Chapter 15 – Let the Sea Wash It All Away
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Outside the cabin. The morning sun glows softly through a light mist. Birds chirp somewhere beyond the trees. A faint breeze carries the salty scent of the nearby sea. The students gather slowly for breakfast, some still yawning, others buzzing with leftover energy from the days before.
Save sat near the edge of the wooden bench, a piece of toast untouched in his hand. His eyes weren't on the table. They were far away—somewhere in the blur between mountains and sky.
His hair was still damp from the shower, curling slightly near his temples. The usual tension in his shoulders had dulled, but it wasn't gone. It lingered like fog. Like something unsaid.
Across from him, Patji slid a banana toward his tray with a pointed look.
> "You should eat more. You'll pass out again if you don't."
Save blinked, snapping out of whatever thought had taken him. He gave a soft nod, mouthing a faint "Thanks," but didn't reach for it yet.
Not far from them, Por stood near the juice stand, sipping something orange and watery, trying too hard not to look at Save.
And failing.
> "He looks at you every five minutes," Patji muttered under his breath.
Save shrugged. "I don't care."
Patji didn't reply. He didn't have to. Save cared. Maybe not about Por — not in the same way — but about everything. That was his curse, wasn't it? Feeling too much and saying too little.
Before the silence stretched too far, their teacher clapped her hands together loudly, a wide grin on her face.
> "Alright, everyone! I hope you slept well because I have good news for you!"
Chatter broke out instantly, half the group already leaning forward with curiosity.
The teacher continued:
> "Today is your last full day. And we're giving you complete freedom. No activities, no check-ins, no rules—"
"YES!" someone screamed in the back.
> "—except, please don't die. That would make the paperwork hard," she added dryly, making everyone laugh.
Save managed a small smile too.
> "Go out. Walk the beach. Swim. Sit in the sun. Or do nothing. Just enjoy your time together."
And just like that, the atmosphere shifted. Lightness returned. The invisible pressure that had been coiling around everyone since the prank night began to loosen.
Save looked up—and met Por's eyes for a split second.
Por gave him a small, hesitant smile. Like a note passed under a door: quiet, unsure, but trying.
Save didn't smile back. But he didn't look away either.
Patji leaned over, smirking just a little.
> "Looks like today's for healing. Or hydration. Or both."
Save snorted. "Is that your version of wisdom?"
> "Absolutely."
And for the first time that morning, Save felt something warm bloom in his chest — small and fleeting, but real.
There was still so much unsaid. Still things to be fixed, or maybe just… accepted.
But today wasn't about fixing.
Today was about being.
And maybe, that was enough.
---
The beach opens wide and endless just a short trail from the cabins. The early sun glitters over gentle waves, and the air hums with the low rhythm of the sea. Students scatter across the sand with shouts and laughter. The mood has changed — no more tension, just sunburns waiting to happen and voices full of teenage joy.
Patji flopped dramatically into the sand.
> "This is it. This is where I live now. Sand is my home."
> "You're going to be baked like a potato," Save said, shading his eyes and smirking.
> "Delicious," Patji mumbled, eyes closed.
For a moment, Save let himself forget. The fear. The book. The silence between him and Auau. He dug his toes into the warm sand and tilted his face toward the sky.
Just a few meters away, Por organized a chaos of beach games.
> "Teams of four! You'll do three challenges. Points for creativity, not just winning! Come on, make your high school proud!"
Students shouted out names and grabbed friends. Patji got dragged into a team full of loud boys who immediately began arguing about their team name.
And then it happened.
> "Save!"
He turned.
Auau stood a few steps away, holding a bottle of water and squinting into the sun. His hair was wind-mussed, his face pink from heat, but his eyes… were still soft. Still concerned.
> "We're short a player. Want to join?"
Save opened his mouth. Closed it.
For a second, everything inside him screamed to say no.
But then he nodded.
> "Yeah. Okay."
---
Game 1: "Clothesline Relay"
They were blindfolded, soaked shirts in hand, trying to hang them on a line strung between two sticks.
Save couldn't see a thing. He stumbled forward, hands out.
> "Left!" someone shouted.
He bumped into Auau.
> "Sorry!" Save whispered, heart thudding.
> "You're doing fine," Auau said, laughing.
Their hands brushed. Just barely. But Save felt it like a firework.
They didn't win.
But they didn't care.
---
Game 2: "Build-a-Story"
Each team had to collect five beach items — shells, sticks, seaweed, trash — and create a story out of them.
> "Okay," Auau said, crouching beside Save and two girls from another class. "Let's say this stick is a sword. And this shell is a shield."
Save blinked. "You read fantasy?"
Auau smiled. "I used to. I stopped. But I think I miss it."
The girls helped arrange the rest. They called it The Knight Who Forgot His Name.
Auau looked at Save.
> "But he remembered what kindness felt like," he added softly.
And Save's chest ached.
---
Game 3: "Shell Toss"
Everyone stood in a circle, tossing tiny shells at each other like a weird version of dodgeball.
Save tripped backward, trying to dodge a shell, and fell into the shallow surf.
The cold hit like a slap.
> "Oof—!"
He sat up, spluttering, sand in his hair, arms, everywhere.
Then a hand appeared in front of him.
Auau.
> "You okay?"
Save hesitated. Then took the hand.
Their fingers closed, warm despite the chill.
Auau didn't let go right away.
And neither did Save.
---
Later…
They walked back toward the rocks together, their shadows stretching long behind them.
They didn't talk much. They didn't need to.
Every glance, every silence, was a word neither of them had figured out how to say yet.
Patji called out from the distance, waving two juice boxes.
> "You lovers done flirting with sea monsters?!"
Save nearly tripped.
Auau turned bright red.
> "Shut up, Patji!"
They both laughed — too loudly. Too hard.
But it felt good. It felt real.
Like salt in a wound that was finally starting to heal.
---
> As Save sat on a sun-warmed rock later, toes curled in wet sand, he thought, "Maybe I can stop bracing for pain. Maybe... today, I can just feel the sun."
---
The sky glows soft gold, streaked with pink and tangerine. The beach is quieter now — no more shouting, just the sounds of waves curling onto shore and soft laughter echoing across the sand. Towels are draped over shoulders, wet hair clings to cheeks, and cheeks flush with sun and leftover joy.
Someone calls out from a higher rock:
> "Let's take a photo! One last memory before the trip ends!"
The others cheer and begin gathering. Students rush in from every direction — arms thrown over shoulders, legs still sandy, smiles tired but genuine.
Por is the first to grab a selfie stick and wave it like a flag.
> "Come on, come on! I want everyone in this one! Even the antisocial ones!"
> "That means you, Save!" Patji shouts, laughing as he pulls Save forward.
Save lets himself be dragged, but his smile is cautious. He keeps glancing at Auau, who's standing by the rocks, unsure whether to join.
Then — as if on instinct — Save lifts his hand and waves him over.
Auau sees it.
And walks.
They don't stand next to each other at first — just close. Not touching. Just… aware.
The group bunches tighter.
Patji slips between Save and Auau, grinning.
> "Let's make this a good one. So good they can't even guess what almost broke us."
> "Smile!" someone yells.
Por counts down, mock-dramatic:
> "Three, two— WAIT! No bunny ears, idiot— ONE!"
Click.
Flash.
Laughter.
Someone falls over.
The moment is loud, messy, imperfect… but perfect.
They take a few more pictures — silly ones, jumping ones, one where they all hold seashells like microphones.
In the very last photo, Save and Auau end up side by side.
Not planned.
Not forced.
Just… natural.
Neither of them notices their shoulders are barely brushing. Or that their heads tilt slightly inward.
But the camera catches it.
And it will stay frozen like that — a quiet closeness, unspoken but true.
---
Save's Pov.
> "I don't know what we are. But in that photo, we were something. Maybe that's enough… for now."
---
The stars are bright tonight. The sound of the waves is softer now, like the sea itself is tired after a long, playful day. Most of the others are inside, packing bags, sharing snacks, laughing quietly. But Save slips away.
He walks to the beach, barefoot. The sand is cold now. The sea glows faintly under the moonlight, like it's breathing.
He sits alone on a small log near the edge of the beach, a thin hoodie around his shoulders, slightly damp hair falling into his eyes. In his hand is a shell — smooth and small — and tucked under his arm is a familiar book.
The same old book from the library. The one that once whispered:
> "You are not the main character."
He didn't plan to bring it.
He doesn't even know why he did.
It was just there, in the pile of things he packed. Like a quiet passenger.
He flips it open now. A few pages flutter — blank, like always.
But something small has changed.
One line remains.
> "Even if you are not the first chapter… maybe you are the turning point."
Save blinks.
He hadn't seen that before.
He closes the book slowly, holding it tighter.
Then, footsteps behind him.
He doesn't turn around — he already knows.
Auau sits beside him. Quietly. Respectfully. Like he knows silence isn't emptiness tonight — it's safety.
They both look at the sea.
A soft breeze lifts a strand of Save's hair. Auau doesn't brush it away — but he glances sideways, just once, to check if Save's okay.
Save speaks first, barely a whisper:
> "You're not going to ask why I'm here alone?"
Auau shakes his head gently.
> "You're allowed to be alone. I just didn't want you to feel like you had to be."
Silence again. But it's soft. Warm.
Save runs his thumb along the edge of the shell in his hand.
> "Today was… okay," he says. "I didn't think I'd say that again."
> "I'm glad," Auau replies. Then, after a pause, adds, "You seemed… lighter."
Save glances at him. There's a quiet conflict in his eyes — a hesitation, a maybe.
> "I still mess things up. A lot."
> "Me too," Auau says softly.
Another beat of silence. This one brims with unspoken words.
Save turns his eyes to the book in his lap.
> "I don't know if I'm ever gonna be the brave one. But… maybe next time…"
His voice trails.
Auau looks at him now. Truly looks.
Save still doesn't meet his gaze — but there's something different in him. Something just starting to bloom.
> "Maybe next time," Save repeats, "I'll say it."
Not a confession. Not yet.
But a promise to himself.
Auau doesn't push. He just sits there, beside him, and lets the waves speak for them both.
They stay like that — quiet, not touching, but together.
Two boys under the stars, finding peace in the space between them.
---
Author POV:
> The trip was ending. But something else was beginning —
something quieter, softer.
A maybe.
And for once, that was enough.
— End of Chapter 15 —