Always (Afire Love #1)

18 - Going Down Memory Lane - Madeline Carter

It's Sunday afternoon and I've been doing homework for hours. Senior year is a tough one, projects, quizzes and final coming on.

I take a glance on my book shelf with longing look. They must've missed me for the past few days. I whisper that I miss them too, my books, the loves of my life. Getting stuck on my homework, I close it.

I look through the collection of photos in my laptop to refresh my mind with some good memories. I open the folder containing photos from where I joined summer camp in Everson, Washington State. My grandparents living there, made me go to nature summer camp for a month. I actually didn't want it but then I loved all the times I spent there.

I stare at a photo of me and a guy. Wait, he was the first guy I had a crush on. I just realize how hot he is. I give myself a compliment for having a great taste on guy. I was only thirteen at that time. I'm laughing at myself remembering how I got him to take a photo with me.

***

Four years ago.

It was the last week of summer camp. Somehow for some reasons I didn't want it to end this soon. The view mostly, was the reason I felt like home. Summer view was so beautiful here, Everson, Washington. It was few miles from my grandparents', Blaine. The weather was nice too, not hot but just fresh and warm.

Another reason, I didn't want to leave yet and made me kind of went nuts, was how to get my favorite counselor to take one photo with me. My roommates had asked me and believed I would not succeed.

I slapped myself in my mind for being confident to take that dare. Like seriously, Maddie! What did you have to make him want to take a photo with you? The rule was I couldn't be the one asking for a photo but it had to be him asking me a photo. I should've realized at the first time that sounded impossible.

"Last chance, Maddie!" one of my roommate yelled as she walked past me. I almost fell off the big rock where I sat on. I was reading a novel since we got free time. But my mind wasn't on what I was reading.

I looked up from my novel and found my favorite counselor whom I had a crush on, holding a camera which he used to shoot some scenes. That was actually why the dare my friends offered was about photo because we all knew he liked taking photos during the camp.

I couldn't stop staring at his beautiful existence. He was wearing a white singlet and grey sweat shorts. I thought with look that attractive, he should've just taken pictures of himself, lot of them.

I closed my novel in a hurry when he came closer. I got an idea to get to him. Idea? Well, I could say this was an idea even though it might make me a bad one. I was desperate and got no solution. I had tried many ways which included embarrassing myself, getting caught by him in unfavorable moments and many more I couldn't even remember now.

It might be my last chance and I didn't want to get drowned in a lake. If I failed the dare, they would throw me to the lake. The lake looked so refreshing and pleasant but the case was I couldn't swim well. I loved waters, ocean, lake, river, yet I was a bit afraid of being in water. Viewing, playing and being in it were absolutely different.

I got up and ran to him. I stopped in a sudden when he almost hit me with his body turning on my direction. I grinned sheepishly.

He looked at me with no surprise, probably because he was quite used to me being shameless. He might've had suspicion I planned on something. He was a smart guy, why didn't he sense these entire awkward encounters?

"Hi! Maddie! Good day, huh?" he smiled at me. Oh well, he was a very friendly counselor. Everyone loved him.

I kept smiling so wide. "Hi! Aaron! What a nice day. Got enough pictures for the album?"