Camp Rewind Page 10
“Thanks.” Rosa’s attention also flicked to Bree, and then she bent to whisper into Alice’s ear. “I don’t want her. I want you.”
The unmistakable desire in Rosa’s voice, restrained though it seemed to be, caused Alice to quake in anticipation. Struggling to keep her volume low, she murmured, “I want you, too.”
Rosa kissed her cheek and backed away. Focused again on the materials in front of her, she cautiously squeezed glue onto her half Popsicle stick and affixed it to the spot Alice had indicated. “So, you’re an engineer. As your actual day job?”
“Yes.” When Rosa finished her task, Alice added two more long sticks along the outermost edge of the two sides, creating more surface area on the base. “We’ll need these to attach the vertical part of the frame.”
Rosa rested her chin on the heel of her hand as she watched Alice position yet another pair of long sticks in an upside-down V on one side of the base. “Do you work in an office?”
“I split my time between an office and a lab. Depends on the day and what project I’m working on.” She nodded at their shared pile of supplies. “Want to do the other side of the frame?” She released the pieces she’d been holding together. “Again, just do the same thing I did.”
Rosa constructed the other half of the frame, carefully. “Is that right?”
Alice reached beneath the table to pat Rosa on the thigh, pleased by how seriously she seemed to be taking their project. “It’s perfect.”
Rosa danced happily in her seat, pulling Alice’s attention to her wondrous chest. Instantly her mind was back at that fallen tree, reliving the weight and heat and suppleness of Rosa’s breast in her hand, especially the way she’d been able to feel the hard nipple as it stiffened against her palm, even through the layers of material separating her from Rosa’s bare skin. It took Rosa snapping her fingers, loudly, to break Alice out of her lust-induced trance.
Distracted from her cruising, Bree whistled in apparent delight. “Can’t blame you for looking, Alice.”
Red-cheeked and thoroughly chastened, Alice arranged three Popsicle sticks in a line, end over end, then grabbed the glue gun, desperate to do something with her hands. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be embarrassed.” Rosa pinched Alice’s elbow, her voice a bare whisper. “I love the way you look at me.”
Alice created two long beams consisting of three sticks apiece, then glued them together using wooden blocks on each end and in the middle, for a total of three points of contact. Wanting to move past the awkward moment, she said, “This is our arm. We’ll glue the bucket to one end.”
“All right.” Rosa’s quiet voice soothed her frayed nerves. “That’s starting to look really impressive.”
“I agree.” Bree also spoke gently, seemingly aware that she’d once again made Alice uncomfortable. “None of the other ones I saw over there looked that good.”
Alice doubted the veracity of Bree’s statement, as this makeshift contraption didn’t come close to representing her best work. Still, she accepted that to the layperson, her ability to model even a simple mechanical device might seem laudable. “Thank you.”
Returning to their catapult’s frame, Alice bridged the gap between the top of her upside-down Vs by using another Popsicle stick cut in half and two smaller wooden cubes. The next, crucial step was to glue one end of her launching arm to the middle cube in the dowel at the front of the base. After that, she used a few rubber bands to secure the center of the arm to the top brace she’d just created. Finally, she adhered an empty plastic dish to the end of the arm, holding both pieces in place until she was convinced the bucket wasn’t going anywhere. As a test, she pulled down on the bucket end of the arm, creating tension in the rubber bands she’d wrapped around the catapult’s top brace. She let go, and the arm sprang back into place smoothly, ready to launch a marshmallow.
“Wow!” Rosa reached out to touch their creation, then stopped. “May I?”
“Of course.” Alice pushed back from the table, giddy that Rosa seemed so pleased. “Want to do the first launch?”
“Yes.” Rosa grabbed the catapult and a marshmallow, and found a clear patch of floor behind their table. “We’ll test it here, then take it across the room to see if we can beat the standing record.”
“What’s the record?”
Drawing back the arm, Rosa launched a marshmallow into the air, sending it to bounce off a distant wall. “I think you’ve beaten it.” She picked up the catapult with exaggerated care. “Want to come watch?”
Alice glanced over at the launch area, disappointed to see that the small crowd had only grown. A bearded camp counselor had joined the trio of siege engineers and seemed to be demonstrating a technique that prompted an enthusiastic group discussion. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to.” Rosa shifted on her feet and glanced across the room, clearly eager to join them. “Do you mind if I leave you for a few?”
“Not at all. Please do.” As much as Alice wanted to test her machine’s capabilities, she wasn’t ready to interact with an entire group of strangers. Not yet. She marveled that Rosa could do it at all, given the harassment and shame she’d suffered at the hands of others. “Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.” Rosa appeared genuinely excited to compete. “I’ll be right back.”
Once Rosa walked away, Bree commented, without looking up, “That girl is into you.”
Permanently flushed by this point, Alice spotted the string Rosa had brought along with the rest of their materials. She’d always felt more comfortable engaging in idle chat when she had a task to focus on, so she immediately set to work on a more advanced design for her second siege engine. If Rosa loved that silly catapult, a Popsicle-stick ballista was bound to be an even bigger hit. Even with her hands busy, Alice’s heart pounded as she struggled to respond. “I hope so.”
“Oh, she is.” Bree reached across the table like she might touch Alice’s arm, but stopped before making contact. “Relax, Alice. You’re beautiful, you’re brilliant, and you’ve clearly got that woman hooked.” Her hand retreated, returning to its own work. The mosaic, still only partially completed, already looked like something that might hang in a museum. “Hell, I even like you, and that’s despite the fact that you’ve denied me the chance to get into Lila’s panties. You’re in, trust me—so enjoy this time with her.”
Alice felt like she might literally burst into flames. Her hands moved faster, cutting, arranging, threading, tying. Building. It was the one thing in life that made her feel powerful and in control. Social interaction existed at the extreme other end of the personal-capabilities spectrum, yet she told herself that she could do this. Bree was only being friendly and familiar. Nothing she said was meant to embarrass Alice or make her feel bad. In fact, it seemed obvious she intended to do the opposite. Without taking her eyes away from her work, Alice said, “I am, more than I’ve ever enjoyed anyone or anything in my life.”
Bree made a quiet noise. Amusement? “Sounds like the feeling’s mutual, then.”
Alice realized too late how her comment must have sounded. She enjoyed Rosa more than anything, ever? While it wasn’t entirely inaccurate, that certainly wasn’t something she wanted Bree to know. Or Rosa. The last thing she needed was to screw up their time together by being too intense and serious for Rosa’s comfort. Scrambling to mitigate the damage, Alice said, “My therapist would be shocked if she knew I was seriously considering a fling with another woman. But I don’t know. I’ve always fantasized about having casual sex, even if I’ve never felt brave enough to pursue it.” She cringed as she listened to herself. In her effort to deny having any deeper feelings for Rosa, she came across like a pathetic, cowardly horn-dog. Also, she was talking about sex, with someone she barely knew. Fumbling, Alice said, “Not that I only want her for her body. I like her.”
Bree chuckled. “I know.”
Alice sighed and cut her firing rails into shape. “I’ll stop talking now.”
The tender warmth of Bree’s words washed over her like a balm. Alice tore her attention away from construction long enough to make brief eye contact, always a difficult gesture but ultimately rewarding when she saw the sincerity in Bree’s amiable gaze. “Thanks. I really didn’t get out much as a kid. Or an adult, for that matter.”
“A weekend of firsts, I imagine.” Bree looked down, gluing a small scrap of dark-brown construction paper on her mother’s cheekbone. “That’ll be exciting. For you and Lila.”
Grateful for yet another reminder that she was the only one who knew Rosa’s real name, Alice smiled. “Indeed.”
Rosa came back to their table as Alice put the finishing touches on her ballista. She radiated enthusiasm and good cheer, a jubilant lightness of spirit that infected Alice the moment she laid eyes on her. Securing the feet and back of her newly crafted projectile rail to its accompanying base, Alice greeted Rosa with an uncharacteristically broad smile. It actually made her cheeks ache. “Record broken?”
“Yes!” Rosa took the seat next to Alice with a flourish, pumping her fist into the air. “Jamal loved your design. He was impressed you came up with it on your own.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “It was painfully simple. I’ve built much more complex machines than that.” Like robots, she added silently, though she didn’t dare boast out loud. The specter of her mother hung over her head, urging her to strive for perfection, always, while never showing blatant pride about what she’d actually accomplished.
“I see that.” Rosa tilted her head as she examined the second, slightly more complicated siege engine. “What is it?”
“A ballista.” Alice searched the area for a projectile. “Bree, may I borrow your pencil?”
“Absolutely.” Bree continued to glue scraps of construction paper to her drawing as she stared at the ballista with a bewildered expression. “Lila, I hope you’re not intimidated by smart women.”
Rosa wrapped her arm around Alice’s waist. “Nope.”
Fingers shaking, Alice loaded the pencil onto the projectile rail, then pulled back the string to demonstrate its firing mechanism. “See?”
“You built that in less than twenty minutes,” Rosa said, looking at Alice for confirmation. “Seriously?”
Alice shrugged. “It’s really not that amazing.” Not half as amazing as the way your perfect breast felt in my hand. The thought floated to the surface unbidden, traitorous in its devastation to her composure. Rushing to cover up her lascivious inner monologue, she added, “You haven’t even tried it yet.”
Rosa scooted so she was facing Alice and, in a now-familiar gesture, caught hold of both her clammy, trembling hands. Embarrassed by her body’s reaction to social anxiety, Alice cursed her watering eyes and tried to slip from Rosa’s grasp, but Rosa held on as though her sweaty palms didn’t matter at all. “Hey,” Rosa whispered under her breath. “Are you okay?”
Alice nodded gamely, forcing away tears she refused to allow to fall. Pull it together, Alice. “Yeah.”
“Do you want to go?”
Alice shook her head. She’d built the ballista for Rosa and certainly didn’t want to make them leave before allowing her the fun of shooting it at least once or twice. “No, I’m sorry. I’m fine.” She checked Bree in her peripheral vision, glad to see her engrossed in her own work. “I’m trying, but…small talk with someone I barely know isn’t easy. Neither is accepting compliments…from anyone. Or having random, inappropriate thoughts at the worst possible moments.”
Rosa’s lips twitched. “Inappropriate thoughts about me, or Bree?”
“You, of course.” Alice cringed at the speed of her response. She exhaled. “I must be the most uncool woman you’ve ever kissed.”
“Not even close.” Rosa pecked her cheek and turned back to Alice’s newest machine. “This ballista is epic, and there’s no way something so freaking cool could have been engineered by someone who wasn’t equally cool.” She winced after the words left her mouth, appearing genuinely contrite. “More compliments. Sorry.”
However difficult to accept, Rosa’s praise did make Alice feel good. Like maybe she was worth something after all. “I’m glad you like it.”
Rosa carried the ballista over to their private testing ground behind the table. She lined up her shot, pulled back the string, and launched Bree’s pencil across the room. When Rosa glanced back at her, glowing, the air between them turned electric. For whatever reason, Alice’s geekiness seemed to excite her. Not only that, but the awkward shyness that repelled most people hadn’t yet driven Rosa away. How could she have possibly found someone so perfect at a meat-market summer camp for adults? She wished she’d met Rosa on an Internet date instead, or anywhere that would have encouraged the possibility of more than a few-night stand. Despite her mixed messages to Bree, Alice could easily see herself ending up with someone like Rosa.
Even if it would put her mother in an early grave.
“Mind if I take this over to show the guys?” Rosa jerked her thumb in the direction of the testing grounds, where only Jamal and one other male camper remained. Two additional men sat across from one another at a table nearby, presumably improving their designs. Having retrieved the projectile during Alice’s daydreaming, Rosa had their ballista locked, loaded, and ready to go. “I have a feeling Jamal will get a big kick out of this.”
“Sure.” Alice experienced a mild tug of desire to join her. Not only to counter any condescending expressions of surprise that she could engineer a simple machine by herself, but also, mostly, to share in Rosa’s excitement and enthusiasm—those intoxicating, uplifting emotions she’d helped to create. Also, it would save her from another sex-tinged chat with Bree. “Wait!” She stood up. “I’ll come with you.”
“Yeah?” Rosa extended her hand, tentatively. “I’d like that.”
Grateful for the effort to spare her the attention that would come from once again showing affection in front of others, Alice pushed aside her fears and walked to Rosa, threading their fingers together and holding on tight. “I apologize in advance if I embarrass you.”
Rosa ran her thumb over Alice’s knuckle. “You could never embarrass me.” As they walked toward the main launch area, where Alice’s first catapult was at that moment undergoing a thorough examination by one of the aspiring engineers, Rosa whispered into Alice’s ear. “Remember, I’m the queen of the shame. Nothing you say or do could ever compare to the humiliation I’ve brought onto myself. Not even close.”
Saddened by the reminder of Rosa’s painful burden, Alice lifted their joined hands to her lips so she could kiss Rosa’s knuckles. “At least nobody seems to recognize you here.”
Rosa chuckled. “I should hope not, or else cutting my hair was a complete waste.”
Alice was still trying to imagine how Rosa, so adorable in a bob, used to wear her hair when they reached Jamal and the male camper. The handsome counselor grinned at Rosa, then stepped forward to offer Alice his hand. “You must be Alice. I’m Jamal. Sweet catapult design you’ve got there.”
Alice shook his hand, pretending that she was at work dealing with a colleague. A professional interaction would be marginally easier than this one. “Thank you, but it’s pretty rudimentary.”
“Unlike this,” Rosa said, and held out the ballista for him to inspect. “I got back to the table and she’d nearly finished constructing this puppy.”
Jamal’s eyes lit up. “A ballista!” He clapped Alice on the back as she tried not to look panicked. “That’s excellent. Taking it to the next level, aren’t you?”
Alice lifted a shoulder and fidgeted. It still didn’t seem like a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but she accepted that in this environment, such an accomplishment would naturally draw polite praise. “I tried.”
Rosa set the ballista down in the launch area, pulled back the strings, and shot the pencil a few inches past the cardboard marker that denoted the
current record distance. The male camper standing next to Jamal groaned and tossed his pencil in the air in mock frustration while Rosa leapt to her feet and cheered.
The camper sighed, then winked at Alice. “Great. Back to the drawing board I go.”
Alice took a moment to speculate about what else she could build—and how much it would impress Rosa—if only she had more time and materials. It felt good to use her abilities to make Rosa happy. So good she wished she could do it every day. “Nice shot,” she called out to Rosa. The smile she received in return made her entire body tingle.
“That was all you, baby.” Rosa jogged down the length of the course to grab the pencil, returning before Alice had a chance to miss her.
“Maybe we just make a good team.”
Laughing, Rosa scooped up the ballista and walked to her. She set the siege machine on the table beside the first catapult, allowing the trio of interested campers to crowd around and examine its design. “Left to my own devices, I would have probably glued a plastic cup to a Popsicle stick, used it like a lacrosse stick, and called it good.” She came to stand beside Alice, while Jamal stepped in to form the point of their conversational triangle. Rosa jerked her thumb at Alice with an air of pride. “She’s a professional engineer, but you probably guessed that already.”
“Makes sense.” Jamal folded his arms over his chest, appearing genuinely interested in her story. “What kind of engineering?”
“Robotics.”
Rosa slapped Alice on the arm, lightly, as her face went agog. “What? You build freakin’ robots?”
Alice shifted her weight from foot to foot, regretful that the reality of her work couldn’t possibly match whatever Rosa might be picturing. “Yes.”