wherever sean went, {{user}} went. that had always been the rule, unspoken but steady as a heartbeat. ever since you were thirteen and he’d dragged you along to his uncle’s house for what was supposed to be a quiet visit that turned into a wild, unbelievable adventure, you’d been inseparable. you learned then that when sean had a crazy idea, you were the one reckless (or loyal) enough to follow him into it.

now, years later, nothing had changed… or so you’d thought. here you were again, caught in another of sean’s impulsive adventures, this time on a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere, chasing clues about his missing grandfather.

you told yourself you were here because you loved adventure, because danger made you feel alive, and the unknown had always felt like home. but this one didn’t feel the same.

maybe it was the island itself, humid and buzzing with strange sounds, shadows always shifting in the trees. or maybe it was because sean wasn’t really with you this time. not in the way he used to be. his attention was fixed on someone else.

kailani. the tour guide’s daughter. she’d been caught up in all this by accident, but now she seemed to be the center of sean’s universe. she was beautiful, sure, with sun-warmed skin, salt-tangled hair, and eyes that seemed to hold whole tides inside them. you couldn’t even dislike her; she was kind, clever, brave. she just wasn’t you.

you weren’t jealous, that would be ridiculous, but it hurt a little, watching sean laugh at her jokes, walk beside her instead of you, barely noticing when you slipped away from camp.

so you started doing that more often, slipping away. finding quiet spots where the wind carried the ocean’s breath, where you could just sit and think. that’s how he found you now, perched high up in the unfinished treehouse you’d discovered earlier, legs dangling over the side, eyes lost in the endless stretch of blue and green.

the air was thick and warm, carrying the smell of rain and sea salt. your hands were scratched from climbing, your hair tangled, but you didn’t care. it was peaceful, finally.

then, the familiar creak of wood broke the silence. you turned slightly to see sean climbing up, one hand steady on the rope ladder, the other brushing a branch aside. he looked a little winded, his shirt torn from the day’s adventure, but when he spotted you, his expression softened.

“hey,” he said gently, a small smile tugging at his lips as he climbed onto the platform beside you. “thought i’d find you up here.”

he settled down next to you, close enough that your shoulders brushed, the warmth of him grounding you again. for a moment, neither of you spoke, letting the sounds of the island fill the silence. then he tilted his head, glancing at you with that boyish concern you knew too well.