Staring down at me, his dark brows furrowed over his light eyes, his lips form a small frown.

"We have to talk."

I bite my tongue. I've never met someone who feels the need to talk so much.

"Why, Luke? About what this time? Why can't a kiss be just a kiss, a hook-up be just a hook-"

He interrupts me, deep voice overtaking mine. "That's not what I'm talking about."

I raise my brows. "Well excuse me. The weather, instead, then?"

"Don't play dumb, Dyl." His eyes narrow at me. "It's not a good look on you."

My stare doesn't waver, my determination not to break the silence first unyielding.

"Fine." Luke grunts. "I'll start. How about how you left while I was asleep? Snuck out without telling me?"

I shrug. "Easy. Didn't want Grams to worry."

"Didn't want her to worry," Luke cocks his head to the side. "Or didn't want to face me?"

"Face you?" I gasp. The nerve of this man. "What would I have to face you about?" I check the window, catching Brynn, laying her notes out flat in the sun to dry. "A teenie-tiny hook up?"

Luke smirks. "I don't remember anything tiny about it."

I blush, heat building in my core at the memory of my orgasm in his shower.

"But no." He breaks through my embarrassment. "About how I found you drunkenly trying to drown yourself in the ocean."

"I didn't..." I blink a couple of times at his boldness. "I didn't try to drown myself."

"Then what were you doing out there? You've lived by the beach your entire life, Dyl. You know how the undertow is out there, especially during a storm. Never mind when you're drunk. So what were you doing?"

I close my eyes tightly. I know what it looks like.

But I really didn't want to die. I just wanted to not be here. I missed Casey, I missed how things were. I missed the time when it didn't hurt just to fucking breathe.

But the second Luke forced air into my lungs, the oxygen burning through my chest as I choked up salt water, what I felt most was relief. I didn't want to be here.

But I wasn't ready to die.

I'm not.

"It was stupid." I grind my teeth together. "Just let it go, Luke."

"Only after you tell me, honestly, that you're okay." His mouth is set in a firm line. "Then I'll go back to giving you the space you want so bad."

Is that... hurt in his voice? Is Luke Henson upset that he isn't getting the attention he wants?

"I'm okay." I tell him anyways, raising a brow. "Are you?"

Fixing his baseball cap, he checks his phone and nods. "Yeah, Dyl. Fine. Just a little whip-lashed by all your mood swings."

Before I can say a thing in response, Brynn is pulling the sliding door open.

"How's it going in here?" She grabs the new pitcher of lemonade from my hands. "The notes should survive."

"Great." Luke smiles, tight lipped and quick. "I'm sorry again. I've got to get going." He stares at me. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Brynn walks him to the door and when she returns, she nudges me playfully with her shoulder, leading me back outside.

"So Luke still has a thing for you, huh?"

"Ha." I scoff, grabbing Brynn's laptop from the deck and making my way into the grass. Searching the web for summer themed party decorations for inspiration, I mumble. "What makes you think that?"

Sitting beside me, Brynn crosses her long legs at her ankles, leaning into my side so her curls tickle my cheek.

"Just that I have eyes."

"Oh, hush." I roll my eyes, clicking onto a site that looks promising.

Unlike her, Brynn doesn't let it go, her questions coming out slow and almost loaded.

"Would you ever... I don't know, get back together with him?"

She looks at her toes when she speaks, the polish shimmering under the sun, and I can't help but feel suspicious.

Did Luke tell her something? I don't think Brynn would be nosy enough to listen.

Part of me wants to curl in on myself and stay protected. Loneliness is better than acute pain when people leave. The other part of me still remembers what it was like to talk to my girl friends, to have friends at all.

Letting out a deep sigh, I begin speaking without really thinking on it too much.

"It's just hard. After everything between him and Maya ... it's like I look at him and I can't forget him kissing her."

It was only one kiss. A pretty hot and heavy one but still, a kiss. I was surprised it even hurt at all.

Maybe it was when it happened, the night after I thought I'd made it clear how I felt about him. Maybe it was who it was with, my best friend and his best friend's girlfriend.

Whatever the reason for it, it hurt like a bitch. And it's not so easy to forget.

"And then there's the other thing." My tone deflates even more.

"Yeah." Brynn let's out a sigh, tipping her head back to gaze at the clouds. "I guess it's a lot of baggage to sort through."

"That's an understatement." I chuckle, not really finding it funny.

"I guess now..." Brynn rolls her head to me, chocolate eyes intent on my face. "You just have to decide if it's worth unpacking."

Another little update for you guys!
Brynn is the girl friend we all need - yes or no?
Luke - good intentions or just a pest?
hope you liked! Remember to vote if you did ❤️