The sun was shining brightly as the Harrison and Sturniolo families gathered for another unforgettable summer at Carolina Beach in New Hanover County, North Carolina. For years, they had maintained the tradition of going to the Sturniolo couple's beach house and enjoying the golden beaches and fresh sea air together.

The family that owned the house consisted of husband and wife Jimmy and Marylou, who had a charming eldest son, Justin, aged twenty-five, and energetic eighteen-year-old triplets: Matt, Chris and Nick. The Harrison family was made up of Mark and Rachel, with their eighteen-year-old daughter, Lauren, and their adorable two-year-old boy, Dominique.

Since she was a child, Lauren had always been inseparable from the Sturniolo triplets, sharing laughs, adventures and secrets. But, as they say, time changes people, and something had happened since the summer of 2020. Matt, in particular, seemed to have drifted away from Lauren, and their friendship had dissipated into the salty sea air.

The first sign of this change was when Matthew stopped talking to Lauren for no apparent reason. The girl felt confused and hurt, unable to understand what had happened. The two started avoiding each other, avoiding any interaction and, when they had to, they were always exchanging barbs and feeding a palpable discomfort between them.

Lauren woke up from her trance when she heard the horn of her parents' rental car beep. They had finally arrived at the house. Almost immediately, Jimmy's figure appeared at the small white gate, making way for them.

The place was still the same. The wooden walls were painted white and the windows were navy blue, with sprigs of pink flowers decorating the upstairs windows. The balcony, as always, full of pots and the old beige sofa by the door. Lauren couldn't contain her excitement at feeling at home again.

—Hello, darling, you look lovely!- Marylou smiled, as she walked down the stairs from the small balcony towards the girl.

—Thank you, Aunt Lou! Long time no see!- she replied, hugging the older tightly.

A loud shout came from inside the house.

—NICO!

The eldest triplet soon came running towards the blonde, who waited for him with open arms. Lauren let out a scream as she felt her body being lifted off the ground by her best friend.

Nicolas and she had always been closer than the others. Every summer, they spent their afternoons dancing in the arcade and their evenings chasing Luaus on the beach. They exchanged secrets, gossip and comforted each other when something bad happened.

—My God, girl, I've got so much to tell you that you have no idea! Come on, come on! Come on in, let's get your closet in order!

—Calm down, Nick, I've only just arrived!- she laughed. I'm still a bit sleepy and poor Dominique is still asleep in the car.

—Let Chris stay with him, Lau, come on!

—All right, all right.- she smiled.— Hi, Chrissy!

—Hi, little one!- The older man laughed, kissing his friend's cheek.— I'll get Dom.

—Hi, Justin!- Lauren exclaimed to the firstborn Sturniolo, who waved to her without getting up from the sofa on the balcony.

—Where's Matt? I hope he gave up coming this year," she whispered, climbing the stairs.

—He went to the market, kitten. It wasn't that year that he managed to convince mom and dad.

—Damn. Are we still going to have to share that ridiculous room?

—Unfortunately, yes. I tried to swap with him, but Mum wouldn't let me because she'd already organized our closets. But this year is going to be different, girlfriend. I can feel it.

—How naive you are. Ever since Matt started playing this game, summers have been hell. That's why we always get home late from parties, Nico.

—And this year won't be any different, baby. I'll do everything I can to distract you!- Nick smiled, hugging his friend from the side.

The friends continued down the corridor, where the same room from the last thirteen years awaited Lauren's arrival. It was still the same as she had left it the year before. The same photos on the wall, the starfish painting and, apparently, the much-loved bunny slippers she had lost ages ago. But her excitement at finding them was interrupted by a scream of complete dread.

—WHAT IS THIS FUCKING DOUBLE BED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ROOM?!

—Oh, yeah, about that...- Nick smiled yellowly, scratching the back of his neck.— Mom decided to sell the single beds because they were too old and she found this one on sale.

—Holy shit, Nicolas, how am I going to spend the next three months sharing a bed with that kid?- the blonde moaned, wiping her hands across her face.

—Calm down, Lala, I'll find a way, I told you!

—A way? Calm down?!

They both let out a startled cry when the door opened quickly, revealing Matthew Sturniolo in the hallway.

—Hm, you're already here.- he muttered, rolling his eyes.

—That's what it looks like. Hello, Matt. Can you explain to me what all the fuss is about in the middle of my room?

—I hated it just as much as you did, princess. But, as my mother said, we have to learn to deal with our differences.

—And you expect me to sleep with you for the rest of the summer?- Lauren asked incredulously.

—I don't. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even come. But my mother, your Aunt Lou, does.- the brunette smiled wryly at her.

—Hey, you idiots, Aunt Rach is calling for dinner.- Chris, the youngest of the triplets, appeared in the room.

—Ah, finally, I couldn't stand it any longer...- Nick sighed with relief and quickly left the room.— Matthew snaps at Mattitude when he sets eyes on Lauren, I call it a hard-on!

—Shut up, Nicolas!- Harrison exclaimed, slapping his best friend on the back.

Dinner time was stressful. Lauren felt Matt's eyes on her almost all the time, not to mention her brother's quiet crying, as he refused to eat due to tiredness.

—Hey, Dom, do you want to sleep with little sis tonight?- the blonde asked the little boy in his ear as soon as the meal was over, and he instantly smiled at her and stretched out his arms towards her.

Lauren picked Dominique up and carried her up the stairs back to her room. It didn't take long for the blond-haired boy to fall asleep, sprawled in the middle of the bed.

Again, the door swung open, revealing the same blue-eyed boy from hours earlier. Matthew raised an eyebrow, asking:

—Where do you expect me to sleep, genius?

—Well, I was thinking to myself, the sofa looks quite comfortable. Or maybe on the floor..." she smiled, placing her index finger on the tip of her chin, pretending to think.

—You're kidding me, aren't you?

—Huh? no?! Jeez, Matt, you're not scrooge enough to get my two-year-old brother out of that bed, are you?

—He's small and this bed is queen size. I'm sure there's room for one more.— he shrugged, taking off his shirt and throwing himself on the mattress next to little Dominique.

—Damn it, Matthew, you're going to wake the boy up! What do you think you're doing? I'm not going to sleep next to you!

—Shut up, you little bitch, tomorrow's a new day and we'll have to put up with each other for another seventy-nine long twenty-four hours.— he replied, turning away from her.

—I don't know whether to laugh or cry.— she whimpered, hiding her face with the blanket.

—I'd cry. Good night, Lau.

—Good night, Matthew.

As they fell asleep that night, side by side, they knew that the journey of that summer had only just begun and they didn't know whether that comforted them or left them completely terrified.

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