Chapter 19

The second day of their activity had come, and it was filled with tent-pitching and rope-tying challenges. Stargazing was planned for later that night, assuming the weather held up. By now, it was around one in the afternoon, and most of the group had already finished setting up their tents. Riley, though, was already feeling bored.

She crossed her arms and rested her head on them, using them as a makeshift pillow on the table. She watched as a few others struggled with their rope knots, while her mind wandered aimlessly.

"Riley!" Mia's voice broke through her thoughts as she ran up to her, phone in hand. "Hey, can you look after Riley for a sec?" Mia said to her phone before placing it right in front of Riley. Riley blinked, looking confused as Mia waved and hurried off to do something else.

"Am I... on live stream?" Riley muttered, looking at the screen. She propped herself up and rested her chin on her hand, reading the comments.

"Hi guys," she said, giving a casual wave to the viewers.

One comment caught her eye. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Riley was about to respond when Sienna suddenly appeared beside her, holding two sandwiches. "She does now," Sienna said playfully, laughing as she teased the viewers. "Just kidding!" she added with a smirk.

She handed one of the sandwiches to Riley, making sure it was right in front of the camera like it was part of some grand gesture. Sienna leaned closer, reading the flood of comments on the live stream.

"What's going on between you two? Are you a thing?" Sienna read aloud before unwrapping her own sandwich and taking a small bite.

Riley glanced at her sandwich before giving a sly grin to the camera. "No, we're not a thing, because clearly... we're human," she said, holding up the sandwich like it was a trophy of her joke.

Sienna suddenly made a face, covering her mouth. "Ugh, does this have pickles on it?" she groaned, licking the side of her lips in disgust.

Riley chuckled, knowing full well Sienna hated pickles. Without hesitation, she held out her own sandwich. "Here, switch with me. Mine doesn't have any pickles."

Sienna blinked, looking at Riley as if she'd just offered her the world. "But you don't like pickles either," Sienna murmured, glancing from Riley to the live stream. "And I already took a bite."

Riley shrugged nonchalantly. "So? Want me to take a bite out of that one you're holding?" she teased, leaning in closer as if daring her.

Sienna blushed and smacked her palm against Riley's face. "Stop!" she giggled nervously, stealing a glance at the phone, aware that their little exchange was being watched by an audience.

Riley just laughed, her voice light and carefree as she turned back to the screen, reading more comments. "I wouldn't be surprised if one day you two end up dating," one comment said.

Riley raised a brow and smirked at the camera. "I wouldn't either. I mean, I'm beautiful, and Riley likes beautiful girls," Sienna chimed in, poking Riley's cheek teasingly. "Right?"

Riley's grin widened, her eyes flicking to Sienna before returning to the camera. "You're the only beautiful girl in my eyes, though," she said, winking at the screen.

Sienna's face turned bright red, and she nearly choked on her sandwich. Riley chuckled, quickly grabbing the water bottle next to her and offering it to Sienna. "Here, drink before you pass out."

Sienna took a quick gulp, her heart racing as she felt Riley's hand gently rubbing her back. "What the hell was that?" Sienna asked, half laughing, half panicking as she tried to compose herself.

"What?" Riley shrugged, her voice innocent. "I just told them you're the only beautiful girl in my eyes." She repeated the words, as if she were just talking with the viewers casually.

Sienna glanced nervously at the screen, now filled with a barrage of comments, hearts, and reactions. The live stream was blowing up, and it was clear that the viewers were shipping them hard.

Riley grinned as she noticed the flood of comments. "Well," she said, leaning back with a playful glint in her eyes, "Looks like we've got a fanbase now."

Sienna groaned, her face still flushed. "Oh my god, Riley..."

Riley just winked at her, clearly enjoying the attention.

Sienna absentmindedly scribbled shapes into the soil with a thin tree branch, trying to distract herself from the boredom as the others went about their tasks. Riley had been called over by Anne again—as usual—to help with something after they had ended the livestream. Sienna's gaze turned to them, but she quickly rolled her eyes when she saw Riley laughing and having fun with Anne. Frustrated, she turned her attention back to her doodles.

A soft bark caught her ear. "A puppy?" she mumbled, looking around until she spotted the little furball. Her face brightened as she crouched down and called the puppy over. It hesitated for a second, then trotted toward her, tail wagging. Sienna giggled, her annoyance slipping away as she started petting the pup, talking to it softly as though it were a baby.

She placed her phone down on a wooden bench nearby, completely engaged in the playful puppy. "Oh, hey!" Sienna stood, planning to follow the puppy as it scampered off, but paused when her gaze fell on Riley and Anne again. They were still talking, and from the looks of it, enjoying themselves. A pang of jealousy crept in, making her bite her lip. With a sigh, she decided to trail after the puppy, hoping it would take her mind off things.

Meanwhile, Riley wiped her hands after finishing her task with Anne. "All done," she said with a satisfied smile.

Anne gave her a teasing grin. "Good job. Now, go away," she said, shooing Riley off playfully.

Riley chuckled and glanced around. "Sure. See ya!" she called out, but her smile faded as she noticed something—Sienna wasn't around. She excused herself and made her way to where she last saw her.

"Huh?" Riley stopped short when she saw Sienna's phone lying on the bench. "She left her phone unattended?" she whispers, picking it up. She asked a few of the others if they'd seen Sienna, but no one seemed to notice her. She frowned, wondering if Sienna had gone to the bathroom.

Riley sat on the bench, lightly tapping her foot against the ground as she waited, glancing at her watch. An hour passed, and the sky started to darken, flashes of lightning flickering in the distance. The low rumble of thunder made her stomach tighten with worry. Where is she?

Riley's heart raced as she looked toward the forest. Sienna was terrified of thunder and lightning. The thought made her jump to her feet. Grabbing Sienna's phone, she sprinted back to their room, grabbed her zip-up jacket, and left the phone there before heading back out.

"Where the hell are you?" Riley muttered under her breath, her worry growing with each passing minute. As she rushed out, she bumped into Anne.

"Riley, where are you—"

"I'm going to find Sienna," Riley said, cutting her off as she kept running.

"Wait—what? Hey!" Anne shouted after her, confused, but Riley didn't stop.

She ran toward the mountain trail, calling out into the forest. "Sienna!" Her voice echoed, but the only response was the sound of the rain beginning to fall, heavier by the second.

Sienna, meanwhile, had realized she was lost. She leaned against a tree trunk, crouching down, her hands covering her ears as the thunder grew louder. "Just what the hell were you thinking, Sienna?" she muttered to herself, her voice trembling. She regretted wandering off.

The rain picked up, and Riley sprinted through the downpour, shouting again. "Sienna!" Her heart pounded as panic rose within her.

In the distance, Sienna thought she heard something through the storm. "Riley?" she whispered, standing shakily to her feet. But her hands remained over her ears, fear holding her still.

"Sienna! Where the hell are you?" Riley's voice pierced through the rainfall.

"Riley!" Sienna shouted back, her voice barely louder than a whisper at first, but then stronger as relief rushed through her. She stood, trying to follow the sound of Riley's voice.

Riley came to a sudden halt, panting as the rain drenched her. She swiped at her face, wiping away the rain as she searched the area. Then, she heard it—Sienna's voice. She turned sharply, spotting her standing a little way down the path.

"You fool!" Riley yelled as she ran toward her, slipping and sliding slightly on the wet ground. When she finally reached her, she checked Sienna over in a rush, her eyes scanning for any sign of injury. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I-I was just following the puppy," Sienna mumbled, guilt weighing heavily in her voice. "Then I realized I didn't know the way back, and... I... uh..." She trailed off, unsure whether to admit the truth.

Riley stepped closer, tilting Sienna's chin up gently, forcing her to meet her eyes. "Was it because of Anne?" she asked softly.

Sienna's face flushed as she shoved Riley's hand away, nodding reluctantly. "Yeah... I just—I don't know. I got jealous, okay?" she admitted, her voice barely audible.

Riley chuckled softly, pulling Sienna into a tight hug despite the rain. "You got me worried, you know that?"

Sienna leaned into the hug, feeling a strange mix of relief and embarrassment. "Aren't you mad? I mean, I'm overreacting. I told you I'm still figuring out my feelings, and now I'm acting all jealous—"

Before she could finish, Riley cupped her cheeks and kissed her. The suddenness of it left Sienna breathless, her hands instinctively finding their way to Riley's nape as she pulled her closer. The rain poured around them, but all Sienna could feel was the warmth of Riley's lips and the rapid thudding of her own heart.

When they finally broke apart, Riley was grinning. "I've literally told you a hundred times, there's nothing going on with Anne. In fact," she added with a playful smirk, "it's actually impossible for us to be a 'thing.'"

Sienna blinked, her heart still racing from the kiss. "Wait... what do you mean 'impossible'?"

Riley laughed, brushing some wet hair out of Sienna's face. "Anne's my elder cousin. She's my second cousin. She's only teasing you because she can tell you're jealous."

Sienna's eyes widened in shock. "Your what?!"