Chapter 7: A Promise in the Morning
The dawn spilled slowly over the horizon, soft light brushing across the sea like a painter testing their first stroke of gold. Julia woke to its warmth seeping through the dorm window, catching on the edges of her blanket. For a moment, she didn't move. Her mind still floated between dreams and the night before the quiet laughter, the way Junior's hand had brushed hers, the rhythm of their steps syncing beneath the moon.
She turned her head toward the ceiling and exhaled.
Tomorrow, she whispered again, though tomorrow had already come.
Outside, seagulls cried faintly over the tide. The sound pulled her back to the present to the rustling of sheets and muffled snores of the other girls still asleep. She sat up slowly, her hair falling in messy strands over her face, and pressed a hand against her racing chest. The warmth was still there, an echo of what had happened, but beneath it, something else stirred a quiet fear.
Because beautiful things, she'd learned, rarely lasted long.
Princess stirred in the bed beside hers, her braid half-undone, one leg kicked free of her blanket. Julia smiled softly. Princess was the kind of girl who could make anyone laugh, who could fill a silence with ease. But lately, Julia had noticed her friend watching her more carefully like she sensed something Julia hadn't said out loud.
Julia slid quietly from her bed and crossed to the small bathroom at the end of the dorm. The mirror above the sink caught her reflection in the morning light: sleepy eyes, flushed cheeks, lips that wouldn't quite stop curving. She looked… different. Lighter.
Her fingers grazed her lips as she thought of Junior's voice the way it had dropped to a whisper when he'd said her name, the way his laughter had felt like sunlight through fog.
She didn't even hear Princess walk in.You look like you swallowed the sun, Princess teased, rubbing her eyes.
Julia jumped, her hand falling away from her face. What? No, I just I didn't sleep much.
Mhm. Princess leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. Right. And that wouldn't have anything to do with a certain someone who just happened to be walking by the beach last night?
Julia froze. You saw us?
Princess grinned, though her tone carried more curiosity than humor. Not exactly. I woke up around midnight and your bed was empty. I thought maybe you couldn't sleep. But when I looked out the window… well, I saw two people walking by the pier. Looked kinda familiar.
Julia turned to the mirror again, trying to mask her panic. "It's not what you think."
Princess tilted her head. "Then what is it, Jules?"
Julia hesitated. Her instinct was to protect it whatever fragile, unspoken thing had started between her and Junior. But she also didn't want to lie to her best friend.
Finally, she said quietly, We just talked.Princess studied her face for a long moment. "You just talked?"
Julia met her eyes. "Yes."
A beat. Then Princess sighed and smiled again, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Okay, okay. I'll stop interrogating you. Just… be careful, alright? Boys like him.she trailed off, glancing toward the window "they don't always mean what they say."
Julia wanted to protest, but the words stuck. Because a small, hidden part of her already feared that too.
Later that morning, breakfast buzzed with chatter. The dining hall smelled of toast, jam, and instant coffee. Julia sat across from Princess, pretending to focus on her food, but every time someone entered the room, her heart jumped.
And then he appeared.
Junior hair still damp from a shower, his uniform shirt slightly wrinkled, a smile that looked too casual to be accidental. He spotted her immediately. The moment their eyes met, something invisible passed between them a memory of moonlight, of whispers, of almosts.
He walked past her table slowly, deliberately, his fingers brushing against hers as he passed. It was quick, hidden beneath the table's edge, but it was enough. Julia's breath caught.
Princess noticed.
Jules? she asked softly. "You okay?"
Julia nodded too quickly. "Yeah. Just tired."
But Princess's eyes followed Junior as he joined his friends. Her expression tightened.
After breakfast, the class was scheduled for another coastal tour collecting shells, sketching the cliffs, taking notes for their marine biology assignment. Julia and Princess walked behind the group, sketchbooks tucked under their arms.
Junior walked ahead, occasionally glancing back. Once, when their teacher stopped to explain something about sea erosion, he mouthed, Meet me later.
Julia's heart skipped.
By the time the group dispersed, she knew where she'd find him by the small wooden jetty that stretched out into the shallows. It was where they'd first talked alone, on that windy afternoon when the waves had crashed too close.
When she arrived, he was already there, tossing pebbles into the water."You came," he said softly, turning toward her.
"Of course I did."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The morning sun gleamed off the waves, and their reflection shimmered side by side in the water.
Junior reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. I couldn't stop thinking about last night.
Julia swallowed hard. "Me neither."
"I know this is complicated," he said, his voice low, "but I don't care what anyone says. Last night felt real, Julia. Didn't it?"
She nodded, her chest tightening. "It did. But… people talk. Princess already noticed."
He sighed. "Then let them talk. We're not doing anything wrong."
Still, she whispered, rumors can ruin things.
Junior's hand found hers, his thumb tracing slow circles on her skin. Then we keep it ours, just for now. A promise between us.
She looked up at him. A promise?
He smiled faintly. That we won't let anyone else define what this is.Her lips parted, but before she could answer, a voice cut through the air.
Julia?
They froze.
Princess stood a few meters away, eyes wide, her notebook clutched to her chest.Julia stepped back instinctively. Princess, it's not...
Princess raised a hand. Don't. I get it. Her voice trembled slightly, though she tried to steady it. You said you just talked, Julia. Was that another lie?
Julia's throat burned. No, I...I didn't mean to...
But Princess was already turning away.Be careful what you promise, she said softly, because some promises break people.Then she walked off, her shadow long against the sand.The air felt heavier after that.
Junior reached for Julia's shoulder, but she shook her head. She's my best friend, Junior. She's never going to understand.Give her time,
he said quietly. She cares about you. That's all.
Julia wanted to believe him. But as she watched Princess disappear over the dunes, she couldn't help but feel something precious beginning to crack.
That night, back in the dorm, the laughter and chatter that usually filled the room had faded. Princess barely spoke to her. When Julia tried to, the answers came short and quiet.
Julia sat by the window, looking out at the dark sea, the same one that had carried her secret just hours ago. Only now, it felt heavier like it knew something she didn't.
She whispered to it anyway.
I made a promise.And maybe, just maybe, she hoped the sea would carry that too not as a secret this time, but as a prayer.
Because even in the silence, even in the ache, the memory of that morning's light still lived in her a promise she wasn't ready to break.