Chapter 63: CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

Chapter Sixty-Three

“Did you hear? He actually admitted it.”

Voices carried across the camp like wildfire that morning.

Aurelia had barely stepped out of her tent when she noticed it people staring, whispering, looking away too quickly when her eyes met theirs. Her stomach sank. Something was wrong.

Clara jogged up, phone in hand, grinning like she’d been waiting for this moment all her life.

“Oh my God, Aurelia you need to see this,” Clara said, shoving the screen in her face.

Aurelia blinked. “What is it?”

Clara scrolled up, tapped a comment, and then tilted the phone. Aurelia’s heart skipped.

Right there, bold, under Piper’s anonymous post was Caelum’s comment:

“Yes, I’m crushing. Is that a problem?”

Aurelia’s jaw nearly hit the ground. She almost dropped the phone.

“What the why would he ” she stammered, heat rushing up her neck.

Clara doubled over laughing. “I told you! I told you something was going on. He just admitted it in front of the whole school group! Do you understand what this means?”

“It means nothing,” Aurelia snapped, her voice cracking as she handed the phone back. “He was probably joking. Or or trying to stop people from bullying.”

Clara wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh please. Joking? Caelum doesn’t joke. Ever.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice like she was sharing a state secret. “Everyone thinks you’re his crush now. It’s official. He basically announced it to the world.”

Aurelia’s stomach churned. The whispers around her suddenly made sense the stares, the muffled laughter, the side glances. It wasn’t just gossip; it was his words giving people fuel.

“I don’t even like him,” Aurelia muttered, though her ears burned.

Clara smirked knowingly. “Doesn’t matter what you say. Truth doesn’t trend. His words did.”

\---

By midday, Aurelia couldn’t take it anymore. The stares, the teasing looks, Clara’s constant nudges it all pressed too heavy on her chest.

She spotted Caelum standing by the river, arms folded as he stared at the water like he was lost in his own head. Gathering every ounce of courage she had, Aurelia walked over. Her heart hammered so loud she could barely hear her own steps.

When she reached him, he didn’t move. His eyes shifted to her calmly, waiting.

Aurelia swallowed, her voice softer than she meant.

“Um… hi.”

One brow lifted. “Hi.”

Her fingers twisted together nervously. “I—I just wanted to ask. Why… why did you write that?”

He tilted his head slightly. “Write what?”

“You know.” She bit her lip, staring at the ground. “That comment. About… about crushing.”

His expression didn’t change, but there was something steady in his tone. “It shut them up, didn’t it? You’d rather let them tear you apart?”

Aurelia blinked at him, caught off guard by the bluntness. “I… I didn’t want anyone to think that. Now they’re all… staring at me. Talking. It’s embarrassing.”

He looked down at her for a long second, calm as ever. “Then don’t care what they say.”

She pressed her lips together, her chest rising and falling unevenly. “That’s… that’s easier for you. People already respect you. For me it’s different.”

His gaze lingered, unreadable, and Aurelia felt her face heat more under his eyes. She stepped back slightly, stammering. “I just… I wanted to know. That’s all. Thank you—for, um, standing up, I guess.”

She turned to walk away quickly, desperate to escape the thundering of her own heartbeat.

Neither of them noticed a boy leaning against a tree nearby, phone in hand.

He snapped a picture Aurelia standing by the river with Caelum looking straight at her, the scene quiet but telling. Within minutes, the photo found its way into the group chat.

\---

By afternoon, the whispers doubled.

“Did you see the photo?”

“They were by the river alone.”

“First he admits it, now this? Come on, it’s obvious.”

Aurelia wanted to hide in her tent forever. Clara only fanned the fire, teasing nonstop.

Meanwhile, Caelum barely blinked at the noise. He didn’t comment, didn’t defend, didn’t deny. He carried on like none of it mattered. But the fact that he didn’t deny it at all only fueled the gossip further.

Chloe couldn’t hold it in anymore.

During free time, she spun toward Mandy and Liz, her voice sharp. “So this is it, huh? Aurelia? She doesn’t even deserve his attention!”

Mandy shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Liz. Liz smirked, but neither of them jumped to agree. The pause was enough to make Chloe’s chest tighten.

“You both see it, don’t you?” Chloe pressed, her words tumbling fast. “It makes no sense. She’s plain quiet boring. Why would Caelum of all people look at her?”

Liz raised a brow, a sly smile tugging her lips. “Maybe because he doesn’t want someone loud and desperate.”

Mandy bit back a laugh. Chloe’s face flushed instantly, her mouth falling open. “I’m not desperate!” she snapped, but her voice cracked.

Liz leaned closer, lowering her tone like a blade. “Then stop sounding like it.”

Chloe’s throat burned, her eyes stinging. She grabbed her bag, muttering something under her breath, and stormed off before they could see the tears spilling over.

Piper had thought her little trick would humiliate Aurelia, maybe even push Caelum to pull away. Instead, Chloe was the one left in pieces, and Aurelia was still standing untouched.

Piper’s hands tightened around her phone. Every time she tried, the story bent in Aurelia’s favor. Why?

Her mind spun. Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. Maybe instead of plotting from the shadows, she should face the problem directly.

From inside his tent, Caelum shifted the flap just enough to see outside. He told himself he wasn’t watching just spying. Yet his eyes kept finding her.

She was sitting outside probably with Clara.

Caelum realized he had been staring too long. He cleared his throat and leaned back, irritated with himself.

Why was he even noticing her? It wasn’t like she was doing anything special. She wasn’t even trying to stand out.

There was nothing extraordinary about the moment, nothing that should have caught his attention.

And yet, he couldn’t look away. He didn’t know what it was her quietness, the way she looked so small and distant, or maybe the fact that everyone else seemed to fade when she was near.

He fr

owned at himself, annoyed. Why was he even staring?

Later that night, in his tent, he lay on his back, raking his hand through his hair. His chest rose and fell sharply.

“Why can’t I just brush her off my mind… this is unlike me.”

He shut his eyes tight, but sleep refused to come.