Ten-year-old Malcolm didn't really feel anything towards Elena but general affection, as she was about the same age as his younger sister at the time. Plus at age ten, he didn't really have those type of feelings for girls. Seeing her when they were both adults was different though. Elena's definitely a beautiful woman and he was flattered that she was so grateful to him for looking after her when they were kids. Suffice it to say that the crush was mutual.
He's happy to join her at the bonfire, even if camping is definitely not his thing. Unfortunately, it brings back some rather disturbing memories for him. The last 24 hours have been tough after running into the specter of his father in the hedge maze. How much does he want to tell Elena? He's not sure yet. Sometimes letting people in on the darkness in his life scares them away, and he doesn't want to do that with her.
Malcolm smiles back at her as he approaches and sits down next to her. "Hey. Thanks for inviting me. It's been a really long time since I've been camping."