CHAPTER 35

ARIENNE CALLOWAY

By the time we got back to camp, the fire had died down to glowing embers, and the others were already settling into their tents.

Jenni was making sure Lily had enough blankets, Zayn's mom was tucking herself in with a sigh, and my mom—thankfully—was too tired to lecture me about staying out too long.

I grabbed my jacket from where I had left it on a camping chair and shook off the light dew that had settled over it. The air had gotten colder, and the warmth of the fire was gone, making me shiver slightly as I zipped it up.

Zayn, of course, looked completely unaffected by the temperature. He just stretched his arms, glancing toward the tents. "Guess it's time to sleep."

I nodded, rubbing my hands together. "Where am I supposed to sleep again?"

Jenni poked her head out from her tent, smirking. "With Zayn, of course."

I froze.

Zayn froze.

Jenni burst out laughing at our reactions.

"Relax, I'm kidding," she said, waving me off. "You're with me and both the Moms. Lily's squeezing in with us, though, so good luck with that."

I exhaled, rolling my eyes. "Great."

Zayn snickered under his breath, and I shot him a glare before heading to my assigned tent. I ducked inside, only to find Lily already sprawled out, taking up more than half the space.

I sighed. This is going to be a long night.

I managed to wiggle into the corner, pressing myself against the tent wall as Lily mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over—right onto my arm.

Perfect.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out everything—the cold, the uncomfortable position, the fact that Zayn had almost caught onto me earlier. It was fine. I had talked my way out of it.

But still...

I had seen the way he was watching me.

Like he wasn't entirely convinced.

I huffed, forcing myself to push the thought away. He wasn't stupid. If I wasn't careful, he would figure it out.

And that was the last thing I needed.

With that final thought, I let sleep take over, hoping tomorrow would be less exhausting than today.