CHAPTER TWENTY
LUNA
I slipped away.
Not dramatically. No storming off, no stomped footsteps, just a quiet, subtle drift out of Riley’s orbit the moment he turned to talk to someone else.
I needed space.
I needed air.
And I needed water before I dehydrated from the heat of my own secondhand embarrassment.
A folding table sat near the dunes, piled with cans, bottles, red cups, and a big cooler half-buried in the sand. I weaved through the crowd, ignoring the curious glances, the whispers, the people still trying to figure out who I was and why Riley had brought me.
The ocean hissed softly behind everything, constant and calming. The scent of ocean and smoke helped me breathe again.
I pulled open the cooler lid and grabbed a bottle of water, the cold condensation instantly numbing my fingers.
“Hey,” a voice said from beside me. “You’re new.”
I turned.
A girl stood there, short, maybe five-foot-two, with thick black hair braided down her back and pretty, soft features. Her shorts were frayed at the edges, her sweatshirt oversized, and she looked… normal. Not dangerous. Not flirty. Not sizing me up like competition.
Just… friendly.
“Yeah,” I said. “New.”
She smiled, and it reached her eyes, which was rare in this crowd. “I’m Malia.”
“Luna.”
“Cute name.” She cracked open her own water. “So… let me guess. Riley dragged you here?”
I froze, almost choking on air.
She laughed lightly. “Sorry. Was that rude? I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just… he doesn’t usually bring people.”
“I’m not ‘brought,’” I said, maybe a little too fast. “We’re not—he’s not—“
Malia held up both hands, still smiling. “Hey, hey. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant he’s usually a lone-wolf type at these things. Or he shows up with Jake and vanishes ten minutes later.”
That tracked.
She took a sip of water, then nudged her shoulder in the direction of the group behind us.
“You seem… surprisingly calm.”
I blinked. “Calm?”
She nodded, grinning. “Most girls around him either faint, cry, or start plotting how to climb him like a tree.”
My face heated instantly.
Fantastic. Exactly what I needed. Someone pointing out the fact that Riley had an entire gravitational field of admirers.
Malia saw my expression and laughed again, gentle this time. “Sorry. I swear I’m not making fun of you. I just… didn’t expect someone to handle him like that.”
“Like what?”
She tilted her head at me. “Like he doesn’t scare you.”
I swallowed.
Because he did scare me.
Just… not in the way people probably meant.
“I’m not scared of him,” I said.
I hoped it sounded convincing.
Malia’s eyes softened with something like understanding. “Good. Don’t be. That’s when he gets bored. Riley likes people who push back.”
I nearly dropped my bottle.
“What?”
She shrugged casually. “He’s complicated. But you probably figured that out.”
Understatement of the century.
I stole a glance back toward Riley without meaning to.
He was still surrounded by people. Two guys, a cluster of girls, Jake leaning over someone’s phone. But his eyes…
His eyes were on me.
Watching.
Tracking.
Amused.
Like he knew exactly what I was doing.
Like I couldn’t step out of his orbit even when I thought I had.
Malia followed my gaze and snorted. “Yeah. Told you. He’s not exactly subtle.”
I tore my eyes away and took a long drink of water, willing my pulse to calm.
“It’s fine,” I said.
A lie.
A big one.
Malia bumped my elbow, friendly and warm. “Don’t worry. If he’s messing with you… you can mess right back. He deserves it.”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. A real one.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime,” she said. Then she pointed at my water bottle. “Come sit with me and my friends if you need a break from the testosterone over there. I can offer actual conversation that doesn’t include jokes about fire, cars, or how many protein shakes someone can consume in a day.”
I was about to answer when a voice slid across my shoulder like a ribbon pulled too tight.
“Luna.”
My heartbeat jumped straight into my throat.
I turned.
Riley stood behind me, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded and unreadable in the firelight.
Malia raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “Oh look,” she said dryly. “The lone wolf noticed she wandered.”
Riley didn’t even glance her way.
His attention was entirely on me.
And the look on his face…
It wasn’t anger.
It wasn’t jealousy.
It wasn’t anything as normal as that.
It was interest.
Sharp and deliberate.
Like he wanted to see what I’d do next.
He didn’t speak.
He just waited, expecting me to fall in step with him like everyone else did.
I tightened my fingers around the bottle, grounding myself.
Not this time.
I turned slightly toward Malia. “I’m good here.”
Malia blinked, surprised.
The group near her paused their conversation, subtly watching.
Riley went still.
For a heartbeat, the only sounds were the waves and the pop of the bonfire.
Then his lips curved.
Not in irritation.
Not in disbelief.
But in a slow, dangerous smile that felt like it wrapped around my spine.
“You’re good here,” he repeated, voice low, as if tasting the words.
“Yes.” I lifted my chin. “I’d rather hang out with the girls.”
Malia’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh damn.”
Riley still didn’t look away from me. He didn’t mock. Didn’t challenge. Didn’t try to reclaim the space.
He just studied me with that infuriating, dark amusement that made my stomach twist.
“Be my guest,” he said. “Try not to corrupt them.”
Malia snorted. “Please. We were corrupt before she got here.”
I could’ve kissed her.
Riley’s gaze flicked to her for the first time all night, sharp, assessing, and Malia stared right back like she wasn’t even a little intimidated.
Impressive.
He turned his attention back to me. “Stay where I can see you.”
It wasn’t an order.
It wasn’t protective.
It was a game.
A challenge wrapped in velvet.
I folded my arms. “Why? Afraid I’ll cause trouble?”
He took one step closer, not touching, but close enough that the firelight carved lines along his cheekbones.
“I’m counting on it.”
My breath caught.
His eyes dipped briefly, too briefly, to my mouth. Then he turned and walked away, slipping back into the crowd like he hadn’t just unraveled my nerves with a few syllables.
Malia let out a long, impressed whistle once he was gone. “Oh girl,” she said. “You’re playing with matches.”
I swallowed. “He doesn’t scare me.”
She grinned. “No. But you definitely scare him.”
I almost laughed, because the idea was ridiculous.
But something in the way Riley had looked at me…
Something in the way his smile had sharpened when I pushed back…
Maybe it wasn’t completely impossible.
I exhaled, shoulders relaxing, and looked out toward the crowd where Riley was now leaning against a log, head tilted like he was listening to someone. But his eyes?
Yeah.
Still on me.
Watching.
Quietly entertained.
Quietly impressed.
For the first time tonight, I didn’t look away.
I met his gaze and held it.
A spark passed between us, silent, electric, unreadable, and Riley’s mouth twitched like he had to fight off another smile.
Malia nudged me. “Okay, teach me how to be that terrifying.”
I took a sip of water, steadying myself.
“I’m learning as I go.”
“Fair,” she said. “He seems… intrigued.”
That was one word for it.
I lifted my chin.
“I can handle that.”
And for the first time since arriving at the bonfire…
I actually believed it.
Malia led me toward a circle of blankets spread out near the dunes, where three girls were sitting: one with bright red braids, one with a nose ring and a soft, sleepy expression, and one with a messy bun and a sketchbook balanced on her knees.
“Guys,” Malia said, dropping onto a blanket, “this is Luna.”
They all looked up at me with open, curious smiles, not the sharp, assessing ones I’d been getting earlier. Actual warmth.
Red Braids perked up. “Oh! You’re the girl he—“
Malia shot her a warning look.
Red Braids cleared her throat. “The girl who showed up with Riley.”
Much better.
I sat down slowly, cross-legged on the corner of the blanket, feeling the heat of the fire on my back and the cool ocean breeze on my face.
Nose Ring grinned. “Welcome to the circus.”
Sketchbook Girl added, “We promise it’s more normal over here.”
“Some of us,” Malia corrected, elbowing her. “Some of us are normal.”
“Speak for yourself,” Red Braids said, then turned to me. “I’m Tessa, by the way. That’s Jo,” she pointed to Nose Ring, “and the quiet menace with the sketchbook is Harper.”
Harper didn’t look up. “Hi, I’m listening. I’m just drawing.”
Jo leaned closer. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be interesting. Harper makes everyone look cooler on paper.”
I smiled, genuine, surprised by how easy the energy was. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same,” Tessa said. “So, how’d you end up here? Riley just… showed up with you.”
I opened my mouth… and realized I had absolutely no idea how to summarize that answer without sounding insane.
“I—uh—“ I began.
“Don’t interrogate her,” Malia cut in. “She just escaped him.”
“Good point,” Jo said. “Trauma requires recovery time.”
They all nodded solemnly, like this was a well-established scientific fact.
I laughed. Quietly, but I did. And it felt… good. Calming. Like I’d found a pocket of safety away from Riley’s heat and shadows and intensity.
We talked about lighter things. School rumors, bonfire traditions, who was secretly dating who, why Harper hated group chats. I kept stealing glances back toward the fire, though. And every time, without fail, Riley’s eyes flicked to mine.
Every. Time.
It was infuriating.
It was distracting.
It was…
“Hey!” someone shouted.
A girl bounced toward us from the bonfire, the flames behind her making her look like she walked straight out of the light. She had sun-kissed skin, glossy hair, and the kind of confidence that probably made people say things like she’s the life of the party.
“Truth or dare,” she announced breathlessly. “We’re playing by the fire. You guys coming?”