Chapter 236. Warning

LEE

We helped each other grill the bangus, the smoke from the grill rising lazily into the cool mountain air, carrying the scent of charcoal and marinated fish. Jackson was turning the skewers carefully while Aiden fanned the flames, his face flushed from the heat. Jay, ever the joker, pretended to be a master chef, sprinkling invisible “spices” into the air with exaggerated movements. I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling the warm camaraderie between us.

As we worked together, conversation flowed naturally, and before long, we found ourselves reminiscing about our childhoods. Aiden started it off, telling us about how, as a child, he’d sneak out to the nearby river to fish, only to come home empty-handed and soaked because he fell in more often than not.

“I don’t know why I thought I could catch anything with that crooked stick I called a fishing rod,” Aiden said, chuckling at the memory. Jackson, still wiping sweat from his forehead, nudged him playfully.