JayJay POV
The ocean roared.
Section E roared louder.
Ci-n was already knee-deep in the water, yelling something about becoming Poseidon.
Blaster was floating on a flamingo raft, singing a dramatic sea shanty that didn't rhyme.
Felix and Drew were arguing over who could hold their breath longer.
Kit and Mayo were building a sandcastle that looked suspiciously like a trap.
David brought snacks. Again. To the ocean.
Keifer?
Keifer was shirtless.
Smirking.
Dangerous.
I was trying not to combust.
I was also trying not to drown in my own feelings.
Then Yuri called my name.
"Jay."
I turned.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't joking.
He was standing just far enough from the others that it felt intentional.
I followed.
Because I'm an idiot.
Because part of me still wanted to believe he was just being a friend.
We stood near the rocks, where the waves crashed louder and the wind made it harder to breathe.
He looked at me.
Serious.
Sharp.
Too sharp.
"You look happy," he said.
I blinked.
"Is that a problem?"
He shrugged. "Not if it's real."
I frowned. "It is."
He tilted his head. "You sure? Keifer's good at making people feel like they're the center of the universe. Until he finds a new galaxy."
I stared at him.
Hard.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying," he said, voice low, "you used to look at me the way you look at him."
My heart stuttered.
My brain screamed.
"No, I didn't," I said.
"You did," he insisted. "You just didn't realize it."
I took a step back.
He stepped forward.
"I know you, Jay. I know how you think. You fall fast. You fall hard. And you don't always see the crash coming."
I crossed my arms.
"I'm not crashing."
He looked at me like he didn't believe me.
Like he didn't want to.
"Keifer's not the one who stayed up with you when you couldn't sleep. He's not the one who helped when he left. He's not the one who was with you when he admitted his fuck-out plan. I was."
"I know," I said quietly. "And I'm grateful."
"But you love him," he said, bitter.
"Yes," I said. "I do."
He flinched.
I didn't.
"Yuri," I said, "you're trying to make me doubt him. But I don't. I know who he is. I know what we are. And I'm not going to let you rewrite that just because you're scared of being left behind."
His jaw tightened.
"You're making a mistake."
"No," I said. "I'm making a choice."
Keifer POV
I didn't mean to overhear.
I was walking toward her.
Just to say something dumb.
Just to see her smile.
Then I heard Yuri.
My best friend.
My brother in chaos.
Saying things that felt like knives.
"She used to look at me the way she looks at you."
"She falls fast. She doesn't see the crash coming."
"He's not the one who stayed."
I froze.
I wanted to yell.
I wanted to defend her.
But then—
Jay.
Jay, standing tall.
Jay, hoodie-wrapped and wind-whipped.
Jay, saying—
"I love him."
"I know who he is."
"I'm making a choice."
I blinked.
Heart loud.
Breath stuck.
She chose me.
Loudly.
Clearly.
Even when it hurt.
Even when it was hard.
I stepped forward.
She turned.
Eyes wide.
I asked, "You love me?"
She blinked.
"Obviously."
I smiled.
Soft.
Real.
Like something inside me had finally stopped running.
"Good," I said. "Because I love you too. And I'm not going anywhere."
Yuri didn't say anything.
Just turned and walked back toward the others.
And me?
I stood there.
Emotionally wrecked.
Romantically rebuilt.
Publicly chosen.
And somehow?
Still hers.