Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 58 - LINE WITHOUT A HOOK

"We're here!!!" Inez shouted, her voice like a firework in the quiet hush of arrival.

The bus doors opened with a hiss, and we stepped into warmth. The ocean air greeted us immediately, briny and familiar, thick with salt and sunlight. Seagulls called somewhere in the distance, their cries cutting through the chatter of excited students. People were already pulling out their phones, running to the signage at the resort entrance, posing with peace signs, group hugs, and bright, tired grins. The sand beneath my slippers was pale and soft, like powdered sugar. The sea beyond was glittering, endless, blue stretched over blue. And for a second, I forgot the weight I’d carried for months.

Mr. Oxford had already started toward the reception area, his leather satchel swinging at his side. Inez clapped her hands, her stacked rings catching the sun.

“Guyysss, let’s take a group photo!” she called out.

We all huddled together. Somehow, without planning it, I ended up on the leftmost end. Inez stood beside me, then Tim, then Corey and Drake, followed by Matt, and finally, James. I could feel him before I even looked. The warmth of him. The scent of salt and his cologne, faint, but sharp enough to stir something deep in my chest. We hadn’t said much since the bus. But now, standing in a line like we used to in simpler times, it was as if nothing and everything had changed.

“Okay… one… two… three...” Kath called out.

I smiled just enough. Not too wide. Just enough to say I’m here. I survived.
The shutter clicked.

“Matttt!!!” Inez groaned. “You can’t smile even for the camera?”

Matt sighed. “This is my smiling face.”

“No, that’s your constipated face,” Inez quipped, nudging him.

Tim burst out laughing. “Guys, give him a break. You know he’s allergic to public displays of joy.”

“I smile internally,” Matt defended, deadpan.

“Internally?” Corey repeated. “Bro, you look like you just found out your stocks crashed.”

“Okay okay,” Inez said, waving them off with a grin. “Round two. Smile like you’re not dying inside!”

We repositioned. I felt James shift slightly closer to me. Our arms didn’t touch, but our shadows did, brushing in the golden light like ghosts of old promises.

“Smile,” Kath reminded.

This time, I didn’t think. I glanced at James. He looked at me. The camera clicked again, but it didn’t matter. That quiet moment, our eyes locking in the soft, heavy air, was louder than anything else.

Inez turned to me as we dispersed. “You okay?” she asked under her breath.

I nodded. “Yeah.” I wasn’t lying.

We made our way to the cabanas. Students rushed past, giddy and shouting, hauling beach bags, speakers, floaties shaped like flamingos and doughnuts. But for us seven, our group, it was slower. Quieter. Like we all knew we were walking into something we couldn’t name. Back then, when we came here together, it was chaos and innocence.
Now, it was memory. Worn edges.
But maybe something close to peace. James walked a few steps behind me. I didn’t look back, but I felt it, his presence trailing mine like a tide reluctant to pull away. The ocean wind tousled my burgundy hair, lifting strands to dance in the sun. I touched the cloud pendant around my neck. The same sky. A different version of me. And still… the sea remained. Waiting. Watching. The ocean always remembered. Even when we tried to forget.

We followed the bellboys along a stone pathway veiled with palm shadows. Mine and Inez’s cabana had white curtains fluttering like quiet secrets. The boys' was just across, echoing with Drake and Corey’s laughter already bouncing off the bamboo walls.