Gavin gives Chloe some advice

It was a long, quiet walk back to the cabin from the lookout point. What seemed like a gentle slope on the way up felt like scaling a sheer cliff going down. One wrong step spelled doom.

Chloe looked at Gavin. He acted as if no one was there with him.

“I'm sorry about... up there. I don't know what came over me.”

He smiled, but it was brief and half-hearted. He still couldn't look at her.

“It's alright. The heat must have gotten to you.”

“...Yeah. I'm sure that was it.”

She was hot, for sure, but the shade from the trees meant the sun had nothing to do with it. The cabin was in sight when Gavin spoke up again.

“That was about Zack, wasn't it?”

YES! Thank you! Bottling it up was too much to bear sometimes. She'd go crazy if Gavin stopped talking to her.

“Yeah. Zack feelings are pretty strong today.”

“You want to trade rooms? It can't be easy sleeping in the same bed with him.”

“It was a lot easier when we were in kindergarten. At least Heather won't moan, 'Victoria, Victoria!' in her sleep.”

“Well, she does moan people's names, but it's a different name each time.”

Chloe laughed. God, what a relief it was when Gavin did poke out of his shell. He smiled a little wider at her, and this time it was sincere.

“Look, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but can I offer some advice?”

“...Sure.”

“You know you guys are my best friends. But Victoria's no good for Zack, right? And not in a he's-too-good-for-her sense. Neither of them really know what they want.”

“Ok, I can see that in Zack's case, but how do you know what she's thinking?”

“We're in the same study group for chemistry. I like her. She's nice. But she's fixated on Dustin the same way Zack is fixated on her.”

“Her ex-Prince Charming?”

“Right! And Zack wants to be somebody's prince, but relationships don't work that way! They can't last if you expect the other person to put all the effort in.”

“Where are we going with this, Gav?”

He stopped to polish his glasses against his t-shirt for some time, even though Chloe saw they were already clean.

“Well, would you consider going out with any of those guys you know on the cross-country team?”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. They were walking past the beach now, the whisper of the water calming her down.

“I only talk to them because they're always coming back from a run when soccer practice ends and want us to massage their cramps. It's impossible to take them seriously."

“Maybe that's a good thing. You don't have to take all guys as seriously as you take Prince Zachary.”

Chloe found the mischief in his voice most un-Gavin-like, so she pushed him to wash his mouth out in the surf. When he tried to get up, a wave came in and sent him tumbling to his knees again, and she couldn't help but laugh.

“Alright alright, I'm so...”

He yanked her wrist and pulled her down into the water with him. The two wrestled until they couldn't breathe for spluttering and laughing, and they didn't regain their breath until they reached the cabin door. Gavin stopped her before going inside.

“I'm not saying don't have feelings for Zack, but what's the worst that could happen if you see other people while he does some growing up?”

“...He never does grow up, and I fall in love with someone else.”

“That's not your problem, Chloe. It's his.”

Her watery eyes weren't just from the lake. She hugged him tight.

“Thanks, Gav. I needed that."

"I've got you."

They stepped inside.

"Alright. Now I need some me time, but after that,” she winked from behind the bedroom door, “you're gonna fill me in on your dreamy roommate.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about!" he tried to protest, neck flushed, but the door shut. He was alone in the living room now. The cabin was quiet. Still.

You'd think no one's been here in years.

He walked towards his shared bedroom, but a sock on the doorknob showed his roommate was entertaining guests.

Come on!