🌴 TIDES BETWEEN US

Chapter 1 — The Return of Riley

The sun was already sinking when Maya Lee stepped out onto the wooden deck of her beach bar, the warm planks humming beneath her bare feet. The evening breeze carried the scent of salt and grilled pineapple, and the sky glowed in shades of coral and lavender. It was the kind of summer night that made people fall in love with the coast — and with each other.

Maya wiped her hands on her apron and surveyed the crowd. Tourists lounged in hammocks strung between palm trees, locals clustered around the bar sipping mojitos, and a group of surfers laughed loudly near the shoreline. Everything felt alive, vibrant, humming with the energy of a long, hot season.

But Maya’s attention drifted, as it often did, toward the lifeguard tower.

Lucas Rivera stood at the top, scanning the water with that calm, steady focus she’d come to know so well. His silhouette was unmistakable — tall, broad‑shouldered, sun‑kissed skin, dark hair tied back in a loose knot. He looked like he belonged to the ocean, like the tide itself had shaped him.

And for months now, he had been the quiet center of her world.

Not officially. Not defined. But real.

He came to her bar after his shifts. Helped her carry crates. Stayed late to talk. Sometimes they walked the beach together until the moon was high. Sometimes they sat in silence, and it felt like enough.

She didn’t know what they were. But she knew what she felt.

And she knew he felt something too.

She was about to wave at him when she saw him stiffen — just slightly, but enough for her to notice. His gaze shifted toward the parking lot.

Maya followed his line of sight.

A woman had just stepped out of a dusty silver Jeep.

And Maya felt the air change.

The woman was striking — sun‑bleached hair pulled into a messy bun, tanned skin, denim shorts, a loose white shirt knotted at the waist. She moved with the easy confidence of someone who had lived out of backpacks and airports. A camera hung from her shoulder, and her eyes — sharp, curious, restless — scanned the beach like she was returning to a place she’d once known intimately.

Lucas climbed down from the tower.

Slowly. Carefully. As if approaching a ghost.

Maya’s stomach tightened.

The woman saw him — and froze.

Then she smiled. Soft. Sad. Familiar.

“Lucas,” she said.

His voice was barely audible from where Maya stood, but she saw his lips form the name:

“Riley.”

Maya’s heart dropped.

She knew that name. Everyone in town did.

Riley Hart. The girl who had once been Lucas’ entire world. The girl who had left — suddenly, painfully — two years ago.

The girl he had never talked about.

Not really.

Not enough.

Maya watched as they stood facing each other, the ocean wind tugging at their clothes, the sky burning behind them. There was history in the space between them — thick, unspoken, electric.

Riley stepped closer.

Lucas didn’t move.

Maya felt something inside her twist.

She didn’t know if it was jealousy. Fear. Or something deeper — something she didn’t want to name.

She forced herself to look away and returned to the bar, her hands trembling slightly as she grabbed a stack of glasses. She tried to focus on the customers, the music, the rhythm of the evening.

But her mind kept drifting back to the shoreline.

To Lucas. To Riley. To the way the air had shifted the moment she arrived.

Lucas didn’t know how long he stood there, staring at Riley as the world blurred around them. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been crying — not loudly, not dramatically, but quietly, like someone who had already made up her mind.

“I can’t stay,” she had said. And he hadn’t stopped her.

He’d wanted to. God, he’d wanted to.

But he’d been too afraid of holding her back. Too afraid of needing her more than she needed him.

Now she was here. In front of him. Real.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi,” he echoed.

“You look… good.”

“You look… like you’ve been everywhere.”

She laughed — that same warm, reckless sound he’d memorized.

“I have,” she said. “But I missed this place.”

He swallowed. “Why are you back?”

Her smile faltered. “Because I realized something.”

“What?”

“That running doesn’t fix anything.”

Lucas exhaled, the weight of two years pressing against his ribs.

Before he could respond, a voice called from the bar:

“Lucas! We need more ice!”

Maya.

He turned instinctively.

Riley followed his gaze.

Her expression shifted — curiosity, surprise, something unreadable.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

Lucas hesitated.

“Maya,” he said. “She owns the bar.”

“And you two are…?”

He opened his mouth.

Closed it.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

Riley’s eyes softened. “Lucas…”

He shook his head. “It’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?”

He didn’t answer.

Because he didn’t know.

Not yet.

Maya was stacking bottles when Lucas approached the bar. She didn’t look up.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

“Of course,” she said, too quickly.

“Maya…”

She forced a smile. “You don’t owe me anything, Lucas.”

“That’s not what this is.”

“Then what is it?” she asked, echoing Riley’s question without knowing it.

He didn’t answer.

Because he couldn’t.

Not yet.

Riley walked toward the bar, brushing sand from her legs. When she reached them, she hesitated — just long enough for Maya to notice.

“Hi,” Riley said. “I’m Riley.”

“Maya,” she replied, keeping her voice steady.

Their eyes met.

Something flickered.

Recognition? Curiosity? A spark Maya didn’t expect?

Riley smiled — warm, open, disarming.

“I love your bar,” she said. “It feels… alive.”

“Thank you,” Maya said softly.

Lucas watched them, something unreadable in his expression.

The sun dipped below the horizon.

The first stars appeared.

And Maya felt it — the shift, the pull, the beginning of something she didn’t understand yet.

Something that would change everything.

Chapter 2 — Three Paths Cross

The next morning arrived warm and bright, the kind of summer day that made the ocean look like liquid glass. Maya unlocked the bar early, letting the sunlight spill across the wooden floorboards. She inhaled deeply — coconut oil, sea salt, fresh limes. Normally, this scent grounded her.

Today, it didn’t.

Her mind kept replaying the moment from last night: Lucas and Riley standing together, the air between them charged with something old and unresolved.

Maya tried to shake it off. She had work to do. She chopped fruit, arranged chairs, wiped down tables. But every few minutes, her thoughts drifted back to the beach.

To Lucas. To Riley. To the way Riley had looked at her — curious, warm, almost… intrigued.

Maya didn’t know what to make of that.

She was still lost in thought when the bar door swung open.

“Morning,” a familiar voice said.

Maya turned.

Lucas stood there, hair still damp from the ocean, a towel slung over his shoulder. His presence always filled the room — calm, steady, grounding. But today, something in his expression was different. Tense. Uncertain.

“Hey,” Maya said, forcing a smile. “You’re early.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted.

She nodded. “Because of… yesterday?”

He hesitated. “Yeah.”

Maya swallowed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Lucas leaned against the counter, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t know she was coming back.”

“I figured.”

“She didn’t tell anyone.”

Maya kept her voice gentle. “How do you feel?”

He exhaled slowly. “I don’t know.”

She nodded again, even though the answer stung. Of course he didn’t know. Of course he was confused.

Riley was a storm he’d never fully recovered from.

Before Maya could respond, the door opened again.

Riley stepped inside.

Sunlight framed her like a halo, her camera hanging from her shoulder, her hair loose and wind‑tousled. She wore a faded tank top and cutoff shorts, and she looked like she’d walked straight out of a travel magazine.

“Morning,” Riley said, her voice soft but bright.

Lucas straightened.

Maya’s pulse quickened.

Riley’s eyes moved between them — not judgmental, not jealous, just… observant. Like she was trying to understand the shape of something she hadn’t expected to find.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Riley said.

“You’re not,” Lucas replied quickly.

Maya wasn’t sure if that was true.

Riley stepped closer to the bar. “I wanted to apologize for dropping in last night like a hurricane.”

Maya blinked. “You didn’t.”

Riley laughed softly. “Trust me, I know the effect I have when I show up unannounced.”

Lucas looked away.

Maya wasn’t sure what to say.

Riley continued, “I thought maybe… we could start over? Properly this time.”

She extended her hand toward Maya.

Maya hesitated — then took it.

“Hi,” Riley said warmly. “I’m Riley. I used to live here. I used to be with Lucas. And I’m trying to figure out who I am now.”

Maya felt something shift inside her — not jealousy, not fear, but something more complicated. Something that made her chest tighten.

“I’m Maya,” she said. “I run this place. And I’m… figuring things out too.”

Their hands lingered a second longer than necessary.

Lucas noticed.

Riley released Maya’s hand and turned to him. “I was thinking… maybe we could all grab breakfast? Catch up. Or… get to know each other.”

Lucas blinked. “All three of us?”

Riley shrugged. “Why not? I don’t bite.”

Maya wasn’t sure if that was true.

But something in Riley’s smile — open, hopeful, a little vulnerable — made it impossible to say no.

“Sure,” Maya said before she could stop herself.

Lucas looked relieved.

Riley looked pleased.

And Maya felt the ground shift beneath her feet.

They walked along the boardwalk toward a small café overlooking the water. The sun was already high, the waves glittering like diamonds. Tourists wandered past with surfboards and iced coffees, music drifted from open windows, and the whole town buzzed with summer energy.

Riley walked between them, her camera clicking every few seconds.

“You still take photos constantly,” Lucas said, a hint of fondness in his voice.

Riley grinned. “Some habits don’t die.”

“What are you shooting?” Maya asked.

“Everything,” Riley said. “The light here is different. Softer. More honest.”

Maya raised a brow. “Honest?”

Riley nodded. “Some places hide things. This place… reveals them.”

Maya wasn’t sure if she liked the sound of that.

They reached the café and found a table on the deck. The ocean breeze brushed against their skin, warm and salty.

A server brought menus.

Riley didn’t open hers. “I already know what I want.”

Lucas smiled. “Still the coconut pancakes?”

“You remember,” Riley said softly.

Maya looked away, pretending to study the menu.

Riley noticed.

“So, Maya,” she said gently, “how long have you lived here?”

“Five years,” Maya replied. “I moved here after college. I wanted something slower. Something real.”

Riley nodded. “I get that.”

“What about you?” Maya asked. “Where have you been?”

Riley laughed. “Everywhere. Thailand, Morocco, Iceland, Peru… I kept moving. Kept chasing something.”

“Did you find it?” Lucas asked quietly.

Riley’s smile faded. “No.”

The silence that followed was heavy — not awkward, but full of things unsaid.

Maya finally spoke. “Why did you come back?”

Riley looked at her — really looked at her — and Maya felt the intensity of that gaze like a warm tide pulling her in.

“Because I realized I left something behind,” Riley said. Then she added, softer: “Maybe more than one thing.”

Maya’s breath caught.

Lucas stared at Riley, stunned.

And Riley looked away, as if afraid of what she’d just admitted.

After breakfast, they walked back toward the beach. The sun was high now, the sand warm beneath their feet. Lucas had to return to the lifeguard tower, but he hesitated.

“Maybe we could all hang out later?” he asked.

Riley smiled. “I’d like that.”

Maya nodded. “Sure.”

Lucas jogged off toward the tower, leaving Maya and Riley alone.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Riley said quietly, “You care about him.”

Maya stiffened. “I… yes. I do.”

Riley nodded. “I can see why.”

Maya swallowed. “And you?”

Riley looked out at the ocean. “I’ll always care about him. But I’m not here to take him back.”

Maya blinked. “You’re not?”

Riley shook her head. “I’m here because I needed to stop running. And because… something about this place feels like a second chance.”

She turned to Maya.

“And maybe… someone.”

Maya’s heart skipped.

Riley smiled — soft, warm, a little shy.

“I hope that doesn’t scare you,” she said.

“It doesn’t,” Maya whispered.

But it did.

Not because she feared Riley.

But because she feared what she was starting to feel.

Chapter 3 — Old Flames, New Sparks

The afternoon heat settled over the beach like a warm blanket, thick and shimmering. Lucas stood at the edge of the shoreline, watching the waves roll in with steady rhythm. The ocean had always been his anchor — predictable, honest, grounding.

But today, even the tide felt uncertain.

He kept replaying the morning in his head: Riley’s smile. Maya’s quiet tension. The way the two women had looked at each other — curious, cautious, drawn in despite themselves.

He wasn’t sure what scared him more: That the past was returning… or that the future was shifting in ways he couldn’t control.

“Hey.”

Lucas turned.

Riley approached, barefoot in the sand, camera in hand. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid, strands escaping in the breeze. She looked like she belonged here — like she had never left.

But she had. And that wound still lived somewhere deep inside him.

“You’re avoiding me,” Riley said lightly.

“I’m working,” Lucas replied.

“You’re staring at the ocean like it’s going to give you answers.”

He sighed. “Maybe it will.”

Riley stepped beside him, close enough that he could feel her warmth. “Lucas… I didn’t come back to make things harder for you.”

“You didn’t come back to make things easier either.”

She winced. “Fair.”

A long silence stretched between them, filled with the sound of waves and distant laughter from the beach.

Finally, Riley spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Lucas closed his eyes.

He had waited two years to hear those words. He didn’t know what to do with them now.

“I know,” he said quietly.

“No,” Riley insisted. “You don’t. I didn’t leave because I stopped caring. I left because I cared too much. And I didn’t know how to stay without losing myself.”

Lucas turned to her. “You could have told me.”

“I didn’t know how,” she whispered.

He exhaled slowly. “You broke something in me.”

“I broke something in myself too.”

Their eyes met — old pain, old love, old gravity pulling them together.

But before the moment could deepen, a voice called from behind them:

“Lucas! Riley!”

They turned.

Maya stood a few meters away, holding a tray of drinks she’d brought for the lifeguards. Her hair was tied up, her cheeks flushed from the sun, and she looked… hesitant.

Like she wasn’t sure if she was interrupting something.

She was.

Riley smiled first. “Hey, Maya.”

Maya returned the smile — small, polite, but real. “I thought you two might be thirsty.”

Lucas took a bottle. “Thanks.”

Riley accepted hers. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Maya shrugged. “Perks of owning a bar.”

But her eyes flicked between them — reading the tension, the history, the unspoken words.

Lucas felt a pang of guilt.

Riley felt a pang of something else — something she didn’t want to name yet.

And Maya felt… left out. Not because she wanted to be the center of attention. But because she suddenly realized she wanted to understand the space between Lucas and Riley — not avoid it.

“Do you want to walk with us?” Riley asked.

Lucas blinked. “We were just—”

“Talking,” Riley finished. “But we can talk and walk.”

Maya hesitated.

Riley stepped closer, her voice soft. “Please?”

Something in her tone — gentle, inviting, almost vulnerable — made it impossible for Maya to refuse.

“Okay,” Maya said.

And just like that, the three of them walked down the shoreline together.

The beach stretched endlessly ahead, the sand warm beneath their feet. Children built sandcastles, surfers paddled out to catch the next wave, and the sun cast a golden glow over everything.

Riley snapped photos as they walked — of the water, the sky, the people, the tiny details most people overlooked.

“You see the world differently,” Maya said.

Riley smiled. “I try to.”

“What do you see when you look at this place?”

Riley lowered her camera. “Home. And regret. And possibility.”

Maya’s breath caught. “That’s… a lot.”

Riley laughed softly. “I’m a lot.”

Maya didn’t disagree.

Lucas walked beside them, listening quietly. He watched the way Riley’s eyes softened when she looked at Maya. He watched the way Maya’s shoulders relaxed around Riley. He watched something new forming — something he didn’t understand yet.

Something that scared him. And intrigued him.

They reached a rocky outcrop where the waves crashed dramatically against the shore. Riley climbed up first, agile and fearless. Maya followed more carefully, and Lucas stayed close behind her, ready to catch her if she slipped.

Riley sat on the highest rock, legs dangling over the edge. “This was always my favorite spot.”

Lucas nodded. “I remember.”

Maya looked between them. “Did you two come here a lot?”

Riley smiled. “All the time. Lucas taught me how to read the waves here.”

Lucas chuckled. “You were terrible at it.”

“I was enthusiastic,” Riley corrected.

“You almost drowned.”

“Details.”

Maya laughed — a genuine, warm sound that made both of them look at her.

Riley’s expression softened.

Lucas’s chest tightened.

Maya realized they were both watching her and looked away, cheeks warming.

Riley leaned back on her hands. “So… you and Lucas.”

Maya stiffened. “We’re not—”

Lucas interrupted. “It’s complicated.”

Riley nodded. “Most good things are.”

Maya swallowed. “We’re… close. But we haven’t defined anything.”

Riley looked at Lucas. “Is that what you want?”

Lucas hesitated.

Maya’s heart pounded.

Riley waited.

Finally, Lucas said, “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Riley nodded slowly. “That’s not an answer.”

Maya looked down at her hands.

Lucas looked at the ocean.

Riley looked at both of them — and saw the truth neither wanted to say.

“You care about each other,” she said softly.

Maya nodded.

Lucas nodded.

“And you care about me,” Riley added quietly.

Lucas froze.

Maya’s breath hitched.

Riley looked at Maya. “And I… care about you too.”

Maya’s eyes widened.

Lucas stared at Riley, stunned.

Riley shrugged, trying to play it off, but her voice trembled slightly. “I don’t know what any of this means yet. But I know what I feel. And I’m tired of pretending I don’t.”

The wind picked up, carrying the scent of salt and possibility.

Maya looked at Riley — really looked at her — and felt something shift inside her. Something warm. Something terrifying. Something undeniable.

Lucas looked at both of them and felt the ground tilt beneath him.

Three hearts. Three histories. Three futures colliding.

And none of them knew where it would lead.

But for the first time, none of them walked away.

Chapter 4 — The Night of the Bonfire

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the beach had transformed into something out of a dream. Lanterns hung from driftwood poles, casting warm circles of light across the sand. A massive bonfire crackled at the center, sparks drifting upward like fireflies. Music pulsed from portable speakers — soft indie guitar, mellow beats, the soundtrack of a perfect summer night.

It was the annual Solstice Beach Gathering, a tradition older than most of the locals. Everyone came — surfers, bartenders, tourists, families, musicians, wanderers. It was a night for stories, for dancing, for letting the tide wash away whatever you didn’t want to carry anymore.

Maya stood behind a makeshift bar she’d set up near the dunes, mixing drinks as people laughed and swayed around her. She wore a loose white dress that fluttered in the breeze, her hair down for once, catching the firelight.

She looked beautiful. She looked free. She looked… nervous.

Because she knew they were coming.

She felt it before she saw them — that shift in the air, that subtle tightening in her chest.

Lucas arrived first, carrying a crate of firewood. His shirt clung to him from the humidity, and the glow of the flames made his skin look golden. He spotted Maya and smiled — warm, familiar, grounding.

Her heart steadied.

Then she saw Riley.

Riley walked toward the fire with her camera in hand, the flames reflecting in her eyes. She wore a black tank top and denim shorts, her hair loose and wild from the wind. She moved with the kind of confidence that made people turn their heads without knowing why.

Maya’s breath caught.

Riley saw her — and her expression softened instantly.

“Hey,” Riley said, stepping closer.

“Hey,” Maya replied, trying not to stare.

“You look…” Riley paused, searching for the right word. “Luminous.”

Maya blinked. “That’s… a lot.”

Riley grinned. “You can handle it.”

Lucas joined them, brushing sand from his hands. “You two ready for tonight?”

Maya nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Riley tilted her head. “Nervous?”

“A little.”

“Good,” Riley said. “Means something’s about to happen.”

Maya wasn’t sure if that comforted her or terrified her.

As the night deepened, the bonfire grew taller, the music louder, the crowd looser. People danced barefoot in the sand, their silhouettes flickering in the firelight. Someone passed around sparklers. Someone else started singing. The whole beach felt alive, electric, humming with possibility.

Maya worked the bar for a while, but eventually Lucas convinced her to take a break.

“You deserve to enjoy the night too,” he said.

She let him take over and wandered toward the fire, where Riley was photographing the dancers.

Riley lowered her camera when she saw Maya approaching. “You okay?”

Maya nodded. “Just… taking it all in.”

Riley studied her for a moment. “You’re thinking too much.”

“I always think too much.”

“Then stop,” Riley said softly. “Just for tonight.”

Maya laughed. “Easier said than done.”

Riley stepped closer. “Let me help.”

Before Maya could ask what she meant, Riley reached out and took her hand — gently, but with intention.

Maya froze.

Riley’s thumb brushed her knuckles. “Come dance with me.”

“I don’t dance,” Maya whispered.

“You don’t have to,” Riley said. “Just move.”

Maya hesitated.

Riley waited — patient, warm, steady.

And Maya realized something: She wanted to say yes.

So she did.

They stepped into the circle of dancers, the fire crackling beside them. Riley didn’t pull her close — not yet. She just held Maya’s hand and swayed to the music, letting the rhythm guide them.

Maya felt awkward at first, self‑conscious, unsure.

But Riley didn’t let go.

“Look at me,” Riley said softly.

Maya did.

And the world blurred.

The firelight painted Riley’s skin in gold and shadow. Her eyes were bright, alive, full of something Maya couldn’t name. They moved together — slow, easy, natural — as if they’d been dancing for years instead of seconds.

Maya felt her heartbeat shift. Slow. Then fast. Then steady again.

Riley smiled. “See? You can dance.”

“I’m just following you.”

“Good,” Riley whispered. “Follow me a little longer.”

Maya’s breath caught.

She didn’t know what this was. She didn’t know where it was going. But she knew she didn’t want it to stop.

Lucas watched them from the edge of the crowd.

He had been talking with a group of surfers, but his attention kept drifting back to the fire — to Maya and Riley moving together, hands intertwined, faces lit by flames.

He felt something twist inside him.

Not jealousy. Not exactly.

Something more complicated. Something he didn’t have a name for.

He walked toward them slowly, unsure if he was interrupting or joining.

Riley saw him first.

She didn’t let go of Maya’s hand.

Instead, she extended her free hand toward Lucas.

An invitation.

Lucas hesitated.

Riley’s eyes softened. “Come here.”

Maya looked at him — nervous, hopeful, unsure.

Lucas stepped forward.

He took Riley’s hand.

And suddenly, the three of them were standing together in the firelight, the music pulsing around them, the night warm and alive.

Riley guided them — gentle, confident, intuitive. Maya relaxed into the movement. Lucas found the rhythm easily.

They weren’t dancing as three separate people. They were dancing as something else — something new, something fragile, something powerful.

A triangle. A tide. A beginning.

People around them laughed and spun and shouted, but the three of them moved in their own quiet orbit, connected by something deeper than the music.

Riley leaned her head against Maya’s shoulder.

Lucas brushed his fingers against Maya’s back.

Maya’s hand tightened around Riley’s.

And for a moment — one long, breathless moment — everything felt right.

Not simple. Not easy. But right.

Later, when the fire had burned low and the crowd had thinned, the three of them sat together on a large piece of driftwood, watching the embers glow.

Riley hugged her knees to her chest. “I forgot how beautiful this place is at night.”

Lucas nodded. “You used to say the fire looked like it was breathing.”

Riley smiled. “I was dramatic.”

“You still are,” Maya said softly.

Riley laughed. “Guilty.”

A comfortable silence settled over them.

Then Maya spoke. “Tonight felt… different.”

Lucas looked at her. “Different how?”

Maya hesitated. “Like something shifted.”

Riley’s voice was gentle. “Did it scare you?”

“A little.”

“Did it feel wrong?” Riley asked.

Maya shook her head. “No.”

Lucas swallowed. “Did it feel right?”

Maya looked at both of them — really looked — and felt her chest tighten with something warm and terrifying.

“Yes,” she whispered. “It did.”

Riley exhaled, relief softening her features.

Lucas’s shoulders relaxed.

The fire crackled.

The tide rolled in.

And the night wrapped around them like a promise.

Chapter 5 — Cracks in the Sand

The morning after the bonfire felt strangely quiet.

The beach was almost empty, save for a few early surfers and a couple walking their dog along the shoreline. The fire pit from the night before still smoldered faintly, a ghost of the flames that had burned so brightly.

Maya stood at the edge of the water, her toes sinking into the cool sand. The waves lapped gently at her feet, and the breeze carried the scent of salt and driftwood. She wrapped her arms around herself, not because she was cold, but because she felt… exposed.

Last night had changed something. She felt it in her chest, in her breath, in the way her skin still tingled where Riley had touched her hand. In the way Lucas had looked at her — and at Riley — like he was seeing something new.

Something he didn’t know how to name.

Maya didn’t know how to name it either.

She heard footsteps behind her.

“Maya?”

She turned.

Lucas approached, hands in his pockets, hair still damp from the ocean. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept much. His eyes searched hers, gentle but uncertain.

“Hey,” Maya said softly.

“Hey.”

He stopped beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.

“You left early last night,” he said.

“I needed air.”

Lucas nodded. “I figured.”

They stood in silence for a moment, watching the waves roll in.

Finally, Maya spoke. “Lucas… what are we doing?”

He exhaled slowly. “I don’t know.”

“That’s the problem.”

He turned to her. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not losing me,” Maya said. “But I don’t want to be… confused. Or waiting. Or wondering where I stand.”

Lucas swallowed. “I’m not confused about how I feel about you.”

“Then what are you confused about?”

He hesitated.

“Riley,” he admitted.

Maya’s chest tightened. “I thought so.”

“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “I’m not trying to go back to the past. I’m not trying to replace anything. I just… I care about her. And I care about you. And I don’t know how to hold both without breaking something.”

Maya looked down at her hands. “Maybe you don’t have to choose.”

Lucas blinked. “What?”

Maya shook her head. “I don’t know. I just… last night, when we were dancing… it didn’t feel wrong. It didn’t feel like someone was being pushed out. It felt like something new.”

Lucas stared at her, stunned.

“Maya…”

She looked up at him. “I’m scared too. But I’m more scared of pretending I don’t feel what I feel.”

Lucas opened his mouth — but another voice cut in.

“Good,” Riley said softly. “Because I’m done pretending too.”

Riley stood a few steps away, barefoot in the sand, her hair tangled from the wind. She looked vulnerable in a way Maya had never seen — open, raw, honest.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Riley said.

“You didn’t,” Maya replied.

Lucas looked between them. “How long have you been—”

“Long enough,” Riley said. “Long enough to know I need to say something.”

She stepped closer, her gaze steady.

“I didn’t come back to take you away from Maya,” she said to Lucas. “And I didn’t come back to make things harder for either of you.”

Lucas swallowed. “Then why did you come back?”

Riley took a breath.

“Because I realized I left something unfinished. Not just with you. With myself. With this place. With… everything.”

She turned to Maya.

“And because when I met you, Maya… something shifted. Something I didn’t expect. Something I don’t want to ignore.”

Maya’s breath caught.

Lucas stared at Riley, stunned.

Riley continued, voice trembling slightly. “I don’t know what this is. I don’t know what it could be. But I know I care about both of you. And I know I don’t want to run anymore.”

The wind picked up, carrying her words out over the water.

Maya felt her heart pounding.

Lucas looked overwhelmed.

Riley looked terrified.

And then Maya did something none of them expected.

She reached out — slowly, gently — and took Riley’s hand.

Riley inhaled sharply.

Maya’s voice was soft. “I don’t want to run either.”

Lucas watched them, something shifting in his expression — fear, relief, longing, hope.

Riley squeezed Maya’s hand.

Then she reached out her other hand toward Lucas.

He hesitated.

Riley whispered, “Please.”

Lucas stepped forward.

He took her hand.

And suddenly, the three of them stood in a small circle on the sand, hands intertwined, the ocean stretching endlessly behind them.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t simple. It wasn’t defined.

But it was real.

And it was theirs.

They spent the rest of the morning walking along the shoreline, talking — really talking — for the first time.

About fears. About boundaries. About what they wanted. About what they didn’t know yet.

Riley admitted she was afraid of staying. Lucas admitted he was afraid of losing. Maya admitted she was afraid of not being enough.

And somehow, saying it out loud made it less heavy.

They sat on a large piece of driftwood, the sun warming their skin.

“So what now?” Maya asked.

Riley smiled softly. “Now… we try.”

Lucas nodded. “Slowly.”

Maya exhaled. “Together.”

Riley leaned her head on Maya’s shoulder.

Lucas rested his hand on Riley’s knee.

Maya intertwined her fingers with Lucas’s.

And for the first time, the three of them felt like they were moving in the same direction.

Not toward something perfect. But toward something honest.

Something possible.

Something new.

That evening, they returned to the beach to watch the sunset.

The sky burned in shades of orange and pink, the waves glowing like molten gold. The air was warm, the sand soft beneath their feet.

They sat close — not touching at first, just sharing the same space, the same breath, the same moment.

Then Riley reached for Maya’s hand.

Maya reached for Lucas’s.

Lucas reached for Riley’s.

A triangle. A circle. A tide.

The sun dipped below the horizon.

The first stars appeared.

And the three of them sat together, wrapped in the quiet certainty that whatever came next — whatever storms, whatever doubts, whatever fears — they would face it not alone, but together.

Not perfect. Not easy. But real.

And for now, that was enough.