At the beach

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden hue across the shoreline as the waves lapped softly at our feet. Cami and I walked barefoot along the edge of the beach, our sandals hanging from our fingers, letting the salt-laced breeze tangle our hair. The ocean stretched endlessly before us, calming and wild all at once. It felt like the perfect metaphor for everything swirling inside me.

"So," Cami started, bumping her shoulder against mine playfully, "are you going to tell me what's going on with the James-Jace soap opera, or do I have to dig it out of you like a bad splinter?"

I laughed, grateful for the lightness in her tone. "It's... complicated."

"Color me shocked," she said with a dramatic eye-roll. "You? Complicated romantic entanglements? Never."

We strolled in silence for a moment, watching a couple of kids chase a beach ball across the sand.

The waves murmured beside us, a steady rhythm that matched the unspoken thoughts swirling in my head. I kicked at a shell, sending it skittering down the shoreline.

Cami nudged me gently with her shoulder. "You know I'm only teasing… kind of. But seriously, Vee, are you okay?"

I sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Define 'okay.' If it means confused, mildly betrayed, and regretting 70% of my decisions this semester..then yeah, I'm peachy."

She chuckled, but her eyes held a softness that made my throat tighten. "You know, beach getaways were supposed to be about sun, saltwater, and forgetting all the guys who give us headaches."

I laughed, genuinely this time. "That was your plan. I just came for the snacks and moral support."

"You're impossible," she muttered, but her grin said otherwise.

"I talked to both of them," I said eventually.

Cami turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "Both? In the same day?"

"Different days, but yeah. James found me near the fountain. Again. He wanted to explain."

"Of course he did," she muttered.

I ignored the snark and went on. "He told me he and Alana broke up weeks ago. That he didn't say anything publicly because he didn't want to embarrass her. He swears he didn't lie to me he just... omitted."

Cami scoffed. "That's still lying."

"I know. But the way he said it... I don't know. It felt real honest. For once."

"And Jace?"

"He found me at the café the next morning. He saw me with James. Said he wasn't surprised." I swallowed. "He told me he knew I still had feelings. That I needed to figure out who I am before I choose anyone."

Cami looked at me for a long moment. "He's a good guy."

"He is."

"But?"

I let out a breath. "But James stirs something in me. Something that scares me."

She nodded. "That fire again."

"Yeah."

We reached a cluster of rocks and climbed up, finding a flat spot to sit where the waves occasionally splashed high enough to mist our legs. The sky was streaked in purples and oranges now.

"I'm going to say something and you might hate me for it," Cami said, digging her toes into the sand.

"When has that ever stopped you?"

She grinned. "Fair. Okay,James is your chaos. Your thrill. But thrill fades. Fire burns out."

"So you think I should pick Jace."

"No," she said. "I think you should pick you. Right now, you're choosing between two guys when you haven't chosen yourself yet."

I leaned back on my elbows, letting her words sink in.

"Also," she added, her voice softer, I don't think James is as single as he says.

I sat up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I follow Alana. Not intentionally,she's one of those people who just shows up. Yesterday she posted a photo of her and James. It looked... recent."

"Maybe it was an old one."

"Maybe. But the caption said, 'Can't wait for next weekend with you.'"

My stomach dropped.

"He said she wasn't letting go."

"He also said a lot of things."

I pressed my lips together, a pit forming in my gut.

Cami reached over, squeezing my hand. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

We fell into a comfortable silence, the crash of waves filling the space between us.

"You know," she said after a while, "this beach trip? Best idea we've had in weeks."

"Agreed."

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, lying on the sand, and eating overpriced ice cream from a shack nearby. I let myself breathe, let myself exist without the pressure of decisions, of boys, of broken promises.

That night, we built a small bonfire in the firepit outside our rental cabin. The stars twinkled above us, and for the first time in days, I felt calm.

Cami passed me a toasted marshmallow and said, "What if we just didn't go back? What if we stayed here, opened a surf shop, and pretended none of this ever happened?"

I laughed. "We don't surf."

"Minor detail."

Just then, her phone buzzed. She looked down and her eyes widened. "Okay, do not freak out."

My heart dropped. "Why would I freak out?"

She showed me the screen. It was Alana's latest story.

A video.

James. Laughing. Shirtless. Clearly at a beach.

And then her voice, in the background: "Our weekend getaway starts now."

"That's... here," Cami said. "That shack in the background? It's the same one we got ice cream from."

My blood ran cold.

"He's here?"

We stood, scanning the beach from the cabin steps. People sat around other bonfires. Couples strolled the shore.

And then I saw him.

James.

Walking down the beach toward us.

Hand in hand with Alana.

I turned back to Cami, throat tight. "I think I just got my answer."

Cami didn't say anything. She didn't need to.

We went inside, shut the door, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a strange kind of peace. Painful, but clear.

The fire wasn't real.

It was just a spark in the wind..bright, hot, and gone before you could hold onto it.

And maybe Jace was right.

Maybe choosing myself wasn't about picking between fire and calm.

Maybe it was walking away from both.

And finally learning how to stand alone.