He shakes his head furiously, tears slipping free as he lets out a broken laugh. “No, I love it. God, Mason—I love it so much. You just—” his voice hitches “—you know me better than my own family does, and we’ve only known each other for less than two months.”
Relief rushes through me so hard it makes me dizzy.
“Put it on me?” he asks, raw and quiet.
“Of course.”
I unclasp the chain and loop it carefully around his neck. The blue glass catches the dim light of the room as it settles against his collarbone. My fingers linger there, brushing the warm skin just above his heart.
Hunter looks down at it, then back up at me, his caramel eyes shining.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him look more beautiful.
“Thank you for being here with me today,” he says gently. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
I swallow past the tightness in my throat. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He curls into me then, pressing his face into my chest, his breath warm against my shirt. My arm slides around him, holding him close, as if I could shield him from everything waiting beyond these four walls. The necklace glimmers faintly against his skin, a fragile shard of the beach, of us. Proof that what we have now is real, even if it’s temporary.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next morning, Hunter and I sit at the dining table with his parents, Landon, and Kara. A pot of coffee steams between us, the scent sharp and comforting. If not for the stray birthday balloons clinging stubbornly to the ceiling, I might believe last night’s party never happened. The maids have erased every trace of it—no empty glasses, no crumbs, no confetti.
“How are you feeling this morning, Hunter?” Mayumi asks with a teasing smile, hands cradling her mug. “You drank quite a bit last night.”
Hunter groans, head in his hands. “I feel like shit, but the coffee’s helping. Thanks.”
“Of course. Now, tell us—how did you and Mason meet?”
Just thinking about that night makes my heart stumble. “We met at a parade. I was stepping on an endangered plant, and Hunter yelled at me.”
Hunter frowns, his brows scrunched together. “I didn’tyellat you,” he says defensively. “I think we both hated each other at first, but we eventually warmed up to each other and became friends.”
Across the table, Landon clears his throat. The sound startles me. He’s been eerily quiet all morning, stirring his coffee in endless circles. “So, Mason. You’re a lifeguard, right?”
“Yes.” I sit a little straighter. “I also work at a burger joint.”
Landon arches a brow. “You don’t go to college?”
I hesitate, then shake my head. “No.”
The tense silence that follows makes my skin prickle. Sweat beads on the back of my neck. I know Hunter’s parents value formal education, and they probably think I’m a loser.
Which, I suppose, I am.
Hunter sets down his mug, the firm sound breaking the silence. “We should probably get going soon. It’s a long drive, and Mason needs to get back to his sister.”
“Oh?” Mayumi’s gaze softens. “You take care of her?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “My mom is sick, so… I do what I can.”
The pause that follows feels pitying, sitting heavy in my chest. I curl my fists under the table and squeeze until my nails bite my palms.
We exchange farewell hugs at the door—Kara quick and cheerful, Victor stiff but polite, Mayumi warm enough to make my heart ache. Landon offers me a silent handshake.
We walk out to Hunter’s parked car and toss our bags in the trunk before climbing inside. It smells like lavender, courtesy of the tiny sprigs dangling from his rearview mirror—a natural air freshener, he once told me. He starts the car, the low electric hum filling the quiet between us.
“Hey,” he says after a moment, glancing at me as he pulls down the long driveway. “You wanna stop at my favorite diner before we head back? Best pancakes in town. Ultimate hangover cure.”
