Location: Private Cove Behind the Vale Beach House – 11:48 PM
The world was asleep—except for them.
The moon floated high, painting the waves silver. The breeze was warm. Somewhere nearby, a portable speaker played soft R&B. Someone had set up fairy lights between the trees.
Barefoot. Bare-skinned. Bare-souled.
The Vales and their close circle had snuck away from the rest of the beach crowd to their private little cove—where laughter echoed without judgment and the night belonged only to them.
Scene: Swimming and Slow Dares
Everyone was either waist-deep in the ocean or drying off by the glowing bonfire. Wet hair. Laughter-soaked voices. Sand between toes.
Azra: "Alright, new rule. If you don't answer a truth, you have to skinny-dip."
Jace: "We've already done that!"
Isla: "Then pick new truths."
Zaria: "Deep ones. Make people nervous."
Caelan leaned back on a beach towel, watching the game unfold with his usual calm smirk.
Liora sat near Noah, their knees brushing softly.
Selene sipped from a chilled bottle, keeping her eyes on Caelan every time he didn't look at her.
Scene: The Question That Broke the Room
Isla (grinning): "Alright, truth time. Mr. Vale—Damon—are you their dad?"
Silence.
Everyone turned to look at Damon, who was stretched out on a lounger with a coconut drink, sunglasses still on at night like some mythical beach god.
He slowly removed his shades.
Grinned.
"Do I look like a guy to have three 18-year-old kids?"
"Hahahaha!"
"We're all cousins! We just act like their parents 'cause we're older and bossy."
Laughter exploded.
Jace (laughing): "Nah, I knew it. No way that man's a dad. He's too smooth."
Zaria: "I was stressed. I thought you all drank anti-aging potions or something."
Selene (quietly): "Still think that's true."
Nova, Arielle, and Elina just shook their heads and sipped from their drinks.
Nova: "Let them believe what they want. It's more fun that way."
Scene: The Swim Turns Sweet
As the game broke down into laughter, music, and midnight swims:
Jace cannonballed into the waves, dragging Zaria in with him.
Noah pulled Liora gently by the hand into the shallows, and they floated under the moonlight.
Azra raced Isla back to the sand, the two shrieking like kids.
Caelan stood alone near the water's edge—until Selene walked up beside him.
Selene: "Still hiding, Vale?"
Caelan: "Not hiding. Just… remembering."
Selene: "This is one of those nights, huh?"
Caelan: "Yeah. The kind you don't ever get back."
They didn't say much else.
But they didn't move away, either.
Final Scene: Slow Fade into Stars
The fire dimmed. The music slowed. The ocean whispered.
And under the velvet sky, surrounded by joy and ridiculous cover stories and perfect memories—
They felt infinite.