“You really know how to get under his skin,” Kelvin said, smiling faintly.


    “That wasn’t the n.”


    “Sure it wasn’t.”


    I turned to him. “What is it between you two, really?”


    His smile faded. He leaned back, eyes scanning the stars.


    “Once upon a time,” he said, “Liam and I were inseparable. Probably because we’re close in age. I was the wild one, always up to something. But Liam? Liam was my shield. My ride–or- die.”


    He paused, as if sifting through a memory he didn’t quite want to touch. Then continued.


    “In senior high, there was this girl. I was crazy about her. I thought it was obvious. I didn’t think I had to spell it out. I assumed Liam knew. Assumed he’d never cross that line.”


    My stomach tensed.


    “She liked him,” Kelvin said tly. “And he liked her back. They started dating eventually. I found out a weekter.”


    I said nothing. The pain in his voice said enough.


    “I was livid. Felt betrayed. So… I turned to Mia.”


    “Mia?” I asked gently.


    “His best friend. Basically his sister. Sweet. Na?ve. She always had a thing for me. I knew it. I used it. Started a fling, not because I liked her, but because I wanted Liam to feel what I felt.”


    I swallowed. “What happened?”


    “We slept together. She thought it meant something. I let her believe it. Then pushed her away when she got too close.”


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    My heart sank.


    “She was devastated. Her parents moved after that. Liam… he never looked at me the same again.”


    “And the girl who started it all?” I asked.


    Kelvin gave a bitter chuckle. “A gold–digger. Liam overheard her telling friends she finally bagged the ‘richer and cuter ck cousin.“”


    “Damn.”


    “Yeah. We left for Ennd shortly after. There was never a chance to really fix it. I don’t think he will ever forgive me.”


    I let the silence stretch. “Do you regret it?”


    He took a long breath. “Yeah. I do. But regret doesn’t erase the damage.” <fn0f05> Discover more novels at find?novel</fn0f05>


    “Do you want to fix it?”


    Kelvin looked at me, his eyes clear, but tired.


    “It’s not happening on this trip.”


    “Why not?”


    He studied me for a second, then spoke, voice low.


    “Because it’s déjà vu. Only this time… we both have eyes on the same woman.


    Air stalled in my lungs.


    And for once, I had nothing clever to say.


    <i>” </i>


    Kelvin’s confession brought our conversation to an abrupt halt. I offered him a quick goodnight and practically fled, my brain still doing cartwheels.


    “Only this time… we both have eyes on the same woman.


    God help me return to L.A. as a sane woman after this vacation.


    I shut the door to my room gently, already reaching for themp switch, when a voice in the dark stole the breath right out of me.


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    “Did you enjoy yourself?”


    I gasped, my hand flying to my chest. “Jesus, Liam, what the hell?!”


    He was seated in the corner, arms crossed, his face shadowed in the faint moonlight slipping through the balcony curtains. Still, that sharp edge in his voice cut clear.


    “Answer the question.”


    I steadied my breath. “What are you doing in here?”


    “I could ask you the same thing,” he said, standing now. “What were you doing with Kelvin for that long?”


    I blinked, caught between disbelief and irritation. “Is it a crime to talk to people now?”


    He took a slow, deliberate step toward me. “I remember telling you to stay away from him.”


    “You don’t get to decide who I talk to,” I snapped. “I’m a grown woman, Liam. Not your property.”


    He stopped a few feet away, his jaw tightening. “You don’t know him like I do.”


    “And I’m not asking to,” I bit back. “Whatever happened between you two? That’s your baggage. Don’t drag me into it.”


    Silence stretched between us, taut and heavy. The kind that choked more than it cleared.


    “Unbelievable,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You really don’t see it, do you?”


    “See what?”


    His lips pressed together like he was holding back something dangerous. But instead of saying it, he turned, yanked the door open, and looked over his shoulder.


    “Goodnight, Emily.”


    The door mmed shut.


    I stared at the empty space where he stood, chest rising and falling in the quiet aftermath. I was too exhausted to chase storms tonight. He could take his fury and bottle it. <i>I </i>was done trying to read the clouds.


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    The next morning, the sunshine was almost mocking in how bright it was, like the universe itself had no clue someone had emotionally sucker–punched me the night before.


    I joined the others for breakfast on the cast patio, hiding behind oversized sunsses and a breezy cover–up. My soul still worest night’s bruises.


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