"Take me to your heart

Show me where to start

Let me play the part of your first love

All the stars are right

Every wish is ours tonight, my love..."

-Got to believe in magic

***

"I accidentally dropped one plate of brownies."

We were all seated on a large picnic blanket, enjoying our lunch, when Hunter dropped the bad news. We all looked up to see him holding only a single plate of brownies, and a somber expression on his face.

Natalie baked the brownies yesterday and brought it here today for our dessert and there were supposed to be two platters of them.

"What happened?" Heather asked, shooting Hunter a suspicious look.

I had a feeling that this wasn't the first time Hunter dropped something accidentally during their trips.

Hunter looked at Heather with rounded eyes, sort of like the look a toddler would give his mom if she found out he set the house on fire.

"It slipped." He said morosely.

He put the remaining plate of brownies in the middle of the picnic blanket and sat down next to me. When he glanced up, he had this insanely dazzling smile plastered on his lips that officially made getting mad at him impossible... Well, at least on my part. The others still looked like they wanted to gut him alive.

"Buddies, don't be sad. There are still enough brownies for the ten of us." He told us in a cheerful voice.

Only Hunter had the ability to delude himself that the glares the others were sending him were looks of sadness and not of murder. I really admired the obliviousness of this guy.

Parker's eyes narrowed to a slit.

"I didn't hear a crash." He said.

"And I also don't see any crumbs on the grass." observed Rush, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

"You have brownie crumbs on your shirt, man." Shawn pointed out; totally unaware that he just incriminated his boy-crush.

Hunter's eyes dropped to his shirt and I swore I heard him mutter a silent curse. He immediately brushed off the crumbs, an act so obvious he might as well just confessed his crime.

"Those aren't brownie crumbs." He denied despite the glaring evidence. "Those are... Uhm... Grasshopper poop."

"Eew." Roe groaned, looking disgusted.

"I don't see many grasshoppers here." Pen retorted dryly.

"I let them escape after we're done playing. I love animals, like, so much." Hunter answered casually.

"Grasshoppers don't play with people!"

"Yes they do! They just won't play with you because you're a cruel person. The animals are afraid of you." Hunter insisted.

I shook my head incredulously. Even a five year old kid wouldn't believe that explanation, much less these three murderously chocolate-starved men.

"I will only ask once." said Cal in a dangerous, calm voice. "What did you do to our brownies?"

Hunter raised both of his hands, palms up.

"Don't be mad, okay?" He said which wasn't really that effective because it just made the boys looked even more livid. "It's just that when the plate slipped my hand..."

I had a really bad feeling about this. Rush, Parker and Cal stood from their seat and slowly advanced towards Hunter like a pack of wolves ready to sink their teeth to their victim... Only Hunter wasn't exactly the victim type.

"Uh huh? What happened when the plate slipped your hand?" Parker asked through slitted eyes.

"Uh, the brownies sort of landed straight to my mouth."

I palmed my face so hard I was sure there would be marks on it. I swear, if I had the chance, I'd make my dad examine this guy's head.

"But I didn't do it it on purpose. I swear it was an acc-" Hunter wasn't able to finish whatever he was about to say because Rush, Parker and Cal had already tackled him onto the ground.

"You, asshole! I'm going to fucking kill you!" Rush growled, putting Hunter in what looked like a painful headlock.

"Spit our brownies out, you gluttonous bastard!" Parker yelled, gripping Hunter's jaw and forcing him to open his mouth while Cal pinned both of his arms to prevent him from escaping.

"Argh! Getoff me, you violent people!" Hunter yelled, thrashing on the ground and trying to wrestle his way out of their firm grips.

I stood up, shuffling on my feet out of lack of something to do. I was torn between helping Hunter and joining the boys in beating him. I shot Shawn a helpless look. He just gave me a non-committal shrug. For a fanboy, he sure as hell didn't have any problem seeing his idol get beaten by three guys. The things food could do to hungry men.

"Just let them." Pen said as she took a bite off her corn cobs. "They'll get tired eventually."

Heather reached out to get a piece of grilled ribs.

"Hunter is such a pig." She said, rolling her eyes.

Roe nodded in a agreement while Natalie just let out an exasperated sigh.

"I know this is going to happen. That's why I brought two plates instead of one." She said, offering me her brownies.

"Uh, thanks." I took one brownie and stuffed it in my mouth. The girls didn't look too worried so I guessed I shouldn't be worried either. I went back to my seat and decided to just let the boys be boys... Until I heard Cal say:

"Let's just throw this idiot to the lake."

Eyes popping out of my head, I watched in horror as the three guys hoisted Hunter from the ground and carried him over towards the edge of the lake.

Slightly panicking, I turned towards Pen.

"Are you sure we shouldn't help?" I asked, starting to worry for Hunter's life. I didn't know about them, but I couldn't remember signing-up to be an eye witness to a crime.

The lake looked deep, and even though the water was crystal clear, we couldn't be sure what kind of creatures lurked in its depths. I definitely didn't want Hunter to drown, or worse, be eaten by a giant squid or the Loch Ness monster.

I was sure being dead wouldn't be good for his health either.

"Nah, the guys can throw him to the lake, no problem. They don't need our help." Pen said reassuringly.

"That's not what I mean!"

Pen giggled upon seeing my reaction.

"Are you worried about Hunter?" She teased.

"Of course I am." I said indignantly, not a trace of hesitation in my voice. I blushed when I saw the girls and Shawn all looking at me as if I just told them today was Jesus Christ's second coming.

What was wrong with these people?

"On the count of three," Rush yelled, instantly getting my full attention. I saw him holding Hunter on his right calf, Parker got the other calf and Cal held both of Hunter's wrists so he was dangling between the three of them.

"One, two, three, throw!" They threw Hunter into the lake with all the force they could muster and he plunged straight into the deep part of the water, muffling all the profanities that were about to come out of his mouth.

Without thinking, I stood up and rushed towards the edge of the lake as fast as I could. Gasping for breath, I waited for Hunter's head to resurface out of the water.

I shot Parker an accusing look.

"Why did you do that?" I cried. "What if Hunter drowned? Or bashed his head onto the rocks below the lake? Or get eaten by water-gorillas?" I knew I was fretting but I didn't care. No matter what he did, Hunter didn't deserve to be turned into gorilla-snack just because of a platter of brownies.

"Don't worry about him. Hunter's an excellent swimmer. He wouldn't drown." Cal said in an uninterested voice as if the idea of Hunter drowning in the lake bored him to death.

"And even an adobe wouldn't be able to put a crack on that thick skull of his." Rush assured me, looking over the lake nonchalantly.

"And uh, Sky, what exactly are water-gorillas?" Parker asked, eyebrows drawn in confusion.

Before I could answer, Hunter's head broke the surface several feet away from where the boys threw him. Water was glistening in his hair and on the tips of his long lashes. His ash-blonde hair was slicked back, bringing more focus on his stunning amethyst eyes.

He looked pissed. Really pissed.

Parker burst out laughing upon seeing his expression, and now that it was clear that Hunter wasn't in any apparent danger, I began to see how hilarious the situation was. Soon, I found myself doubling over with laughter together with Parker.

Everytime we tried to stop laughing, the look of disdain on Hunter's face would set us off again.

Hearing our guffaws, the others joined us at the edge of the lake and soon, all of us were all laughing uncontrollably at Hunter.

Hunter scowled and splashed water at us but it just made us laugh even harder.

"Man, if you could just see your face now." Parker said, clutching his stomach.

Hunter swam towards the bank, still looking irritated.

But when Hunter reached the edge of the lake, he did something that instantly made me stop laughing all at once.

He reached at the back of his shirt and whipped it off in one quick motion with an expertise of an Abercrombie and Fitch male model.

My eyes widened and my breathing faltered as the heavens once again blessed me with the incredible sight of Hunter Cole's six packs. Holy mother of abs.

"Ooh la la!" Roe whistled appreciatively.

That was probably the most fitting expression for this.

I've seen Hunter without a shirt before so it shouldn't be a big deal anymore but seeing him walked towards me with fluid grace, his muscles flexing and stretching with every step, and his golden skin glistening wet... It just took my breath away.

With lightning speed, Hunter threw his wet shirt and it hit Parker square on the chest.

"Take that, douche!" He said.

Parker let out a few choice profanities.

Hunter ignored him and focused his attention to me. He walked towards me in an almost predatory gait, smiling devilishly.

Uh oh. I was in trouble.

"Having fun there?" He inquired in a lazy drawl.

I knew that look on his face. That was the look on his face when he sabotaged an entire play by setting the stage's curtains on fire back on our freshman year.

I took a step back instinctively.

"I... Uhm... N-not really." I stuttered.

Hunter cocked his head to the side and watched me as if I was his favorite television show.

"But I just saw you with that douche over there, laughing at me." He mumbled thoughtfully, still stalking towards me.

"That wasn't me." I replied innocently, taking another step back.

"Really?" He asked sweetly.

"Really." I said. And then I ran. I turned on my heels as fast as I could and ran back to the safety of our tent.

But Hunter was faster. Before I knew it, he already crossed the distance between us. He grabbed me by the waist and threw me over his shoulder in a move faster than a burglar running away from the feds.

I screeched as our skins touched. He was still wet and the lake water that clung to his skin was surprisingly cold.

"Hunter Dean Cole! Put me down now!" I kicked my legs and screamed, blood rushing to my head as I hung upside down, facing the dragon tattoo on his back. He just chuckled in response, his shoulders shook as he did so.

"Look who's laughing now." He said in a very entertained voice.

I glanced helplessly among our other friends but they just watched us with an amused expression on their faces. Traitors.

"Oh no, no, no, please don't! I don't know how to swim!" I begged as I saw from the curtain of my hair that we were back on the edge of the lake.

"Don't worry babe, I got you." He said, and despite everything, I believed him.

I felt him loosened his hold on my waist and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the fall.

"Prepare yourself to get wet, buddy!" He yelled and he jumped.

We both fell into the lake with a gigantic splash. I was immediately swallowed by the water. It was so cold that all my breath left me in a rush. I struggled to get a hold of myself as I felt the water dragged me deeper. Just when I was about to panic, I felt Hunter wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close against his chest. He raised his thumb as if to tell me everything was okay and grinned under water. He propelled us both out of the water and we popped up to the surface, me gasping for air while he was laughing like the psychopath that he was.

"I'm going to kill you! I swear I will!" I threatened even though I couldn't do anything better than hung onto his shoulders and kicked my legs to keep myself afloat.

"I'm shaking with fear, buddy." Hunter said, still grinning from ear to ear. He shook his hair and the droplets of water hit me on the face.

I looked up to him at the same time he dipped his gaze towards me and the curses I was about to throw at his face suddenly died in my throat.

I was suddenly hyper-aware that the only thing separating us was my wet t-shirt. My blood was pumping way too fast and I felt slightly dizzy. A strange feeling swamped over me as we stared at each other. The slight wind brushed along our wet skin that wasn't pressed against the other, making the skin plastered together seemed even hotter.

Neither of us spoke.

His chest rose and fell, the amethyst in his eyes shifted by degrees. It was a powerful, almost electric feeling that coursed through me and in that moment, I couldn't think about anything but him and how close his lips were.

It was a different kind of drowning. A beautiful and terrifying feeling.

"Sky..." He murmured huskily, dipping his head so that our foreheads were almost touching.

I was about to close my eyes and let the waves of our emotions take over me when I heard Parker screamed.

I quickly snapped my head towards the direction of the voice and was surprised to see that all of our other friends were also jumping one by one into the lake.

I let out a breathless laugh when I saw Roe clutching Parker's hair and dipping his head forcefully into the water.

"These people had the worst timing, ever." I heard Hunter mumbled under his breath.

I punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"Perv." I hissed, trying to hide the redness of my cheeks.

Hunter's lips curled in a satisfied smile.

"Are you having fun?" He asked, looking genuinely curious.

I smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

He raised one arm and cupped the side on my neck, angling my head towards him.

"I'm glad." He said in a low voice. "At least now, you'll have a better memory whenever you think about me and a certain body of water."

I couldn't help but laugh. He was so right. Water and Hunter didn't actually conjure a nice memory whenever I think about it before. I was touched he took it upon himself to make new memories... ones that weren't full of horrors but of laughter and fun.

"Sky?" I heard him whispered, his mouth was so close to my ear that I could feel his hot breath on my neck.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry."

I froze. The apology was long over due but the sincerity and raw emotion in his voice touched me in a way that almost made me want to cry.

I still wanted to know the reason why he did what he did but now wasn't the right time for questions. It was the time for forgiveness.

I closed my eyes and blinked the tears away. I took a deep breath before I smiled at him.

"I forgive you."

He snaked his arms around me and pulled me closer to him.

"Thank you."

We stayed in that position for a couple more minutes until I heard Hunter spoke again.

"How about I teach you how to swim?" He asked, the corner of his lips tipped up in a lopsided smile that never failed to make my heart skip a beat.

I smiled. Who could refuse a face like that?

***

I spent the next couple of hours learning how to swim. Hunter was surprisingly a great teacher. He never once get annoyed whenever I did something wrong. He just patiently taught me all that I needed to know and let me learn by practicing over and over while he watched on the side, ready to rescue me if I ever drown.

By the end of the day, I was able to keep myself afloat without Hunter's help. He was so proud of me he basically bragged about my new found skill to anyone who would listen.

After swimming, we all went to the public bathhouse that I didn't know existed at the far left corner of the meadow. We took showers and changed our clothes. We also charged and checked on our phones since that was the only place here that has a signal and electric outlets.

I sent a quick text to my parents telling them that I was having the time of my life and they shouldn't worry about me. They replied asking me if Hunter brought condoms with him. I was so mortified, I almost dropped my phone in the sink.

My parents were crazy. God, I loved them so damned much.

Later, after we've watched the most spectacular sunset I've ever witnessed, I found myself crammed shoulder-to-shoulder between Hunter and Shawn in the circle by the bonfire.

The others were singing along as Rush played an acoustic song on his guitar. I couldn't help but hum along with them.

It was a beautiful night, the air was cold but not entirely chilly, and the sky was clear and full of stars.

I took a deep breath and smiled inwardly because for the first time in my life, I genuinely felt happy and contented to be a part of a group. It just dawned on me how much each and everyone in this circle has grown on me. Their laughter was contagious, their easy banters and hilarious insults were both comforting and fun at the same time. I loved spending time with them. They made me feel like they truly wanted me to be a part of their clique, that I belonged in this group.

I peeked beside me and saw Hunter stuffing his mouth with smores in an almost alarming rate.

Here I was, being all emotional and dramatic while the man responsible for all of these was just sitting there, eating as if he hadn't seen food in years.

I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from laughing. Pen was going to be pissed once she found out that Hunter already wolfed down one whole bag of marshmallows and chocolates. I decided to turn a blind eye since Hunter had been especially kind to me the whole day.

I focused my attention to Shawn who looked jittery for some unknown reasons. He had a piece of paper in his hand and seemed to be memorizing whatever it was that was written there.

I wondered if he finally got all the cheat codes in Assassins' Creed from Hunter?

I nudged him on his side.

"Are you okay?"

He quickly folded the piece of paper when he saw me peeking at it as if he was embarrassed of its content.

"Not really." He answered. I noticed his hands were shaking.

"Is there a problem?" I inquired, getting concerned.

Shawn shook his head.

"No, I'm just nervous."

Before I could ask him what was bothering him, Rush stopped playing and cleared his throat loud enough that it got everyone's attention.

"Hey guys, listen." He said. "Shawn and I prepared a special number for a very special girl. We've been practicing the whole day so I really hope she'll like it." He winked playfully at Natalie's direction.

Natalie looked shell-shocked, like she couldn't believe Shawn had it in him to perform in front of a crowd of people. I must admit I was also feeling the same way.