The following morning, I wake up feeling as though I didn't sleep a wink. I kept having the same dream that I was falling through the air, but before I could hit the ground, I woke up gasping for air. My head is throbbing from the sleepless night, the side of my face feels tender from the punch, and the embarrassment has still yet to die down. With as many concerts as I've been to, I've never gotten hurt like this. Sure, I've been pushed around, had my fair share of back and neck pain, you name it. But being punched in the face? That's a first—and hopefully a last—for me.

While attempting to sit up in bed, I squint my eyes trying to adjust to the sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtain when a soft knock sounds from the door.

"I just wanted to check on you," Ana says, poking her head inside the doorframe.

While I rub my temples, she strides inside and sits beside me on the bed with a bottle of Tylenol clutched in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"I'll be okay. It's just a residual headache," I say, gesturing for her to place them on the bedside table. "Thank you."

While she sets them down, I throw my hair into a messy bun when she looks my way and whistles low. Moving the loose hair from my face, she tilts my head to get a better look at the damage. "You have a gnarly bruise on your cheek," she says.

"Oh, that'll be perfect for our beach trip. It'll scare people away from me," I chuckle.

"You didn't need a bruise for that, Al. You already have RBF going for you," she winks.

"Ha ha, very funny," I mock, watching her rise from the bed and walk toward the door.

"Are you sure you still want to go?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We paid a lot of money for that itinerary. I don't want to mess it up."

She places her hand on the handle before scrunching her face and glances at me over her shoulder. "You know the itinerary schedule was more suggestive, right? We don't have to do it in the exact order."

"I know, but it all fit perfectly with our timeline. I'll be okay," I attempt to convince her. But let's face it. Whether she believes me or not, we all know how stubborn I am, and when I say I'm going to do something, I see it through. Head injury or not.

A beach day is something I've looked forward to for weeks now. Plus, a big storm is moving its way toward us. I'd rather suck it up and go rather than wait and see how much damage this thing causes. They predicted tornado warnings to pop up throughout the coast of Massachusetts, so I'm sure some sort of cleanup will be necessary afterward.

After slipping into my all-black bikini that's been sitting untouched in my dresser for God knows how long, I stand in front of the mirror and marvel at how well it still fits me. I've worked hard to lose the pregnancy weight after having Lydia, and it's finally time to show it off.

Throwing on a lace slip dress, I grab my sunglasses from the dresser and place them on top of my head before descending the stairs.

"Hey, Al! We're just finishing packing up the cooler and then we should be ready," Nora exclaims. "That dress is super cute!"

"Thank you," I say, smoothing down the front with a smile.

"Okay, we have fruit, water, and yes Allie, some concealed wine," Ana jokes before closing the lid.

I throw both my hands over my heart with exaggeration. "I knew you always had my best interest in mind," I say, pretending to be choked up.

"Alright, let's get going," Nora says, taking the cooler from Ana's grip and wheels it past us.

The drive to the beach was surprisingly rather quiet. The traffic was at its lowest since we've arrived in Boston, thanks to the emergency warnings along the side of the highway. Even the seagulls seem to have left to find shelter, since we only noticed a few of them scattered around looking for abandoned food. Thankfully, we already went food shopping and shouldn't need to go out for anything for the next few days.

Stepping out of the car, I instantly breathe in the fresh scent of the salty air and listen intently to the sounds of the waves lapping together—almost like they're taunting us to come play. Sinking my feet into the hot sand, we walk toward the shore in search of a good spot to lay our things down.

"I think right here would be perfect," Nora yells ahead.

"It's a good thing we packed that thing to the brim," Ana says, gesturing to the cooler that's dragging behind us. "All the shops are closed."

Stopping in my tracks, I turn around to see the shops have boards nailed at the entrances and sandbags to hopefully prevent flooding. This looks exactly like what you see on the news channels when the southern states are expecting a hurricane. Where I'm from, we never get bad weather. There's too many mountains and trees for any of them to last long enough to cause any damage. But I can't help but feel nervous with all these warnings since we're not equipped to deal with any damages that could occur.

Pushing the thought away, we lay out our towels flat against the sand while the sun beats down on us. With the beach being so empty, it was easy to find a spot close to the shoreline, but not close enough incase high tide decides to roll in.

"I'm going in the water!" Nora announces before running full speed into the ocean.

Sliding onto my towel, I reach into my beach bag for a romance novel that's taking me ages to finish. Reading has always been my safe haven, but with the little time I've had to myself, there hasn't been much left in the day to crack open a book. Now that we're here, and it's quiet, maybe I'll even finish it.

Ana slides off her shorts and discards them onto her towel before giving me a questioning look. "Are you not coming in?" she asks, using her hand as a visor above her eyes.

"I think I'll sit and read for a little while," I say, showing her the book before laying back.

"Okay, don't be afraid to yell if you need anything," she says before heading to join Nora.

Before opening my book, I take a moment to look around the secluded beach. I can't imagine how full this place must be when the shops are open. Today, though, there's not much to see. Squinting my eyes from the sun, I slowly scan over the shore to see a couple strolling along the coast with their fingers intertwined together. Further out, a group of guys throw a football at one another when one of them throws it into the water for their friends to chase.

"Come on, Allie!" Ana yells from the water, startling me since I was so lost in watching a group of guys chase a ball. "Get your ass in the water! Don't make me drag you!"

I reluctantly peel myself off the comfort of my towel with a grunt and safely tuck my book into my bag. My perfect day at the beach consists of lounging under the sun and having a nice mixed drink in one hand with a book in the other. Not swimming. I usually steer clear of the water since it's always too cold, and you never know what's floating around in there. I had to learn the hard way as a kid by getting stung by a jellyfish, and haven't enjoyed swimming as much since then. But when Ana threatens to drag you, it's not just for the sake of saying it.

Walking closer to the shore, I'm suddenly soaked from head to toe with cold, salty water while Ana and Nora are cackling in front of me.

"She did it," they both say in unison, pointing at one another.

"You guys are assholes," I laugh and kick water at them before we're all in some sort of splash fight.

My hesitation with the ocean evaporates quickly with how much fun this is. Being in the open water and being able to have fun with my friends and not have to turn around every three seconds to make sure the girls are still within arm's reach. This is yet another prime example of why I need to start doing things without constantly overthinking.

"Allie, watch out!" Nora shouts nervously, her eyes wide with alarm.

Before I have time to react, something splashes behind me, spraying cold water up my back. Now I remember why I was hesitant about joining in the first place. It's probably a giant fish or even another jellyfish. Does Massachusetts even have those?

I turn around slowly to see what exactly tried assaulting me when a football stares back at me while floating rhythmically in the water. Likely the same one I saw those guys throwing around earlier. I chuckle to myself while staring at the ball I swore was a giant fish a few minutes ago before hearing heavy footsteps slosh into shore.

"Sorry about that!" I hear a man say with a thick, distinguishable Welsh accent.

"That's okay! It didn't hit us, so no apologies are necessary," I say, bending down to pick up the football.

Before I can throw it back, the man steps closer into view with broad shoulders and light brown hair.

Gareth Chase.

My heart skips when I suddenly feel the inability to speak in complete sentences. What is he doing here? Are the rest of the guys with him? And more importantly... Is Jax with him?

He inches closer with a smile plastered on his face. "I can be sorry about this guy's shit aim though," he says, gesturing behind him as the rest of the guys jog towards us.

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't catch," James defends. "Sorry if we disturbed you, ladies."

Catching sight of Jax standing behind James while he chats with Casey makes my knees instantly feel weak. His baseball cap is on backward today, revealing small droplets of water to sit perfectly against his slightly sunburnt cheeks. His eyes flick to mine momentarily before he does a double take and holds my gaze this time, his blue eyes mirroring the ocean that rests beneath us.

He gives me a gentle smile that twists my stomach in all sorts of directions. "How are you, Allie?" he asks sweetly.

"Fine, thank you," I muster the courage to say. Looking down at my hands, I realize I'm still holding the football in my grip. "Oh, sorry. You probably want this back," I chuckle, tossing the ball back to Gareth.

"Wait, this is Allie?" Casey asks, pointing at me while looking at Jax with confusion.

"We met when I went shopping. She tried to take me out with her trolley," he chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief while they crinkle at the corners.

My face heats while turning ten different shades of red at his recollection. That's what I'll be remembered as. The wine-crazed woman that tried to run him over in the grocery store. Might as well slap that on my tombstone.

"Oh, is she the one that recommended that wine? I don't remember what it was called, but it was pretty good," James says with his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"That would be me," I say shyly, subconsciously moving my hair behind my ear.

Concern flashes in Jax's eyes while he closes the gap between us. His hand flies to the side of my face, turning it to observe the half-dollar-sized bruise on my cheek. The subtle touch sending my stomach into even tighter knots than before.

"Man," he says, clicking his tongue. "That looks painful. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it feels fine now. As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm not the most careful person and am pretty clumsy," I attempt to joke when his eyes meet mine again with seriousness. I swallow hard, trying to read him through his stare. His remorse is palpable, and I wish there was something I could say to make him know it isn't anyone's fault. It's just what happens when you're in general admission.

"Speaking of being careful, are you guys ready for the big storm tomorrow?" Casey asks while rubbing his hands together. "It's supposed to get pretty bad."

"If by ready you mean prepared, probably not. We haven't moved any furniture or anything like that, but I'm sort of looking forward to it. We don't get storms where we're from and the Airbnb has a covered porch in the back with my name on it," I reply, turning around to see Ana and Nora coming to join us.

"That's pretty lucky. Our hotel has like two windows," James says with disappointment.

"You guys could always come watch it at our place. The house is plenty big," Ana suggests behind me with a nonchalant shrug.

I whip around to look at her while she stands there with a devilish grin, knowing my brain just exploded into a million pieces. Inviting the entirety of Bottom Line to the house? Has she officially lost her mind?

James' face lights up when he looks to Casey, who gives him a shrug.

"That actually sounds nice. I love a good storm," Casey nods.

I'm going to faint and drift away in this ocean and hopefully wake up on a very deserted island. I swear this girl loves to torment me. Still keeping my eyes locked on her, she continues chuckling with Nora, clearly finding this insanely amusing. I'm glad to know my friends find my despair so entertaining. I shake my head at her before turning back to the guys.

"Let me grab a pen and paper to write the address down," I say quietly, slowly leaving the water.

Hearing footsteps follow behind me, I look in my peripheral to see Jax walking alongside me. When we reach our set up, I reach inside my bag and pull out an old, crinkled receipt and a pen and quickly jot down the address.

I hand him the paper with a smile, trying to find words, but they just won't form in my brain. "Y-you can't miss it. It's a big white farmhouse," I stutter, trying to shake the nerves away.

"Thank you," he murmurs, taking the paper between his fingers with a look on his face I can't quite read. He scratches the back of his head beneath his ballcap nervously while his eyes squint. "Do... Do you think you could write your number down? You know, to let you guys know ahead of time that we're on our way."

All the color drains from my face when nervousness squeezes my chest while I stand there, just staring at him. Form words, Allie. He just wants the number so he can be polite and not show up unannounced. Don't overthink it.

"Yeah, of course," I say with a smile and take the paper from his hands to jot down my cell phone number.

My hands shake while writing, barely making the numbers legible. Taking a deep breath, I hand it back to him when he smiles shyly and tucks the paper into his wallet. "Thanks, Allie. I'll text you when we're ready to leave in the morning," he says.

It's now that I notice I've been staring at him, yet again, probably looking like a creep. I smile and look down quickly, moving the hair from my face instinctively. "No problem. Like I said, come by anytime. We don't plan on going anywhere."

"We'll plan to drop by in the morning before the storm is expected. We can help you guys move any furniture from the windows and board them up to be safe," he says with a gorgeous smile. Every time that dimple flashes against his cheek, I swear I'm moments away from crumbling.

"Tomorrow then," I awkwardly hold my hand out for a handshake and mentally cringe at myself.

He smirks before connecting our hands together. "Tomorrow then," he murmurs, accepting my hand in his with a quick shake before turning to walk away.

I stand there while watching him reunite with the rest of the guys—and continue to stand there, watching them disappear along the shore until I can finally take a deep breath.

Did that seriously just happen?