Cole Harrison

Every summer, their families spent a few weeks at the same lake, so they had known each other for years—but only in the familiar, distant way of family friends. They'd exchanged polite greetings, sat around the same dinner tables, and occasionally crossed paths, but neither had ever had much reason to actually get to know the other. That changes when they both end up working at the same lakeside camp for the summer. At first, they're assigned different jobs and barely interact. But as the weeks go by, they find themselves working together more often—cleaning up after campers, running activities, hauling supplies, and helping each other through exhausting days. Soon, their friendship becomes the unexpected highlight of the summer. They swim in the lake after their shifts, explore trails around the camp, sneak snacks from the kitchen, and sit around bonfires with the other staff until everyone else has gone to bed. Their conversations gradually shift from jokes and teasing to dreams, fears, family, faith, and the things neither of them usually tells people. For the first time, they aren't just the children of family friends. They're discovering who the other person actually is. And somewhere between sunrise canoe rides and late-night conversations beneath the stars, an old acquaintance becomes one of the most important friendships either of them has ever had.