We stayed by the fire until dawn painted the sky in soft pinks and golds. The Mountain Guardians had faded with the darkness, and even the drums had fallen silent. Aling Marta and Kiko had left hours earlier, promising to return at sunrise with tools to fix our vans.
Gian and Alliyah were still wrapped under a single blanket, sitting close together as they whispered quietly. When Alliyah yawned, Gian carefully adjusted the blanket to cover her better – his movements gentle and deliberate. "Looks like someone's falling for her," Lisha teased me, pointing at the pair. I smiled and glanced at Jeffrey and Charmine, who were asleep in each other's arms, their hands still intertwined.
Andre had his arm around my shoulder, dozing off beside me. "You should get some rest," he murmured, kissing the top of my head. "We've got a lot to do today." I leaned against him as sleep quickly overcame me. Before I drifted off, I noticed Benjamin sitting a little ways from the group, watching Lisha and Mae as they cleaned up the fire pit. He'd been quiet all night, and I wondered what was on his mind.
When I woke up, the sun was high in the sky, and Aling Marta and Kiko were already working on our vans with El-John and Jeffrey. Charmine was bringing them water and snacks, pausing occasionally to watch Jeffrey work – he'd catch her eye and smile, making her blush.
"Morning, sleepyhead!" Gian said, holding out a bowl of warm porridge Aling Marta had made. "Alliyah's helping gather firewood – she said we should eat breakfast before we start working."
"How are the vans looking?" I asked.
"Kiko says he can fix both before sunset," he replied. "Alliyah and I were talking… maybe we could go camping here again sometime. Just the two of us, if she wants to."
"She definitely wants to," I smiled. "Ask her properly when we're not stuck here with mountain spirits."
Gian laughed as Alliyah arrived, carrying an armful of firewood. She sat beside him, naturally leaning against his arm. "Did you tell her about our plan?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Not all of it," he said, taking her hand. "I saved the best part for later."
As we ate breakfast, Benjamin suddenly spoke up. "Lisha… can we talk for a minute?"
She looked surprised but nodded, following him to a spot a little distance from the group. We watched as he gestured while talking, and her expression softened as she listened. When they came back, Lisha took his hand. "Benjamin just told me he's wanted to ask me out since our senior year of high school," she beamed. "I said yes."
Everyone cheered, and Mae pulled them both into a hug. "About time! I've been waiting for you two to figure it out!"
By mid-afternoon, one van was fixed, and work was progressing well on the second. Alliyah and Gian were helping Kiko – Gian was drawing diagrams to make sure the wires were connected correctly. "I didn't know you were good at stuff like this besides drawing?" Alliyah teased.
"Art and engineering both require precision," he smiled.
Charmine and Jeffrey were changing the slashed tires – he showed her how to use the jack, and she picked it up quickly. "My grandpa was a mechanic," she explained. "Guess it runs in the family."
Andre and I were cleaning out the vans, neatly packing all our gear. "You know," he said suddenly, "once we get back to the city… maybe we could make this real. Us, I mean."
My heart raced. "You mean… like dating?"
"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We've been friends forever, but after yesterday… I realized I don't want to just be friends anymore."
I hugged him tightly. "You have no idea how much I want that."
As we loaded the last of our things into the vans, we noticed Benjamin standing nearby, watching Lisha as she chatted excitedly with Andre about organizing our gear. We could see he was upset as he slowly walked over to them.
"Hey Lisha," he said in a somewhat stiff voice, "can you help me organize some of my stuff? I don't think it'll all fit."
Lisha looked at him and noticed the tension in his face. "Sure, give me a second," she said to Andre before going over to Benjamin.
As they organized his things, we saw Benjamin glaring at Andre. Andre came over to me and whispered, "He seems to have a problem with me. I don't know why."
I looked at Benjamin and realized what was happening. When Lisha was talking with Andre earlier, Benjamin had gotten jealous. El-John walked over to Benjamin and pulled him aside.
"Hey man," El-John said, "you okay? You look like you've got a lot on your mind."
Benjamin took a deep breath before speaking. "I just saw them talking so happily… I know they're friends, but… I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
El-John smiled and patted his shoulder. "You're not the only one who'd think that, but you need to trust her. You know she loves you, and Andre knows you two are together."
Meanwhile, I went over to Lisha to tell her about Benjamin. She looked surprised but nodded. "I didn't know he felt that way," she said. "I should talk to him properly."
She walked over to Benjamin, took his hand, and started talking to him gently. We could see the tension slowly leaving his face, and in the end, he smiled and nodded. He walked over to Andre and held out his hand.
"Sorry if I seemed mad at you earlier," he said. "I was just jealous. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or Lisha."
Andre smiled and shook his hand. "It's alright, man. I understand. You love her, right? Just remember that you two are both my friends – I'd never do anything to mess that up."
After that, things started to get back to normal. We loaded the last of our things into the vans and thanked Aling Marta and Kiko profusely.
"If you want to visit again," Kiko said to us, smiling more often now, "just let us know. Just don't forget the mountain's rules."
We all nodded and said our goodbyes. Before we drove off, I looked at our group – Gian and Alliyah holding hands, Jeffrey and Charmine chatting happily, Lisha and Benjamin sitting close together, and Andre holding my hand. Even with all the problems and jealousy that came up, our friendship had grown stronger – and the feelings that blossomed in the middle of fear and teamwork were now more solid than ever.