Never Meant You to Know

I pushed up from the table, the legs scraping against the floor louder than I wanted. I nodded and smiled at the last few sentences of the counselor’s breakfast meeting, but my mind had already wandered.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and glanced down at the assignments for the day. Zip line with Alison. Lovely. She was pretty, sure, but she talked—a lot. Not exactly my idea of a relaxing morning.

Trying to shake off the lingering boredom when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

She was sitting a few tables over, focused on her breakfast, shoulders slightly hunched, hair falling over her face. And her eyes—green, sharp, almost impossibly clear—caught mine.

For a split second, the world narrowed down to that look—the faint tilt of her head, the quick, curious blink. Then she looked away, and the moment was gone.

I kept walking, but the image of her eyes stayed with me longer than it should have. Funny how a glance could make the rest of the morning feel... off balance.

***

Alison spotted me as soon as I stepped into the gear room.

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

“Lucky me,” I said, slinging my pack down. “Try not to scare half the campers off before we even start.”

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

I smirked. “Guess we’ll see about that.”

She laughed, shaking her head, already talking about the morning rush and who might chicken out. I nodded in the right places, even tossed back a few quick comments, but my mind wasn’t really there.

Alison kept talking, her voice quick and bright, but my attention drifted. A flicker of movement behind her caught my eye.

It was the girl from breakfast.

She wasn’t looking at me, not directly, but something about her pulled at me again. I looked away before anyone noticed she had me in a trance. Trying not to stare, I started to tighten the harnesses on the first group of campers.

Still, the image of those green eyes lingered, sharp and clear, no matter how much I tried to push it aside.

“Next,” I called as I turned around to grab another harness.

She stepped forward. Those green eyes.

“That's me,” she said, voice cracking before she cleared her throat. “Yep. Me.”

I caught the slip, let a faint smirk tug at the corner of my mouth, but didn’t say anything. No need to make it worse for her. “Alright. Step in.”

She obeyed, eyes fixed somewhere over my shoulder, like she’d rather be anywhere but here. I slid the straps over her shoulders, tugging them into place. Her focus landed squarely on the trees, studying the bark like it held the answers to life itself.

I gave one strap a firm tug. “Too loose?”

“Nope,” she squeaked. Then, scrambling, “I mean—it’s fine. Totally secure. You could probably drop me off a cliff and I’d still be… fine.”

I raised a brow, fighting a smile. “Good to know. But let’s just stick with the zip line for today.”

Color rushed into her cheeks. She nodded quickly, and I crouched to check the leg straps, fastening each clip with practiced ease.

“Alright, you’re et,” I said, leaning back. “Just take it one step at a time up the ladder. The view’s worth it.”

She gripped her helmet like it might save her life, eyes wide, and moved toward the ladder. Brave, in her own way, but uneasy enough that I found myself watching longer than I meant to.

Even after she started up the ladder, I couldn’t shake the picture of her—shoulders tense, movements cautious, like every step cost her more than she wanted anyone to see. And yet, there was this pull, subtle and insistent. I hadn’t even seen her for more than a few minutes, but somehow, she already felt impossible to ignore.

“Landon!”

I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at the empty ladder longer than I should’ve.

Alison had stepped closer, her harness slung over one arm. She tilted her head with a grin. “You look like you’re a million miles away. Dreaming about something?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to shake it off. “Just…uhh...thinking.”

“Uh-huh.” Her eyes sparkled knowingly. She shifted, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder. “Well, if you need a break from all that deep thinking… want to hang out later?”

I hesitated only a second, too aware of the campers around us. “Yeah,” I said finally, offering a small smile. “Sure.”

“Perfect.” Alison’s smile widened, satisfied, before she turned back to the group like nothing had happened.

But even as the day moved on, my mind kept circling back to Millie and the quiet pull she seemed to have on me, those green eyes impossible to shake.

***

Thanks for hanging out with Landon's story! This is one piece of a short series, “Never Meant You to Know,” where each character gets their own POV. If you enjoyed this, hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next chapter!

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