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One night, as they sat near the dying embers of the campfire while everyone else had gone to sleep, Ben nudged Darius with his elbow.
âSo,â Ben said, voice low, âyou and Brooklyn.â
Darius blinked. âWhat about us?â
Ben grinned. âDonât play dumb. I see the way you look at her.â
Darius opened his mouth to protest, but Ben held up a hand. âDude. You volunteered to go look for me with her when I went missing. You literally carried her back to camp when she was sick. And donât think I didnât see you staring at her when yâall were making that fire.â
Darius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. âItâs not like that, man.â
âReally?â Ben smirked. âThen why are you blushing?â
Darius groaned. âFine. Maybe I do like her.â He exhaled, shaking his head. âI donât know, man. Itâs weird. Sheâs loud, reckless, stubborn⊠but sheâs also funny. And smart. And, I donât know, she just gets people in a way that surprises me.â
Ben leaned forward. âSo what are you gonna do about it?â
Darius hesitated. âNothing,â he finally said. âI donât even know if she likes me like that. And besidesâŠâ His expression darkened. âI think Kenji likes her too.â
Benâs smirk disappeared. âAh. Thatâs a problem.â
Darius didnât respond. He just stared at the fire, watching as the embers flickered and dimmed.
The air between Darius and Kenji had started to shift. It wasnât outright hostility, at least not yet. But there was an unspoken competition between them now. Anyone could sense the subtle tension in the way they spoke, the way they glanced at Brooklyn when the other was around.
Brooklyn, for her part, was oblivious to it. Or maybe she noticed but chose to ignore it.
She still teased Darius like always, poking fun at his serious nature. But she also found herself stealing glances at him when he wasnât looking, noticing little things like how the firelight flickered in his deep brown eyes or how his dreadlocks complimented his features.
With Kenji, things felt easier, effortless. He made her laugh, made her feel light. But with Darius⊠it was different.
She didnât know what that meant yet.
But something told her she was going to find out eventually.