The sizzling of the fire against wood sounded like music to my ears, and I found myself entranced by the gracious yet rapid dancing of the flames. My entire attention was grabbed by the small bonfire Elliot and Bella had created by the lake as we sat around it in a small comforting circle.

There was a slight chilly wind wooshing against us every now and then, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on high alert, before the heat of the fire would calm them down and spread a warm sensation of comfort down my spine.

"I'm hungry," Bella complained for the 4th time in half an hour. Seth rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, fed up with her constant nagging.

"I said I'm on it, goddamit." He had brought his mini grilling tools and was grilling some burgers.

"Watch your tone, Cook." Elliot joked, a hint of a playful smile on his lips.

"Keep spreading the mayo, Johnson." Seth snapped back.

I chuckled and got up to offer a hand. Elliot was preparing the buns with sauces and veggies, and I rushed to help him while Seth focused on the patties.

"Here, let me help," I offered as I grabbed more buns and sliced them in half; then began spreading a combination of ketchup and mayonnaise.

"Hold the mayo on my sandwich, Princess." Noah commented from his seat, and added a slight shudder to accentuate his disgust at the thought of that condiment.

"Who said I'm making you anything? Get your ass up and prep your own sandwich." I sassed.

Seth let out a low whistle, glancing sideways at Noah. "I'd get some ice for that burn."

Noah rolled his eyes and got up from his seat, stalking towards Elliot and I. "What was that, Princess?" He whispered lowly, a warning behind his words.

"You heard me, Hulk."

He snorted. "I told you to find a better nickname." He reached out for a bun and began slicing it in half.

"Well, I told you to control your temper." I remarked.

"Stop it, both of you." Elliot rolled his eyes, grabbing a Coke and walking over to Bella.

I smirked, "yes, Dad."

He held back the smile creeping up his lips and just shook his head at my nickname for him.

"They're ready!" Seth announced, and as if on cue, my stomach let out a low growl and my mouth began to salivate just imagining taking my first bite of a warm, crispy-bunned hamburger.

"Finally!" Bella exclaimed.

Seth approached me with the plate of hot patties, and began helping me place them between the buns then watched as each piece melted the cheese below it.

"Got room for three more?" A sudden foreign voice came from behind us. We all turned around only for our eyes to widen simultaneously in shock and surprise.

The three strangers from earlier, the ones who stared us down rather creepily, were now approaching our small bonfire, wide and genuine smiles spread across their faces.

"Uhh.." Seth trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

"Sure thing." Ariel beamed.

Our heads snapped to Ariel, my eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. She was brave to interfere. Noah will surely kill her for it once his protective instincts kick in.

"No, actually-" Noah began to rudely remark but was interrupted by Elliot.

"Sure." He stated in a deadpan.

Noah's head snapped to him, his frown deepening. He raised an angry eyebrow as if questioning Elliot what in the hell he was doing.

"There's always a place for a few more friends." Elliot smiled, but there was an unrecognizable emotion behind his eyes.

The same man from earlier spoke up, "perfect."

He smiled as he began to take a seat beside Ariel, and the other two strangers joined behind him. Although I pretended not to notice, the same stranger I'd ran into in the morning had trained his eyes on me the whole time, burning holes in the back of my head; and I had to fight hard against the blush that slowly crept up my cheeks.

"I'm Vincent," the spokesperson announced. Then he nodded towards his friends, "that's Xavier, and Levi."

Xavier, their superior. Of course a powerful looking man would carry a unique name.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Ariel," Ariel stated, her eyes never leaving Vincent. I had to hold back a giggle when I noticed she was eyeing him flirtatiously; her eyelids were half closed and she was batting her eyelashes at him.

Seth snorted from beside me, and turned to continue prepping our dinner.

"I'm Elliot, and this is my girl Bella." He emphasized the words my girl, and I noticed Bella blush and look down, digging her toes into the cool sand.

"And I'm Nora," I spoke up, offering a kind smile. When I noticed Noah was still staring daggers at them, I tried to ease the tension. "That's Noah, and our talented chef here is Seth."

Seth glanced over at them and grinned dorkily.

"It's a pleasure, Nora." The man called Xavier spoke.

I swallowed a gasp that was on the verge on escaping. Four simple words had sent my heart into rapid beating, and explosions erupted in my stomach. His voice was like velvet, falling smoothly yet it held a dark undertone, one that shakes to the core. My eyes found his and in the few moments our gazes were held together, I felt a connection like none I had ever felt before.

Those emotions were scaring me beyond the ordinary. It's impossible to feel so much for a stranger.

"How many burgers will you guys be having?" Seth's words pulled me out of the trance I was in.

"None, thanks. We ate earlier," Levi spoke.

Seth nodded and took a seat next to Noah, who was silently munching on his own hamburger, with a deep frown etched to his features.

Soon enough every person was indulged in a conversation with their partner. Elliot and Levi had started on the introductions, while Bella, Ariel, and Vincent were chatting away. Noah and Seth were both quiet, still stuffing their faces with food. And Xavier... well he was stalking towards me.

"I'd like to apologize for earlier." He started. I put down the half-empty can of Coke that I had in my hand and moved sideways to fully face him, a look of confusion on my features. At such proximity, it was near impossible to see beyond him given his tall and broad build.

"What about it?" I questioned.

"In the lobby, I acted strangely and I know it must have made you uncomfortable. I hope your first impression of me wasn't too ill."

I gave him a small smile, "I'll admit, it was sort of odd. But it's alright, first impressions don't matter as much to me."

"But don't they say first impressions matter the most?" He had a small glint in his eyes, like he was intrigued by what my answer would be.

"They do, but that's untrue," I argued. "We can't seriously be ignorant enough to judge a person based on their very first act. That doesn't shape their entire personality."

Xavier hummed in response, an approving smile playing on his lips.

"So what do you do?" I asked, not wanting the conversation to end at where it was. "Are you from around here?"

He nodded his head. "I am. This is my home."

"It must be so great living close to a magical place like this." I commented, referring to the lake.

"It truly is." Xavier smiled appreciatively. "Where do you come from?"

"I live in Illinois."

"And what do you do?" He inquired.

"I'm a motion designer. I work at an advertising agency back home."

"So you have a creative eye," Xavier commented approvingly.

I smiled, "I guess I do."

I glanced back at our group of friends to notice they were still chatting together animatedly. Ariel and Vincent seem to be getting along pretty well. As well as Seth and Levi who were laughing together hysterically.

"And what about you? What do you do?" I asked Xavier, genuinely interested in learning more about him.

"I manage a family business," he replied.

My eyebrows rose in curiosity. "That sounds interesting. What kind of business does your family run?"

"We deal with shipments in and out of the region."

I nodded and stopped the questions there; knowing that the further he goes with that information, the more confusing it'll get for me. I never had a mind for business, which is why I went into Arts - because it seemed more open and free.

Xavier's phone suddenly started ringing, and he excused himself to take the call. I watched him pull his phone from his black beach shorts and walk further from our circle, wanting to take the call in private.

I turned back to my friends and noticed Noah and Elliot were looking at me. I raised a brow at them and started walking towards their seats. I sat down on one of the many logs they had set around the fire, and turned to the boys with questioning stares.

"You seemed to be getting awfully comfortable with that guy." Elliot stated.

I rolled my eyes, "and?"

"Didn't you just state, like six hours ago, that he gave you the creeps?" Noah questioned, frowning in annoyance.

I sighed. Their protective instincts can get really annoying at times. "First of all, that was before we got to actually meet them. And second, those were Ariel's words, not mine. If you need to attack someone, she's the one getting all cozy with the guy she was complaining about." I glanced at her to see her still chatting with Vincent, a big dorky smile on her features. She was in deep.

Elliot sighed. "Someone better put a leash on that girl."

I chuckled, knowing he was very right.

"We better get going," Xavier came back and announced. I looked up at him from my seat, feeling a little bit of disappointment settling in my chest.

Vincent started getting up, patting his white shorts to rid of the sand. "Gentlemen, thank you for having us. Ladies, it was a pleasure." He glanced down at Ariel and gave her a subtle wink, and instantly her cheeks reddened.

And I immediately thought: I am so going to bombard her with questions once we get back to our room.

"Thank you for letting us join you." Xavier began speaking. His intense gaze then fell on me, "I hope to see you again soon, Nora." He added a smile that sent my heart racing, and my breath hitched in my throat.

How can someone be so...

Oh, snap out of it!

"Yeah.." I managed to sigh out. Then mentally slapped myself for the lame response.

Idiot.