Hmmm nice smell. 

That was the first thing I thought when I woke up. 

Then I remembered the last bit of my night and opened my eyes. 

I couldn't see anything except for dark blue, which was the colour of the shirt Alec was wearing last night. 

I was suddenly very aware of Alec's hand on my waist, and I was freaking out. 

Did this mean anything? What? I'm so confused! Asdfvgbiuhnojcewsrpvbujvboujbrvojb!

I gently lifted Alec's hand from my waist, wriggled out of my sleeping bag and unzipped the tent. 

Ahh fresh air!

I was very surprised to see that the sun was just begginging to rise, and obviously no one was awake yet. 

I had left my bathers on under my sweatpants, so I took my sweatpants off, grabbed a board and walked to the beach. 

I stopped at the edge of the water to put my legstrap on. 

I was about to walk into the water when I heard someone coming up behind me. 

"Hey Tris," I greeted. He had the other surfboard and was wearing his board shorts. 

"Hey Tam, just like old times aye?" He asked, using his Australian accent. 

"And just like old times, I'll kick your ass!" I smirked, running into the water. 

When we were sitting on our boards where the swell was, he started talking. 

"What's happening with you and Alec?" He asked, looking concerned for me. 

"Nothing," I sighed, looking out toward the horizon. 

"You wish there was though! What are you thinking? You have your thinking face on," Tris frowned, looking like the brother he has always been to me. 

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND BOYS!" I exclaimed, and Tristan laughed. 

We weren't surfing at the moment, just letting the waves roll underneath us while we sat on our boards. 

"I can always help you with that, you know. Why don't you tell me everything and I'll help you," Tris offered, a huge smile lighting up his face. 

"Fine! Well as I'm sure you know, I like Alec. Well like, love, same difference! And he sometimes acts like he likes me. More and more now actually," I explained, sighing. 

"Ya, you forgot to mention that you kissed him..." Tristan trailed and my eyes bulged!

"WHAT?!?!?" I exclaimed, which made Tristan laugh. I pushed him off his surfboard. 

"Well both of you did not stop smiling after you 'talked', and I'm pretty positive something happened last night in your tent," he guessed, and I laughed this time. 

"Do you have a freaking radar or something?" I asked, and we both laughed. 

"No, I just know you," he replied and I was still laughing. 

"Fine. Yes, he kissed me. But he told me that he wanted to do something without it meaning anything, no repercussions or anything like that. But ya... And nothing really happened last night. I think he thought I was asleep, but he put his arm around me and ya... I don't really know, I'm not that experienced with guys I guess..." I trailed, and I knew that Tristan would keep this between us, as he always had. 

"TAMSIN ROYCE! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! The guy sooo likes you, and you know I'd never lie to you! Guys are confusing and none of them are the same, but there is one thing that you don't have to be a genius to figure out, and that is when a guy likes someone. You can see it in the way they smile when that certain girl is around. And mate, I've seen the way Alec looks at you, he likes you Tam. He may not be gutsy enough to admit it, but you guys talk and act like you are in a relationship. It's a matter of time before he asks you out!" Tristan ranted, and I smiled at his words. 

I was about to say something, but he cut me. 

"And no words about false hope! Because that does not apply in this situation! And as your almost older brother, I approve of him." 

I laughed at how well he knew me, and rolled my eyes at the last part. 

"Okay! Enough gossiping older bro, let's surf!" I exclaimed, and we spent the next few hours in the water. 

I paddled back to where Tris was sitting, but slowed when I saw the bright smirk lighting his face. Before I could ask what he was smirking about, he explained. 

"Your boyfriend is waiting for you on the beach!" He squealed, and I pushed him off the surfboard again. 

I caught the next wave in, jumping off my board and into the water when the wave had slowed down. 

I walked slowly out of the water toward Alec, and a bright smile lit his face when he saw me. 

"Hey," we greeted each other at the same time, and walked side by side back to camp. 

Everyone gave us strange looks as we walked back to camp, but I ignored them. I was thinking about what Tristan had said actually. 

He thought that Alec liked me, and for a second, I could see his perspective. 

Alec looked at me as though he liked me, maybe even loved me. He talked like he did. 

The other part of my brain was denying everything, telling me that there was no chance that he could like me. 

Then my brain flashed back to the memory of Hunter, Mase and Alec talking by the bonfire last night. 

"What are you smiling about? I haven't seen you smile so much for a while..." 

I made Alec smile, I made Alec happy. That was all that mattered. 

An hour later everyone decided to go make our shack, so we all headed down the beach to collect sticks and logs. 

We all split into our tent groups and scoured different parts of the beach for logs. 

Alec and I were looking near the tents, and we had already collected plenty. We were making a pile at camp to take to the spot for the shack. 

"You were up early..." Alec trailed, and I smiled. 

"Ya.. I can't seem to sleep much anymore..." I trailed, hoping he wouldn't ask why. 

"Why?" He asked. 

Of course. 

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, facing Alec who had a wide smirk covering his face. 

"Someone taking up too much space in your brain?" Alec teased, still smirking. 

"Shut up!" I groaned, my face turning red. 

"Just because I'm right!" Alec replied, his smirk turning into a smile. 

"Ya.. You are! Anyway, what did you guys talk about after I went to sleep?" I asked him smirking, knowing he would lie. 

"Oh, not much," he answered, a small red creeping into his cheeks. 

"You're going red!" I squealed, and Alec blushed even brighter. 

"Shut up!" He groaned, and I laughed at him. 

"Awh you are too cute!" I crooned, and pinched his cheek, pulling my hand away before he could hit my arm away. 

"Taaaam!" Alec groaned, turning back to our pile of sticks and longs. 

"I think this is enough," he continued, picking up sticks and logs from our pile. I got the rest in my arms and we walked down the trail to the beach. 

We always made our shack beside the mini-forest where we camped, as it was on the beach but still protected from the wind. 

Everyone was there by the time we arrived, and there were plenty of sticks. 

We used the logs to make the frame, and continued to make the walls and roof with the smaller sticks. 

It was five thirty when we finished, and we admired our good work. 

We all went back to camp to make some toast for dinner on the fire that Alec and I had lit earlier, then made our way back to the shack. 

We always made our shack big enough so that we could all sit in a circle and talk, while being under shelter. 

I was sitting with Alec on my right, Hunter on my left, and everyone else scattered around the circle.

It was getting dark and everyone was watching the sun set behind the horizon, enjoying everyone else's company. 

When it got dark, Tristan suggested that we play 'spotlight'. 

"OH MY GOD I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!" I squealed, and everyone looked at us confused. 

"Do you guys not know what spotlight is?!?!?!?" I exclaimed, and Tristan sat with his mouth hanging open. 

"No..." Everyone trailed simultaneously, and Tris and I were shocked. 

"You don't know what you're missing out on! By the way, you're going down sis," Tris added, to me of course. 

"Nah mate! I always win!" I challenged, and we both burst laughing. 

"Okay, so can one of you explain how to play?" Seth asked looking really confused.

"Sure!" I exclaimed, then proceeded to talk about the details and rules. "So what happens is we have a torch, flashlight, whatever, and the person who is 'it' has it. They count to fifty and everyone hides in different places. You are allowed to move around, but as soon as someone calls your name and the flashlight shines on you, you have been found and you can't run away. You have to go to the person with the flashlight and walk around with them to help them find everyone else. To chose who goes first, we do 'dip dip'," I explained and Tristan nodded in agreement. 

"Okay, can someone re-explain that but in American?" Alec asked, bumping his shoulder with mine. 

I ignored him and turned to face Tris.

"Teams or not?" I asked. 

"Teams, definetly! But if one person from the team gets found, the rest don't have to give up their hiding spots, otherwise it's too hard. " He replied, and for the next ten minutes we were sorting out teams and re-explaining the rules. 

The teams were; Alec, Bronte and Sarah. Dahlia, Alaister and Mason. Taylor, Zander and Katie. Tristan, Hunter and me. I was a bit annoyed that Tristan and I were on the same team, but I knew we would win. 

One person from every team put their foot in a circle, and I did 'dip dip' between Alec, Alaister, Taylor and Tristan. 

"Dip dip. There's a party on the hill would you like to come?" I began, and Tristan smirked at me. My finger landed on Alec's foot, and he was confused. 

"Just say yes," I rolled my eyes, and he did as I said. 

"Then bring a bottle of ru-u-um," I continued, and my finger landed on Tristan's foot. 

"Can't afford it," he replied, laughing at the childish game. 

"Then pack your bags and get lost," I finished, and my finger landed on Taylor's foot, so his team ran off to go hide. 

I repeated the rhyme, and this time Tristan was the person that I landed on to be 'out'. My team waited for me as I finished deciding who was 'it', and it ended up being Alec's team. 

"Sucker," I poked my tongue out at him and ran away. 

Alec, Bronte and Sarah went back to camp to count, and I turned to my Hunter and Tristan. 

"Are you guys wearing your bathers?" I asked quickly while we were running toward the ocean. 

They both looked at each other strangely, but agreed. 

"Cool, so we're hiding in the ocean! We didn't set boundaries, so ya, that's what we're doing," I explained, taking my t-shirt and shorts off, prepared as always. 

"Good idea Tam!" Hunter exclaimed, and Tristan rolled his eyes. 

"Stretching the rules..." He sighed, but took his shirt off and walked into the water alongside Hunter and I. 

We didn't go out very far, just so the water was up to my hips. 

"Let the games begin," I smiled evilly, and Tristan rolled his eyes while Hunter laughed at me. 

The best thing about being in the water, was that you could see everyone but no one could see you. 

"So.. do you believe me yet?" Tristan asked me, and Hunter looked confused. 

"Alec," Tris explained, and my eyes bulged. 

"Oh, of course. You like him, right?" Hunter asked, as if this was old news. 

"Uh, yeah.. How does everyone know that?" I replied, confused. 

"It's pretty obvious Tam," Hunter replied, and Tris laughed with him. 

"Really?" I asked nervously, hoping that wasn't true. 

"It's obvious to everyone except him..." Hunter trailed, sighing. 

"What was the sigh for?" I asked, a little relieved but also concerned. 

"Not my place to tell you. But I do know that you guys made out on the beach last night," Hunter smirked, and I gasped. 

"Does everyone know that??!?!?" I exclaimed, and Hunter shook his head, no. 

I turned my attention back to the game, and lucky I did, because I saw a flashlight and a bunch of people behind it. 

"I think they've found everyone," I whispered, lowering my top half into the water so that my head was the only thing sticking out of the water. 

Lucky for us, the ocean was calm and there were no waves, so we didn't have a hard time staying hidden. 

We watched them on the beach, walking about ten metres away from where the water met the sand, which reminded me of a quote. 

"Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away." 

It was one of my favourite quotes, and I smiled at the memory of Gran saying it to me for the first time. 

I snapped back to reality when I heard someone scream, Alec. 

"That bitch!" He exclaimed, and turned to walk directly to the ocean. 

Damn it!

"I think he's found us..." Hunter whispered, as Alec shone the flashlight over the water. 

"Not until the flashlight hits us," I whispered back, slowly walking deeper into the ocean. 

"I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!" Alec screamed, and I decided to save my team. 

"Guys, you swim to the left and I will get found and lead them the other way. Go!" I ordered, and they didn't question me. 

I slowly swam back to shore, and Alec shone the flashlight on me. 

"I SEE YOU TAM!" Alec screamed, and a chorus of people laughed behind him. 

"Ya, you got me," I replied, jogging out of the water, going over to my clothes and putting them on, hiding Hunter's and Tristan's behind me. 

I pulled my top over my head, and pulled my shorts on, not caring that I was still soaking wet. 

"Where are the other two?" Dahlia asked, and I knew she was looking for Tristan. 

"How am I supposed to know? You think they're stupid enough to go in the ocean?" I questioned, and everyone seemed to believe me. Everyone except for Taylor. 

I shushed him while everyone was looking away, and he nodded his head slightly in agreement. 

I led everyone to the right, and looked behind my shoulder once, to see where Tristan and Hunter were.

I saw them walking low along the shoreline, and only I would be able to see them. They pulled their shirts back on and started creeping up on the group. 

I knew what their plan was, so I tried to keep from grinning. 

About a minute later, they were at the back of our group and pretended to fit in, just walking with us. 

"Where are they? They are such good hiders!" Tristan exclaimed, making almost all of the girls scream, including Mason and Zander actually. 

Taylor and I burst laughing, along with Tris and Hunter. 

We played a few more games, banning the ocean and making boundaries this time. 

We won every game. 

We ended up back in the shack, talking and laughing together. 

"LET'S PLAY SPIN THE BOTTLE!" Taylor exclaimed, and I looked at him confused. 

"No," everyone replied, and we laughed at how his face fell. 

I didn't realize, but Alec's arm was around my waist and I had put my head on his shoulder. 

How had we ended up in this position???

"Are you guys ever going to date?" Seth whined to Alec and I, which made everyone laugh. 

"Ya! I'm asking him out tomorrow!" Mason cut in, putting his arm around Taylor.

"I KNEW IT!" I exclaimed, and everyone burst laughing. 

I silently thanked him, mouthing the words, and he just nodded. 

A few hours later, it was past midnight and everyone was getting tired. 

"Who's sleeping out here?" I asked, and nearly everyone was to, except for me, Alec and Hunter. 

"Alright, well I'm going back to camp to sleep. I'll see you guys in the morning!" I said, and brushed sand off my shorts before leaving everyone at the shack. 

"Tam! Wait up!" Hunter called, saying a quick goodbye to everyone before jogging to catch up with me. 

"You don't wanna stay in the shack?" I asked, but I was glad that I wouldn't be at camp alone. 

"Nah, I always wake up with sand in my mouth and it's too cold," Hunter explained, and I agreed with him. 

We walked silently back to camp, and said goodnight to each other, Hunter going to his tent on the right, me going to mine on the left. 

I changed out of my wet shorts and t-shirt, and got back into shorts and a jumper, but was still shivering.

I zipped up my sleeping bag and closed my eyes, but I didn't fall asleep, as Alec opened the tent and crawled in. 

"Hey," I whispered, and he responded the same. 

He crawled into his sleeping bag, and we were facing each other. 

"That was a fun day..." I trailed, getting a little sleepy. 

"It was, wasn't it?" He responded, yawning. 

I was still shivering, and Alec noticed.

"Are you cold?" He asked, looking concerned. 

"Just a little bit freezing..." I responded. 

Alec didn't reply, he put his arm around me and pulled me towards him, kissing my forehead. 

"Thanks," I whispered, grateful for the warmth. 

"You are more than welcome Tam. Goodnight," Alec responded, and I settled into his chest.