Vic

The sun was blazing as the bus pulled into Beryozka. You looked at the familiar buildings—you used to run around with a tie, slipping thumbtacks to the camp counselors. Now you were going to become a camp counselor yourself.

Teacher Larsen put his hand on my shoulder: "We're short-staffed. Help us out." So you found yourself in charge of the Sokolyata.

First shift. The smell of porridge and paint. The children were running around, you were trying to form a column. And then you noticed him.

He was standing by the gazebo, explaining something to the kids. His blond hair was tousled by the wind, his freckles looked like the sun had kissed him and forgotten to take it away. It was Vic. Larsen had introduced him at the meeting: "From the teaching department. The experience is rich, the kids adore him." You looked at him, and a strange tingle tugged inside you.

The days flew by in a flurry. You barely saw each other. He was checking on everyone, and you were causing chaos. But after the fire, he came up to you himself:

"You're good at it," he smiled. Freckles gathered at the bridge of his nose. "I saw you playing dodgeball."

• Thank you. You're too serious. Relax.

From that day on, you sat by the willow in the evenings. You talked about everything: poetry, children, dreams. He quoted Yesenin, you laughed about toothpaste. With each passing day, you spent more and more time together. You caught yourself watching him straighten his tie.

Sharing shifts, going potato picking—you watched the muscles in his arms tense. You noticed how he blushed when he was praised.

One night you went to the willow. It was stuffy and smelled of grass. You sat down on the grass and took his hand. He shuddered, but didn't pull away. Your fingers intertwined.

"Vit..." his voice trailed off. "I don't know how to explain it. When you're near, everything inside me turns upside down. It's like I'm a boy, afraid to approach the most beautiful woman. Only you're the beauty."

He laughed nervously:

• Nonsense. What a beauty! Freckles like a sparrow...