Immortal Secrets

"I have a confession to make." The words sat heavy in my mind, unspoken but persistent, they had been for a couple of years now.

I glanced at Mira, standing with Jayden and Sol, her arms crossed as they huddled together. Her lips pressed into a thin line as they debated their approach to the game and her frown deepened as Sol gestured dramatically about some "winning strategy." Typical. She looked annoyed, and I couldn't blame her—being stuck with Sol would ruin anyone's day.

She was beautiful, though, even when she was annoyed. She always had been.

My mind drifted to the first time I'd realized I liked her. It was four years ago, during a trip to the beach. The sun had been setting, casting golden light on the waves, and she'd turned to laugh at something Ethan said. I'd been so caught up in the way the light hit her hair that I forgot to take the picture I'd been aiming for. That was when it hit me—I liked her.

Back then, I thought that was it. I liked her, Mira, my best friend, the girl I'd known forever. How could I not? It made sense.

Until that day I was late for school on the first day after winter break. I entered the classroom and noticed the teacher and a lot of students weren't there yet, I sighed in relief. I didn't want to sit alone so I looked around to see if anyone was sitting alone, when I noticed a boy in the back of the classroom. I walked over to him and he looked lost in thought. "Hey, can I sit here?'' I asked him. He looked up.

"Sure." he answered and I smiled at him.

'I'm Riley,' I said, still smiling, 'I don't think we've properly met.' I held out my hand and he took it,

'Alec.' He said.

At that moment the teacher came in,

"I'm sorry I'm late, students. Let's begin class."

He wasn't the first to talk to me about cameras, but he was the first who seemed to care about my answers. Most people ask, "How do you make it blurry in the background?" and lose interest halfway through my explanation. But Alec listened. He asked questions. He even wanted to try using my camera one day after school.

I didn't think much of it at first. I didn't think much of him at all—quiet, dark clothes, always in the back of the room. But then he smiled at a dumb joke I made, and I remember thinking it was unfair, how good that smile looked on him.

The memory faded, and I found myself back in the present, watching Mira again. Her arms moved as she gestured at Sol, clearly done with his dramatics. I turned away before she could catch me staring and my gaze naturally found Alec, leaning the cabin, as usual, like it was the only thing holding him up. He'd walked off as soon as the teams were announced, true to form. Alec wasn't one for crowds or sticking around longer than necessary. In some ways, he reminded me of Emily—quiet, distant. But where Em's quiet felt calm, Alec's was... magnetic.

His dark hair fell just over his forehead, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. He didn't seem to mind being alone—he never did. I walked toward him, camera slung over my shoulder. I wasn't even thinking about it, really. My feet just moved.

"Hey," I said when I got close enough. "Any idea how we're supposed to win this thing?"

He tilted his head, a small smirk forming. "Not a clue. Maybe we just walk around and see what happens?"

It was a simple suggestion, but it worked. That was Alec—straightforward, no fuss.

It wasn't a groundbreaking strategy, but I nodded anyway. Wandering through the woods with Alec sounded better than arguing with Mira and Sol ever could.

We wandered into the woods, snapping photos of whatever caught our eyes. Trees, flowers, a squirrel darting through the underbrush. Nothing extraordinary, but it felt... good. Comfortable. Alec leaned against a tree again—his signature pose at this point. I snapped a picture of a nearby flower, but my lens shifted, unbidden, toward him.

Click

The sound startled me.I didn't mean to. It just... happened.

I studied the photo on the small screen. Alec, caught mid-thought, his face half-lit by the sun filtering through the branches. He looked... I don't even know. Handsome? Beautiful? My stomach twisted, unfamiliar and strange.

I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. But it wouldn't leave.

It wasn't like Alec was some untouchable beauty. Ethan had that title locked down—blond, tall, and effortlessly charming. People noticed Ethan when he walked into a room. Alec, on the other hand, was subtle. Quietly striking, with dark hair that fell just right and those piercing blue eyes.

God, his eyes.

What was wrong with me? Why had I taken that picture? Why couldn't I stop staring at it?

I forced myself to focus on the trail, but my thoughts spiraled. Hadn't I been looking forward to physics every week just because I sat next to Alec? And those texts we'd exchanged—short, funny, always leaving me wanting more. How hadn't I realized it before?

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. This wasn't happening.

But it was.

I looked up, when I realized Alec was already looking at me. His eyes were impossible to read, and I quickly looked away, pretending to adjust the settings on the camera.

We walked for a while longer, snapping photos, but my thoughts were a mess. I couldn't focus.

This isn't real, I told myself. I like Mira. Don't I?

I glanced at Alec again, his broad shoulders and calm expression making my stomach flip.

No. I don't. I can't.

Alec stopped ahead of me, glancing back. "Let's try the lake. Might get some better shots there."

I nodded, unable to speak.

The forest blurred around me as we walked, my thoughts a storm I couldn't escape. By the time we reached the lake, I was so lost in my head that I didn't even notice the water until it was splashing over my shoes.

"Whoa!" Alec grabbed my arm, pulling me back just in time to avoid walking straight in. We both stumbled, landing in the mud.

I froze, staring at him as the world seemed to stop.

His cerulean eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice steady but curious.

I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding, words tumbling out. "I—yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. But your clothes! They're ruined—I'm so sorry. If I hadn't—"

"Riley," he interrupted, brushing mud off his pants. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"But I know you hate—"

"Seriously," he cut in again, his tone soft but firm. "It's okay."

I didn't believe him, not fully. Alec was the kind of person who noticed every detail, and cared about things no one else did. That was part of what made him... well, him.

"So," he said, changing the subject. "You looked pretty distracted back there. Thinking about something?" "Or someone?" he added jokingly.

I froze and my throat tightened. "Just—uh, just the game." I lied.

But the truth was staring me in the face, clear as day. And I wasn't going to ignore it any longer.

I liked Alec.