chapter 393

Camping or confronting!

JayJay's pov

The moment we stepped off the bus, I knew something was very, very wrong.

I looked around slowly, taking in the sight in front of us, and for a second I genuinely wondered if we’d offended nature somehow.

Our assigned campsite looked like a tornado had personally passed through, paused, reconsidered, and then gone back for seconds.Broken branches littered the ground.

Leaves were piled so high they looked intentional.

One tent pole lay snapped in half like it had simply given up on life. The fire pit was overturned, ash scattered everywhere.

Felix gasped dramatically. “I refuse.”Rory squinted. “Are we sure this isn’t a crime scene?”

“This place looks like my mental state during finals,” Eman muttered.

I laughed despite myself, planting my hands on my hips. “Relax. We’re Section E. We’ve survived worse."

Keifer stepped forward, scanning the mess calmly. “It’s fine. We’ll fix it.”

The way he said it—steady, confident—made everyone move without realizing it.

We split up naturally. Like muscle memory.Felix complained while dragging branches and somehow made it sound like he was being oppressed.

Rory narrated everyone’s suffering like a documentary.

Ci-N immediately started organizing supplies with the seriousness of someone born for leadership.

Eman argued with the tent instructions as if they’d personally insulted him.

Keifer and I worked close together, setting up tents, passing stakes back and forth, teasing nonstop.

“You’re hammering that wrong,” he said, watching me struggle.

“I’m hammering it with confidence.”“That’s not helping.”

He stepped closer, guiding my hand, fingers brushing mine. “Like this.”

I looked up at him. “You just wanted an excuse to touch me.”

He smiled, completely unapologetic. “Correct.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t move away.Slowly, the chaos turned beautiful.

Tents stood tall. Fairy lights were strung between trees.

The ground cleared enough that no one was tripping every two seconds. Somehow, against all odds, it felt warm. Ours.

I smiled—then felt it.I glanced up and caught Yuri watching me from across the clearing.

Not obvious. Not dramatic. Just glancing. Again and again.I looked away.

Keifer didn’t notice. He was too busy bragging about his knot skills.

Night fell faster than I expected.A fire crackled to life. Snacks were passed around.

Someone suggested Truth or Dare, and no one objected because Section E never learns.

I sat a little away from the circle and pulled out my journal. Writing had become a habit—something I started when Keifer was still in London, when missing him felt too heavy to keep inside my chest.

The pen moved easily.Until a shadow fell over the page.

“What’re you writing?”

I snapped the journal shut instantly.Keifer crouched in front of me,

grinning. “That fast? Suspicious.”

“It’s private.”

He leaned closer, trying to peek. “Just one line.”

“No.”

“Jay—”

I shifted, hiding it behind my back.

“Stop.”

He laughed. “You’re definitely hiding something.”

I sighed, already irritated. “Yes.”

“What?”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“Planning our honeymoon.”

The silence was instant.

Felix choked.Eman screamed.Rory dropped his snack.

Keifer froze. “Y-You—what?”

I smirked. “I’m also thinking aboutcondom flavours.”

Chaos erupted.

“EXCUSE ME?!”“MY EARS—”“JAY JAY—”

“Butterscotch,” I added sweetly. “That’s mine. What do you think?”Keifer’s face turned violently red.

“I—Jay—”

I leaned closer, whispering, “Relax. Take notes.”

Section E went feral. Laughter echoed through the trees, and for a moment, everything felt light. Easy. Normal.

Eventually, exhaustion won.One by one, everyone disappeared into their tents. The fire burned low. The forest quieted.Sleep didn’t come to me.

I slipped out of my tent, wrapping my jacket tighter around myself, staring up at the stars.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

I froze.Yuri stepped into the moonlight, hands in his pockets, eyes unreadable.

“I guess not,” I said.We stood there in silence, the dying fire crackling softly.

“You’ve been different,” he said.

“I’m tired.”

“That’s not it.”

I laughed bitterly. “Wow. You know me better than I know myself now?”

“You won’t even look at me anymore,” he said. “You laugh with everyone else. Then you see me and shut down.”

“Maybe I finally learned.”

“Learned what?”

“That some people don’t deserve access to everything.”

“You used to trust me.”“People change.”

“No,” he snapped quietly. “You changed when he came back.”“There it is.”

“You look at him like he’s your whole world,” Yuri said. “And you look at me like I’m already gone.”

“You don’t get to say that.”

“I do,” he shot back. “I’m the one standing here while he sleeps peacefully, having no idea what’s happening around him.”

“Stop.”“You’re protecting him,” Yuri said. “From what? From me?”

“Yes,” I said immediately. “If I have to.”

His eyes widened. “You think I’d hurt him?”

“I don’t know what you’d do anymore.”

“That’s because you stopped trying to understand.”

“No,” I cried. “I stopped excusing.”

The next words slipped out before I could stop them.

“I’m so glad I didn’t fall for you.”He flinched.

“You don’t get to rewrite history.”

“I’m grateful I saw the truth before I made the worst mistake of my life.”

“And Keifer isn’t a mistake?”

“No,” I said without hesitation. “He’s the one thing I’ll never regret.”

I wiped my tears angrily. “And I will protect him. Even from you.”

Something in Yuri snapped.“Try it then,” he said coldly.

“See how far that protecting gets you.”“That’s a threat?”

“That’s reality.”“You think love makes you untouchable?” he asked. “You don’t know what you’re standing in.”

“I don’t care,” I sobbed. “As long as he’s safe.”

“You’re choosing him over me.”

“I already did,” I said. “A long time ago.”

The words hung between us like smoke.

He stepped back. “Then don’t come crying when the cost finally hits you.”

He walked away, disappearing into the trees.I checked my phone.

1:03 a.m.

My face was wet. My chest hurt. And somewhere behind canvas and fairy lights,

Keifer slept peacefully—completely unaware that the lines had already been drawn.