As we made our way back to the beach house, the cool ocean breeze did little to sober up the guys. Their laughter echoed along the shore, each joke more nonsensical than the last.

"Did you ever notice," Luke slurred, stumbling over his own feet, "that sand is just... tiny rocks?"

Cameron burst into laughter. "Whoa, man, that's deep. Like, rock-ception!"

Aiden attempted to join in but tripped, nearly face-planting into the sand. Mason caught him just in time, shaking his head with a smirk. "Alright, philosopher," Mason said to Luke, "let's keep moving before you start pondering the meaning of water."

"But do you remember that time we went to that private beach at night?" Luke asked with a smile as the others nodded.

"We trespassed and smoked some weed. After a while, red and blue lights," Jaden said.

"Yeah, I remember that. My brother took my chores for six months so I wouldn't tell Mom and Dad you guys got arrested," I said.

"Did you tell them?" Aiden asked, curious.

"If I had told them, you wouldn't be here, free and alive," I responded.

As we approached the beach house, its silhouette illuminated by the porch light, I felt a sense of relief. "Okay, guys," I announced, "let's get you upstairs and into bed."

Aiden waved me off. "Pfft, I'm not tired! Let's hit another party!"

"Yeah!" Luke chimed in, attempting a fist pump but nearly losing his balance.

Mason stepped in, his tone firm yet gentle. "I think that's enough excitement for one night. Let's get inside."

Once inside, the guys collapsed onto the living room couches, their earlier energy fading into drowsiness. I started toward the stairs, intending to prepare the guest rooms, but Mason's hand on my arm stopped me.

"Just leave them," he said softly.

"Like that?" I said, a bit of guilt filling me.

"At least they won't fall from the bed, and they have the bathroom feet away," Mason proposed.

I glanced back at the trio, now snoring in unison, and sighed. "Alright. But if they complain about sore necks tomorrow, it's on you."

Mason chuckled. "Deal."

We stood there for a moment, the only sounds being the gentle hum of the ceiling fan and the distant crash of waves. The earlier tension between us lingered, unspoken but palpable.

"I should head to bed," I said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," he replied, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

Before I could respond, he turned toward the door. "I'm going to take a smoke."

I nodded, watching as he stepped outside, the door closing softly behind him. Taking a deep breath, I headed to my room, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions I wasn't quite ready to face.

As I slipped into my comfortable pajamas and settled into bed, the events of the evening replayed in my mind, centering on that charged moment with Mason by the beach. The way his eyes had lingered on my lips, the almost magnetic pull between us-it was unlike anything I'd felt before.

I couldn't help but wonder: if Aiden hadn't interrupted us, would we have kissed? The thought sent a shiver down my spine, equal parts excitement and confusion. Mason had always been my brother's best friend, the perennial thorn in my side. But tonight, something had shifted.

My mind raced with questions. Was there something more between us, or was it just the alcohol and the moonlit beach playing tricks on my emotions? The ambiguity gnawed at me, making sleep an elusive prospect.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mason's face inches from mine, felt the warmth of his breath mingling with mine.

And asking myself the same thing: what would have happened?

Frustrated, I tossed and turned, trying to shake the image from my mind. Eventually, I gave up on sleep and decided a warm cup of milk might help.

Padding softly to the kitchen, I was startled by the creak of floorboards and noticed the door to the porch slightly open. Curiosityfilled me, I peeked outside to find Mason asleep on the swinging chair, his features softened in the pale light.

A pang of tenderness washed over me. Without thinking, I fetched a blanket from the linen closet and returned to drape it over him.

I placed it over him very calmly to not wake him up, and once it was almost done I took a chance to look at him up close, so close like earlier this night, I analyzed all his features. The way his hair almost covered his eyes and covered half of his ymmetrical pretty eyebrows, I also analysed his sharp and defined nose, his plump soft pink lips and his sharp jawline.

As I gently tucked it around his shoulders but his hand shot up, gently encircling my wrist. The touch was firm yet gentle, anchoring me in place but surprising me at the quick gesture.

He slowly opened his eyes and locked them immediately mine, out faces were mere inches apart, the proximity sending my heart into overdrive. I should try to pull away and do anything yet here I was hoping to know how it was going to end, it was too late to go back and maybe this disclosure would ease my mind.

He looked down at my lips and a smirked appeared, I felt hot and quickly drawn to him. I was about to know and to figure out the end of this but instead his eyes go back to mine "Shouldn't you be in your bedroom?" he asked the smirk never leaving

His question woke me up making me back down and take reality for a while.

"I couldn't sleep"

"Why is that?" he asked curious his smirk always present

"Too much tequila?" I said knowing perfectly well the tequila hadn't bugged me a bit

"Hm... sure"

"Right... I'll just head inside"

"Sure" he smiled as I walked away

"Thanks for the blanket though" he said and thank god I had already turned because my face heated up like a ray of sun in embarrassment.

I hurried back into the house, my heart pounding in my chest as if it were trying to escape. Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it, exhaling a shaky breath. What had just happened? The look in Mason's eyes, that knowing smirk-it was all too much. And yet, it wasn't enough.

I returned to the kitchen, my thoughts swirling like a storm. Mason had a way of getting under my skin, of making me second-guess myself. That brief moment on the porch had left me wanting more, and it frustrated me. Why couldn't I figure him out? Why did he always have to keep me guessing?

I poured myself the glass of milk I'd come for in the first place, taking a long sip in hopes it might soothe my nerves. It didn't. Instead, I replayed the way he'd looked at me, the way his hand had wrapped around my wrist like it belonged there.

And the smirk-God, that smirk. It was infuriating. Infuriatingly attractive.

"Get it together," I muttered to myself, placing the empty glass in the sink.

But even as I headed back to my room, his words echoed in my mind. Shouldn't you be in your bedroom? The teasing lilt in his voice had felt like a challenge, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me. And maybe he did.

Back in bed, I pulled the blanket over myself, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts spiraled. This wasn't just a fleeting crush, was it? No, it was something deeper, something that scared me as much as it thrilled me. I'd spent so long thinking of Mason as Aiden's best friend, the annoying guy who always had a comeback for everything. But now? Now, he was someone I couldn't stop thinking about.

The question I couldn't shake was simple but maddening: what did Mason feel? Was this all a game to him, or was there something real between us? The way he'd looked at me tonight, the way he'd been so close, like he was about to kiss me-it couldn't all be in my head. Could it?

Frustrated, I tossed the blanket aside and sat up. Sleep wasn't coming anytime soon, not with my mind running in circles. I needed answers, clarity-something to calm the storm Mason had stirred in me.

But the truth was, I wasn't ready to face it yet. Not completely. So, I lay back down, closing my eyes and willing my thoughts to quiet. The sound of the waves outside was faint but steady, a soothing reminder that the world kept moving, even when I felt stuck.

Eventually, exhaustion won out, and I drifted into a restless sleep. But even in my dreams, Mason was there-his smirk, his touch, the way he'd looked at me as if I were the only person in the world.

And somehow, I knew this wasn't over. Whatever was happening between us, it was only just beginning.