Amelia POV

It felt strange.

The moment he said... “May I?”

Today I realized consents are really beautiful. Even though I’m just a friend.

I did take a moment before saying yes and putting my hand on his. Not to decide whether to say yes or not, but to observe and admire the way he lets himself in, in the situation. Mindfully.  The way he asked me first, waiting for my answer in patience.

Him asking for my consent itself made me say yes without thinking anything else. I squealed in joy like the others did. And started vibing as usual with him.

Few couples including Katherine, Ryan, Sarah and Liam were doing all lovey dovey dance. Meanwhile, Andrew and Daisy seemed to fight even in dance, again. And me and Justin were doing something different from all of them...

“Relax your shoulders, Lia.”

He said, effortlessly, with his deep voice. And the closeness between our lips was hardly around a few inches. And that’s what increased my heart rate.

He gave me some time... as if to adjust with the music, the lighting, the change in atmosphere and with him. Though he maintained some distance, he was still close enough to rule on my heartbeat.

Naturally, we started to dance like other couples. Swaying our bodies according to the flow of music, holding hands lightly and looking into each other’s eyes.

It felt like the world around us... didn’t matter at all. He took it slow, very slow. Observing my actions, my expressions and my trust on him.

Neither of us could speak anything. Not because the situation was awkward, but because of the tension between us. We both knew we had some unique mixed feelings, yet we denied to admit or speak about it now.

Gradually, we picked up the vibe and rhythm, and began to dance accordingly. Thankfully, the music was slowly changing into pure party vibe, I was able to relax my shoulders. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to absorb what just happened.

On opening my eyes, I saw him. Standing right in front of me like always, with his charming smile.

“Do you need some water?” he asked in concern.

Thankfully the music was low enough for him not to shout. Or else the whole vibe of this situation would have been ruined by now.

“Please, if you can...” I replied. I really need a moment to deep breathe.

“Wait for me here. I’ll be right back,” he said and vanished into the crowd the very next second.

Justin POV

I went near the buffet counter to fetch a water bottle for Lia. Since everyone was on the dance floor, it was a little difficult to navigate through the crowd.

Within a few minutes or so, I got Lia a water bottle and left to find her.

My phone buzzed.

Lia💬:
“Please come at the entrance of the lodge.”

Did something happen to her? Did my presence made her feel uncomfortable? Or does she want to talk about anything serious?

I was about to walk towards the exit of the hall, and I spotted Liam. Just to inform someone in our group, I signalled him that I’m leaving the hall. Getting my gesture, he showed me a thumbs up and continued dancing with Sarah.

I made my way through the crowd, towards the exit of the hall. Outside, there were many students of our uni who were done with the celebrations and dance and wanted to rest before the games.

Holding the water bottle firmly in one hand and dialling Lia’s number on my phone on the other hand, I almost reached by the entrance. Before I could call Lia on phone, I spotted her, sitting quietly on a bench.

“Is everything alright, Lia?” I asked slowly and gently, passing her the water bottle.

“Oh, Justin. Thanks for the water.”

“My pleasure. But tell me, is there anything wrong? You left the hall and came out in the open suddenly...”

“I was just not feeling well inside. You know, loud music, too many people around...” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah, I totally get it,” I replied, sighing a breath of relief to know it wasn’t because of me.

“You can go back to the hall if you wish to... I don’t want to you to keep waiting for me,” she asserted.

“No, no, there’s nothing like that. Even I wasn’t feeling like being there for much...”

The truth is I wanted to wait for her. I want to be there wherever she’s present.

For a moment, there was silence between us – the kind that wasn’t scary, but the one that felt comforting after so long. The one in which I can spend my whole life to live it, again and again.

“Oh by the way, this is for you. I hope you like it...”

She said sweetly, giving me a cute little bag. Oh her sweet voice is really something else.

I wondered what that bag could have. And anyways, I decided to open it.

Inside, there was a small box beautifully wrapped in golden yellow gift paper.

“For me?” I asked her, chuckling.

She nodded energetically with a huge pretty smile on her lips. There must be something really worth her smile.

I carefully took the box out and placed the little bag between us. I removed the gift paper slowly, trying to cause minimum damage to it; because in this moment even the gift paper felt very special.

The box had a subtle beige background colour upon which patterns like hearts, stars, waves and kisses... Wait. What? Kisses?!

KISSES?!?!?

What does that symbolize?! Is it any kind of a hint from her side? Should I take it serious? Or is it something that she herself didn’t notice?

Controlling myself to smile like an idiot, I opened the box.

Initially what my eyes saw, was, colors and her efforts. Whatever items were in the box were all of different colors, which made the whole gift look colorful and vibrant. And I know very well that Lia didn’t plan this before coming to the trip. It’s either after coming here or today in the morning.

I looked closely at the items.

Two keychains. One had a football and another had a ‘J’ letter attached to it. A pack of scented candles. And a cute little colorful girly diary.

“Aww, these are so cute.”

“You really like them?” she looked at me with her cute questionable face.

“I loved them,” I replied with a smile.

“Glad to know,” saying this, her smile got much wider.

I picked the diary first. It was really very cute. Handmade bookmark. Colorful front page. Overall calm subtle color. Beautiful circular and linear designs. Everything about it was more than perfect.

Then I picked the keychains. The football attached one was too precious for me. And the ‘J’ letter one? God, that was the best. The letter ‘J’ was made up of glass with a slight hint of turquoise blue, which made it look elegant. 

“Oh by the way, I suggest you to join both the keychains. They’ll look better,” she suggested, pointed at the keychains I was holding.

“Is that so?”

“Mhmm mhmm, try it once. If you like it, keep them joined in one,” she replied.

“Sure, I’ll do that when we get back tomorrow,” I said softly.

She smiled once more and lightly nodded her head.

We stayed like that. For long. Staring the skies. In silence.

After the Christmas celebration, sitting with someone very close to you, under the open night sky, feels like this is everything I’d wished for. Neither of us cared about the time, the celebrations going inside or tomorrow’s morning. It was simply us, living in present, living the moment.

Next Day,
Author POV

Morning sunlight slipped quietly through the half-drawn curtains, landing in soft patches over unmade beds and scattered suitcases.

Everyone woke up without alarms, without urgency—just slow blinks, lazy stretches, and that warm awareness that today held no tasks, no schedules, no rush. The lodge felt different this morning… lighter, softer, as if even the walls knew the trip was winding down.

The corridors soon filled with the gentle buzz of voices. Some students padded out with messy hair and hoodies thrown over their night clothes, heading straight for the balcony to feel the winter breeze one last time.

Others were already outside, strolling around the perimeter of the lodge—taking in the little things they had ignored until now: the old wooden swing under the banyan tree, the narrow stone path leading to the back garden.

Justin walked with his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning every corner with a quiet smile. Amelia trailed beside him, holding a cup of hot chocolate from the breakfast counter, her eyes fixed on the distant hills wrapped in a soft morning haze.

Their friends drifted around them, sometimes together, sometimes in pairs, sometimes totally lost in their own thoughts.

There was no heaviness in the air. No gloomy silence that usually comes with goodbyes. Instead, everything felt… serene. Warm. Like everyone had accepted the ending with peace because of how beautiful the days leading here had been.

Inside the lobby, professors moved briskly, clipboards in hand, speaking into phones as they coordinated with the travel teams. Buses were being checked, timings being confirmed, luggage tags being prepared. They weren’t in their strict-professor mode today; even they carried the soft glow of last night’s Christmas celebration.

By noon, students were packing slowly, folding clothes while reminiscing, stuffing snacks into bags, and laughing about moments that were already on their way to becoming memories.

The lodge rooms were turning bittersweet with every zip of a suitcase.

As the clock in the reception struck 4 PM, everything came together like the last scene of a film. People gathered near the gates, dragging their luggage, calling out names, taking “one last” group photo, then another “one last” because someone blinked.

No one cried. No one faked sadness.

It was the kind of ending where everyone was simply… grateful.

Grateful for the laughter shared under fairy lights the night before.

Grateful for the long walks, the silly arguments, the stolen quiet moments.

And grateful for the memories—soft, glowing, and beautifully theirs—tucked safely in their hearts as they finally boarded the buses home.

This chapter felt like holding a snowflake—delicate, quiet, and gone too soon. Christmas lights, slow dances, soft confessions that never turned into words… and then the morning goodbyes. I hope you felt the warmth and the ache exactly the way Amelia and Justin did.

Please vote and comment if you liked this chapter. The next chapter will be updated soon. Take care, cuties 💙

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