Tyler – POV
I didn't wait for Julia to look back.
I'd seen enough.
Antwan's hands around her waist. Her lips pressed to his like he was everything she'd ever wanted. The same lips that kissed me days ago—back when I thought maybe I finally meant something more to her.
Guess I was wrong.
I didn't even remember getting home. My head was buzzing too loud, my chest too tight. The moment played on a loop, each rewind cutting deeper. I should've expected it. Julia was always warm toward Antwan. And me? I was the friend. The chaos. The motorcycle guy. A moment of passion in a storm.
But it still stung like hell.
Without thinking, I turned off the road and crossed the field toward Camila's place. I didn't knock. I didn't call. I just got off my bike and walked around back like I used to when we were kids. Like this was still home too.
Sure enough, she was in the stables, brushing down Kitty, her baby. I smiled despite myself. Some things never changed.
She looked up, brows lifting the moment she saw me.
"Ty?" she asked, setting the brush down. "What's wrong?"
I shrugged, trying to look unbothered. "You free?"
She didn't ask anything else. Just nodded and said, "Come help me finish with Kitty first."
I walked over, leaned on the stable door while she fed Kitty a carrot. The horse nuzzled me in greeting, and I scratched behind her ears. She gave a soft huff and leaned her head into my chest like she knew I needed it.
Camila gave me a side glance. "So… Julia?"
I winced. "Is it that obvious?"
"You only come here without calling when something hurts."
Also she told me what happened
I sat on a hay bale and dropped my head into my hands. "I saw her. With Antwan."
Camila sighed and sat down beside me. "Did she see you?"
"No." I paused. "I don't think so."
"She kissed him?" she asked gently.
I nodded, eyes fixed on the dusty floorboards. "It wasn't just a kiss. It was... intense."
"Shit," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Ty."
"I thought maybe we were getting somewhere," I admitted. "After the storm, after the kiss. But now... I feel like a damn fool."
She leaned her head on my shoulder. "You're not a fool. You're just a boy who fell for one of his best friends."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Some best friend, huh?"
"Tyler, don't," she said. "You've liked her forever. And honestly, you should never apologize for your feelings,I guess she's still figuring things out."
"You're the only one I told," I said quietly. "About Julia."
"I know," she replied, her voice soft.
"That's why i am mad at her . Not because she kissed Antwan, but because she didn't think about what it'd do to me ."
But what sucks more is I still like her
Don't worry she sighed things will work out
I glanced at her. "You sound like a big sister."
Or me, I gave you that same advice a couple weeks back
She grinned. "I basically am." a big sister
Like I wasn't the older one
We both laughed, and it broke the tension a little. The silence that followed wasn't awkward. It was warm.
"Remember when we used to race in the field with Kitty?" I said, smiling at the memory. "You always swore she liked me more than you."
"She did," Camila said, pretending to be annoyed. "Traitor horse."
"Only because I gave her apples," I smirked.
"You bribed her!"
"She's a smart girl. Takes after her rider."
Camila nudged me with her shoulder. "You were such a lanky little brat back then."
"And you were all knees and elbows. Fell off Kitty like five times."
We both laughed again, deep and real this time. Kitty neighed softly, like she was laughing too.
"God, I miss those days," I said. "When everything made sense. When we weren't all in these weird love knots."
"Me too," she whispered. "But hey, at least we still have each other."
I looked over at her. "Yeah. Always."
We sat there for a while longer, talking about everything and nothing. The ache in my chest didn't go away, but it softened. Camila had always been that for me—my tether. Even when the world spun too fast, she kept me grounded.
I wasn't sure what would happen with Julia. Or Antwan. Or anyone, really.
But in that moment, with the scent of hay in the air and Kitty nuzzling my shoulder, I knew one thing for sure.
I wasn't alone.