Page 8 of It Starts With Summer

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I laughed, feeling self-conscious to be around so many new people, but Ben was nice.“You might be right.”

“Now, if we can just get Parker to stop swooning over Sutton, it should be a good summer.”With an irritated sigh, Ben led me toward the lodge.Over breakfast, he focused on his book, and I made notes in my notebook, thinking about the research project Aiden and I were supposed to complete over the next semester.

Perhaps camp wouldn’t be so bad after all.Though I still wasn’t sure it would help me with my science career.

The cheerful sentiment lasted for thirty hours and forty-seven minutes.That was how long it took me to realize what a grave error it was to focus Parker’s prankster energy on me instead of the campers.

four

Parker

“Parker!”Ravi’senragedroarmade me giggle, because wow, my prank had gone well.Right as he’d opened the door to let the campers into their cabin for the first time, the prank had exploded all over him.He lunged for me and I screamed and scampered off across the grassy commons between the cabins, leaping over benches and stumbling on a bush.And Ravi was right on my heels.He was fast as hell, and he was an agile motherfucker.I hadn’t expected that.

I turned, and we circled each other like lions on the prowl.Well, him like a lion on the prowl.I did not consider myself graceful, I was more of a lumbering oaf.Ravi, on the other hand, had a feline quality to the way he moved that was dead sexy.

“Okay, I didn’t expect it to explode quite that much,” I squeaked.He growled.But I mean props to the YouTuber who taught me how to stuff a balloon with the fluffy white stuff.Shaving cream bombs for the win.And the cute nerd was kinda sexy, all covered in cream.

No, bad brain, don’t think sex things.Though he had said he was good at sex.Not gay sex, though.

“On the first day?Isn’t this when we should make a good impression?”He stopped to wipe off his glasses.

I beamed at him.“Look at the campers.”

He frowned and turned back to the kids, who were all laughing their asses off, even the two who had been on the verge of tears after saying goodbye to their parents.

“Huh.That’s why you do it?”

I shrugged.“Humor is a good icebreaker.It gets their minds off feeling homesick.”

“And onto my ruined shirt.”Ravi glared at me as he stripped off his t-shirt, wiping the shaving cream off his face.And holy shit, the joke was on me, because Ravi Chandra had the body of a god.His abs had abs, and everything was flexing so deliciously as he wiped himself clean.

Why had I thrown creamy white stuff over the sex god?This was an unfortunate erection waiting to happen.I tugged my t-shirt down a little, just in case.

It took me a minute to realize that the twelve twelve-year-old boys we were in charge of had gone silent and were staring at me as I stared at Ravi.Everyone had noticed my reaction to Ravi.Well, except for Ravi, who was cleaning his glasses and probably couldn’t see much.

“Why, yes, I am gay!”I yelled.And the campers started laughing.I was going to get so much shit for drooling over Ravi in front of them.Middle school boys were relentless.Though hopefully not homophobic.

Ravi slipped his glasses back on and looked at the campers, then at me.“Why is it funny that you’re gay?”

“Because they caught me leering at your insane body.Why do you have an insane body?”

“Oh.Um,” Ravi frowned down at his eight-pack.“I don’t have an insane body, but I guess I’m in good shape because I do wushu.Kung fu.”

“Shit.Kung fu?Can you do a crane kick?”I asked.“Like from Cobra Kai?”

He smirked.“Cobra Kai is karate.And I’m pretty sure they made the crane kick up for the series, I’ve never seen anyone do it in real life, though there are similar kicks.”

“Okay, what’s the coolest kick you know?Do that.”I rubbed my hands together, excited to see nerdy Ravi be a badass.

“Parker,” he admonished, turning away from me.

I turned to the campers for help — kids were good at manipulation.“Come on, kids, you want to see Ravi do some kung fu?”

“Fuck yeah,” a kid named Holden yelled.Ravi shot him an irritated look.“Um, I mean, heck yeah!”

Ravi let out an exasperated sound, took a deep breath, and positioned himself in the center of the grass.The rest of us watched in awe as he bent his knees smoothly, pausing in a stance that was almost elegant, his arms arced just so, before suddenly bursting into action.He spun around half upside-down with a fierce kick that seemed almost impossible to execute, but somehow he managed it flawlessly.And it was dead sexy.

Man, I was going to need to get with a guy who did martial arts so I could watch his sexy body move all the goddamn day.

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