JAY POV DAY 4 I woke up early on the fourth morning of our trip.
The sunlight was coming through the curtains, and for a few seconds, I forgot where I was.
Then I remembered everything—the trip, the hotel, and most importantly, Kiefer.
I turned toward him.
He was still sleeping.
I smiled and whispered, “Kiefer.” He didn’t move.
I poked his shoulder and said, “Wake up.” He opened one eye and looked at me.
“What?” he asked sleepily.
“We’re going to be late,” I said.
He immediately sat up.
“What?
Why didn’t you wake me earlier?” he asked.
I started laughing.
“I did.
Three times,” I said.
He stared at me.
“You were enjoying watching me sleep, weren’t you?” he asked.
“Maybe,” I said, smiling.
He grabbed his pillow and threw it at me.
“You’re annoying,” he said.
I caught the pillow and laughed.
“But you love me,” I said.
He smiled.
“Unfortunately, I do,” he said.
I threw the pillow back at him.
“Get ready,” I said.
We eventually got ready and joined everyone downstairs.
Our group spent the day exploring the city.
We walked through old streets, visited different places, took pictures, and stopped at little shops along the way.
Kiefer kept taking pictures of me.
“Jay, stand there,” he said.
“No,” I said.
“Just one picture,” he said.
“You’ve already taken like twenty,” I said.
“And I need twenty-one,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
“Fine,” I said.
I stood where he told me to stand.
He lifted his phone and took the picture.
“Done,” he said.
I walked toward him.
“Let me see it,” I said.
He immediately moved the phone away.
“No,” he said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because it’s mine,” he said.
“It’s a picture of me,” I said.
“Exactly,” he said.
I stared at him.
“Give me the phone,” I said.
He laughed and started walking away.
“Come get it,” he said.
I ran after him.
“Kiefer!” I shouted.
He laughed as he ran.
“You can’t catch me!” he said.
Everyone around us started laughing.
I finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm.
“Give it to me,” I said.
He looked at me and smiled.
“Okay, okay,” he said.
He handed me the phone.
I looked at the picture.
It was actually beautiful.
I looked back at him.
“You took a good picture,” I said.
“I always do,” he said.
“Of course you would say that,” I said.
He smiled.
“Because it’s true,” he said.
I laughed.
The rest of the day passed quickly.
That evening, Kiefer and I sat outside the hotel for a while.
I leaned my head against his shoulder.
“I don’t want this trip to end,” I said.
He looked down at me.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because everything feels perfect here,” I said.
He gently squeezed my hand.
“Then we’ll make more memories after we go home,” he said.
I smiled.
“Promise?” I asked.
“Promise,” he said.
I looked at him and smiled.
For that moment, I didn’t want anything else.
LILY POV DAY 4 I watched Jay and Kiefer from a distance.
They looked happy.
Ella looked at me.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I’m okay,” I said.
Sophia looked at me.
“You don’t look okay,” she said.
I looked toward Jay and Kiefer again.
“It still hurts,” I admitted.
Ella squeezed my hand.
“You don’t have to hide it,” she said.
I gave her a small smile.
“I know,” I said.
I looked at Kiefer.
“I just wish I could stop loving him,” I whispered.
Sophia looked at me sadly.
“Maybe one day you will,” she said.
I nodded.
“Maybe,” I said.
JAY POV DAY 5 On the fifth day, we went to a beautiful lake.
The weather was calm, and the water was almost completely still.
Kiefer and I found a bench away from most of the group.
He handed me a cup of coffee.
I looked at it.
“You remembered my order,” I said.
“Of course I did,” he said.
I smiled.
“You remember everything about me?” I asked.
“Almost everything,” he said.
I laughed.
“What’s something you don’t remember?” I asked.
“Where I put my phone five minutes ago,” he said.
I laughed.
“You’re impossible,” I said.
He smiled.
“But you still love me,” he said.
“Unfortunately,” I said.
He laughed.
We sat quietly for a while.
Then he reached for my hand.
I looked at him.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
He intertwined his fingers with mine.
I smiled.
I rested my head against his shoulder.
“Kiefer?” I said.
“Hmm?” he asked.
“Do you ever think about our future?” I asked.
He looked at me.
“All the time,” he said.
“What do you see?” I asked.
He smiled.
“You,” he said.
I looked away.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s everything,” he said.
My heart skipped.
I smiled.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too,” he said.
For a while, we just watched the water together.
I wished I could freeze that moment forever.
COMING HOME The next morning, everyone packed their bags.
The bus was waiting outside the hotel.
I climbed onto the bus and took my seat beside Kiefer.
He looked at me.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said.
He laughed.
“We have to eventually,” he said.
I leaned against his shoulder.
“I had the best week,” I said.
He looked down at me.
“Me too,” he said.
The bus started moving.
Everyone slowly became quiet.
Some people slept.
Some listened to music.
Some looked through the pictures they had taken.
I held Kiefer’s hand and looked out the window.
The places we’d visited slowly disappeared behind us.
Kiefer squeezed my hand.
“Don’t be sad,” he said.
“I’m not sad,” I said.
“You look sad,” he said.
“I’m just going to miss this,” I said.
He smiled.
“We’ll come back someday,” he said.
“Promise?” I asked.
“Promise,” he said.
I smiled.
LILY POV I sat beside Ella and Sophia as the bus continued toward home.
I looked out the window.
The trip was ending.
I looked toward Jay and Kiefer.
They were sitting together, talking quietly.
“Maybe I’ll be okay,” I whispered.
Ella looked at me.
“You will,” she said.
I nodded.
“I hope so,” I said.
I know it was lie Cause i was breaking so much from inside