The sound of groaning was the first thing I heard as I stepped out of my room. The guys were sprawled out across the couches like casualties of war, their hangovers written all over their faces. Aiden had his arm draped over his eyes, Luke was curled up like a shrimp, and Cameron sat upright, clutching his head like it might fall off at any moment.

"Good morning, sunshine squad," I chirped, heading to the kitchen.

"Too loud," Aiden mumbled, his voice muffled by a pillow.

Luke lifted his head, squinting at me. "Why are you so chipper? Did you drink at all last night?"

"Someone had to keep an eye on you idiots," I replied, pouring myself a glass of orange juice.

Mason walked in, looking far too refreshed compared to the others. His hair was slightly tousled, and he had that annoyingly smug look plastered on his face as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"You look like death," Mason remarked, nodding at the guys on the couch.

"Feel like it too," Cameron grumbled.

"Good," Mason said. "You deserve it after last night's 'sand is tiny rocks' revelation."

Luke groaned. "I knew I said something stupid"

"You always say something stupid" Cameron said making us giggled

"You don't need alchool for that" Jaden laughed

I laughed softly, setting a plate of toast on the counter. "You guys want breakfast or-"

"No," Aiden cut me off, sitting up with visible effort. "Food is the enemy right now."

"Fair enough."

"We should do something easy for dinner," Mason suggested, leaning against the counter and sipping some orange juice "Something grilled. That way these geniuses don't have to move too much."

"That actually sounds good," Cameron said, wincing as he rubbed his temples.

"We'll need to pick up supplies," I said, already mentally listing what we'd need.

"I'll go with you," Mason volunteered, his tone casual.

I turned to him, eyebrows raised. "You?"

"Do you think anyone here wants to go," he said, smirking.

"No!" Some groans were heard protesting not to leave the house and Mason smiled in victory

I rolled my eyes but grabbed my keys. "Fine. Let's go before I change my mind."

The small, seaside grocery store was packed with vacationers, and Mason and I weaved through the aisles, bickering as usual.

"Why are you grabbing the off-brand ketchup?" Mason asked, pulling the bottle out of the cart. "The good stuff is right there."

"Ketchup is ketchup," I replied, snatching it back.

"Spoken like someone with zero taste," he teased, reaching for the name-brand bottle and swapping it out.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine. But you're paying the extra dollar."

"Gladly," he said with a grin, clearly enjoying himself.

As we turned down another aisle, Mason picked up a bag of marshmallows.

"For dessert," he said when I gave him a questioning look.

"We're grilling, not camping."

"Come on, what's a bonfire without s'mores?" he countered, dropping the bag into the cart.

I sighed. "You're impossible."

"Impossible to ignore, maybe," he shot back, winking.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes again. Mason had a way of pushing my buttons like no one else, and he was clearly having fun with it.

The grocery store was busier than I expected, with the chatter of vacationers filling the aisles. Mason was pushing the cart as we turned into the snack aisle when his attention suddenly shifted. He froze for a moment, a wide grin breaking across his face.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, letting go of the cart.

Before I could ask what was going on, he walked past me toward a woman dressed in a black leather jacket emblazoned with the words Bike for Life. Her short, edgy haircut, dark eyeliner, and confident stance gave her a cool, biker-girl vibe.

"Tina?" Mason called out, his voice filled with surprise and excitement.

The woman turned, her face lighting up as she recognized him. "Mason? No way!"

And then, to my utter disbelief, they hugged. Not a casual, polite hug-this was the kind of hug that spoke of shared history.

I stayed by the cart, crossing my arms and trying to look unaffected as Mason and Tina launched into conversation.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, still smiling.

"I'm passing through with a few friends. We've got a little biker trip going down the coast," she explained, gesturing vaguely toward the parking lot. "What about you? Vacationing?"

"Yeah, a week at the beach with some friends. It's been a while since I've been down here," he said.

They laughed together like old friends, and it was impossible to miss how comfortable they seemed around each other.

After a few more minutes of their back-and-forth, Mason finally remembered I existed. He turned, gesturing to me.

"Tina, this is Alyssa. She's Aiden's little sister," he said casually, like I was some kind of afterthought.

Little sister.

The words felt like a slap. My jaw clenched involuntarily, and I forced a tight smile as I nodded at Tina.

"Nice to meet you," she said, her tone polite but distant.

"Yeah, same," I replied, my voice strained.

Mason didn't seem to notice my sour mood as he turned back to Tina. "We should catch up sometime," he said, his grin still firmly in place.

"Definitely," she agreed, pulling a small card out of her jacket pocket and handing it to him.

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to let the growing knot of irritation in my chest show.

"Alright, I'll let you get back to your shopping," Tina said, giving him one last smile. She waved at me before disappearing down the aisle.

Mason turned back to me, completely unfazed. "She's cool, huh?"

I gave him a noncommittal shrug, pretending to inspect a box of crackers. "Sure. Cool."

The car ride back to the beach house was filled with the kind of silence that wasn't entirely comfortable. Mason had the audacity to look completely relaxed as he drove, humming softly to the music on the radio.

Meanwhile, I stared out the window, replaying the scene in the grocery store over and over in my head.

Why did he have to hug her like that? Why did he introduce me as "Aiden's little sister" like I didn't even have a name?

The jealousy swirling in my chest was unfamiliar and unwelcome, but I couldn't shake it.

"So, you've got a lot of biker friends, huh?" I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.

Mason glanced at me, his brow furrowing slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly, looking back out the window.

He smirked, clearly enjoying my attempt to play it cool. "Tina's just an old friend from school. We were in the same class."

"Right," I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

"Why? Jealous?" he teased, his voice laced with amusement.

I whipped my head around to glare at him. "No. Don't flatter yourself."

His smirk widened, and I could tell he wasn't buying it. "If you say so."

I crossed my arms, deciding it was better to just ignore him.

"You are frowning though"

"What about it?" I asked not really interested in him

"I don't know. Do you usually frown when you are jealous?" he asked and although I wasn't looking at him I could hear the smirk in his voice

As much as I tried to shake it off, the irritation lingered. The whole situation had stirred up emotions I didn't want to deal with, and Mason's infuriating confidence wasn't helping.

By the time we pulled into the driveway, I was ready to bolt from the car just to get away from him. But as I opened the door and stepped out, his voice stopped me.

"Hey shortcake," he said, his tone softer now.

I turned, half-expecting another teasing comment, but his expression had changed. He looked at me with something almost like concern, and for a brief moment, I thought he might actually address the tension between us.

Instead, he just smiled faintly. "Don't forget the marshmallows."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the grocery bags and heading inside. But even as I tried to shake off the conversation, my mind kept drifting back to Mason-and the way he had looked at Tina.

As Mason and I stepped into the beach house, the unmistakable sound of groaning filled the air. The guys were sprawled across the living room in various states of misery, their hangovers hitting them like a freight train. Aiden had a pillow over his face, Cameron was lying on the floor clutching his head, and Luke was clutching a water bottle as if it were a lifeline.

"Oh good, you're alive," I said, setting the grocery bags down on the kitchen counter.

"Barely," Cameron muttered. "Who turned the sun into a death ray?"

"That's just daylight," Mason quipped, following behind me with the rest of the bags. "Maybe next time, don't try to outdrink each other."

"Shut up, Mason," Aiden groaned from beneath his pillow.

"You're welcome for the food, by the way," I said pointedly, starting to unpack the groceries.

"Food is overrated," Luke mumbled, his voice muffled by the couch cushions.

"You say that now," Mason said, stepping close enough to grab a bag of chips and holding it up. "But wait until you smell the burgers we're grilling tonight."

Cameron groaned dramatically. "I can't even think about food right now without feeling sick."

"Then don't think," Mason said with a smirk, tossing the chips onto the counter and leaning casually against it. "It must be easy for you right?"

As I pulled out the marshmallows, Mason leaned in closer, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "So, are you still stewing about Tina, or did the hangover vibes finally distract you?"

I froze for a second, refusing to look at him, but my cheeks betrayed me, heating up instantly. "I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered back, glaring at him as I stuffed the marshmallows into the cabinet with a little more force than necessary.

"Oh, you do," he murmured, that familiar teasing edge in his tone.

I shot him a sharp look, my voice barely above a whisper. "Drop it."

He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Whatever you say, shortcake"

I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to smack him with the loaf of bread I was holding. Instead, I turned my attention back to unpacking the groceries, determined to ignore him.

By the time we'd put everything away, the boys had started to look a little more human. Aiden sat up, rubbing his temples, while Luke and Cameron groggily shuffled toward the kitchen in search of water.

"You guys seriously need electrolytes," I said, handing them a bottle of sports drink each.

"Bless you, Alyssa," Cameron said dramatically, chugging half the bottle in one go.

"You're not off the hook yet," I warned. "You still need to set up the grill later."

"Ugh, fine," Aiden grumbled, dragging himself off the couch.

As the guys slowly got themselves together, Mason leaned against the counter, watching me with an amused expression. His earlier teasing still lingered in the back of my mind, making it impossible to fully relax.

But I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of letting him know he was getting to me. Instead, I focused on helping the others and pretending Mason wasn't there.

If only it were that easy.