Chapter 3

The salt air had turned heavy, clinging to my skin like a second layer of sweat and shame as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in bruised purples and bloody oranges. We were still at the beach bonfire party, the same sprawling grounds where the driftwood fire crackled and popped, sending up showers of sparks that danced like fireflies before vanishing into the twilight. The crowd had thinned, the music from the speakers now a distant, throbbing hum rather than a commanding roar, leaving us in a pocket of relative solitude near the edge of the dunes. I felt exposed, not just by the cool evening breeze that tugged at my dress, but by the weight of his gaze. He had been watching me all night, a low, simmering intensity that I had tried to ignore, to drown out with laughter and casual conversation, but it was always there, anchoring me to his presence. He stood a few feet away, his silhouette sharp against the fading light, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. I shivered, pulling my cardigan tighter around myself, though it did little to ward off the chill that had nothing to