Chapter 57 The field trip debate
The morning sun was pale and soft when Lila stepped out of the photography building, her camera bag slung over one shoulder. The class had ended early, and students spilled onto the courtyard, chatting about the upcoming field trip. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, already planning to spend the weekend quietly away from noise, away from eyes.
“Hey, sunshine.”
Lila turned at the familiar voice. Damian leaned against a low wall, dressed in a black jacket and jeans, his usual lazy grin plastered across his face. The sunlight caught the faint gold in his hair, and for a second, she forgot to breathe.
“Damian?” she asked, surprised. “What are you doing here? You’re not even in the photography department.”
He straightened and walked over, his smile widening. “I could say I was lost, but that’d be a lie.”
“Okay.” Her brow furrowed. “That reminds me, how did you know about the field trip?”
He tapped the side of his head playfully. “I pay attention to campus gossip. Besides” He paused, his expression softening. “I’ve got a friend who hasn’t really left campus much lately. I figured a day away might help her breathe again.”
The warmth in his tone made her chest tighten. “You’re ridiculous,” she said quietly, but her lips twitched. “You don’t even know if I want to go.”
“Trust me,” he said, walking backward as she started to move. “You want to go. A little sunlight won’t kill you.”
She laughed despite herself, shaking her head. “You sound like my therapist.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replied with mock seriousness.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Asher.
She sighed. “I have to go. Asher wants to meet.”
Damian raised an eyebrow. “Ah, the ever-watchful knight.”
“Don’t start,” she said, smiling faintly. “He’s just looking out for me.”
“Sure he is.” Damian’s grin tilted into something teasing. “Mind if I come along? I promise not to bite.”
She hesitated but nodded. “Fine. But promise me, you'd behave yourself, no fighting.”
“Me? I'd never fight.”
They found Asher waiting near the fountain outside the main hall, his expression already tense. His hands were shoved in his jacket pockets, and his jaw clenched the moment he saw Damian trailing behind her.
“Asher,” Lila greeted, but before she could say anything else, Asher’s eyes locked on Damian.
“Why is he here?”
Damian smirked. “Good morning to you too.”
Lila groaned inwardly. Not again.
“Asher, please.”
But Asher cut her off, his tone sharp. “You shouldn’t be around him, Lila. You know what people are saying.”
Damian’s eyes flickered, the smile fading. “Dude, what people say doesn’t define me.”
“Maybe not,” Asher said evenly, “but it defines the kind of attention she gets.”
Lila stepped between them, her heart pounding. “Stop, both of you.” She glared at Damian like she was sending a message to him that he had promised to behave himself.
Neither moved. The tension was thick. A group of students walked past, slowing briefly as if sensing the friction, then hurried off.
“Asher,” she said softly, “Damian found out about the photography field trip, he informed me and just wants to join the field trip.That’s all.”
Asher turned to her. “Why? He’s not even part of your class.”
Damian crossed his arms. “Because I care about what happens to her. And maybe I want to take some pictures too. Is that a crime?”
Lila’s pulse quickened. “Guys, please. This isn’t helping.”
But it was too late, they were both locked in their silent duel, the air around them humming with rivalry.
Asher’s eyes softened slightly, though his voice remained firm. “You don’t understand, Lila. Every time you get close to someone, like someone new something bad happens.”
Lila froze. For a second, she couldn’t breathe. His words dug deep, twisting into guilt she’d tried to bury.
Damian noticed the flicker of pain in her eyes and stepped closer, lowering his voice. “No, dude. Don’t do that. Don’t make her feel like she’s cursed.”
Asher shot him a glare. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“Maybe not,” Damian said calmly. “But I know when someone needs to be treated like a person, not a victim.”
That silenced them both.
Lila stared at the ground, her fingers tightening around her bag strap. The noise of the campus seemed far away, the laughter, footsteps, all muffled by the pounding in her ears.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “For Christ sake, you're adults. I can't deal with this anymore.”
Both men looked at her then, guilt flashing across their faces.
“If you’re both so worried,” she said, forcing her voice steady, “then fine. Come on the trip. Both of you.That way, no one has to argue.”
Asher frowned. “Lila.”
“No,” she said, meeting his eyes. “This way, we can all breathe.”
Damian’s lips curved into a small smile. “Fair enough. I promise to play nice.”
“Good,” she muttered. “You both better behave. I can't babysit two grown men.”
They walked toward the courtyard together, though the air between the two men was heavy with unspoken words.
Asher walked a few steps ahead, tense and quiet. Damian lagged slightly behind, his gaze flicking toward her every few seconds as if to make sure she was really okay.
Lila felt caught in the middle, two halves of her world constantly pulling at opposite ends.
When they reached the photography department’s announcement board, a group of students clustered around it, reading the list of names for the trip. Lila glanced over the paper, confirming hers, then turned to Damian.
“You really want to come?”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping low. “You think I’d miss a chance to make you laugh again?”
Her cheeks warmed. “You’re impossible.”
“And you,” he said, his tone gentler now, “are too easy to worry about.”
For a heartbeat, she forgot the unease that had followed her for weeks. His presence felt oddly safe.
Asher called her name, snapping her back to reality. She looked between them, Asher’s cautious stare, Damian’s easy grin and wondered when everything in her life had started to feel like a choice she didn’t want to make.
Later that day, after classes, she walked alone down the quiet path near the dorms. The evening sun bled across the sky, painting everything gold and orange. She should’ve felt calm, but her heart wouldn’t slow down.
Every shadow looked familiar now. Every whisper sounded like her name.
She leaned against a railing and watched students pass, her mind running in circles.
Why can’t they just get along? she thought. Why does everything have to feel like a battlefield?
Her phone buzzed again, it was a text from Damian.
“Promise me you’ll actually pack tonight.”
Lila smiled as she replied. “No promises.”
A few seconds later, her phone buzzed again, another text from Damian. “Then I’ll pack for you.”
Lila looked around before she typed again. “You’d bring only red clothes just to tease me.” She placed the phone back in her bag and continued her trip back to her dorm.
Her phone buzzed again, the moment she got to the entrance of her dorm.
Another text from Damian. “Maybe, red looks good on you.”
Her heart skipped. She typed, then erased her reply.
For a long moment, she just stared at the message, the last words glowing on her screen.
Red looks good on you.
She thought of the roses. Of the typed notes. Of the petals left behind like warnings.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
She tucked her phone away and hurried toward her dorm.
That night, the halls were quiet, the only sound heard was the humming of the vending machine. Lila got into her room, dropped her bag on the bed and she got to her wardrobe to grab her camera bag and froze.
A small folded piece of paper rested on top. A single rose lay across it, bright, alive and untouched.
Her pulse jumped. Slowly, she picked up the note and read it. “You look just like her.”
Her breath caught. The world around her seemed to still. The walls, the dim light, even the air felt thinner.
She stared at the rose until her eyes burned.
Footsteps echoed faintly down the hall, but she didn’t turn. She clutched the note tighter, her mind spiraling with one thought, who left it this time?
Her phone buzzed again, another message.
“Photography Field Trip Final Reminder: 6 a.m. departure. The bus leaves from the East Gate.”
Lila exhaled shakily. She pressed the rose to her chest, torn between fear and the feeling that the trip ahead wasn’t just another project.
Something waited there. Something dangerous or something fun. And she wasn't sure of what to expect.