Chapter:
As Lily spoke, I could almost see everything happening in front of me.
She continued:
"Someone called him, and he just… left. But before that, he said
'Please come to our food truck today. I'll be waiting for you… please, Lily.'"
She sighed.
"And just like that, he left me there. On the beach. Confused."
I looked at her for a moment before speaking.
"…What if you try?" I said carefully. "What if you act as if nothing happened?"
She turned to me slowly.
That look on her face said everything:
Are you serious right now?
I raised my hands slightly.
"Don't get me wrong, I understand how you feel. But think about it…"
I leaned closer.
"We're not at school right now. There's no drama, no pressure, no reputation to maintain."
I paused.
"Here… it could just be like before. Not pretending. Just… simple. Genuine."
She stared at me.
Then snorted lightly.
"I don't know what Jack did to you yesterday," she said, "but everything sounds too pink and perfect coming from you."
I smiled.
"Maybe," I admitted. "But in the end, it's your decision. No one's forcing you."
I hugged her gently.
"And whatever you choose, I'm right here."
We went downstairs for breakfast.
And the moment I saw Jack…
I felt my face heat up instantly.
We literally slept together last night.
And here he was, completely normal. Smiling. Passing me things like nothing happened.
May came running in with a tray of sweets.
We all started tasting them like kids.
Lily loved the orange one.
Kyle, of course, refused at first—until Jack told him to try the strawberry one.
He liked it. Obviously.
He just didn't want to admit it.
Jack picked the lemon one.
"It has a kick," he said proudly.
I chose the cherry one…
But honestly?
I wanted to try his.
Unfortunately, by the time he finished talking about it like it was a commercial…
It was gone.
I walked out to the backyard, sat down, and dramatically mourned the candy I never got to taste.
A few seconds later—
Jack appeared.
"You still want to try the lemon one?" he asked casually.
My eyes lit up.
"You still have one? Yes—please!"
Before I could react—
He gently held my jaw…
…and placed the candy directly into my mouth.
"Tell me how it tastes later," he whispered.
Then he walked away.
I froze.
My entire face turned red.
Is this… normal behaviour?
Because I don't think this is normal behaviour.
I looked around quickly.
No one saw.
I almost died.
After that, Jack disappeared again, something about family matters, but he promised to meet us at the festival.
So Lily, May, and I got ready together.
We wore yukatas.
I had a yellow one.
Lily wore pink.
May had a beautiful purple one with flowers.
As we walked toward the festival, I noticed Lily slowing down.
She was thinking.
Still thinking about Beau.
I nudged her.
"What? Are you so excited to see him that you can't even walk properly?"
She snapped back immediately.
"Who said I'm going to see him? I'll just… check if his story is true."
I smiled.
Caught.
Before I could tease her more, May suddenly jumped in.
"Hey! Let's go there first! And then that shop after! What are you guys doing? We're here to have fun!"
Lily grabbed the opportunity.
"You heard her," she said, pulling my hand. "Let's go."
And just like that, we got pulled into a full food-and-shopping adventure.
This wasn't a normal festival.
It was… luxury.
Instead of small food stalls, there were full restaurants, patios, grills…
Boutiques, souvenirs, and even an amusement section.
I picked up some sports items for Tom.
Lily found her favourite lip gloss on sale and looked like she had just won the lottery.
Then May came next to me.
"Do you want help picking something for Jack?" she whispered.
"You still have time. Tomorrow is the day."
I blinked.
"What's happening tomorrow?"
She froze.
"…You're joking, right?"
I just stared at her.
She looked at me in disbelief.
"You seriously don't know?"
My silence was answer enough.
She sighed.
"Tomorrow is my brother's birthday."
"…His birthday?"
I practically shouted it.
And just like that—
Everything I had been ignoring…
Every little hint…
Every "strange" comment…
Came crashing down at once.
How did I miss this?
"This is bad…" I whispered.
"What do I do now?"