“Shit, Ari!” He starts hopping around but loses his balance and falls into the wall beside us.
A laugh spurts from me, and I stumble on my heels, quickly catching myself on the porch post to my right.
“Brady left with that girl,” Cameron whines, still dancing around, waiting to be let inside.
“The big butt girl?
“No, the big boobed girl.”
Oh, yeah. I remember her.
Mason fumbles with the lock again, and just as he manages to align the key with the hole, it slips from his fingertips, crashing to the deck floor. “Fuck.” He laughs, wrapping his hand around the knob and shaking it.
Chase chuckles behind me, and I turn to find him slouched over the railing, holding on for dear life. A loud crash sounds and I jerk around in time to witness Mason toppling over as he attempts to grab the lanyard.
“Shit!” Cam yelps, dropping to her knees in front of him.
Half a second later, Chase’s “oh fuck” rings out.
I whip around as he stumbles backward, landing on his ass at the bottom of the porch, his legs stretched out on the steps in front of him.
I’m stuck staring, my head bobbling from one side to the other, making me nauseous.
Cam begins laughing uncontrollably, drops onto her butt and leans her upper body against Mason, who has stopped trying to get up, his eyes already closing.
“We could totally take advantage of them right now.” She grins.
I can’t help but laugh, and then I kick my shoes off, fall onto one of the porch lounge chairs and let out a deep breath.
Alcohol for the win.
Chapter 4
Arianna
* * *
The sun is warm and inviting today, the complete opposite of yesterday when the four of us woke up to Brady’s loud ass laugh around five in the morning.
We never did make it into the house, passing out on and around the patio set, which is exactly how Brady found us. After getting some sleep, we tried to head down to the water to hang with our cousins and friends, but we didn’t make it past the deck, our hangovers taking a victory lap. So, we turned right back around and threw ourselves onto the couches. It was a movie marathon kind of day.
Today, though, we woke up juiced and ready for some fun. We went for breakfast at Oceans Café, a place Lolli swears by, and then we hit the store to test out Brady’s fake ID there. It worked and we’re double stocked, just in case.
Since we’ve got all we need for the bonfire tonight, we unpack the party favors and hit the sand.
Cam, Mason, and Brady run off, going straight into the cool water, but I lay my beach mat out and waste no time dropping onto it. I close my eyes and smile as the sun soaks into my skin, but the slight shuffle beside me has me looking up.
Chase stands there, staring after our friends with a twisted expression, so I suck it up, and pull on his trunks to get his attention.
He looks down, and I push up on my elbows, using my palm to shield the glare from my eyes. I motion with my head for him to join me.
He hesitates a second, then, without looking at me, drops down, mimicking my position.
A hint of anxiousness washes over me as I know we can’t escape what happened at the club any longer. This is the first moment we’ve had alone since that night and I know I’m not the only one who realizes it.
I admit, I woke up a little embarrassed the next day, but not enough to regret it. Had he shown any sign of anger or ignored me after, I likely would, but he hasn’t. He hasn’t exactly met my eye, but he hasn’t avoided it either. He is right now though, the tension in his shoulders doubling with each passing second as he tries to focus on the others goofing off in the ocean before us, but I know he’s not even seeing what’s in front of him. His mind is muddled by me. Or more, because of me.
His chin meets his chest, and here it comes.
“Are we okay?” he asks, his focus pointed at the sand beneath him.
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
“Come on, Ari. Don’t do that.” He shakes his head, looking off.
A wave of apprehension washes over me and I take a deep breath. “Chase, look at me, please.”
He does, revealing sadness and confusion.
“Talk to me. What’s going on in there?” I ask, tapping my temple with my free hand.
Sighing, he lies down next to me, turning his head to stare directly into my eyes.
How the heck am I supposed to concentrate with him so close, I don’t know, but I give him a small smile, encouraging him to speak.
He’s staring at me so intently that I want to look away, but I won’t.
“What was that at the club?” he eases into the topic.