Jasmine sat curled up on her couch, her phone screen illuminating the dark room. The last message from Cameron sat unread, a simple "Yeah, maybe" in response to Jasmine asking if they could hang out soon. Maybe. The word made her stomach churn. Cameron used to drop everything for her. She used to wait on her texts, used to say yes before Jasmine even finished asking. But now, she was hesitating. And Jasmine knew why.
Rosalie.
Jasmine's jaw tightened. She didn't say the name out loud, but it echoed in her skull like glass breaking. Rosalie had always been there—lingering, harmless, background noise.
Until now.
Now she was the reason Cameron was pulling away.
Jasmine scoffed at the name, gripping her phone tighter. It didn't make sense. Cameron had spent so long chasing after her, bending over backwards just to be in her presence. She gave Cameron what she wanted, didn't she? Let her in, touched her, kissed her—slept with her. Wasn't that enough?
She gave her the fantasy. And still, Cameron ran.
No. No, she didn't run. She retreated. Into Rosalie's arms. Into safety. Into someone else's bed.
Jasmine paced the room, fingers pulling at the ends of her sleeves as she ran through every possible way to fix this. She needed Cameron back in her orbit. She needed to be the one Cameron obsessed over, the one she looked at like she hung the stars. The thought of Rosalie having that attention now made her stomach twist with something ugly.
Jasmine needed to be back in control. Needed to remind Cameron who she belonged to. Who made her feel alive.
A trip.
The idea struck her all at once. A perfect way to pull Cameron away from Rosalie, even if just for a little while. Get her out of the city, away from all distractions, away from Rosalie. Just them, just like before.
She unlocked her phone and pulled up Cameron's contact, her heart racing as she typed.
Jasmine: [Hey, remember that BFF trip we talked about? Let's do it. Just a day trip, something fun. We need to get out of the city. Just us.]
The typing bubble appeared and disappeared. Jasmine bit her lip, waiting, gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Cameron: [I don't know. I'd have to check with Rosalie first.]
Jasmine's face twisted into a scowl. Of course. Of course she had to check with Rosalie first. But Jasmine wouldn't let this stop her.
Jasmine: [Oh come on, it's just one day. We used to do things like this all the time. Don't you miss it? Don't you miss me? We should reconnect. We can get even closer.]
She knew exactly what she was doing. She could practically feel Cameron's hesitation through the phone. Those words had always made Cameron weaker. And just like Jasmine predicted, the next message came through after a long pause.
Cameron: [ …I'll let Rosalie know, but yeah, okay. We can go.]
Jasmine exhaled, a slow, victorious smile creeping onto her lips. She had her in.
Jasmine: [Yay!! Let's pick a place, I have so many ideas!]
When they saw each other later that day, Jasmine quickly pulled up destinations on her phone, scrolling through beaches, lakes, anywhere that would take them far from the city. She turned the screen toward Cameron, leaning in close, making sure she could feel the warmth of her body next to hers. She watched Cameron's expression carefully—the discomfort, the hesitation, but also that flicker of something else. The temptation.
She was watching Jasmine.
The pull was still there. The tether. Jasmine saw it in the flicker of her gaze. The way she bit her lip. The way she didn't pull away, even as the heat between them thickened.
She could feel it.
Cracks in the wall.
Cameron still wanted her. Whether she said it or not. Whether she knew it or not.
And Jasmine wasn't going to let her go again.
That night, Jasmine lay in bed, her phone beside her like a totem.
She stared at Cameron's contact photo—one of the older ones, blurry and too bright, Cameron laughing at something off-screen. A time before Rosalie. Before hesitation.
She could feel it now.
The storm was turning.
And soon, Cameron would remember.
Who really made her feel like she was someone worth chasing.