Zane exhaled, hands laced with Mira's.
"Let's go back to the cabin," he said casually. "Before the others start complaining and accusing me of disappearing again."
Mira huffed a small laugh and nodded.
They walked back side by side, fingers intertwined, neither of them saying anything—but somehow saying everything. By the time they reached the room and pushed the door open, the atmosphere inside felt… loud.
Asher was grinning.
Not his usual smug grin.
A mischievous, borderline-criminal grin.
Luna, meanwhile, was red. Not tomato red.
Emergency alarm red.
Zane stopped in his tracks.
"…Why do I feel like I missed something?" he asked.
Before anyone else could answer, Celeste skipped over and immediately grabbed Zane's free hand, squeezing it like she'd been waiting for the opportunity.
"Well," she said cheerfully, "once Luna woke up—"
Luna stiffened.
"—Asher," Celeste continued, "decided it would be a good idea to send her back to sleep."
Zane blinked. "How thoughtful."
Celeste smiled sweetly. "By kissing her."
The room went silent.
Luna turned slowly, her movements stiff, like someone reliving a nightmare.
"…On the lips," she said in a slow, dramatic, hollow voice.
Zane snorted.
Celeste nodded solemnly. "She fainted again."
Asher's grin vanished instantly. "I was concerned!"
"I told him," Celeste added, patting Zane's hand, "that he killed her with his terrible kissing skills."
"That's not true!" Asher shot back, panicked. He turned to Luna. "R-Right, Luna?"
Luna had just woken up at that point.
She stared at him.
Then quietly walked over and hid behind Zane, gripping the back of his hoodie.
"…Don't talk to me," she muttered.
Zane lost it.
He laughed—full, unrestrained, shoulders shaking—then let go of both hands, walked over to his bed, and collapsed onto it.
Hands behind his head. Eyes half-closed.
A satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
Yeah, he thought, this isn't so bad.