MasukThe bartender set two glasses on the sticky wood. It was pale and slush-thick, topped with a fringe of white foam, they released a bright burst of tart and sweet citrus that hit my nose before my hand even left my lap. Riley’s finger nudged the condensation-slick glass toward me. “Can you actually hold your liquor?” she asked, tilting her head. “Yes.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. My only real baseline was that day with Noah, but that hardly counted. His drink had been neat, and dark so it was no surprise that a single sip was enough to scorch my throat. But this was different. It was a tropical drink at a loud beach bar. Taking one glass wouldn't kill me. Those were my last reasonable words of the afternoon. I took a cautious sip, bracing for the worst, but it was surprisingly sweet. It has a bright, icy blend that completely hid whatever heavy spirit was tucked inside. It slid down without a fight, barely leaving a trace of a burn. A little surprised, I found myself taking anothe
I stayed like that until the pounding in my chest slowed enough that I trusted my legs again. Then I stood, pulled his shirt over my head, and shoved my arms through the sleeves. It swallowed me whole, the hem reaching halfway down my thighs, still carrying his distinct scent that instantly made my face flush hot. I pressed the back of my chilled hands against my burning cheeks, a futile and silly attempt to cool down the sudden rush of blood on my face.It didn’t help at all.Exhaling softly, I smoothed down the front of the cotton, and pushed past the privacy curtain.Riley was already waiting just outside the changing area, arms crossed like she’d been there the whole time and the second she saw me, her eyes dropped to the shirt, then back to my face.I immediately looked down at the scuffed floorboards, my heart doing a ridiculous flutter. I wasn't even entirely sure what I was so embarrassed about, only that being seen wearing his shirt felt like revealing a massive secret.Riley
He didn’t wait for an answer and just started walking, his grip firm around my wrist, pulling me with him toward the dry sand. I followed because there wasn’t much of a choice, still too shocked to yank my hand back, the cold air hitting my wet skin the second we left the surf.My eyes found Riley on the way.She was staring at us, just as surprised as I was, her mouth slightly open like she hadn’t actually expected this to work.Noah kept walking until we reached his shade, then he bent down, grabbed his bag, and took hold of my wrist again.“Noah—”He didn’t answer and just pulled me toward the changing area, his stride longer than mine, sand kicking up behind us. I had to walk faster to keep from stumbling. He only stopped once we were inside.He dropped the bag onto the bench, unzipped it, and pulled out one of his shirts. He held it out without looking at me first.“Put it on.”I took it, still too thrown to argue. The fabric was dry and smelled like smoke and whatever soap he u
That actually made me go quiet.I wanted the answer to be yes. It would have been easier if it was. If Noah really didn’t see me that way, then everything he said this morning could stay exactly what it sounded like. But I couldn't force the word out.“I don’t know,” was all I could manage.Riley’s mouth curved into a grin. “Guess we’ll have to figure that out.”“Riley, don’t—” I opened my mouth to stop her, reaching out to grab her arm but she was already turning her head.“Damian!” she called out, her voice easily cutting over the sea breeze. “Can you come help Saraphina? She doesn’t know how to swim!”Damian looked over from where he was standing near the edge of the surf.“Sure,” he said, already starting toward us.I leaned in so fast my shoulder bumped Riley’s.“What the hell are you doing?” I whisper-yelled. “I can swim!”Riley didn’t look the least bit guilty. She just kept her eyes fixed ahead, whispering out the side of her mouth, “Then you’d better start pretending.”Damian
A long pause stretched out, but it wasn't awkward. It was just the kind of silence where I could practically hear Riley processing what I'd just admitted.She broke it first. “What do you even like about him anyway?”I let out a short, quiet breath. “Look at him,” I said. “Is there anything NOT to like?”We both turned at the exact same time.Noah was sitting under an umbrella a little farther up the sand, a book open in one hand, and a smoldering cigarette held between two fingers of the other. He looked completely unbothered by the heat, the crashing surf, or any of us. Like the beach was just another place he had been forced to occupy. A thin trail of grey smoke curled up into the shade above his head.Sense or instinct made him look up. His eyes lifted from the page, locked onto ours immediately, and his brows pulled down into a frown—the kind that asked, without a single word, What The Hell Are You Staring At?Riley and I turned our heads back toward each other.Then we started l
“What?” she asked, genuinely puzzled, one brow lifting as she glanced from my arms still crossed over my chest to Riley, who was still laughing so hard she had to wipe at the corner of her eye. “Nothing,” Riley got out between breaths. “Absolutely nothing. You’re just— God, Celeste.” Celeste shrugged like that explained nothing and everything at once, then started toward the exit of the changing area without waiting for us to catch up. Riley followed, still grinning. I dropped my arms after a second and went after them, the new swimsuit feeling more exposed than it should have under the open air. When we stepped out onto the sand, the first gaze I noticed was Noah’s. He was standing a little apart from the others, already changed, holding a cigarette loosely as his gaze caught mine and refused to let go. His eyes moved over me once, then stayed on my face. I looked away first. “So?” Celeste asked, already turning us toward the others. “How do they look? Amazing, right?” "Yeah,"







