Never Meant You to Know

“Landon! Harness duty today, right?” I called, already pulling straps into a pile.

He looked up from his backpack, gave me that half-smirk that always made me want to roll my eyes and smile at the same time. “Lucky me. Try not to scare half the campers off before we even start.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. They love me. You’re just here for the heavy lifting.”

His smirk widened. “Guess we’ll see about that.”

My stomach did a funny little flip. I wished that he would look at me the way he had looked at that girl back in the dining hall—soft, calm. It was only for a split second, but he seemed completely lost in her eyes.

I ducked into the gear closet to grab some extra harnesses and carabiners, pretending to busy myself while my mind raced. Focus, Alison. Just keep it cool. But even as I sorted through straps, I couldn’t help picturing him—the way he moved, the quiet confidence that made him seem untouchable.

When I stepped back out, the scene caught me off guard. There she was. The girl from the cafeteria. Her hands gripping the ladder tightly, shoulders tense, moving cautiously but determined. Landon crouched just below her, adjusting her harness with that calm, precise ease that made him look like he owned every second. My chest tightened slightly. Of course. Of course he’s like that with her. And here I am, wishing it was me.

I stayed a few steps back, pretending to check the harnesses lined up on the wall, but I couldn’t stop myself from watching. The way he leaned in just a little, giving her instructions, the small nods and reassurances, the subtle patience in his movements—it made my stomach twist. Why does he make it look so easy? Why can’t he look at me like that?

And then I saw it—how his eyes lingered on her, following her up the ladder. My pulse picked up, and I had to bite back a small sigh. Jealous, much? I told myself, forcing my expression back into playful, confident mode as I left the gear closet.

I took a few steps closer, finally letting my voice break the quiet. “You look like you’re a million miles away. Dreaming about something?”

“Just…uhh...thinking.” he stuttered.

He didn’t even know I was watching, didn’t know the pull he had on people around him. And yet…I couldn’t stop imagining what it would feel like if it were me he couldn’t look away from.

I shook it off outwardly, but inwardly my pulse picked up. “Uh-huh. Well, if you need a break from all that deep thinking… want to hang out later?”

His hesitation seemed to last forever before a small smile tugged at his mouth. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Perfect.” I had to fight a little grin from escaping my face. Yes. Okay, yes. He actually said yes. I turned back to the campers, trying to tuck the giddiness down, keeping my grin casual, my voice light. Calm, playful, but inside, I was floating a little, already thinking about later.

The shift ended, the sun warm on my back as I walked toward the cabins, the chatter of campers fading behind me. My mind was still racing about hanging out with Landon later. The way he responded seemed almost pitying. I was excited, but also worried.

And then I saw her—that girl. Sitting cross-legged on the edge of the picnic table, her notebook open on her lap, pen moving quickly across the page. She didn’t notice me, completely absorbed in her writing, brow furrowed in concentration.

There was something… magnetic about the way she wrote, the quiet intensity in her posture. I couldn’t see the words clearly, but I caught glimpses of neat, looping letters, phrases crossed out and rewritten. Curiosity pricked at me. What was she thinking about? What secrets were tucked into those pages? Was it a diary, or notes for a story, or… something else entirely? She seemed so contained, so self-contained in this little world of hers. Meanwhile, I was over here, all thoughts of Landon and camp chaos tangled in my head, wishing I could just write it all down and make sense of it the way she could.

As I walked past, I stole a glance, watching her bite the end of her pen in thought before scribbling something else.

Suddenly, a burst of energy interrupted the quiet. “Millie!” a voice called, and before I could register it, a girl came running up, almost colliding with her.

“Whoa! You’re always scribbling in that journal,” the girl laughed, steadying Millie. “Don’t you ever take a break?”

Millie looked up, a small, private smile tugging at her lips, but she didn’t put her pen down.

Alison froze mid-step. Always writing… That one little comment made her curiosity spike. If Millie was always writing in that journal, whatever was inside it must be important—intimate, maybe even secret. And just like that, Alison’s imagination started spinning, each possibility more tantalizing than the last.

I shook the thought off quickly, forcing my attention back to the path ahead. It was none of my business. I didn’t need to know.

Still, the curiosity lingered like a whisper in the back of my mind as I walked toward my cabin. I pushed open the door, kicked off my shoes, and splashed some water on my face. Lunch would start soon, and maybe—hopefully—I could grab a seat next to Landon at the counselors’ table.

I smiled faintly at my reflection in the small mirror. Focus on that, I told myself. Not her. Not the journal.

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