Chapter 2 First Kiss

BRYCE

Trevor and Liam went ahead and led the way to the lake, since they've been here several times more than Bryce and Alex had been. They carried the cooler with them as their dogs, Bullseye and Tippy walked beside them. Connor and Brooke followed just behind Trevor and Liam. That meant, Bryce was left with Alex and Hunter.

"This is great," Hunter said. "I've never actually done this sort of thing before." He turned to him. "Trev said your Dad would take you and your siblings camping sometimes during the summer. I wish my Dad had the time. But apparently, he's too busy running the country to spare us his hours."

"It's just us boys, really," Bryce pointed out. "Tyler and the girls had never gone camping with us."

"Our Mom is the problem," Alex spoke up. "You had no idea what Trevor and Liam had to to do to convince her to allow me to come with you guys."

"It was pretty funny," Bryce snickered. "They actually printed out a map of the entire Stonebridge National Park."

"No way," Hunter said in disbelief.

Apparently, Brooke, who was walking ahead, heard them. "Wait, really?" She asked. "That's pretty sick. I'd like to see that."

"Yep, it went that far," Alex confirmed. "But when I mentioned you were coming along, Mom eventually agreed."

When they reached the lake, Trevor tossed Bryce one of the smaller portable tents. "You're sharing that tent with Connor."

The other small portable tent will be shared by the girls, and the large one will be shared by Trevor, Liam, and Hunter.

By sunset, the Alex and Brooke volunteered to make the campfire as they were both girls scouts during primary school, which made them very different from their younger brothers, Connor, and Bryce himself.

Bryce used to love being outdoors. He especially loved to climb, that is until he was camping with their Dad and Trevor and Liam one summer and climbed on one of the trees near their tent. He had stepped on a branch that was not strong enough to hold his weight, causing him to lose his footing and he fell to the ground. He ended up being confined to a wheelchair for five months after, which was not fun at all. He was ten at that time, and he was, of course, the reason why their Mom had Alex quit the scouts when she was eleven. Bryce had never climbed again for fear of losing his legs for good.

As for Connor, his health was really delicate, and they found out the hard way. When Bryce and Connor were six, the Rachfords were visiting one Christmas break and they were playing in the Prescott Manor's backyard, throwing snowballs at each other. After a few hits, Connor's nose started bleeding, which panicked them and Brooke screaming at them for attacking her brother wasn't helping. Turns out, his health was delicated due to being born a month premature, which had also taken the life of their mother, Celine.

As it became dark, they huddled around the campfire, roasting marshmallows for s'mores, and exchanged ghost stories while they're at it. Surprisingly, it was Connor who told the scariest ghost stories, which made Trevor almost wet his pants. The mood even got scarier as their dogs would howl from time to time.

. . .

That night, they settled into their tents. Connor fell asleep almost immediately after he slipped into his sleeping bag, and he was snoring. All that hiking probably made him exhausted.

Bryce, however, tossed and turned, but he couldn't sleep. His sleeping bag seemed comfy enough, but he still couldn't sleep, so he decided to do something otherwise. He put on his shoes and stepped out of the tent.

His dog, Oddy, who was guarding outside the tent, stood up and wagged his tail as soon as she saw him.

Bryce gently patted his head. "Hey, buddy," He said. "Sorry, I woke you."

It was cold. That's one of the perks living in the country's northernmost state, even in the hottest time of the year, Aquilosi summers are cold. That's why people travel to Aquilos and spend their summer vacation in the coldest state of Pyrmond.

The campfire, Alex and Brooke had made, was still ablaze, keeping them warm inside their tents.

Bryce glanced far at the lake. Its calm waters shone from the moonlight. On one of the docks not far from their tents, he could see a silhouette of someone sitting. Curious, he walked towards the dock with Oddy on his tail. As he got closer, he began to recognize who is was.

"Brooke?" He called out, before he could stop himself. He didn't want to disturb her.

Brooke was sitting on the dock with her feet dangling out on the edge. She was also leaning back and had her arms spread out behind her, supporting her weight as she stared up in the sky.

When he called her, Brooke turned to him and smiled. "Hey," She said. "Couldn't sleep, huh?" She guessed.

"What about you?" He asked.

Brooke shrugged. "Same reason," She patted the place next to her. "Would you like to join me?" She asked.

"Is it okay?" He hesitated.

Brooke smiled. "Hey, it's a free country."

"Okay, then," Bryce trotted further down the wooden dock and sat beside Brooke. His dog, Oddy went over between them.

Brooke patted Oddy's head. "I seriously love these dogs," She said. "They're cuddly and really helpful. I've always wanted a furry little friend."

"So why didn't you get one?" He asked.

"My Dad," She said. "He's sort of allergic to animal fur. He offered to buy one, you know, but…we can't risk it if it affected his health. He's the only parent we have left."

Bryce didn't know how to respond to that. Their deceased mother, Celine Rachford, had always been a difficult and dangerous topic to the Rachford siblings, especially to Connor.

"So," Bryce spoke up, breaking the silence. "So you guys are going to college in three weeks. What program are you going to take?" He asked.

"Well, I've always wanted to be a Vet." Brooke answered.

Bryce blinked. "Really?" He asked in surprise. "Well then, maybe I should go to you when I'm taking Oddy for a regular check-up." He rubbed Oddy's hide. "Isn't that right, buddy?"

Brooke chuckled. "We'll see." She said as she reached out and patted Oddy's head.

"You're going to be a great Vet." Bryce said before he could stop himself. He didn't know where the compliment came from.

Brooke frowned at him. "The semester hasn't ever started yet," She said. "Or you're just saying that to flatter me."

Bryce could feel himself turning red from embarrassment. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"You know, Bryce," Brooke smiled. "You're really sweet. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Besides my Mom," Bryce answered. "Probably my sister Olivia. But she always had this knack for giving compliments. Don't know if she actually means it."

"It's a big sister thing, believe me." Brooke said as she lay on her back on the wooden dock. "But unlike your sister, I actually mean what I said. I'm pretty straightforward that way."

"Alex is like that," Bryce brought up, lying next to her. "Most people find it rude, but it's just the truth. And she's just being honest." He stared up at the sky. "Wow, it's been a while since I stared up at the stars like this."

The starry sky was beautiful. The moon and the stars shone out crystal clear in the blackness of the night. Unlike in cities and towns, with all the commercial and residual lighting, you can barely see the stars. This time, there were no clouds and the only light came from above.

"When was the last time?" Brooke asked.

"What?" He asked, for a moment staring up the sky, he'd forgotten Brooke was beside him.

"You said it's been a while since you stared at the stars like this," She recalled. "When was the last time you did?”

"Oh," Bryce got up and glanced back at the tents, making sure no one else was around.

Brooke sat up. "Bryce, you okay?" She asked.

"Can you keep a secret?" He said. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Brooke shrugged. "Alright, I won't tell anyone."

Bryce took a deep breath. "Before my accident, and when everyone else was asleep, I use to climb to the rood of our house from my bedroom window to stare up at the stars."

Brooke frowned. "Isn't your room like, two storeys from the roof?" She asked.

Bryce nodded. "Yep," He had sworn to himself that he wasn't going to tell anyone about his past late night hobby, climbing to the roof of the Prescott Manor, but he wasn't sure why he opened up to Brooke.

"Oh, my god!" Brooke exclaimed, then gave him a slow clap. "You're a freakin' daredevil, I'll give you that." She said.

Bryce had expected to be scolded, but he was surprised with her reaction to it.

"But what if you fell and no one knew about it because they're all asleep?" She asked.

"But I didn't," Bryce said.

"Well, you're lucky you haven't fallen," Brooke said. There it is, he thought.

"I did fall," He said. "But not at home. It was in this park."

"Anyways, you and Connor are going to be freshmen when school starts," Brooke brought up. "You excited?" She asked.

"I wouldn't say excited," Bruce replied. "I'm more nervous to be honest, unlike Connor who couldn't wait until school starts. Well, if you ask me I think it's his excuse to say he couldn't wait to be in the same building as Lisa Wilson."

"Wait, what?" Brooke asked as if she'd misheard.

"Shit," Bruce cursed. "I'm not supposed to tell you that."

"It's fine, Bryce," Brooke assured. "I know about that. He's had a crush on her since you guys were in fifth grade. But isn't she like in Alex's year?" She asked.

Bryce nodded. "Yeah, she's a year older." He said. "But that doesn't matter, right?"

"Of course, it doesn't," Brooke agreed. "What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?"

"Aren't you crushing on someone already?" She smirked.

At that, Bryce could feel himself blush from embarrassment. He had never told anyone about it, not even his bestfriends, but he did have a little crush on Brooke. He didn't really think much about it, because Bryce knew that she would never like him back. Never in a million years.

"Come on, Bryce," Brooke persuaded. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Well, I don't have one, yet." He lied.

"That's a shame," Brooke said. "I might've helped you.”

"Help me with what?" He asked.

"Certain things."

"What certain things?"

Brooke smiled, but it was a different. It wasn't a friendly smile, no. It was more like, hungry and mischievous. Like a predator found its prey and she that she was up to something smile.

Bryce looked away from her and stared out in the lake.

A moment passed.

He had been looking away, when suddenly Brooke's hand skimmed over his knee, which made him jump in surprise.

"Bryce, it's okay," Brooke assured. "It's just me. If I'm making you uncomfortable, just tell me. You'd tell me, right?"

Bryce still didn't know how to respond.

"It's fine," She reassured as her hand rested down on his knee, cupping it lightly. "Don't worry about it."

He was aware of her touching him. Slowly, he glanced back at her. Brooke must have leaned forward, because her face was closer to his not a moment ago. The weird thing was, he didn't lean away from her and he allowed her to come closer.

"Just relax," She said in almost a whisper. "Close your eyes and don't do anything."

Bryce hesitated, then out of curiosity, he did close his eyes.

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel her face before she made contact. Her unruly brown curls that fell down her shoulders and the faint smell of her skin. Then he felt the side of her face brush his and then felt her lips softly touch his own.

Bryce's heart pounded. He was struck by how it felt pleasantly good to have kissed someone on the lips for the first time, especially if it's Brooke's.

Brooke pulled back an inch or two. Feeling a bit disappointed, he opened his eyes experimentally.

Her green eyes sparkled, like the stars above. "I told you," She said. "It's fine-"

His body seemed to know what to do even when his brain didn't, because he didn't even let her finish her sentence. Bryce's hands cupped her neck, with his thumbs on her cheeks and pulled her back into the kiss, startling her.

Even with his eyes closed, Bryce could feel her smile through the kiss. It felt so good. She felt so good. Her mouth was wet, and wanted more of it. Her lips moved on an inhale and her momentum, and so did his.

Her hand crept gently on the back of his neck as she drew back, changed the tilt of her angle, pushing forward again. Despite the cold breeze, heat was rising in his chest as she pulled him against her.

Then suddenly Oddy stood and barked, causing them to break apart. His dog was barking at the direction where their tents were pitched.

"Oddy, what it is?" Bryce asked, caressing his hide to calm him down.

A figure walked towards them, and as it got closer he could see little tuffs of dirty blond hair gleaming dimly from the moonlight. It was Connor.

"Bryce?" Connor called. "What are－Brooke? Why are you both still up?" He asked.

"Uh…" Bran started to say.

"We can't sleep," Brooke spoke up, basically saving them both an explanation from what actually happened. "So, we decided to pass time, stargazing and…talking." She said. "What's wrong?"

Connor sighed. "The campfire's dying," He said. "I don't know where you guys put the extra firewood. And I'm thirsty."

"It's just beside the largest tent," Brooke instructed. "Beside the cooler."

"Oh, okay, thanks," Connor said, then walked towards the largest tent. The tent where Trevor, Liam, and Hunter were sleeping in, carefully not stepping over Bullseye and Tippy.

Bryce turned back to Brooke, who still had her mischievous smirk. He leaned on to kiss her again, but she placed her index finger before his mouth, stopping him.

"You should go," Brooke suggested. "You don't want to raise any suspicion."

He reluctantly nodded. "Of course," He said as he stood. "Goodnight, Brooke."

"Goodnight," She replied. "See you in the morning, Prescott." Then she winked at him.

That made him smile. Bryce walked back to the tent he and Connor shared, with Oddy following behind him.

Connor was tending the fire and eating a s'more. Oddy went over to him and ate the s'more from his hand, which made him laugh.

"What－are you kidding me?" Connor complained. "Seriously, Bryce, your dog needs training." He said. "He could've bit off my fingers."

"Oddy wouldn't do that," Bryce assured. "He's a good dog." He said, patting Oddy on his head. "Anyways, I'm starting to get tired. I think I should crash. Goodnight."

That wasn't technically a lie. He wasn't sleepy yet, yes. But he was tired. Tired from all the lip exercises Brooke had given him.

Bryce slipped into his sleeping bag, thinking about the kiss he and Brooke shared. It had been his first kiss. And that's another thing he'd remember Brooke for, not just his bestfriend's sister or one of his brother's bestfriends.

That kiss wasn't the end of it, as it was only the beginning. The beginning of something far more complicated to explain.