I tried tough it off, reaching for my juice. “Must be a coincidence.”
Liam,pletely unfazed, slid into the seat beside me and rested an arm behind my chair “Or maybe the real problem is what your mind wants you to believe,”
Jay let out augh. “Sure, bro. That bracelet just magically appeared on your wrist overnight Right.”
“Magic exists,” Leo added, grinning.
I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
After breakfast, I tried to slip away unnoticed, but Kelvin appeared beside me like a shadow
“So… gifts now? Where’s mine?” he asked, smirking.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “When I see something that screams ‘Kelvin,‘ I’ll think about it.
He clutched his chest like I’d wounded him. “You wound me. You give Liam the rugged- leather treatment, and I get crumbs? Harsh.”
I nudged him yfully. “You’re impossible.”
Liam had been nearby the whole time, we just didn’t know it. As Kelvin walked off, Liam stepped behind me and gently pulled me back against his chest. I shot him a questioning look.
He leaned in, voice low. “You don’t need to think about anyone else. The only man you’re meant to buy gifts for is me.”
Then he turned and walked away.
How did buying a simple bracelet spiral into… whatever this is?
Somehow, we all ended up at the beach. The sun was high, the sand hot under our feet, and the moodpetitive in the best way.
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11 206 Vabelian
Someone set up a volleyball right in front of the vi, and before we knew it, teams were forming, Leo dered himself referee plete with a whistle and a ridiculous straw hat), and the game was on.
Melissa and Laura opted out, choosing instead to sunbathe nearby with cocktails and offer loudmentary like overenthusiastic ser moms.
The team selection? Hrious.
Liam wanted me on his team. Kelvin also wanted me. Owen loudly insisted he’d rather y barefoot on hot coals than be on Jay’s team again. Apparently, Jay had some infamous volleyball disaster history.
So we drew cards.
Team 1: Sophia, Jay, Kelvin, and me. Team 2: Liam, Owen, Linda, and Noah.
Kelvin grinned like he’d won a prize. Liam… not so much.
“Let’s crush them!” Sophia shouted, pulling her hair into a messy bun.
“Try not to eat sand when we win,” Linda shot back.
Kelvin served first, and nearly took Noah’s head off.
“Dude!” Noah flinched. “This isn’t dodgeball!”
The game turned into glorious chaos. Sophia was unexpectedly vicious, diving like a pro. Liam was annoyingly good, gliding across the sand with ease. Jay… well, he mostly danced in ce and shouted encouragement like a motivational speaker.
I held my own, got a few good serves in, managed a surprise spike that made Liam’s jaw twitch. But then came my big moment… or rather, my big fall.
I lunged for a save, missed, and tumbled straight into the shallow end of the water with a dramatic ssh.
Everyone burst intoughter.
“I’ve seen dolphins dive better!” Kelvin hollered.
I sat up,ughing and soaked. But then I noticed something.
My anklet.
<b>07:10 </b>
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The delicate chain Sophia bought me during our holiday shopping, gone. My smile faded.
Sophia jogged over. “Em, you okay?”
“Yeah… I just lost the anklet.”
Her face fell. “Oh no. That looked perfect on you.”
I nodded, brushing wet hair from my face. I tried not to let it ruin the moment, but a quiet sadness settled in my chest.
Later, after a hot shower and fresh clothes, I was towel–drying my hair when there was a knock on my door.
Liam.
He leaned against the doorframe, sleeves rolled, a few top buttons undone. He looked so casually hot it should be illegal.
“Get dressed,” he said. “You’reing with me.”
I blinked. “Where?”
“Private dinner. My way of saying thank you, for the bracelet.”
My heart did an embarrassing little leap.
When I joined him outside, the sky was streaked with soft hues of gold andvender. Liam led me down a path lit with flickering garden lights to a quiet edge of the vi’s beach, where a table for two had been set. Candles danced in the ocean breeze, and soft jazz yed somewhere in the background.
“This is beautiful,” I said, sitting down.
“I’m d you like it,” he replied, sliding into the seat across from me. “I didn’t know what you’d love. Took a wild guess.”
He paused. “You didn’t have to get me anything. But you did. And this bracelet…” He nced down at his wrist. “It’s the first gift I’ve ever really liked. Because it came from you.” <fn31db> Original content can be found at find(?)ovel</fn31db>
I smiled, cheeks warming.
We ate slowly, the conversation flowing effortlessly, jokes, childhood stories, random things like our favorite ice cream vors. He asked me if I was still upset about the anklet.
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