"How did you sleep?"

Elio stretches out, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Better with you here," he mumbles, still half-asleep. The words seeming bigger once they have left his mouth, but they don't seem to freak Oliver out or scare him off. He simply presses a kiss to his lips, before sitting up and checking his phone for the time.

"We should get ready for breakfast."

"Right…"

"Will I see you again later?"

"How about…," Elio begins, a little nervous to finish, because he doesn't want Oliver to think that he is trying to claim all of his time. But Oliver looks back at him, an expectant smile on his face. "Want to have breakfast together? Maybe with Marzia and Chiara?"

"Sure. I'd love to meet them."

Elio hadn't mentioned Oliver to the girls because he could already predict how that conversation would go. He feared that they were going to make him feel uncomfortable about the whole thing, and it would make him change his behavior and perhaps even avoid Oliver altogether. But after last night - after they had kissed - it doesn't matter what they say anymore.

"Nervous?" Oliver laughs, nudging his foot against Elio's, which he has been tapping against the leg of the table since they have sat down.

"I could go and sit with the guys. I don't mind, honestly."

"I've never…," Elio says, keeping his voice down when a girl he knows walks by. "I've never been with anyone, and I've never introduced anyone to them. It just feels…"

"Scary?" Oliver suggests, an understanding smile on his face. "You don't have to introduce me, introduce me. I'm just the guy you had a drink with, remember?"

"Right," Elio chuckles, remembering the first night when they had shared a soda by the lake. The smile leaves his face when the girls come over to their table though. They are so lost in conversation that although they notice Elio, they don't notice that the guy sitting next to him isn't someone who has randomly sat down there.

Elio gives a small wave and he opens his mouth to speak, but the girls don't even notice.

"... you hear he snuck into her tent? Lisa said she saw them…"

"Hey." Oliver tries, flashing a big smile when both girls look up at him.

"This is Oliver," Elio says. "He's… we share a tent."

"No… you share a tent with Thomas," Chiara laughs, "Who definitely snuck off to spend the night with his girlfriend, by the way. Lisa…"

"I know," Elio cuts her off. "But now Oliver and I… we share a tent."

"They share a tent," Marzia repeats suggestively, keeping her voice down even though no one else has joined their table yet.

"Oh!"

Elio can feel his cheeks grow warm, and all he wants to do is run and hide from this awkward and uncomfortable feeling. But just as he hadn't been able to run when he had come out to them, he knows that he can't run from this.

"So… Oliver…" Marzia grins. "We couldn't be happier that Elio here has finally gotten himself a boyfriend…" She teases.

"He's not my…," Elio quickly tries, his voice failing him when Oliver grabs his hand underneath the table.

"But you know we'll kick your ass if you hurt him, right?" Marzia continues, completely ignoring her best friend's denial.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Elio cringes, already opening his mouth to apologize to Oliver. But Oliver just laughs, not at all offended by her comment.

"Where did you two meet?" Chiara asks, Marzia rolling her eyes, because obviously they met here at the camp. Where else?

It's enough to get the conversation going, and although Elio still has that uncomfortable and nauseating feeling in his stomach, this really wasn't half as bad as he thought it would be.

"So…," Marzia begins when she and Elio have a moment together after breakfast. "Oliver, huh? He's cute!"

"He is," Elio laughs. "He's also not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, right. Don't think I didn't notice him holding your hand. It's sweet."

"It is," Elio sighs, looking over his shoulder to make sure Oliver isn't close enough to hear them. "But this isn't some movie, Marzia. I've known him for a day, and sure, it's fun while we're here, but…"

"But you don't think he'll be interested once we're back home? Because of the distance?"

"Because of me. A guy like him can get anyone."

"You're right. A guy like him can totally get the hottest guy here," Marzia agrees, and although Elio had said it first, it still hurts to hear her say it. But then she wraps an arm around his waist and she tucks herself underneath his arm. "And he did. You have got to stop talking yourself down, Elio."

"It's just not…"

"Not what?"

"It's not real." Elio shrugs. "Everything is different out here."

"You're an idiot." Marzia rolls her eyes, before leading him into her and Chiara's tent. They were both supposed to share with girls from other schools, but there was so much swapping around during the first night, that they ended up together again.

"I'm not an idiot. I'm just being realistic."

"Sure."

"People don't fall in love in a day, Marz," Elio laughs. "It's just… fun, I guess."

"Speaking of fun." Marzia grins, as she picks up her bag and rifles through it. She takes out a small packet, Elio not sure what it is until she hands it over to him. "Use these, okay?"

"What the… oh, for fuck's sake. I'm not having sex with him," he spits out as he throws the condoms down on the air mattress. "We've only just met!"

"So? He's hot, you're hot, you like each other… you just said it yourself, it's fun, right?" Marzia shrugs. "So go for it."

She picks the packet up and shoves them into his hand.

"Look, I'm not telling you to have sex with the first guy you like. I know how big of a deal your first time is, okay?" she says, now serious. "But if it does happen, I want you to be safe. So take these. It's not like I'm going to need them."

"Why did you have these with you anyway?"

"My mom put them in my bag," she cringes. "Who knows what she thinks is going on out here. As if I'd go out and hook up with some random guy I've only just met."

"Didn't you just tell me to go for it with Oliver?"

"That's different. You actually like him."

"Sure," Elio laughs as she climbs into his arms - which is not the easiest thing to do in the small and messy tent. "Do you really think Oliver…"

"Is a total babe?"

"Likes me?" Elio chuckles.

"Oh, please. The way that guy looked at you? You're going to be needing those condoms tonight," she teases, giggling as Elio squeezes her sides.

Elio hadn't seen much of Oliver the rest of the day. They had signed up for different activities, and by the time they had gotten back to the communal site, it was already time for dinner. Oliver had sat with Elio and the girls again, and although there had still been some playful teasing from Marzia and Chiara, Elio had been relieved to find that it was already starting to feel much more comfortable than it had been that morning.

After dinner they had all sat by the fire for a while, until Oliver had suggested they would go for a walk. They ended up by the lake, but where it had been empty on the first night, this time there were groups of people everywhere. So they had gone back to the tent instead - Thomas' still nowhere to be found. His things now gone too.

"What's this?" Oliver laughs as he picks up the packet of condoms, which Elio had quickly thrown into the tent after Marzia had given it to him. He hadn't exactly forgotten about them, but he had definitely forgotten about the fact that he hadn't stuffed them into his backpack, or hidden them underneath the air mattress so Oliver would never find them.

"Marzia gave them to me," Elio explains, his cheeks flushing. "It was a joke."

"A joke?"

"Yeah, I mean… it's not like we're going to… you know…"

"Going to what?" Oliver asks, keeping a straight face, Elio too embarrassed to notice that he is just teasing him.

"Have sex," Elio mutters under his breath.

"Oh! That!" Oliver grins. "No, we're not. I like you, man, but…"

"I get it."

"But I'm not going to rush into that kind of stuff," Oliver continues. "And I'm definitely not doing it out here on some shitty air mattress," he laughs to try and make things a little more comfortable again. "So you keep these, okay?"

Elio quickly takes the condoms and stuffs them into his backpack, wishing he had just gotten rid of them when he still could. He feels like he should apologize again, but when he looks up, Oliver is watching him, still smiling.

"What?"

"I was just thinking of last night." Oliver shrugs. "and the night before. I meant what I said, about never having done any of this before. Not with a guy."

"But with girls?"

"I tried," Oliver sighs, the smile leaving his face. "And I tried with… my friend. But it was never like this."

Like what?, Elio almost asks him, but the truth is that he doesn't need to ask, because he can feel it too. That sense of rightness when they are together, the feeling of finally having found something they didn't even know they were looking for.

"It's our last night here," Oliver points out as he begins to take off his shoes. "I'm going to miss this."

"Freezing your ass off at night?"

"Yeah." Oliver nods, before playfully kicking Elio in the leg.

"I'm going to miss you too," Elio blurts out, not sure if that somehow crossed a line or made things too real - too serious. Oliver just stares at him for a moment, not saying a word, but then he flashes the smallest of smiles.

"We should try and get some sleep."

Without another word they get out of their dirty clothes and into their pyjamas, Elio wishing he knew what to say. But all he can think of is to tell Oliver how badly he wishes that they had more time together. How much he is going to miss him once they say goodbye to each other.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" he finally blurts out after a silence that is making his skin crawl. "I mean, not sleep, but actually sleep."

"I got it," Oliver chuckles, before climbing onto the air mattress with Elio - who definitely had not thought this through when he asked the question. Their bodies are pressed together, and Elio can feel his body reacting to the closeness of the other teenager, but even if Oliver has noticed, he doesn't mention it. He simply kisses him before wrapping an arm around his waist and snuggling up to him.

"Sweet dreams, Elio."