and you saw a hurt expression flash across Bob’s face.
“Pumpkin,” he started, moving his hands to hold her face, “I don’t care that you got sick and your clothes are dirty, okay? That’s what the washer is for. Plus,” he grabbed her hand and put it on the back of his neck, “Feel how sweaty I am, we’re both gross today.”
Your heart swelled as you watched Cassie let out a squealing laugh, the first sign of happiness she showed all day. When you turned around, you saw that everyone else in the office had been not only watching Bob and Cassie interact, but also you. They sent smug, knowing smiles to each other as they pretended to busy themselves with paperwork. Bob walked out of the small room, Cassie’s hand in his and sent you a smile that made you sweat as he walked her to the desk. You tried to compose yourself as you walked past him, but you couldn’t help but notice how small the pen from the sign out sheet looked in his hand.
You watched them walk out the front doors for a moment and right before you turned around, Bob sent you a wave before picking up Cassie and getting her buckled into the back seat. You sent back a small wave before taking a few steps and leaning against the cool concrete wall. This was not getting any easier.
Four:
Shortly after Bob had to pick up Cassie early from school she had come home with a sheet of paper announcing career day and Bob immediately knew he needed to be there. He requested to take half of that day off and started planning what aspects of his job he wanted to talk about. Some people might have found it silly he was putting in so much effort for a class of 3rd graders, but he felt this was the best chance for him to show to everyone he could show up, that he was cut out for this.
When the day finally arrived, Bob woke up extra early to make sure he had enough time to get him and Cassie ready. He usually just drank a coffee and put on something casual to drop her off in, but this was important. On his second attempt at fixing his bed head, Cassie walked into the bathroom.
“Uncle Bobby?” she asked and he hummed a response to tell her he was listening, “Are you almost done? We have to leave soon and I don’t have my hair done.”
Bob checked his watch and cursed under his breath, they had to leave in 20 minutes and Cassie’s hair was sticking up in every direction. He picked her up and put her on the counter so he could try and brush through the tangles. He liked to think that his braiding skills had gotten a lot better since the first day of school, but sometimes Phoenix would stifle a laugh when she’d see Cassie’s hair after school.
The entire drive to school was nerve wracking, Bob was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, rechecking his ribbons and switching through the stations. As they got close to the building Bob looked in the rearview and the sight of Cassie smiling at him was all he needed to calm his nerves for the remainder of the drive.
Bob pulled into the parking lot and Cassie excitedly undid her seatbelt before Bob was able to park. He shot her a warning look, “Cassie Grace,” he started.
“I know, I’m sorry I’m just so excited,” she said while nearly shaking in the backseat. Once they were parked she pushed the door open and jumped down.
As they made their way towards the front doors of the building Bob felt his anxiety coming back. Cassie must have sensed this because she grabbed his hand and led him closer to the doors, a big smile on her face. Once inside, she went into the office and Bob felt all eyes on them. Both women at the desk jumped up and reached for a pen to sign him in. They asked him questions about flying and what each ribbon meant, causing a blush to creep up on Bob’s neck. As soon as he finished signing his name Cassie saved him by pulling him away from the desk and towards her classroom.
The classroom was buzzing with excitement and Bob found himself scanning the room until he found you. You had a big smile on your face as you reintroduced yourself to family members and asked them questions about their work. Cassie let go of his hand and ran to where her friends were, leaving Bob standing alone in the doorway. Your eyes found his and you waved your arm to tell him to come in. He felt your gaze as he walked in slowly and took a seat next to Cassie, his knees bumping the desk.
A few weeks had passed since Bob had picked Cassie up in his flight suit and you were so grateful that people had begun to forget about it. It took a matter of 3 hours for word to spread that one of the students had a hot, young dad that flies airplanes for the navy and was also so sweet and delicate with her. It was tortue to listen to everyone in the break room talk about him like they knew him. Not that you knew much, but you knew that he wasn’t Cassie’s dad and that he didn’t fly the planes, he was a weapon systems officer. You didn’t like the jealous feeling that gnawed at your chest as they told tales of pilots they’d slept with due to the base being in such close proximity. You had no reason to be jealous, he hadn’t shown any interest in you and you didn’t even know if he was single. It was nothing more than a little crush and it would die off.
When you decided on doing career day this year, you knew you wanted to do it combined with one of the other teachers you had grown close to since starting, Sarah. She was a few years older and took you under her wing when you needed guidance. Also, she had also heard the gossip about a hot father figure in the navy and was astonished when she found out he was the guardian of one of your students. Needless to say, she wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
“Alrighty everyone,” you began and a silence fell over your students, “let’s start by welcoming and thanking all of our guests today.”
Your class erupted into a chorus of “thank you” and claps. You made eye contact with Bob who had a smile on his face as he watched you conduct your class. Your mouth went dry and your heart sped up as you had time to finally take him in. His uniform was neatly pressed, his face was freshly shaved and he looked incredible. You were never nervous speaking in front of kids or even parents, but knowing that he was watching you made your stomach turn.
You were relieved when Sarah arrived and you could force her to speak for you to avoid embarrassing yourself. As you made your way to the back of the classroom Sarah leaned in, “So which one is captain DILF?”
You stared at her with a slack jaw before looking around frantically to see if anyone had heard. When you saw that everyone was engaged in their own conversations, you whispered back, “He’s a lieutenant, not a captain.” Sarah’s eyes went wide and she fought back a laugh.
The presentations went in alphabetical order by last name, which put Bob as the second presenter. You had to admit, you were a bit surprised to see him not only here, but in dress blues. He seemed so reserved about himself and his line of work. Not that you were complaining, you were starting to understand why so many women hung around the bars closest to base.
When it was time for Bob to present, you clapped your hands to get the attention of the class and did your best to make your voice sound even, “That was awesome, everyone thank Ava’s mom for coming in.” You paused as they all thanked her. “Next we have Cassie’s uncle who is a naval aviator, let’s give a warm welcome to Lieutenant Bob Floyd.”
Bob stood up slowly and straightened the front of his uniform before walking to the front of the class. You saw him take a deep breath and move his shaking hands to his pockets, something you probably wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t watching him so intensely. You felt Sarah look at you and a smirk spread across her face as she leaned in, “Oh yeah, you’re down bad.” You shushed her without taking your eyes off of him.
Bob looked to Cassie who had her thumbs up and was sporting an encouraging smile before he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. “Hi everyone, thank you for having me. As you know, I am Cassie’s uncle and I am a naval aviator, but more specifically a weapon systems officer. They also call us backseaters.”
The longer he spoke, the more comfortable he began to look. His face lit up when he saw how invested the kids were in what he was saying. When his eyes met yours you shot him a big smile, causing him to fumble over his words slightly.
“We are…they uh, they call us backseaters because we sit behind our pilots. We usually work as a team for a long time. My pilot’s name is Natasha, but we call her Phoenix.” Bob said, a proud expression on his face as he spoke about his partner. “My job is to help aim and operate the weapons we have in our planes. But even more important than that, I’m responsible for being her extra set of eyes in the sky and helping to guide her decisions.”
You could tell that Bob had a lot of respect and admiration for Natasha and it warmed your heart to see how much his expression brightened when he talked about her. Bob continued to talk about different parts of his job and you were hooked on every word. The shy, nervous man you’d met before was gone and replaced with someone who could make life changing choices without a doubt in his mind.
Disappointment nagged at the back of your mind as he finished the questions a few of the kids had and sat back next to Cassie. Maybe it was because you wanted to know everything about his job, or maybe it was just because you wanted to hear him talk again. Either way, it was obvious now that you were falling hard for him, and there was nothing you could do about it.
Five:
When Bob had signed Cassie up for school, they asked him a lot of questions. Most of them he knew without giving it a second thought.
What’s her birthday? April 17th, 2014.
Does she have any allergies they should be aware of? Bees and no she doesn’t need an epi pen, it’s a mild reaction. He’ll pick her up, give her Benadryl and she’ll be okay.
The one question he wasn’t ready for was who her emergency contact should be, in case they couldn’t get a hold of Bob. He panicked because he never thought there would be a time when he wouldn’t drop everything to get her. He put down the two people he trusted in the sky most: Natasha Trace and Bradley Bradshaw. If he could put his life in their hands, he could also do so with Cassie’s. His last thought before he pulled the ejection handle was that the first person they were going to call to get Cassie from school when he didn’t answer was about to be ejected from a plane with him and the second person was going to insist on being the leader of search and rescue for them.
At the same time that Bob was being ejected from an F-18 you were finishing morning snacks with your students and getting them settled for a lesson about fractions. As you finished passing out their practice sheets a knock at the door got your attention. The principal, Mrs. Collins, was standing at the door and was motioning for you to come into the hallway. After instructing your students to work on completing the assignment, you walked to the door and stood just outside of it. She was typically a cheery person so the solemn expression she wore made your heart rate increase.
“Something has happened, but before I tell you, I need you to know you must continue to appear calm and then you have to continue the rest of the day. Is that understood?” She warned in a low voice and you nodded slowly, confused where this was going.
She saw her upset face had caught the eye of a few students so she did her best to have a neutral expression before she continued, “Cassie Floyd’s guardian was in an accident at work. He is alive but is going to be in the hospital overnight and will not be able to get her from school today.”
She continued to speak but your ears refused to hear any more. Your stomach dropped to the floor and your heart began to ache. You were aware of the dangers of Bob’s work, but you never allowed yourself to consider this outcome. You looked back into the classroom and saw Cassie focused intently on the paper in front of her. Mrs. Collins caught onto what you saw and let out a sigh, knowing exactly where your head was at.
“I know continuing class will be difficult, but it is not any of our places to tell her. One of her emergency contacts, Bradley Bradshaw, will be here at pick up.” She said as she tried to put on a fake smile, urging you to follow.
After a moment, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat before following suit. “That sounds amazing Mrs. Collins, how exciting!” You said, raising your voice in a fake cheery tone so none of the students would suspect anything.
You found it impossible to focus the rest of the day. Your thoughts were consumed with scenarios of accidents, how injured Bob was, but above all, Cassie. You still didn’t know a lot about her life before, but you knew how much she loved Bob by the way her face lit up every time he picked her up from school. It was going to break her heart to find out that Bob was in an accident. Yes, and maybe you were a little selfish and upset that he could have died before the school year ended and you could finally tell him how you feel.
When time for pick up came around you anxiously awaited the arrival of Bradley, as well as Cassie’s reaction to seeing him. You didn’t know if she and Bob had ever had a conversation about what would happen if he got injured at work. For all you knew, Cassie could know what happened as soon as Bradley walked through the door. Your thoughts were interrupted by a tall man with a mustache and white tank top walking in, eyes scanning the room.
Cassie jumped up from her seat and ran towards him, “UNCLE CHICKEN!” she yelled in an excited voice. You held back a laugh as he leaned down to pick her up in a crushing hug.
“Hey kiddo.” He said as he set her down and ruffled her hair, earning a laugh from Cassie.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Uncle Bobby?” She asked, looking between you and Bradley for answers. The two of you shared a knowing look and he kneeled down to be at eye level with her.
“Something came up so Uncle Bobby sent me to get you.” Bradley started, awaiting a response from Cassie. She gave him a skeptical look at first, but eventually turned around and walked to her desk to grab her backpack. Bradley stood up and walked over to you as she did.
“You must be Cassie’s teacher,” he started, looking over to see where Cassie was before continuing, “I’m Bradley, one of Bob’s coworkers. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
You were thrown off by this comment, but decided to ignore it, needing answers, “Bob, is he… how bad was it?”
Bradley let out a sigh before lowering his voice and leaning in slightly to avoid anyone potentially hearing. “There was a bird strike during training, both engines caught fire and Phoenix couldn’t get control. They ejected in the nick of time and now they’re in the hospital overnight for observation.”
As you opened your mouth to ask more questions, Cassie walked up to Bradley and he cleared his throat before leaning back down to her, “Alright Cass, what do you say we head home and I’ll make you mac and cheese for dinner?”
A big smile spread on Cassie’s face and she grabbed Bradley’s hand to lead him out of the classroom. You sent Bradley a small smile and he mouthed, “Thank you” your way.
Two days passed and Cassie hadn’t been in school for either of them. You did your best not to think about Bob or how Cassie reacted to the news with little avail. A few of the other students Cassie was close with had asked where she was and each time you just said she was sick. It was now Friday and you knew that if she wasn’t back today, it was going to be another two days not seeing Bob, two days you would spend worrying about Cassie. Sat at your desk you saw a familiar tall blond walk down the hallway. Your hands started to sweat as you watched him make his way, a little slower than usual, to the door. He had a few butterfly stitches on his cheek and he winced when Cassie hugged him, but he was alive. He pulled away from the hug and patted her back to motion for her to sit down at her desk before standing up and looking at you. You made eye contact for a moment before he walked towards you.
“Excuse me, can we talk outside for just a minute?” he asked, sticking his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, despite the weather starting to get warm again.
You stood up slowly and looked at the class, it was still early and many of your students hadn’t arrived yet, “Yes, of course.”
You followed Bob out to the hall, making sure to stand within view of your students while you spoke to him. His hat did little to conceal the dark circles under his eyes and the oversized hoodie covered most, but not all of the bandage on the side of his neck by his shoulder. He caught you staring at the white gauze, “It’s not as bad as it looks, I swear.” Despite his reassuring smile you didn’t believe him.
“How are you?” You asked before realizing your mistake, “and Cassie? How’s Cassie holding up?”
Bob let out a long breath and watched her through the window, “I really scared her this time. She’s been having a lot of anxiety and nightmares. I told her I would talk to you about it… I know every time we talk I find a way to say that I wasn’t prepared for this part of parenting, but I think I’ve met the worst one yet.”
His eyes were tired and you could tell Cassie wasn’t the only one not sleeping at night, “And how are you holding up?”
Bob sucked in a breath and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, “I’ve been better, just wanna see her okay again. I think being back at school is going to help a lot.”
You could tell there was more he needed to say, but it wasn’t your place to ask any further questions. This left you staring at him as you tried to find the words. Bob must have sensed your discomfort, but for the wrong reason when he spoke up again, “Anyways, I have the next week off, so if she needs anything during that time, please call at any time.”
He turned around and walked back towards the door slowly. You wanted to grab his arm and tell him that it wasn’t him confessing something to you that made you uncomfortable, or yell down the hallway and make him tell you everything he was ever too scared to admit to anyone else. You wanted to tell him if he needed any help, you could be there, but instead you just watched him walk away until he pushed the door open with his good shoulder and got into his truck.
Six:
Just as soon as the school year started, it had come to an end. Somehow, it was already the last week of school and all of your students were anxious for Friday to come so summer could officially start. Usually by the last week of school you were pushing students out the door so you could go home too. But here you were, 20 minutes after pick up ended, directing Cassie on which posters to take down. You didn’t mind staying after class with her, you knew Bob was busy at work and always tried to get there as soon as he could. Some days, like today, he was held longer at training. Eventually Cassie broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of you, “Uncle Bobby talks about you at home a lot.”
You dropped the pin you had used to hold up a poster at this confession. Trying to remain professional and calm, you looked at her with surprise in your eyes and cleared your throat. “Is that so?” You asked.
She nodded enthusiastically before replying, “Yes, whenever Aunt Tasha comes over he spends a long time talking to her in the kitchen and a few nights ago she called him a wimp for not talking to you more,” she laughed and you choked on air as your skin felt like it was on fire, “and when he came to talk to the class, my braids were uneven because he spent too much time on his hair and didn’t have time to fix mine.”
Cassie changed the subject and began to tell you about the beach day she had with Bob last weekend, but you couldn’t hear her. Your mind was in overdrive at her confession, did Bob really talk about you a lot? Sometimes kids could be dramatic, but talking to Natasha about you? You forced yourself to stop thinking about it so you wouldn’t get a false hope.
Shortly after, Bob ran through the door of your classroom in his flight suit like he had in the office so many months ago. “Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. There was maintenance that needed to be done and then there was traffic because I left later than usual and I know I always say it will never happen again but I swear this is the last time.” He rambled as he made eye contact with you.You put down the pen you were correcting papers with and stood up to greet him.
“It’s completely okay, Cassie and I were just talking while she helped me with some stuff I had to do before the school year is over,” you said as you motioned to her testing your markers and throwing out the bad ones.
Bob let out a laugh and leaned down to give Cassie a kiss on the forehead, “Oh boy, that’s never good.”
With you only being Cassie’s teacher for a few more days, you saw an opportunity and if it went poorly, you probably would only see Bob in passing at school when he dropped Cassie off next year. Navy bars were never your scene so that wouldn’t be a problem and you could always change grocery stores to avoid him. You mentally weighed the options before speaking up. “Yeah, she was just telling me about her Aunt Tasha and how much you talk to her about Cassie’s school.”
You saw Bob stiffen, obviously aware of the conversation you were referencing, “Yeah uh, she… I’m sorry it was completely inappropriate but you’re just so-” He cut himself off before he could finish his sentence. His gaze fell to the floor and a deep blush appeared on his cheeks.
That was the only confirmation you needed to continue, “It’s not that big of a deal, but between that and now I’m at school extra late, I’m starting to think you might owe me dinner or something.” A playful smirk appeared on your face.
Bob stared at you and you panicked, wondering if you overstepped yet again. After a moment, his mouth formed an O as he understood what you were getting at. “You might be right, are you free this Saturday? I could pick you up at 7?”
“It’s a date.” You replied, excitement bubbling in your chest. You somehow not only survived the school year, but had a new way to celebrate the end of the year.
Plus 1:
“That’s the problem, I don’t know what we’re doing, where we are going or anything!” You huffed as you crossed your arms and stood amidst a mess of clothing on your bedroom floor with your best friend on facetime. It was 6:45 and Bob said he would pick you up at 7. Your racing heart and sweating palms made it difficult to focus on the task at hand. “That’s it, I have to cancel.”
“Stop saying that, it’s going to be fine.” She said, her patience visibly wearing thin, “Put the first option back on, you picked it first for a reason.”
Maybe she was right, you picked the sundress up off the floor and pulled it over your head again. You did a half turn in the mirror to look at the back, it was shorter than anything you would ever wear to teach in. After 9 months of long pants and skirts to school, you felt naked in this. As you took a step away from the mirror, you spotted a truck stopping in front of your house. Upon closer inspection you realized that you recognized not only the truck, but the dirty blond hair in the front seat. Your head turned quickly to look at the clock and then back to your phone screen.
“Oh no… Oh no no no. He’s 10 minutes early, I thought I had more time to prepare!” You exclaimed, desperately gathering a few things to put in your bag. In all honesty, you hoped he’d be on time, but didn’t expect it. It didn’t have anything to do with him, just with the history of guys you’d been on dates with.
You watched from the window to see if he would text you to come out, but nothing came through. After a few minutes of waiting he got out of the truck and began to walk to your front door. Now it was 6:55 and you didn’t even have shoes on.
“He’s walking up to the door, I gotta go, bye love you!” You said, quickly hanging up before she could respond. You sat still on your bed, awaiting to hear a knock or your doorbell, but it was silent. You glanced back out the window and saw him pacing on your porch, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He checked his watch a few times and you watched him closely as you slid some sandals on. You slowly made your way into the hallway and as soon as the clock ticked to 7pm, there was a knock. Somehow your shaky legs carried you to the door and you opened it with a smile. He stared at you a moment before glancing down at the bouquet.
“You… wow um, these are for you.” He stuttered, handing the flowers to you, his eyes not breaking contact with yours, “You look absolutely amazing.”
A smile crept onto your cheeks as you took the flowers from him. It took you a second to process that not only did he pick you up at the door, but he was early and brought you flowers. As you felt his eyes on you still, you realized you hadn’t spoken to him yet.
“Oh my goodness, I’m being so rude. Thank you so much, these are beautiful, how about you come in while I grab a vase for them?” You asked, finally looking him over. He was dressed fairly casual, but you were still in awe. Your neck became hot as you turned to lead him to the kitchen, suddenly hyper aware of the dishes in the sink.
You reached into a cabinet and grabbed the vase with one hand and used the other to try and keep your dress from rising up. When you looked out of the corner of your eye to see if he was watching, his gaze was focused on the wall. Once you were flat on your feet again, Bob looked back towards you with a polite smile. You gently placed the flowers in the vase and filled it with water before taking a small step back to admire them.
Bob watched you a moment before he spoke up, “All good to go?”
The two of you made your way outside and as you reached the end of your driveway, he jogged ahead of you to open the door. He offered his hand to help you in and closed the door gently as you did the buckle on the seatbelt. Once he was in the driver’s seat he looked over at you again, seemingly trying to memorize what you looked like before turning the key.
You had dreaded the driving part of the date all day, it was always awkward and filled with small talk questions to make conversations. With Bob it was different, the conversation about how your days went flowed and any anxiety you had faded. The drive was short and ended at the local beach. Everyone had begun to pack up due to the sun setting, which left the sanded area less crowded than normal. Your gaze shifted from the beach when Bob reached behind you and revealed a cooler with a bundle of blankets. Before you could react he was opening his door and running around to open yours again. He offered his free hand to help you down.
Grateful of your past choice, you took off your sandals and carried them in one hand, the other was around Bob’s bicep as he guided you down closer to the water. He spread out the biggest blanket and placed the basket in the middle of it. You took a seat as he pulled out an assortment of fruit, sandwiches and snacks. Blown away by his efforts, you looked at him with your mouth slightly open in surprise.
Bob caught this expression and let out a chuckle, “Sorry if it isn’t very fancy, I’ve kind of forgotten how to eat like an adult.”
“That’s not it at all, this is amazing.” You praised, watching him lower his head slightly in an attempt to hide the blush that had appeared.
You spent the next hour or so talking about your hometowns, favorite books, and ridiculous hypotheticals. The conversation was lighthearted and felt like it took a weight off of your chest as you watched the sun begin to set. Your gaze was still focused on the water when you asked where Cassie was tonight.
Bob smiled and let out a laugh, “Everyone took her bowling, who knows what they’re up to now or how much sugar they’ve given her.”
A smile spread across your face and you looked back to where Bob was lying on his side, “It’s really great they do stuff like that, it has to make this whole thing easier.” His slight grin was replaced with a serious expression at your comment and you furrowed your brows in concern, wondering what you said wrong.
“Yeah it’s nice,” Bob sat up slowly so that your shoulders were touching, his touch sending electricity through you, “Speaking of that… I need to be honest with you.” Your heart sank but you nodded slowly, encouraging him to continue.
He cleared his throat, “I really like you, Cassie absolutely adores you and hell, Phoenix has been begging to meet you for months. But before you decide if you want to go through with this whole thing, you need to know what you’re getting into. It’s not fair for this to be sprung on you randomly a few months down the road.”
His words caused your anxiety to spike, as far as you knew there wasn’t anything he was going to tell you that would change the way you felt about him. You already knew he had a child he cared for, you knew about his job and after some late night research, you understood he couldn’t always be there. What else was there to tell? Your voice was barely a whisper when you replied, “Okay, tell me.”
He took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses before turning slightly so both of his eyes were on you. “You know Cassie isn’t technically my kid, she’s my niece.” You nodded in reply.
“I was only 17 when she was born and my older sister was, well she still is, a bit troubled. My mom thought she would get it together once Cassie was born, but I knew she wouldn’t. So I did whatever I could to help out.” Bob’s gaze left you and he turned his head to look at the water. “I fed her in the middle of the night, stayed up late rocking her when she was colic. But that only lasted a year, I enlisted right out of high school and shipped out shortly there after.”
You watched him closely, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were glossed over behind his glasses. When you moved closer and offered your hand he accepted it graciously before continuing, “I’ve tried to go home as much as I could, but this last visit, I just couldn’t let Cassie stay there anymore. So I took her to court and won custody.”
“Bob…” you said in a low voice, hoping he would look back your way. “None of that changes how I feel about you in a negative way, if anything it shows me how caring you are and how much love you have for her. I think it’s really brave what you did.”
Bob shook his head in protest, “It’s what anyone would have done.”
You leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder, “You’re doing a great job.”
The two of you stayed on the beach until long after the sun had set and the air had become chilly. You exchanged stories about your childhoods, dumb things you did in high school and what you wanted to be when you grew up versus where you had actually ended up. At one point Bob noticed you trying to hide a chill and without hesitation placed his jacket over your shoulders. You were surprised at how well the conversation flowed and how relaxed he made you, despite how nervous you had felt when he originally pulled up.
A little after midnight, Bob received no less than 6 text messages from Phoenix. They ranged from asking how it was going to asking if she should sleep on the couch tonight. He let out an embarrassed chuckle when he realized you caught a glimpse of what she had said. You reluctantly told him he should probably get back home before Cassie woke up and realized he was still out. He let out a deep sigh as he got up and offered his hand to help you up.
The drive home was a comfortable quiet, the only sounds in the truck were him humming quietly and the sound of the ocean from the coast. His hand held onto yours over the console and he rubbed circles into your thumb, occasionally glancing over at you. You gave him a soft smile each time.
At your house he once again ran around to your door to open it and you held onto his arm for the walk up to your porch. His face was illuminated by the warm glow of your porch light and you could see the slight green hue his eyes had. After a moment, he took half a step closer and his hand came up slowly to cup your cheek. You saw his eyes flick from your eyes to your lips and back up. You tilted your head up slightly, giving permission and he took the message, gently closing the gap between you. His lips were soft against yours and the slight stubble he had sent fire throughout you. His body was pressed against you when he pulled back slightly, his pupils were blown and his gaze darted between your eyes.
He leaned his head down to your neck, a new confidence present and in a low voice, he mumbled against your ear, “If I don’t leave now, Phoenix might just have to sleep on my couch.”
You let out a breathy laugh and put your hands on his chest, signaling him to lift his head and look at you, “I can’t have Phoenix hate me this soon… Good night, Bob.”
“Good night.” He replied before placing one more kiss against your lips and walking slowly back to his truck, your eyes on him the entire time. Apparently, that feeling of a new beginning you have on the first day of school can be there at the end of the year too.
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Calm Waters... Probably... - Cameron Cassmore x Female Reader
briefing: Cameron rents a boat and two jet skis for what he insists is a completely casual summer outing between friends. Somewhere between safety videos, emotional support snacks, and teaching you how to steer across open water, the day starts becoming something a little harder for both of you to ignore.
words: 9.3k
warnings: Just some mild anxiety/panic around trying new things and water activities, plus lots of soft yearning, accidental emotional intimacy, mutual pining, kissing, and Cameron Cassmore being painfully in love without fully realizing how obvious he is about it.
author note: tried a different writing style for this one! Let me know what you think of that and the story! :D
Cameron was beginning to think late-night decisions should legally require supervision. Because there was impulsive, and then there was whatever this was.
Two jet skis. A boat rental.
An entire confirmation email is sitting in his inbox right now with an amount of money attached to it that made him briefly consider pretending his debit card had been stolen.
He stared at the email again from where he sat slouched on his couch, one sock half-off, laptop balanced dangerously on his knee.
SUNSET MARINA RENTALS
Reservation Confirmed!
Jesus Christ.
What had started as a perfectly normal search for “things to do near Seattle in summer” had somehow spiraled into:
reading Yelp reviews at one in the morning
watching a ten-minute jet ski safety video
convincing himself this was “probably easy”
and finally clicking Reserve Now before he could think too hard about it
In his defense, the website had made it look very romantic.
Not romantic. Fun. Casual. Normal friend activities. Totally normal things people did with people they were definitely not quietly in love with.
Cameron groaned softly and scrubbed both hands over his face.
“Idiot,” he muttered to himself.
And yet…
He looked back at the confirmation email.
He could already picture it:
sunny weather, open water, music playing quietly somewhere, you laughing at him when he inevitably messes something up.
The image settled warmly in his chest before immediately making him nervous again. Because now he actually had to ask you. His phone sat beside him on the couch cushion like a threat. He picked it up. Put it back down. Picked it up again.
What if you thought it was weird? Too much? What if you immediately realized this was dangerously close to a date?
Because honestly, he was trying very hard not to realize that himself.
Cameron opened your text thread anyway. Stared at the blinking cursor.
Typed:
hey wanna maybe do something saturday
Deleted it. Too vague.
Typed again:
So hypothetically how do you feel about watercraft
Deleted that immediately.
Jesus Christ.
Finally, before he could overthink himself into another hour of pacing, he hit record on a voice message.
“Okay, so don’t laugh,” he started immediately, already laughing a little himself in that nervous way he did when he knew he sounded ridiculous. “But I may have accidentally rented jet skis.”
The message was sent before he could stop it. He dropped his head back against the couch cushion dramatically.
“Great,” he sighed at the ceiling. “Perfect. Super normal.”
Three dots appeared almost immediately. His stomach flipped.
Then your reply came through:
Accidentally?
Cameron barked out a laugh so suddenly he startled himself.
He hit record again before he could think too hard.
“No, okay, in my defense,” he said quickly, sitting forward now, “the website made it seem really easy. And there were reviews. People said it was fun. Nobody died in the reviews, which feels important.”
A pause.
Then, because nervousness always made him ramble:
“And technically, there’s also a boat involved? Which I maybe should’ve led with because now it sounds like I rented rogue jet skis off Craigslist.”
Another pause.
“Which I didn’t. For the record.”
He sent that one too. Then immediately stood up and started pacing his apartment.
Because this was insane.
You were going to say no. Not rudely. You weren’t a rude person.
But you were definitely going to say: “Cameron, absolutely not.”
His phone buzzed again.
He snatched it up too fast to see your message,
I have literally never been on a jet ski in my life.
A grin spread across his face before he could stop it.
He typed back:
Great news.
Me neither.
A full minute passed before your next reply.
He spent the entire minute convincing himself you were trying to figure out how to let him down gently.
Then you respond:
Cameron Cassmore.
He laughed under his breath.
He typed:
That’s not technically a no.
Another pause.
Then finally:
…okay.
But if I die, I’m haunting you specifically.
Cameron smiled so hard his cheeks hurt.
Warm.
Bright.
Immediate.
Hopeful in a way he hadn’t let himself feel in a while.
He looked around his apartment at the pile of unnecessary supplies he’d already started gathering earlier:
sunscreen
towels
chips
bottled water
Dramamine he bought “just in case”
a Bluetooth speaker he wasn’t even sure worked
It suddenly felt less stupid.
Less like another impulsive attempt at becoming someone else.
And more like maybe—
maybe this could actually be something good.
By the time Saturday morning rolled around, Cameron had managed approximately four hours of sleep.
Not because he’d been busy.
Because apparently his brain had decided this was a life-altering event worthy of a complete psychological breakdown.
At two in the morning, he’d gotten up to make sure he actually had sunscreen.
At three-fifteen, he remembered people probably needed towels.
At four, he spent twenty minutes reading an article titled:
“Top Ten Beginner Jet Ski Mistakes.”
Which had honestly made things significantly worse.
Now, just after eight in the morning, he sat outside your apartment gripping an iced coffee like it was medically necessary.
Baseball cap pulled low.
Sunglasses on despite the fact that the sun was barely fully up yet.
One elbow hanging out the open driver’s side window like he was somehow cooler than he actually felt.
Which was not cool at all.
His stomach had been doing nervous flips for the last twenty minutes.
The inside of his car looked like a small sporting goods store had exploded in it.
There were:
towels piled in the backseat
sunscreen in two different SPF levels because he panicked and bought both
chips shoved into a reusable grocery bag
bottled waters rolling dramatically every time he hit the brakes
a tangled Bluetooth speaker cord hanging halfway out of another bag
He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror.
“You need to relax,” he told himself quietly.
Then immediately checked his phone to make sure he was at the right building, even though he’d been here before.
A minute later, the apartment door opened.
And there you were.
Cameron straightened automatically.
God.
Maybe renting jet skis had been worth the emotional devastation after all.
You smiled the second you spotted his car, and something warm twisted painfully in his chest.
He leaned across the passenger seat to push the door open before you could reach for the handle yourself.
“Morning,” he said, trying for casual.
It came out slightly too fast.
You slid into the passenger seat with a sleepy smile and immediately stopped short.
Your eyes moved slowly around the inside of the car.
The towels.
The snacks.
The bags.
The speaker cord.
One water bottle rolled sadly across the floorboard.
A smile pulled at your mouth.
Cameron suddenly became intensely aware of every single item in the vehicle.
“What?” he asked defensively already.
You looked at him, amused.
“You packed snacks.”
He scoffed softly and started the car before you could see him getting embarrassed.
“People need snacks,” he muttered. “That’s just science.”
You laughed quietly beside him, setting your bag at your feet.
The sound settled warmly somewhere beneath his ribs.
God, he liked making you laugh.
Too much, probably.
He pulled out onto the street, one hand drumming nervously against the steering wheel.
“You sleep okay?” you asked.
“Fantastic,” Cameron lied immediately.
You looked over.
He grinned sheepishly.
“I read, like, six jet ski articles.”
“Oh, my God.”
“In fairness, some were safety-related.”
“Some?”
“Well.” He adjusted his sunglasses. “One was titled ‘Jet Ski Etiquette,’ which honestly felt important socially.”
You laughed again.
There it was.
That stupid little spark of victory he felt every time he managed it.
The early morning traffic thinned as they headed farther from the city.
Sunlight filtered gold through the windshield.
Music played low for approximately thirty seconds before Cameron changed the station.
Then changed it again.
Then again.
You glanced over slowly.
“Do you hate every song on earth?”
“What? No.” Another station switch. “I’m curating a vibe.”
“You’ve changed the vibe four times.”
“That’s because none of these people understand summer.”
You snorted softly beside him.
Cameron smiled to himself, tapping the steering wheel again.
Then, quieter:
“You nervous?”
You exhaled dramatically.
“Yes.”
“Fair.”
“I’ve never even been near a jet ski.”
“Neither had I until forty-eight hours ago.”
Your head whipped toward him.
“Cameron.”
“What? I watched videos.”
“That does not help.”
“It helped the guys in the comments section.”
“The comments section?”
Cameron grinned.
You stared at him another second before laughing despite yourself and leaning back into the seat.
The nervousness still sat visibly in your shoulders, though.
He noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
So Cameron kept talking.
About everything.
A weird billboard.
A dog he saw hanging out of a truck window.
The marina reviews.
A guy online who claimed he proposed on a jet ski.
“That feels unsafe emotionally,” you said.
“Right? Like if she says no, now you’re stranded on water.”
You laughed again.
And Cameron—
still sleep-deprived, still anxious, still pretending he had any clue what he was doing—
felt something loosen quietly in his chest.
Because this already felt good.
Easy.
Like maybe the day didn’t actually have to be perfect.
Maybe he just wanted more moments exactly like this one:
You beside him,
sunlight pouring through the windows,
Both of you laughing before the day had even really started.
—
The marina was already busy by the time they arrived.
Not crowded exactly, but alive in that distinctly summer way.
Boat motors hummed somewhere out on the water.
Music drifted faintly from a dock farther down.
People in sunglasses and swimsuits wandered between rental slips carrying coolers, towels, and folded chairs.
The whole place smelled like sunscreen, lake water, and gasoline baking gently in the sun.
Cameron parked crooked on the first attempt.
Then pulled forward to fix it.
Then made it slightly worse somehow.
You pretended not to notice.
He killed the engine and immediately reached for his coffee again, as if it might contain confidence.
“Okay,” he said, exhaling hard. “This is gonna be fun.”
You looked at him.
“That sounded like you were convincing yourself.”
“I contain multitudes.”
You laughed softly and climbed out of the car.
The sunlight hit warm immediately.
Bright enough that Cameron adjusted his sunglasses before grabbing approximately six things at once from the backseat.
“You know,” you said carefully as he nearly dropped the speaker bag, “most people usually make two trips.”
“Nope,” Cameron said, struggling under three towels and the cooler. “That’s weakness.”
A water bottle fell out of the grocery bag and rolled under the car.
You bent to grab it while Cameron stared upward dramatically.
“This is humiliating.”
“You packed enough supplies for a week.”
“What if we get stranded?”
“You rented these for an afternoon.”
“You don’t know what could happen on the open water.”
He said it with complete seriousness.
You stared at him.
Then laughed again.
God.
That sound.
Cameron smiled despite himself and finally managed to get everything balanced well enough to start walking toward the rental office.
The marina office itself was small and sun-faded, with handwritten signs taped crookedly near the register advertising bait, cold drinks, and emergency ponchos.
A teenage employee behind the counter looked deeply uninterested in existing.
Cameron immediately stood up straighter.
Cooler.
More confident.
Like a man who absolutely rented boats all the time.
“Morning,” he said casually, setting the rental paperwork on the counter. “Here for the, uh… water vehicles.”
You looked down instantly to hide your smile.
The employee blinked slowly.
“The jet skis?”
“Right,” Cameron said smoothly. “Obviously.”
The guy nodded once.
Then launched into what was very clearly a rehearsed safety speech.
“Okay, so the throttle’s on the right handlebar. The kill switch clips onto the vest. Stay outside buoy markers—”
Cameron nodded with intense concentration.
Way too intensely.
Like he was trying to absorb the information through sheer eye contact.
“—and no sharp turns at high speed unless you know how to counterbalance properly.”
“Yep,” Cameron said immediately. “Totally.”
You glanced sideways at him.
He kept nodding seriously.
“Dock back at Slip Four when you’re done. The boat key stays separate from the ski keys. Any questions?”
Cameron paused for one dangerous second, like he was considering pretending he did have questions.
Then:
“Nope. Crystal clear.”
The employee looked unconvinced.
“Cool,” he said flatly.
A few minutes later, once the paperwork was signed and life vests were handed over, the two of you stepped back outside into the bright sunlight.
The second the office door shut behind them, you looked at Cameron.
“Did you know any of that already?”
Cameron adjusted his sunglasses calmly.
“Not a word.”
You burst out laughing.
He grinned immediately, pleased with himself.
“I understood maybe…” He held up two fingers close together. “Five percent.”
“You acted like you were getting briefed for a military operation.”
“That’s because confidence matters.”
“You called them water vehicles.”
“In fairness,” Cameron said, shrugging into one of the life vests, “that’s technically what they are.”
You laughed harder.
And Cameron—
standing there in the middle of the marina parking lot with sunglasses slipping down his nose and sunscreen already smeared badly along one arm—
felt warmth spread through his chest again.
Because this.
This right here.
You laughing beside him in the sunshine while he made an idiot of himself.
This was exactly what he’d wanted.
The rental dock sat just beyond the marina office, sunlight flashing gold across the water in shifting patterns.
Up close, the jet skis looked significantly larger than they had online.
Which felt unfair, honestly.
You stopped walking.
Cameron noticed immediately.
His smile softened a little beneath his sunglasses.
“Uh oh.”
You crossed your arms loosely over your chest.
“I don’t like how aggressive they look.”
“They look friendly.”
“They look fast.”
“That too.”
One of the skis bobbed lightly against the dock, the engine already giving occasional low mechanical sounds as another employee prepared the rentals nearby.
Your stomach flipped.
Cameron noticed that too.
Of course he did.
He shifted the towels he was holding under one arm and stepped a little closer.
“Hey,” he said lightly, “we don’t have to do anything insane.”
You looked out toward the water again.
It was beautiful.
Wide open lake.
Blue sky.
Gentle breeze.
And still—
the idea of climbing onto one of those things felt mildly horrifying.
“I’m serious,” you admitted quietly. “I’m kind of scared.”
The teasing expression on Cameron’s face disappeared instantly.
Not dramatically.
Just softened.
Warmer.
He set the towels down on the dock bench beside the life vests and reached for one.
“C’mere,” he said gently.
Something in your chest tightened a little at the tone.
You stepped closer.
Cameron shook the vest out once before holding it open for you automatically, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
You slipped your arms through.
The vest hung slightly loose around your sides.
Cameron frowned in concentration immediately.
“Nope. That’s not right.”
He stepped closer before you could answer.
Very close.
Close enough now that you could smell sunscreen and coffee lingering faintly on him beneath the lake air.
His fingers carefully found the front straps.
“Hold on,” he murmured.
The buckle clicked softly.
Then another.
Cameron crouched slightly to tighten the lower strap, his fingers brushing accidentally against your waist in the process.
Your breath caught before you could stop it.
His hands paused for half a second.
Just enough to notice.
Then Cameron cleared his throat softly and focused very hard on the buckle, as if it had suddenly become the most important task of his life.
“Safety first,” he muttered, mostly to himself.
You smiled despite the nervous flutter building low in your stomach now for entirely different reasons.
The sunlight caught against the edge of his sunglasses as he looked up briefly.
“So,” he said, still adjusting one strap carefully, “on a scale from one to ten, how much are you regretting agreeing to this?”
“Currently?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Like… seven.”
Cameron winced dramatically.
“Ouch.”
“You told me you’d watched videos.”
“I did watch videos.”
“That’s somehow making this worse.”
He laughed softly under his breath.
Then his expression gentled again.
“Hey.” His voice quieter now. “You don’t have to prove anything today.”
The words settled warmly into the space between you.
Cameron tugged lightly on one last strap, checking the fit.
“We can literally just float around out there if you want,” he continued. “I don’t care.”
And he meant it.
That was the thing.
You could hear it immediately.
This wasn’t him trying to pressure you into being adventurous.
Wasn’t him trying to look cool.
He just wanted you there.
Wanted you happy.
Something in your chest ached unexpectedly at the realization.
Your eyes flicked toward his.
Cameron was still standing close enough that if either of you leaned forward even slightly—
He blinked suddenly like he’d realized the exact same thing.
Then immediately fumbled the strap in his hands despite already tightening it.
“Okay,” he said too quickly. “Great. Perfect. Very secure. You’re, uh… survival-ready.”
You laughed softly.
His ears turned slightly pink beneath the baseball cap.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
Cameron straightened fully, rubbing one hand awkwardly against the back of his neck before grabbing his own vest.
“Besides,” he added, trying very hard to recover his normal teasing tone, “if anything happens, I saw at least three separate people online say these things are beginner-friendly.”
You stared at him.
“Online?”
“Well,” he said defensively, “where else would jet ski experts gather?”
Getting the boat away from the dock took significantly longer than Cameron had implied it would.
There had been:
one failed attempt at reversing
a brief moment where the employee had to shove them away from the dock manually
and Cameron muttering, “Okay, that one wasn’t my fault,” under his breath while you laughed hard enough to nearly lose your sunglasses.
But eventually—
Eventually, the marina noise faded behind them.
And the lake opened wide.
The water stretched endlessly blue beneath the morning sun, sparkling so brightly in places it almost hurt to look at it directly. Small ripples rocked gently beneath the boat as Cameron guided it farther from shore, the steady hum of the motor blending with the soft slap of water against the hull.
Out here, everything felt quieter somehow.
Softer.
Even the air felt different.
Cool against sun-warmed skin.
You sat beside Cameron on the bench seat near the console, one knee angled toward him without really thinking about it.
The boat wasn’t large enough for much personal space anyway.
Not that either of you seemed particularly bothered by that fact.
Cameron rested one hand loosely on the steering wheel, sunglasses slipping slowly down the bridge of his nose every few minutes before he pushed them back up absentmindedly.
For the first time all morning, he seemed genuinely relaxed.
The nervous energy had eased out of his shoulders little by little once they’d gotten onto open water.
No crowds.
No dock employees.
No paperwork.
Just the two of you.
And honestly?
Cameron thought this might be the nicest thing he’d done in a very long time.
You opened the bag of chips between you carefully as the boat drifted over a small wake.
Immediately, Cameron reached over and stole one.
You looked at him.
“Those are mine.”
“I bought them.”
“You packed them for me.”
“That feels speculative.”
You laughed softly and nudged his shoulder with yours.
The contact was brief.
Casual.
But Cameron felt it anyway.
Felt all of it lately, honestly.
Every accidental touch.
Every smile.
Every time you laughed at something dumb he said like it mattered.
He glanced toward you for half a second longer than necessary before quickly looking back toward the water.
Dangerous.
This whole thing was becoming dangerous.
“You know,” he said casually, “I think I’m actually kind of good at this.”
“You almost hit a dock.”
“That was environmental.”
You snorted.
“And the employee literally grabbed the boat.”
“He overreacted.”
Your knees bumped lightly as the boat shifted again.
Neither of you moved away.
The breeze tugged loose strands of hair across your face, and Cameron looked over automatically.
His fingers twitched briefly against the steering wheel before he stopped himself.
Too much.
Way too much.
Instead, he reached for another chip.
You smacked his hand away this time.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered.
“You have your own snacks.”
“Yeah, but yours are psychologically more appealing now.”
The lake widened farther around them as Cameron guided the boat toward quieter water away from the marina traffic.
The farther out they got, the calmer everything seemed.
No loud voices.
No crowded docks.
Just sunlight dancing across the water endlessly.
Cameron exhaled slowly without realizing it.
And for once, his brain finally shut up a little.
No spiraling thoughts.
No constant low-grade panic about his life.
No trying to figure out who he was supposed to become.
Just this.
You beside him.
Summer air.
Open water.
Easy.
He started talking again eventually.
Not because he was nervous now.
Just because silence with you didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.
He pointed vaguely across the lake.
“I read a review that said somebody saw an otter out here once.”
“One otter?”
“Apparently, it was memorable.”
“That’s your selling point?”
“There are layers to this experience.”
You smiled, leaning back slightly against the seat.
Cameron glanced sideways again.
The sunlight caught warm against your skin.
Your life vest sat slightly crooked from where the straps had loosened.
Your sunglasses had slipped low enough that he could see your eyes when you looked at him.
Something tight pulled unexpectedly in his chest.
God.
This felt dangerously close to a date.
The realization settled slowly and heavily in your stomach at almost the exact same moment.
The snacks.
The lake.
The quiet.
The way Cameron kept looking at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention.
This wasn’t just two friends hanging out anymore.
Or maybe it never had been.
Cameron cleared his throat lightly and looked back toward the water before he could embarrass himself by staring too long.
Because the truth was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
He didn’t just want this day to go well.
He wanted this to mean something.
Wanted you to mean something.
And maybe—
judging by the soft smile still lingering at the corner of your mouth as you looked out across the lake—
Maybe you already did.
—
By the time Cameron finally slowed the boat, they were far enough from the marina that the rest of the lake traffic had faded into distant specks across the water.
The open lake stretched endlessly around them now.
Blue.
Bright.
Quiet.
A light breeze skimmed across the surface, turning the sunlight into glittering patterns that shifted every few seconds.
Cameron eased back on the throttle.
The motor quieted gradually before he finally cut it completely.
Instantly, the world softened.
No engine noise now.
Just gentle water lapping against the side of the boat.
The faint creak of movement beneath your feet.
Wind is moving lazily through the open air.
For a second, neither of you said anything.
Then Cameron looked over at you from behind his sunglasses.
A grin tugged slowly at the corner of his mouth.
“Ready?”
You blinked at him.
“For what?”
He stared at you for one dramatic second.
Then pointed toward the back of the boat where the two jet skis floated tethered behind them.
Your stomach dropped instantly.
“Oh,” you said weakly.
Cameron laughed immediately.
Not loudly.
Not meanly.
Fondly.
Like your reaction was exactly what he’d expected.
“Oh, Cam,” you groaned, already pulling your knees closer to your chest instinctively. “I’ve never ridden one. That’s a terrifying thing. Those things look so unsafe.”
Cameron’s grin widened.
“Baby,” he said, laughing softly now, “what do you think the life vest is for?”
You reached over and smacked lightly at the bill of his baseball cap.
He leaned away dramatically like you’d wounded him.
“Violence. Interesting.”
“You brought me into the middle of a lake under false pretenses.”
“I literally told you there would be jet skis.”
“I thought you meant emotionally. Like… conceptually.”
Cameron barked out another laugh at that, dropping his head briefly.
God.
You were cute when you were nervous.
Which was becoming a problem.
Because every time he made you laugh, some tight anxious knot inside his chest loosened a little more, too.
It was easier to breathe around you lately.
Easier to stop thinking so hard.
Cameron stood carefully, the boat rocking lightly beneath him.
“Okay,” he said, rubbing his hands together once with completely fake confidence. “Here’s the plan.”
“That sentence alone made me nauseous.”
“Wow. Okay. Hurtful.”
You laughed despite yourself.
Victory.
Cameron pointed toward the jet skis again.
“We start slow.”
“How slow?”
He considered this.
“…lake slow.”
“That means nothing.”
“It means very safe and responsible.”
“You almost hit a dock this morning.”
“In fairness,” Cameron said, stepping toward the back platform of the boat, “I feel like you’re really holding that against me.”
“Because it happened.”
“One time.”
“The employee physically intervened.”
“That guy had trust issues.”
You shook your head, smiling helplessly now as Cameron crouched near the back of the boat to start untying one of the skis.
Even now, even while clearly bluffing portions of this entire experience, he looked weirdly happy.
Relaxed.
The sunlight warmed the back of his neck beneath his cap.
His sunglasses kept slipping down his nose every few seconds.
He kept talking while working, half to you and half to himself.
“I watched a video about this part specifically,” he informed you.
“That’s not reassuring.”
“No, it actually was a really good video. Very educational. The guy had over twelve thousand subscribers.”
“Cameron.”
“I’m just saying credentials matter.”
You laughed again, quieter this time.
And Cameron smiled to himself automatically as he climbed carefully down onto the back platform.
Because this—
this right here—
You teasing him while the lake drifted quietly around you—
felt better than he’d even imagined it would.
Dangerously better.
Watching Cameron attempt to untether the jet ski while maintaining his illusion of competence became entertaining almost immediately.
“There’s no way this is as graceful as the videos made it look,” he muttered, crouched awkwardly near the edge of the boat.
The ski bumped lightly against the side again.
Cameron reached for the rope.
Missed it entirely the first time.
You pressed your lips together hard.
“I can feel you judging me.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
He finally caught the rope with an unnecessarily triumphant:
“Ha.”
Then immediately almost lost his sunglasses when the boat rocked beneath him.
You laughed outright this time.
Cameron pointed at you accusingly while steadying himself with the other hand.
“See, this is why people don’t try new things.”
“You rented watercraft at one in the morning.”
“And yet here we are.”
Somehow—
through a combination of luck, stubbornness, and deeply questionable technique—
he managed to get the first jet ski lowered fully into the water beside the boat.
It bobbed gently against the side.
Cameron stared at it for one long second.
Then at you.
Then back at the ski.
“…okay.”
“That sounded uncertain.”
“No, no. That was a confident okay.”
“You looked scared.”
“I contain depth.”
You snorted softly as Cameron climbed carefully down onto the swim platform at the back of the boat.
The movement made the whole thing rock lightly.
Immediately:
“Oh my God,” you whispered.
Cameron looked up.
“You’re fine.”
“You say that while standing on a floating death machine.”
“It’s technically two floating death machines.”
“That’s worse.”
He laughed again.
God, he loved this version of you.
All nervous energy and sarcasm and reluctant amusement.
It made him feel strangely light.
Cameron swung one leg carefully over the jet ski seat.
For a brief second, he actually looked kind of cool.
Then he accidentally hit the horn.
A loud HONK burst across the lake.
You startled violently.
Cameron froze.
Then slowly looked up at you.
“…warning honk.”
You laughed so hard you had to grab the side rail for balance.
Even Cameron doubled over laughing at himself.
“Okay,” he said finally, wiping under his sunglasses dramatically. “That one was rough.”
“You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”
“Wow. Mockery. From my own team.”
Still smiling helplessly, you carefully climbed down toward the swim platform while Cameron steadied the ski beside the boat.
The closer you got, the more nervousness returned.
The water suddenly looked very far away.
Very open.
Very deep.
Cameron noticed instantly.
His teasing expression softened again.
“Hey.”
You looked over.
He held one hand out toward you.
Simple.
Easy.
“C’mon,” he said gently. “I got you.”
Your stomach flipped for an entirely different reason this time.
You reached for his hand carefully.
His grip closed warm and steady around yours immediately.
And despite the rocking boat and your nerves and the fact that you were about to climb onto what still absolutely looked like a mechanically advanced dolphin designed for violence—
You trusted him.
That realization hit quietly.
Dangerously quietly.
Cameron helped guide you onto the seat behind him, one hand braced lightly at your waist to steady you as the ski shifted beneath your combined weight.
“There you go,” he murmured.
The closeness hit immediately.
Your knees pressed along either side of him.
The warmth of his back against your chest.
The clean smell of sunscreen and lake air and Cameron.
Then—
without really thinking—
you wrapped your arms tightly around his waist.
Cameron went completely still for half a second.
Oh. Oh no.
This felt… Nice. Like really nice.
Way nicer than it should’ve.
His brain short-circuited briefly as your arms tightened instinctively around him again when the jet ski rocked.
Dangerous. Dangerous development.
Cameron cleared his throat softly and forced himself to focus very hard on the controls.
“Okay,” he said, voice slightly rougher now. “So. Professional jet ski operation.”
“You watched one YouTube video.”
“It was a playlist, actually.”
“That’s not helping.”
He grinned despite himself and hit the ignition.
The engine sputtered once.
Died immediately.
Silence.
You stared at the back of his head.
Cameron stared forward.
“…okay.”
You burst out laughing again.
He pointed ahead dramatically without turning around.
“That was a warm-up start.”
“Sure.”
“Very common in professional water sports.”
Second try.
The engine roared properly this time. The entire ski vibrated beneath you.
Immediately, your grip tightened around Cameron’s waist.
He absolutely noticed.
But he absolutely tried not to notice.
The ski eased slowly away from the boat.
Very slowly. Painfully slowly.
Still:
“CAMERON,” you yelped instantly into his shoulder. “SLOW DOWN.”
He laughed loudly this time, the sound carrying across the water.
“Baby,” he called back over the engine noise, “this is slow.”
“This feels illegal!”
“We’re moving like four miles an hour!”
Wind tugged lightly at your hair as the ski skimmed farther across the lake surface.
The motion was smoother than you expected.
Not gentle exactly—
but exciting.
Your heart hammered wildly somewhere between terror and adrenaline.
Meanwhile, Cameron couldn’t stop smiling.
Not because of the jet ski. Because of you.
Your arms around him.
Your laughter mixing with nervous shrieks.
The way you buried your face briefly against his shoulder every time the ski bounced over a wake.
It felt stupidly good.
Better than the lake.
Better than the weather.
Better than the whole idea he’d built up in his head.
“You okay back there?” he called.
“No!”
“That’s promising.”
“Cameron!”
“You’re still alive though, right?”
“Barely!”
“You haven’t thrown me off yet, so honestly? Huge success.”
You smacked lightly at his side.
He laughed again.
And the farther they drifted from the boat—
wind in their faces, sunlight glittering endlessly around them, both of them laughing too hard to be self-conscious anymore—
The more Cameron felt something unfamiliar settling warmly in his chest.
Not panic.
Not loneliness.
Just happiness.
Simple.
Immediate.
Real.
Eventually, somewhere between your fourth threat to throw yourself voluntarily into the lake and Cameron nearly laughing himself off the jet ski after one particularly dramatic scream over a tiny wake, the fear started easing.
Not disappearing completely.
But softening around the edges.
The lake didn’t feel quite so terrifying anymore.
And Cameron—
warm beneath your arms, laughing every thirty seconds, constantly checking on you—
felt safe.
Which honestly might’ve been the bigger problem.
The jet ski slowed again until it drifted gently across calmer water.
Cameron glanced back over his shoulder slightly.
“Okay.”
You narrowed your eyes immediately.
“That tone means something.”
“It means,” he said carefully, “you’re driving now.”
Absolutely not.
You tightened your grip around him instantly.
“No.”
He laughed softly.
“C’mon.”
“No, Cameron.”
“You’re ready.”
“I literally screamed because of a wave like two minutes ago.”
“In fairness, it was an aggressive wave.”
You snorted reluctantly.
Cameron smiled at the sound before carefully guiding the ski into a wider idle circle.
“Okay, look.” His voice gentler now. “I’m not throwing you into the deep end here.”
“This is technically all deep end.”
“You know what I mean.”
You did. Unfortunately.
Cameron shifted slightly on the seat to look back at you more fully, one arm draped loosely across the handlebars.
The sunlight caught warm against the edges of his sunglasses.
“You trust me, right?” he asked.
And there it was again. That dangerous softness.
The thing Cameron did sometimes without realizing it—
where all the joking dropped away for just a second, and suddenly he was painfully sincere.
You swallowed once.
“…yeah.”
His smile softened instantly.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “Then we’ll go slow.”
The switch itself was awkward and mildly chaotic.
At one point:
the ski rocked alarmingly
you grabbed Cameron’s shoulder in panic
Cameron laughed so hard he almost slipped sideways into the water himself
“Okay,” he wheezed, “that would’ve been humiliating.”
“You would’ve deserved it.”
“Probably.”
Eventually, though, you ended up seated carefully in front of him.
Immediately more nervous.
The handlebars sat beneath your hands now.
The open lake stretched ahead.
Cameron sat close behind you, one knee braced lightly along either side of the seat to steady both of you.
“You’re fine,” he said automatically, noticing your shoulders tense.
Easy for him to say.
Then his hands settled gently over yours on the handlebars.
And every coherent thought in your brain disappeared instantly.
Oh.
His palms were warm.
Steady.
Close enough now that every breath you took seemed to pull in the clean scent of sunscreen and lake water and Cameron himself.
“You basically just steer like this,” he explained softly near your ear, guiding the handlebars slightly left.
Your pulse skipped stupidly.
“And this controls speed.” His fingers tapped lightly near the throttle. “But we’re not touching that aggressively because I enjoy surviving.”
You laughed nervously.
Cameron grinned immediately at the sound.
“There you go,” he murmured. “See? You’re already a natural.”
“I’m literally not moving.”
“Confidence matters.”
“You said that before the dock incident.”
“That feels unrelated.”
You shook your head, smiling helplessly despite yourself.
Then slowly—carefully—you nudged the handlebars.
The ski shifted slightly across the water.
Tiny movement.
Barely anything.
Still, Cameron lit up behind you like you’d just landed a plane.
“No, no,” he said immediately. “That was incredible. Honestly? Top five jet ski moments I’ve ever witnessed.”
You laughed. “I barely moved.”
“Exactly. Precision. Control. Vision.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“A little,” he admitted. “But also not really.”
And that was the thing. Underneath the teasing, he genuinely looked proud.
Like every tiny success from you mattered way more than it reasonably should.
It settled warm and fluttering somewhere low in your stomach.
Cameron guided your hands gently again.
“Okay, little more this time.”
You tried again.
The ski curved wider now across the open water.
Not graceful exactly.
But movement.
Real movement.
“Oh my God,” you breathed.
“You’re doing it!”
“I’m doing it?”
“You’re literally operating machinery right now. This is huge.”
His excitement was impossible not to laugh at.
Cameron laughed too, sounding almost boyishly delighted behind you now.
For someone who claimed this was casual, he looked absurdly invested in your success.
Then, because he was Cameron, he immediately got distracted halfway through another explanation.
“So apparently,” he started, “there’s this guy online who tried to ride one of these with his dog—”
The jet ski drifted sideways slightly.
You looked back immediately.
“Shouldn’t you be watching where we’re going?”
Cameron glanced around.
Paused.
“…probably.”
You burst out laughing again.
The sound bounced softly across the open lake.
And Cameron, arms still loosely around you while helping guide the handlebars, sunlight warming both of you beneath the endless blue sky, felt something shift quietly inside him.
Because somewhere between the nervousness and the teasing and your hands trembling slightly beneath his, this had stopped feeling like pretending.
Stopped feeling like him trying to orchestrate some perfect summer memory.
Now he just wanted more of this.
More of you laughing.
More of you leaning back against him unconsciously.
More of this strange, light feeling in his chest every time you smiled at him like he mattered.
The longer the two of you drifted across the lake, the less terrifying it became.
Not normal exactly.
You still felt one badly timed movement away from accidental death.
But manageable.
Especially with Cameron sitting close behind you, talking you through every tiny adjustment like you were attempting something far more dangerous than slowly steering across calm water.
“A little left,” he murmured near your ear.
You adjusted carefully.
“Perfect.”
“That did not feel perfect.”
“No, that was genuinely solid.”
“You say that every time.”
“Because you keep doing great.”
The praise came so easily from him.
Too easily.
Like he couldn’t help it.
Every tiny thing you managed made him grin immediately afterward, like he was personally invested in your success.
Which, judging by the warmth in his voice every time you got something right, he probably was.
The jet ski skimmed lightly across another small wake.
You tensed automatically.
Immediately, Cameron’s hand settled lightly against your side.
“Relax,” he said softly. “You’re okay.”
Your stomach flipped stupidly.
Not because of the movement.
Because of him.
Because his voice had gone low and warm again.
Because he was close enough now that every word brushed against the side of your neck.
Because every reassuring touch from him seemed to linger longer than it should.
Dangerous. Very dangerous.
“Okay,” Cameron said after another minute or so. “Try a little more speed.”
You looked back at him immediately.
“Absolutely not.”
He laughed softly.
“C’mon. Just a little.”
“That’s what people say before accidents happen.”
“That feels dramatic.”
“You brought me onto a mechanical torpedo.”
“It tops out at like sixty.”
Your eyes widened in horror.
Cameron immediately laughed harder.
“We are not going sixty!”
“Oh my God.”
“Baby, we’re going, like… bicycle speed right now.”
“That feels false.”
His grin softened again.
God, you were cute.
Especially like this—nervous but trying anyway.
Cameron had honestly expected today to be fun.
He hadn’t expected this constant aching fondness sitting heavy in his chest every time you laughed or looked back at him or trusted him enough to keep trying despite clearly being terrified.
It made him feel weirdly protective.
Not in a macho way.
Just…
careful with you.
“Okay,” he said gently. “Tiny bit more throttle.”
You inhaled once.
Then carefully squeezed.
The jet ski surged slightly faster across the water.
Not fast.
Just enough to feel the difference.
Wind pushed stronger against your shoulders now.
Your eyes widened instantly.
Cameron grinned behind you.
“There you go!”
“This feels illegal!”
“It literally isn’t.”
The ski curved lightly again beneath your hands.
This time smoother.
Cleaner.
You actually laughed a little.
And Cameron—
hearing that sound carried away by the wind while sunlight glittered endlessly around you—
felt ridiculously happy.
“Okay, okay,” he soothed immediately, one hand settling lightly over yours again to steady the handlebars. “We’re switching.”
“Nope. Done. I retire.”
“You had a beautiful career.”
“I almost killed us.”
“You absolutely did not.”
“I saw my life flash before my eyes.”
“That was a ten-degree turn.”
“It was violent.”
Cameron laughed again, quieter this time.
Then softened immediately when he saw the lingering nerves still sitting tight in your shoulders.
“Hey.” His voice gentler now. “You did good.”
You looked back at him skeptically.
“I’m serious.”
And he was.
There wasn’t even teasing underneath it this time. Just sincerity.
“You tried,” he continued softly. “That’s the hard part.”
Something in your chest tightened unexpectedly.
Because there was no disappointment in his voice.
No frustration.
No pushing.
Just warmth. Patience.
Like spending the afternoon teaching you mattered more to him than whether you were actually good at it.
The realization settled deep. Dangerously deep.
Cameron shifted slightly backward on the seat again.
“C’mon. We’ll switch.”
The process was awkward all over again.
More wobbling.
More grabbing onto each other for balance.
At one point Cameron had to grab your waist quickly to keep you both from tipping sideways.
You laughed breathlessly.
“This feels unsafe.”
“We’re thriving.”
“Define thriving.”
“You haven’t fallen into the lake once.”
“That’s your standard?”
“At the moment? Yeah.”
You shook your head, smiling helplessly again as you settled carefully back behind him.
Immediately safer.
Immediately warmer too somehow.
Your arms slid around his waist automatically now without hesitation.
Cameron went quieter again for half a second.
Still not used to that.
Still liking it way too much.
Then he cleared his throat lightly and restarted the throttle.
“Alright,” he announced. “Back to professional mode.”
“You were never in professional mode.”
“That feels unnecessarily honest.”
By the time the two of you drifted back toward the boat again, the afternoon sun had shifted warmer overhead.
Everything felt softer now somehow.
The nervousness.
The awkwardness.
Even the teasing had settled into something easier.
The lake rolled gently beneath the jet ski as Cameron slowed them near the boat again, letting the engine idle low while the water rocked lazily around you.
Your arms still rested around his waist.
Neither of you had really acknowledged that you’d stopped pulling away from each other hours ago.
Cameron definitely noticed, though.
Unfortunately.
Because every time your fingers tightened lightly against his stomach when the ski shifted, his brain short-circuited a little.
He cut the engine again.
Silence settled around you almost immediately.
Just water moving softly beneath the ski.
Wind brushes across the lake's surface.
A distant boat somewhere far off.
You exhaled slowly behind him.
“I think I’m getting better.”
Cameron turned slightly.
“See? Natural talent.”
“I almost threw us into the ocean.”
“We’re on a lake.”
“Same emotional experience.”
He laughed softly.
Then shifted carefully on the seat.
“Okay, hold on. Lemme stabilize this thing before we switch again.”
You loosened your arms enough for him to move.
Cameron twisted around awkwardly to brace himself better while steadying the handlebars—
and somehow ended up sitting backward on the seat facing you.
For a second, neither of you moved.
The position was ridiculous.
His knees bumped against yours automatically from how little space there actually was.
One hand still rested loosely near your hip where he’d instinctively steadied you during the shift.
You looked at him.
Then laughed softly.
“What are you doing?”
Cameron opened his mouth immediately.
Paused.
Looked at you properly for maybe the first time all afternoon.
The sunlight caught warm gold against your face.
Wind moved softly through your hair.
Your smile still lingered there—
easy now.
Comfortable.
And suddenly Cameron forgot every coherent thought he’d ever had in his life.
“…honestly?” he admitted quietly. “Forgot what I was doing.”
You laughed again. Smaller this time.
Closer.
And something changed in the space between you. Not dramatically. Nothing huge or cinematic.
Just the teasing eased back slightly.
The air grew quieter somehow.
The lake drifted lazily around you.
The warmth of the afternoon sun settled across both your skin.
You were close enough now that Cameron could feel your breath every time you laughed softly.
Too close to pretend this was still nothing.
His eyes flicked briefly toward your mouth before he could stop himself.
Then back up.
You noticed.
Your stomach flipped immediately.
Cameron swallowed once.
God, say something normal. Anything.
Instead: “So this is probably the point in a movie where somebody falls into the water.”
You smiled helplessly. “Probably.”
“Which would honestly ruin the moment a little.”
“The moment?”
Cameron blinked once like he’d accidentally said that part out loud.
“…yeah,” he said softly.
And there it was. That dangerous sincerity again. No jokes covering it this time. No nervous rambling.
Just Cameron looking at you like he wanted something and hadn’t figured out how to hide it anymore. Your heart started pounding hard enough you were sure he could hear it. Neither of you moved at first.
Then Cameron did the most Cameron thing possible: he kissed you carefully, like he still wasn’t entirely sure you wanted him to.
Warm. Tentative for half a second. Slightly breathless immediately afterward, like he’d surprised himself by doing it at all. But the second you kissed him back something in him melted completely. His hand slid instinctively to your waist to steady both you and himself as the jet ski rocked lightly beneath you. The kiss deepened naturally after that. Not polished. Not cinematic perfection. Just soft and warm and overdue. Like every almost-moment between you had finally caught up all at once.
Cameron smiled against your mouth halfway through because he physically could not help himself. You pulled back just enough to see it immediately. That dumb, bright, completely smitten grin spreading slowly across his face beneath the sunglasses slipping down his nose.
You laughed softly, still close enough that your foreheads nearly brushed.
“And you wanted to work today.”
Cameron snorted quietly, still smiling so hard it almost looked painful.
“In my defense,” he murmured, “I think I got very distracted.”
After the kiss, neither of you seemed particularly interested in jet skis anymore. Not that either of you said that out loud.
But suddenly there was a lot less steering, teaching, near-death commentary.
And a lot more sitting close together while pretending you still had important water sports business to attend to.
Eventually, Cameron maneuvered the ski back toward the boat again, both of you laughing quietly when he nearly bumped the side too hard trying to dock it.
“That absolutely did not happen,” he muttered under his breath.
“It definitely happened.”
“Fake news.”
You smiled against the lingering warmth still buzzing low in your chest as Cameron tied the ski off again with deeply concentrated seriousness.
Mostly because he kept glancing back at you every few seconds like he still couldn’t entirely believe he’d kissed you. Or maybe that you’d kissed him back. The expression was dangerously cute.
The two of you ended up sitting on the back edge of the boat afterward with your feet dangling into the lake water.
The sun sat lower now. Warmer. Everything was painted gold around the edges.
The water lapped softly against your calves while the boat drifted lazily with the current.
Cameron handed you a bottled water from the cooler before twisting open one for himself.
His sunglasses had finally been abandoned somewhere near the console.
His baseball cap sat backward now after being adjusted approximately thirty times throughout the day.
He looked relaxed in a way you hadn’t seen before. Not performatively relaxed. Actually relaxed. Like somewhere over the course of the afternoon, he’d stopped trying so hard to be anything.
For a while, the two of you just sat there quietly. Comfortably quiet. The kind that felt full instead of awkward.
You stole a chip from the open bag resting beside him.
Immediately: “Wow.”
You glanced over innocently. “What?”
“That was my emotional support snack.”
“You stole half of mine earlier.”
“That was before we entered a committed relationship.”
You nearly choked laughing. Cameron grinned immediately at the sound, ducking his head slightly like he couldn’t help himself.
God.
Everything about this felt frighteningly easy now.
The teasing. The closeness. The way his knee kept bumping lightly against yours without either of you moving away.
You glanced out across the lake again. The water glittered endlessly beneath the lowering sun.
“It’s really pretty out here,” you said quietly.
Cameron looked at you instead of the lake.
“Yeah,” he said softly.
Your stomach flipped again. Dangerous. Very dangerous.
You smiled faintly and nudged his shoulder with yours. “You’re getting smoother.”
“No, I’m absolutely not.”
“That was almost impressive.”
“I panicked halfway through saying it.”
You laughed quietly again.
Cameron watched you for another second before leaning back slightly on his hands. The breeze moved softly through his hair beneath the backward cap now. For once, he didn’t seem desperate to fill every silence immediately. When he finally spoke again, his voice came quieter. More thoughtful.
“I actually spent…” He huffed a small laugh at himself. “Way too long researching stuff for today.”
You looked over. His expression had softened again. That same open honesty he slipped into sometimes when he forgot to hide behind jokes.
“Like embarrassing amounts of time,” he admitted. “There were spreadsheets involved at one point.”
You stared at him. “Spreadsheets?”
“In fairness, I immediately realized that was insane.”
“But you still made them.”
“Briefly.”
You laughed softly, shaking your head. But your chest ached a little now, too.
Because suddenly the whole day rearranged itself in your mind:
the packed snacks
the towels
the sunscreen
the nervous chatter
the way he’d watched your reactions to everything
how hard he’d tried to make sure you were comfortable
This hadn’t been random. This mattered to him. A lot.
Cameron picked at the label on his water bottle absently before speaking again. Still looking out at the water this time.
“I dunno,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to do something good with you.”
Simple. No performance underneath it. No attempt to make the moment bigger than it was. Just honesty. And somehow that hit harder than anything else he could’ve said.
Your throat tightened unexpectedly.
Because Cameron looked almost nervous again after admitting it.
Like maybe he’d said too much.
You reached over without really thinking and nudged your shoulder gently against his.
“You did,” you said softly.
Cameron looked over immediately. Something warm and vulnerable flickered across his face so quickly it almost hurt to look at directly.
Then, because he was still Cameron, he ruined the emotional tension within approximately three seconds.
“Good,” he said with exaggerated seriousness. “Because if you hated this, I was gonna have to fake my own death and move.”
Eventually, the sun began slipping lower toward the horizon. Slowly at first. Then all at once.
The bright afternoon light softened into deep gold across the water, turning the entire lake warm and glowing around them. The distant shoreline blurred hazy beneath the sunset while long streaks of orange reflected across the surface in shimmering ribbons.
Cameron looked out across the lake and sighed quietly.
“Okay,” he admitted. “This is kinda insane.”
You smiled beside him. “The spreadsheets paid off.”
He snorted softly. “Don’t validate the spreadsheets.”
Still, he looked pleased with himself. A little shy about it too.
Eventually the two of you packed things back into the cooler and untied the jet ski from the boat again, though this time there was no rush to get anywhere.
No nervous energy left. No pressure. Just the quiet understanding settling between you now. Something had shifted today. Something real.
Cameron started the boat again, the motor humming softly beneath the golden evening air.
You settled naturally beside him on the bench seat this time.
Closer than before. Not because either of you acknowledged it. You just did.
Your thigh rested lightly against his now with every gentle movement of the boat.
The lake had gone quieter at sunset. Most of the other boats were distant now, reduced to tiny silhouettes near the shoreline.
Only the steady hum of the engine and the soft rush of water followed them across the lake.
For a while, neither of you spoke much. The silence felt different now. Full. Comfortable.
Cameron kept one hand loosely on the wheel while the other rested near his knee, sunglasses abandoned completely now as the wind pushed softly through his hair.
You watched the sunlight flicker gold across his face for a moment before looking back out at the water again.
Everything about this felt suspended somehow.
Like one of those moments you already knew you’d miss before it was even over.
The boat drifted over a small wake. Without really thinking about it, your shoulder leaned lightly against Cameron’s. He glanced over instantly. Not startled. Just soft.
Then, carefully, almost like he was checking whether it was okay, his hand found yours resting between you on the seat. Warm fingers. Slightly tentative at first. You intertwined them immediately.
Cameron exhaled softly through his nose. Something about that tiny movement nearly undid him. Because this, right here, felt bigger than the kiss somehow.
Not dramatic. Not overwhelming. Just real. Steady. Like maybe neither of you were pretending anymore.
He rubbed his thumb absently against the back of your hand while steering one-handed with the other.
“You know,” he said eventually, voice quieter in the evening light, “I really thought there was a strong possibility we were both ending up stranded out here.”
You laughed softly.
“You absolutely thought that.”
“I brought emergency granola bars.”
“That’s not survival equipment.”
“It is emotionally.”
You shook your head, smiling.
Cameron grinned too, but it faded softer this time as he looked back toward the lake stretching gold around them.
For the first time in a long time, his chest didn’t feel tight with panic about the future.
Didn’t feel hollow.
His life still wasn’t figured out.
He still didn’t know exactly where he was headed.
There were still pieces of himself he was trying to put back together.
But sitting here with your hand in his while the sun sank slowly across the water, for once, none of that uncertainty felt unbearable.
Because he wasn’t alone inside it anymore.
You rested your head gently against his shoulder after another quiet minute passed.
Cameron went still for half a second.
Then smiled.
Small.
Private.
Almost disbelieving.
The kind of smile that only happened when he forgot to hide what he was feeling.
The boat carried the two of you slowly across the glowing water toward shore while the last light of summer evening wrapped softly around everything.
And somewhere deep down, beneath all the noise Cameron usually carried around inside himself, hope settled quietly for the first time in a very long while.
a very happy belated birthday to @thecousinsdangereux, one of my favourite people on this website and maybe the earth!! if you’re into this alt bishova look, you should definitely check out her band au for them. when it comes to effortlessly funny and lived in character work, haley is the best in the biz 💕
and please check out the artist as well! @/merorinee on both twitter and bsky
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