Mason Gray was my brother Aiden's best friend, practically since the dawn of time. They didn't meet in the typical way kids become friends-at the school playground or on a sunny afternoon at the park. No, they met at detention when they were just five years old. That says a lot about the kind of chaos they both carried, even as kids.

While Aiden was the storm-agitated, impulsive, and fiercely protective-Mason was the calm. He was laid-back, easygoing, and always seemed like he didn't have a care in the world. Together, they were a perfect balance, like yin and yang. One's chaos fed into the other's serenity, and somehow, it worked.

Which meant that for as long as I could remember-since I was four years old, to be exact-Mason was around. When I say "around," I don't mean occasional visits. I mean practically living in our house. Aiden and Mason were inseparable, a dynamic duo who made it their mission to terrorize my little world.

While Aiden treated me like his pesky little sister, Mason elevated torment to an art form. He destroyed my sandcastles, hid my favorite toys, and outright banned me from using the swing set in our backyard. He and Aiden were a two-man wrecking crew, gleefully turning my dolls into their action figures' prisoners or using my dollhouse as a garage for their cars. They didn't just invade my space-they owned it.

To me, Mason wasn't just annoying. He was a living, breathing unlucky charm. A shadow of misfortune that always seemed to linger, ready to swoop in and ruin whatever joy I'd managed to carve out for myself.

As we grew older, things didn't get much better. If anything, it felt like I'd gained a second obnoxious brother. Mason's teasing matured alongside him, becoming sharper, more insufferable. He had an uncanny ability to push my buttons, a skill he wielded with an almost infuriating precision.

Then came my pre-teen years, and with them, a confusing shift in my perspective. It's that strange phase where girls start romanticizing red flags and find charm in the dumb things boys do, dismissing their flaws with a casual "boys will be boys." Mason went from being the bane of my existence to something far more bewildering.

At twelve, I developed my first real crush-and to my absolute horror, it was on Mason. It lasted two years, an eternity in pre-teen time. It wasn't like he was some heartthrob on the level of Zayn Malik or Harry Styles, but there was something about him that pulled me in. Maybe it was his confidence, or the way he always seemed to command a room without trying. I found myself laughing at his jokes and noticing his smile in ways I never had before.

Of course, I never told anyone. Not even my closest friends. It was an embarrassing secret, one I guarded fiercely, especially since Mason seemed to be the last person on earth who'd ever take me seriously.

That didn't stop my twelve-year-old self from imagining a grand future. The kiss that sparked it all happened at one of Aiden's infamous birthday parties. The "seven minutes in heaven" game was the talk of the night, and I was devastated when Aiden banned me from playing. Mason, ever the mischief-maker, offered to play with me after the game had wrapped up, "just for the heck of it," as he put it.

It wasn't romantic. It wasn't even seven minutes. He kissed me-a quick, playful peck on the lips-and then walked out of my closet like nothing had happened. For twelve-year-old me, though, it was monumental. That single moment sparked a flurry of dreams: weddings, kids, houses with white picket fences. For about three days, I was practically floating on air.

And then, reality hit. Mason, ever the charmer, was soon "practicing" seven minutes in heaven with half the girls in school. My crush crashed and burned as quickly as it had ignited, leaving behind a bruised ego and the painful realization that I was just another silly little girl in his orbit.

By the time I was fourteen, I'd convinced myself it had all been a childish phase, a silly crush that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Mason went back to being my annoying second brother, the constant thorn in my side who could do no wrong in Aiden's eyes. He teased me relentlessly, and I tolerated him with a mix of annoyance and begrudging familiarity.

But something shifted again as we grew older. By the time I was in my late teens, Mason's presence began to feel... different. He wasn't just teasing me anymore. His smirks lingered a little too long. His casual touches-an arm slung over my shoulder, a hand brushing against mine-felt less like the antics of an annoying brother-figure and more like something else entirely.

And that's when the confusion set in. For years, Mason had been the boy I loved to hate, the one constant in my life that I could always count on to drive me crazy. But now, he was blurring the lines. His cocky attitude, once so irritating, now felt almost flirtatious. His proximity, once unwelcome, now sent my heart racing.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Mason wasn't supposed to look at me like that, with a mix of amusement and... something deeper. He wasn't supposed to make my pulse quicken with a single glance or make me question everything I thought I knew about him-or myself.

For the first time in years, I realized that I was feeling that Mason Gray wasn't just Aiden's best friend.

Now what I do not know is if this was indeed unexpected and just happened or was this a growing sensation built over years. I was scared it was the last one and I had no intention to figure it out however I was so curious n other hand to understand what he was doing, was he just playing with me like he did years ago?

Mason was close-too close. His every movement seemed calculated, deliberate, as though he was daring me to break the tension. My breath hitched with each inch he closed between us, and despite the ocean's cold breeze brushing against my skin, an unfamiliar heat blossomed inside me.

His eyes flicked down to my lips, lingering there like they held some secret. And I... I couldn't help but look at his, too. My resolve wavered as the air thickened between us, the world fading away until there was only him, his smirk, and the maddening way he seemed to revel in this moment.

For what felt like an eternity, neither of us moved.

Then, out of nowhere-
"REGINA!"

The shout shattered the moment like glass hitting the floor. Both Mason and I flinched, turning toward the source of the sound. It was Aiden, my wonderful and oh-so-responsible older brother, yelling from further down the beach.

Farther down the shoreline, three figures stumbled into view. One of them-Luke, as usual-was nearly crawling in the sand while the other two, Aiden and Cameron, struggled to keep up, looking like they were trying to wrangle a drunk toddler.

"For god's sake..." Mason muttered under his breath, rubbing a hand over his face.

From the chaos, Cameron's voice bellowed, "YOU need to forget it!"

"No, YOU forget it!" Aiden hollered back, wobbling as he tried to walk.

Luke, meanwhile, decided the ground was as good a place as any and collapsed onto his back, laughing hysterically.

"This is a disaster," Mason groaned, already heading toward them. I followed, because someone had to keep these idiots from falling into the ocean.

"Don't fall, dude!" Cameron yelled, trying to pull Luke to his feet.

"Get up, man!"

But the moment Cameron bent down to help, Luke yanked him off balance, sending Cameron tumbling into the sand beside him.

"That's what you get for going against me!" Aiden declared proudly, swaying on his feet as if he'd won some invisible battle.

"I'm not against you, you bimbo!" Cameron retorted, slapping at the sand.

"That's so mean!" Luke howled with laughter, kicking his legs like a child.

"You little sucker!" Aiden growled, lunging at Cameron in what I think was an attempt to slap him. Instead, he tripped over his own feet and joined the other two on the ground.

By the time Mason and I got there, all three of them were sprawled out in the sand, gazing at the night sky and laughing like hyenas.

"Oh, sister," Aiden said dramatically, pointing at me as I loomed over them. "You'd better behave, or I'll send you home!"

"Right," I deadpanned, crossing my arms. "Because you're doing such a great job setting an example."

Luke pointed a wobbly finger at Mason, his voice slurred but full of admiration. "Look at that handsome face... even upside down, he's cute!"

"Right, but gets no chicks!" Cameron crowed, earning a round of drunk laughter.

"Get up, you morons," Mason snapped, his tone sharp as he tried to pull Aiden to his feet.

"Yes, sir!" they all chorused sarcastically, saluting him from the ground.

"Where's Jaden?" I asked, glancing back toward the bonfire.

"Busy," Luke drawled, his grin wide and mischievous. "He's makin' out with Aiden's summer girlfriend."

I raised an eyebrow, my gaze shifting to my brother, who groaned dramatically.

"Really, Aiden?" I asked. "You've been busy, huh?"

Aiden sat up, pointing an accusatory finger at Luke. "Hey, you're the sucker, not me!"

Luke, ignoring him entirely, turned to Mason. "You know why Hailey ditched him for Jaden?"

"No one needs to know," Aiden interjected quickly.

But Luke pressed on, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Because in the middle of making out, he said Regina's name!"

Cameron doubled over laughing, and Mason clapped his hands slowly, his expression dripping with sarcasm.

"Well done, Romeo," Mason said with a smirk.

"It was an accident!" Aiden defended, his cheeks tinged red even in the moonlight.

"You're a real gentleman," I quipped, shaking my head.

"You could learn from me," Cameron announced, wobbling to his knees and pointing at himself proudly. "I just walk up to a girl, kiss her, and boom-done."

"That's your problem, Cam," Aiden said, his words slurring. "You're too direct. Scares the girls off."

Luke giggled, rolling onto his side. "Yeah, Cameron's like, 'Hi, pants off, bang!'"

Cameron gasped, clutching his chest like he'd been personally attacked. "That's not true! I'm not that direct. There's a step in between!"

"Oh, really?" Luke teased. "What step is that?"

Cameron puffed out his chest, grinning smugly. "I take her pants off first."

The three of them howled with laughter, leaving me standing there in utter disbelief.

"You're all disgusting," I muttered under my breath.

"GUYS!" A new voice rang out, and we all turned to see Jaden sprinting down the beach, his shirt half-untucked and his hair a mess.

"There he is," Mason sighed, shaking his head. "Come on, everyone-up. Let's go."

"I just had the best make-out session of my entire life!" Jaden proclaimed as he reached us, practically vibrating with excitement.

"How do you always know when he'll show up?" I asked Mason.

"He's the type who can't keep it to himself," Mason replied.

"He is the type to... kiss and tell" Luke said making a pun and making the other two laugh

Jaden grinned, ignoring us. "Seriously, amazing. Out of ten, I'd say I'm a solid twenty right now."

"It's the other way around, genius," Mason muttered, exasperated.

As the group began staggering toward the house, Luke draped an arm around Aiden's shoulders. "Alylili," he slurred, trying to say my name.

"Don't call my sister that," Aiden growled, shoving him off.

"Oh, spicy daddy!" Luke teased.

"You're so cringe," Cameron said, shivering dramatically.

"Can you just walk and not talk?"Mason asked as they quietly laughed