The Group Trip

Chapter 5

Nine Years Ago

T HE FLOOR OF MARIANNE’S minivan was a dumpster. Cheetos, bottles of Dr. Pepper, and countless Skittles wrappers littered the floor. Luke and Alden played an unsuccessful rainbow toss game where they tried to simultaneously throw different colored Skittles in each other’s mouths. Chloe was in the front seat with Marianne, shielding her from stray candy.

“How much longer?” Wyatt moaned from the third row. “This drive is taking forever.”

“Maybe if someone drove above sixty, we’d be there already,” Sloane said. “It’s not my fault we are off schedule.”

Sloane had planned most of the spring break trip and seemed to take every comment about the adventure as either a personal attack or a compliment. Sloane’s intensity was 90 percent asset, 10 percent annoyance.

“My parents will kill me if I get a speeding ticket,” Marianne said, hands gripping the steering wheel in the same position they’d been for the last six hours.

“You’re doing great,” Chloe said encouragingly. “It was really nice of you to drive everyone.”

“No, she’s not. Let me drive,” Sloane said.

“No way,” Alden shouted with a mouth full of candy. “Sloane, you’re a terrible driver. I don’t want to die today.” He studied Sloane’s face and must have realized how much his comment pissed her off. “Plus, we can’t afford to wreck Marianne’s van,” he added. “We need it to get off campus.”

They drove past a sign and Chloe pointed. “Look, only ten more miles. We’re almost to Panama City. Hold it together, you guys.”

Luke seemed to ignore Chloe’s instruction when he unhelpfully added, “It’s the first day of spring break, Sloane. Schedules don’t matter anymore.”

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “With that attitude, it’s no wonder you’re getting a B in our anatomy class.”

Luke turned and whispered to Alden, “That class is not what I thought it was going to be, by the way.”

“Seriously,” Alden replied.

Wyatt shook his head, unbuckled, and leaned forward to turn up the radio.

“Wyatt, put your seat belt back on.” Marianne nervously glanced between the rearview mirror and the road.

Chloe leaned back in her seat, trying to enjoy the music filling the car. It was a country station and some song about your toes in the sand filled the minivan and created a cease-fire.

The trip had been a last-minute plan. Chloe was supposed to fly home to California, but then her father got called away on a business trip and her mother decided to tag along since she’d never been to Paris before. Chloe’s mom had already sent a dozen blurry selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. When Luke heard that Chloe was going to stay on campus, he bailed on his fraternity trip to stay back with her. It was Marianne who initially suggested that they go to the beach. Since her boyfriend Noah was going on a trip with his friends from college, Marianne wanted to have her own trip to even things out. Sloane jumped at the idea and by the next day had emailed everyone itineraries. Alden and Wyatt said they were up for anything, as usual.

Chloe stared out the window, her leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. She had never been to Florida before, and she could already tell it was so different from the beaches where she grew up. There seemed to be a very high demand for T-shirts and souvenirs. Every other shop in those final few miles of the drive seemed to advertise airbrush designs. She’d never seen so many store entrances designed to look like open shark mouths.

And even though it was April, it already felt like August. She tried to roll down the window so she could smell the salty air but was immediately greeted by a series of groans from everyone else in the car about how she was impacting the air conditioning.

“Turn left,” Sloane directed. As soon as Marianne made it through the traffic light, Chloe could finally see the ocean. It was a giant stretch of flat, white sand, covered in tourists spread out on brightly colored towels, and Chloe could not wait to join them.

“How much further to the hotel?” Chloe asked.

“It’s right there.” Sloane pointed.

The motel was across the street from the beach, but it seemed like lots of people were willing to dash across a highway. Marianne had to slam on the brakes twice to avoid groups of teenagers darting across traffic.

When Marianne parked, Sloane directed everyone to stay in the car. “We’re only supposed to have four people in a room. You guys stay here and I’ll go get the key.”

“Are we shoving Marianne and Chloe in suitcases?” Alden asked.

Marianne looked horrified and Chloe laughed.

“No. I don’t think they check,” Sloane said. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’ll ask for a room toward the back of the building.”

Minutes later, Sloane skipped out of the registration office, waving plastic key cards over her head. “There was a slight mix-up with our room, but they’re going to give us a discount.”

They were all too excited about an influx of cash to ask what exactly had changed about their reservation. They grabbed their bags and walked up two flights of stairs. The concrete outdoor hallway led around the back of the building to the room Sloane had booked. As soon as they opened the door, the mix-up became apparent. They were supposed to have two queen beds and a sleeper sofa. But instead, there was one king-size bed and a carpeted floor, full of sand and probably a thousand bacteria particles that Chloe refused to think about.

Chloe dropped her backpack and walked straight for the sliding glass door to a balcony that overlooked the highway. She stepped outside and craned her neck enough to make out a slice of the beach.

“It’s perfect, Sloane,” Chloe said. Everyone joined Chloe and nodded their heads. In reality, it was way too small to fit all six of their bodies; the price, even with a discount, was already a stretch for them even though they were splitting the cost; and there was a high likelihood they’d get kicked out by the end of the week for violating some occupancy code. But as they stared out at the ocean and thought about the fact that they had an entire week away from classes and grades and cranky professors, none of those things mattered.

“We call the bed,” Luke shouted as he pressed his mouth over Chloe’s lips.

Sloane shook her head. “First, we need to set some ground rules about this porn star lifestyle you two have adopted. We get it. You like each other. There’s some sex happening. Clearly. But. We. Don’t. Want. To. Watch.”

“I’m not entirely opposed to watching,” Alden stated.

Marianne and Sloane’s faces pulled into matching grimaces while Chloe punched Alden in the shoulder. “No one is watching anything,” Chloe said.

“There is only one reasonable solution,” Sloane declared. “The girls get the bed. The boys get the floor.”

“What happened to your feminist studies seminar?” Wyatt asked.

“Feminism has its limits,” Sloane said, unpacking her bag.

That night, they ordered pizzas and took them to the beach, eating dinner on the sand. They watched the sun set and swam in the ocean before stumbling back to the hotel room, sandy and exhausted. Thankfully, the boys brought sleeping bags, so they were fine on the floor, although several times Wyatt threatened to sleep in the bathroom if Alden didn’t stop snoring.

The next morning, just as the sun was rising, Marianne bounced up and down on the edge of the bed. “I’m ready to go to the beach.”

“Someone punch her,” Sloane moaned as she rolled over.

Wyatt was more diplomatic. “It’s too early, Marianne.”

Chloe glanced at the clock. It was just after eight, and after staying up playing Truth or Dare, it did feel ridiculously early. But once Chloe was awake, she couldn’t get back to sleep.

“I’ll go with you,” Chloe groaned. She slid out of bed and hopped over the boys in sleeping bags. Her bathing suit was drying on the shower curtain rod, so she slipped it on and met Marianne in the hallway.

“Sorry I woke you up,” Marianne whispered. “I’m just too excited to sleep.”

“It’s fine,” Chloe said, jealous that no one else seemed to have any trouble falling back asleep. “Besides, I like walking on the beach in the morning.”

“Me too,” Marianne said.

“But we need doughnuts and coffee first,” Chloe suggested.

“Absolutely.”

Moments later, Chloe was sipping iced coffee and nibbling the glazed peach fritter that they’d bought at the coffee shop down the street from their motel. The food was one of Chloe’s favorite parts of the South. The unexpected surprises, like roadside gas stations with the best pulled pork sandwiches and foods that had no business being fried, like pickles, that somehow became addictive favorites. The peach fritter was soft and cakey in the middle, with hints of cinnamon around the juicy peaches, and drizzled in a creamy vanilla glaze around the crisp exterior. It made the early hour bearable.

Chloe noticed Marianne ignoring her doughnut and focusing on her phone. “Have you heard from Noah?” Chloe asked.

“No. But it’s fine,” Marianne said unconvincingly. “The boats leave so early in the morning. And then they sleep in the afternoon. Our schedules are all out of sync. We’ll talk next week.”

Chloe knew that Noah was on a fishing trip in the Keys with a few of his friends from school. Initially, Noah and Marianne were going to spend spring break together in their hometown, but when he was invited on the trip, Marianne told him to go. It was one of those things you don’t pass up, when someone else’s parents pay for you to have an experience you’ve only dreamed about. Spending a week in suburban Virginia shopping at Target and eating dinner with your parents was nowhere near as much fun as deep-sea fishing. Still, Chloe knew Marianne missed her boyfriend, and maybe a part of her wished Noah thought home with Marianne rivaled the Florida Keys.

Chloe and Marianne found a quiet spot on the beach and spread out a towel to continue eating their breakfast.

“Are you having fun?” Chloe asked.

“I miss Noah. You don’t get it because you have Luke here.” It almost seemed like Marianne was trying to justify her feelings.

Chloe tilted her head, careful in her response. “First of all, Luke and I are nothing like you and Noah.” Chloe laughed as she said, “I have no idea what Luke and I are. But it’s not serious. We’re having fun.” She remembered last night and Luke’s attempt to sneak into the bed and Sloane’s drunken fury and promises to lock him on the balcony if he didn’t stay in his sleeping bag.

Chloe looked at Marianne, her hands mindlessly playing in the sand as she stared at the ocean. “You and Noah should be having fun. If you aren’t, you should think about that.”

“Please,” Marianne said, holding up her hand. “I hear this lecture enough from Sloane. I’m not going to break up with Noah just because long distance is hard.”

“I wasn’t going to say that. You and Noah could make it. There aren’t instructions on when you’re supposed to fall in love. But you can’t spend the next three years making each other miserable.”

“I’m not miserable,” Marianne protested.

“Can you have fun without him?” Chloe pushed. When Marianne didn’t respond, Chloe continued. “It doesn’t mean you love him any less. The fact that you can have friends and adventures and enjoy life and then come back together may even make you love each other more.”

Marianne leaned back on the towel. “It’s not fair that you have good hair and good advice.” Marianne poked her side. “And what do you mean you and Luke aren’t serious? You stare at each other all the time. I think you love him.”

“We stare at each other because we love seeing each other naked. There are no baby names doodled in my notebooks.”

“Do not tell Sloane. That teasing will be unbearable.”

Chloe mimed a zipper over her lips and then pointed at the sky. “What’s that?”

“A plane pulling a banner.”

“But why?”

“It’s a beach thing. You’ll see them all day. They don’t have these in California?”

“They probably do, but I’ve never seen one,” Chloe said, squinting to make out the name of the business advertised. “Oh, we have to go there tonight.”

Marianne laughed. “No way.”

“I was the only one who would accompany you on this disturbingly early morning beach adventure. You can’t deny me this.”

As the plane flew out of view, Marianne said, “You really want to go there?”

“Yes. It’s a cultural experience. I cannot leave spring break without going.”

“Fine. But it’s going to take a lot of convincing to get everyone else on board.”

“On board with what?” Chloe and Marianne turned around to find Luke and Wyatt standing on the beach. “We came to join you guys. Alden’s snoring was ridiculous.” Luke took a giant bite of Chloe’s fritter. “Do you have more of those?”

“I will, when you go buy me another one, you breakfast thief,” Chloe jumped up and immediately Luke’s arms were around her waist, swinging her in the air.

“Where do you want to go tonight?” Wyatt asked. “We have to minimize our time in that hotel room.”

“We’re going country line dancing,” Chloe stated.

“No,” Wyatt said and turned and walked away.

“Wait,” Chloe shouted. “You didn’t even let me pitch the brilliance of this outing.”

“I’m getting breakfast.” Wyatt kept walking.

“Get more doughnuts,” Luke shouted. “I’ll pay you back.”

Chloe kept her arms wrapped around Luke’s neck as she asked, “Will you dance with me, Luke?”

“I’ll do just about anything with you, Chloe,” Luke said with mischief in his eyes.

“Quit talking about sex,” Marianne complained.

“So you’ll go?” Chloe excitedly asked.

Luke shrugged. “Why not?”

“What about everyone else?” Chloe asked.

“I’m sure I can convince them.” Luke winked.

“Even Wyatt?” Chloe pointed down the beach where Wyatt was walking toward the coffee shop, a tall, dark figure against the bright colors of the beach boardwalk.

“Let me worry about Wyatt,” Luke said.

Later that night, after a morning spent swimming in the Gulf, an afternoon napping on the beach, and a carefully orchestrated schedule of showers in the increasingly small hotel room, everyone was walking to Pier Park for a night at the country western bar. Chloe was practically skipping, and Wyatt was trailing behind, but Luke had somehow managed to convince everyone that it was worth the sacrifice to see Chloe’s reaction.

When Chloe walked inside the bar, she beamed. It was better than she imagined. There were state flags hanging from the ceiling and the walls were covered in dollar bills, some decorated with elaborate designs, while others were signed with an equal number of declarations of love and promises of greatness. The dance floor seemed to be made of plywood, and it was already full of sweaty bodies.

“This place is perfect,” Chloe said, kissing the air.

“This place is terrible.” Sloane tugged on the bandana Chloe had tied around her hair like a headband. “But you’re adorable.”

Chloe had dressed for the occasion in cutoff denim shorts and a tight white tank top. Wyatt teased her about the Dukes of Hazzard cosplay, but Chloe loved embracing a theme.

“Let’s go dance,” she squealed.

“No,” they all shouted in unison.

“Drinks first,” Luke instructed, pointing Chloe toward a dark wood bar with black leather stools.

Luke used his fake ID to order Chloe a cocktail called the Spray Tan. It came out smelling like coconut and was an unnatural shade of blue. But when she took a sip, it tasted like a melted popsicle in the middle of summer, and Chloe thought it was the best drink she’d ever had.

The boys downed a round of shots, and when the band announced “Cotton Eye Joe,” Luke slapped his hands on the bar and solemnly said, “It is time.”

Chloe hopped off the barstool and laced her fingers with Luke’s as she pulled him onto the dance floor. Everyone else followed with much less enthusiasm.

None of them knew what they were doing. Alden’s efforts were the most genuine and the most disastrous. Even Wyatt couldn’t stop laughing, the music and energy of the room contagious to even his grumpy attitude. Marianne and Sloane linked arms and invented their own more elaborate steps. Every time Marianne smiled, Chloe felt her own happiness increase, especially after their conversation on the beach that morning.

For the next hour, they danced and laughed and Chloe watched as her friends’ reluctance disappeared into a haze of joy.

“I’m so hot,” Chloe shouted over the music into Luke’s ear. The tank top she wore clung to her body, and blonde hairs escaped from her ponytail, sticking to the back of her neck. “I’m going to sit the next one out. You keep dancing.”

“You sure?” Luke asked. Somehow, Luke knew the majority of the dances, and Chloe wondered whether he’d been secretly line dancing behind all of their backs. At one point, he was leading a huge group of women in the cowboy cha-cha. It was one of the things Chloe liked most about Luke, his ability to connect with almost anyone.

“Of course.” Chloe kissed his cheek and started to walk away. Luke pulled her back, their bodies slamming against one another before he dipped her low and kissed her deeper. Chloe was laughing as he pulled her upward, and for a moment the rest of the crowded room disappeared.

“Does that mean you’re going to miss me?”

Luke’s answer was more of a groan as Chloe walked toward the bar. She could feel his eyes on her body the entire time.

Chloe ordered a glass of water and sat on a stool, her back to the dance floor.

“You caught on fast,” Wyatt said, sliding onto the barstool next to her, his tall body struggling to fold within the tight space.

“I love to dance. You know this,” Chloe said, eyebrows raised. Wyatt frequently liked to tease Chloe about how her dancing had gotten them kicked out of Waffle House, which later turned into a two-week ban when the waitress saw them try to come back after winter break.

“You looked good out there,” Wyatt said. Chloe was surprised by the compliment. Out of all their friends, Wyatt kept the most distance from Chloe. She suspected he wasn’t a fan of the way she consumed Luke’s time.

“Luke could make anyone look like a good dancer. How does he know all of the steps?” Chloe asked.

“He’s full of surprises,” Wyatt muttered into his drink.

Chloe smiled, agreeing completely. The last few months of being with Luke had been the best surprise. Luke could make going to the school bookstore feel like an adventure, and he was happy almost all the time, but especially when he got to see her naked. And Chloe really loved being naked in front of Luke—the way his eyes got big and he rushed to touch every part of her skin. They were still figuring each other out, but he already seemed to have a map of her body burned into his brain. Chloe took a slow sip of her ice water, grateful to cool off when everything about her felt hot.

Wyatt cleared his throat. Chloe had forgotten he was there and blushed at the realization she’d been silently daydreaming for too long.

“Are you going to try another dance?” Chloe asked. Wyatt had mostly sat out after the first group dance, but he seemed happy enough chatting with different groups of people around the bar.

“This isn’t my scene,” Wyatt said.

“And what is your scene? Coffeehouses with cigarette- smoking brunettes who sneak off with you into the bathroom?”

“One time. That happened once, Chloe.”

Chloe laughed, remembering how red Wyatt’s face had turned when Luke and Chloe had caught him at a local poetry reading in their small college town last month. Luke had been reluctant to attend, but when they saw Wyatt making out with a senior lit major in the hallway between the kitchen and the bathrooms, Luke had claimed that the night wasn’t a total loss.

“Well, thank you for going along with us tonight,” Chloe said. “Even though your body seems to be rebelling against this place.”

Wyatt was scratching his neck. “I got a little sunburned.”

Sloane and Marianne joined them at the bar. “Wyatt, Alden needs your help picking up those girls,” Sloane said, motioning toward where Alden was awkwardly chatting with another group of spring breakers.

“Duty calls,” Wyatt said, hopping off his barstool.

When Sloane claimed Wyatt’s seat, Chloe leaned in and asked, “Did Alden really ask for help?”

“Of course not. But it’s obvious he needs it. And I needed Wyatt’s seat,” Sloane said.

“Where’s Luke?” Marianne asked.

“Oh, he’s still dancing,” Chloe answered. The three women spun around on their barstools and scanned the dance floor. It was easy to spot Luke. His sandy hair towered above most everyone else, especially the crowd of women around him.

The bar was full of college students on spring break, crammed onto an already packed dance floor, all in search of memories that washed in and out like the tide. It was an energy Chloe loved. Even when the guy she was kind of seeing, kind of falling for, was surrounded by a group of girls who looked like they were all hoping to make a memory with Luke that night.

There was one particularly persistent girl who kept asking Luke to dance. And he seemed happy to oblige. The dress she was wearing kept creeping higher the faster she moved. Plus, she had the type of body that required more time in the gym than Chloe would ever willingly devote. She was unquestionably hot.

Luke twirled the girl around. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tighter as he spun her in the air. When he gently put her back on the ground, her hands lingered against his chest, their eyes connected for seconds longer than any casual dance move required.

When Chloe looked back and forth between her friends, it was clear that Marianne and Sloane had seen it too.

Chloe turned around on her barstool, her back now facing the dance floor.

“Does it bother you?” Marianne asked, her voice soft in the loud room.

“Not at all,” Chloe said.

“It would bother me,” Sloane said.

“He’s allowed to dance with whoever he wants. We don’t own each other.”

“So if he went home with that girl tonight, you’d be fine with it?”

“No,” Chloe quickly said. “I’d be annoyed. Although we would have more space in the hotel room without Luke there.”

“You really aren’t jealous?” Sloane asked as if challenging her.

“I don’t have anything to be jealous about. First of all, he’s dancing. That’s it. Second, we haven’t defined anything.”

“If that were Noah, I’d be losing my mind,” Marianne said. “Wait, do you think Noah is dancing with other girls like that?”

“No,” Sloane quickly replied. “Noah is a horrible dancer. And Noah’s game is about as strong as Alden’s,” she added, gesturing to where Alden and Wyatt were standing. Wyatt was in his element, leaning against the bar and captivating a girl with some story. Whereas Alden was at his side, piping in with commentary that only Wyatt seemed to find amusing.

“Noah has excellent game,” Marianne said, smiling. “But you’re right. He’d never dance with a bunch of other girls. No offense, Chloe.”

“None taken,” Chloe said. “Either Luke realizes what we have, or he loses it. Being jealous is only going to make me miserable.” Chloe raised her glass of water and clinked cups with Marianne, who smiled and rested her head on Chloe’s shoulder, then pulled out her phone, disappointment filling her face when she saw no messages from Noah.

“Marianne, put your phone away,” Sloane instructed. “Let him have fun. Let yourself have fun.”

“I know. I’m going to,” Marianne said reluctantly. “I just miss him. I’m glad I’m here, but I wish I was there too. Haven’t you ever felt that way?”

“No,” Sloane said. “I live in the moment, and at this moment, I want to do more stupid dances with you two.” Sloane downed the rest of her drink and pulled Chloe and Marianne back onto the dance floor.

The three of them made their way to the center of the floor, cutting through the crowd of patrons who were still trying to line dance in an increasingly packed bar.

Chloe brushed shoulders with a man and reflexively apologized. He caught her elbow and said, “No worries. I’ve been trying to bump into you all night.”

His voice was smooth and slow, drenched in a heavy southern accent. Chloe laughed and tried to keep walking toward Sloane and Marianne, but he held on to her arm. “Wanna dance?”

Chloe bit her lip. He was significantly older, probably somewhere in his late twenties. Judging by the size of his belt buckle, he was familiar with line dancing, and Chloe really wanted to learn the dance that was just starting. His grin suggested that he’d be a fun teacher.

“Are you good?” Chloe asked.

“My name’s Clint,” he said, as if that was a sufficient explanation. He wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist and immediately guided her toward the center of the dance floor.

“Where are you going?” Sloane shouted.

“I’m dancing with Clint,” Chloe replied, pointing to the tall man in front of her and shrugging.

Chloe had no idea what she was doing, but she immediately realized she was having fun. She caught on fast. The steps were easy, and she moved in sync with Clint, laughing as he twirled her in circles and gently nudged her in the direction of the changing choreography. At one point, she was laughing so hard at the way Clint effortlessly tucked his thumbs in that giant belt buckle while his feet seemed to float across the floor that she had to stop moving to catch her breath.

It was around that time that Luke must have noticed Chloe on the dance floor. She saw him walk across the room and she was excited for him to join in, until she noticed his face.

Luke grabbed Chloe’s wrist and pulled her toward him. Minutes earlier, she’d felt the same reach from Clint. Another man pulling her in a new direction.

“Hey,” Clint said calmly. “We’re dancing.”

“This is my girl,” Luke shouted, slurring slightly. His arm swung around Chloe’s shoulders.

Chloe was shocked, not only by the force of Luke’s statement but also by the content. They’d never had any discussion about being exclusive. And although a tiny part of her liked being wanted, the larger part was furious at this assumption.

Chloe reflexively shrugged away Luke’s possessive arm and took a step to the side. There was a foot of space between Chloe and Luke, and he seemed gutted by her action.

Clint smirked. “Dogs and horses are property. Not women.” Clint extended his hand toward Chloe. “Wanna keep dancing?”

Chloe swallowed, unsure of her decision. Alden and Wyatt seemed to sense the mounting tension and started to make their way toward Luke.

“She’s not dancing with you,” Luke said, shoving Clint in the chest.

Clint barely moved as he said, “That’s her decision.”

Wyatt stood beside Luke as he asked, “Everything okay?”

“No,” Luke said. “Everything is not okay. This idiot is hitting on Chloe.”

Chloe finally spoke up. “We were dancing, Luke. That’s it.”

“She’s right,” Clint said. “We were just dancing. I hadn’t gotten to the hitting on her part yet.” Clint winked, and that seemed to send Luke over the edge.

Luke lunged for Clint. “Hold me back, Wyatt.” Maybe it was an instruction meant to intimidate, as if Luke’s rage needed to be restrained and Clint would somehow fear this moment. But Luke’s comment had the opposite effect. The whole thing was embarrassing.

Clint chuckled as he put up a strong arm to stop Luke’s advance. “You’re out of your league here, kid.” It was an obvious statement to everyone but Luke. Clint towered over him, both in size and maturity.

Instead of holding him back, Wyatt gently placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “This is unwise, Luke. He’s got fifty pounds and ten years on you. You’re going to lose this situation.”

“He’s hitting on my girlfriend.” Luke probably meant to sound justified, but instead he sounded whiny.

Chloe stepped in front of Luke and pointed her finger at his chest. “I am not your girlfriend. You are embarrassing me and yourself. Walk away.”

When Luke didn’t respond, Clint stepped forward and grabbed Chloe’s hand. “Let’s keep dancing. I haven’t showed you my best moves yet.”

That was all it took. Luke lunged forward like a small cat and swung his fist. Clint seemed to anticipate this move and leaned backward. Luke’s wild swing managed to connect with the edge of Clint’s jaw but sent Luke so off balance that he fell to the floor. Clint lifted his booted foot and firmly pushed Luke down as two bouncers ran to the dance floor.

“You okay?” the bouncer asked Clint with familiarity.

“Oh, I’m fine. He just got a little graze in,” Clint said, rubbing his jawline as he continued stepping on Luke’s back.

The bouncers lifted Luke off the ground and immediately dragged him to the exit.

“Okay, so looks like we’re leaving,” Alden said. “I’ll go tell Sloane and Marianne.”

Wyatt looked upward and mumbled to himself. He lifted a hand apologetically in Clint’s direction and then looked at Chloe. “What are you going to do?” Wyatt asked.

“I’m not leaving with him,” Chloe said, pointing toward Luke and the door.

“Understandable,” Wyatt said. “Are you okay?”

Chloe looked around at the crowd slowly returning to their dances but still staring in her direction. “I can’t believe him, Wyatt.”

Wyatt looked over his shoulder and then back at Chloe. “I’m not going to defend him. But he did have too many shots, Chloe. Luke is going to be full of regret when he sobers up.”

Chloe looked across the bar. Luke was already outside. Alden was making his way to the door, and Sloane and Marianne were walking in the opposite direction, toward Chloe.

“I’ll be fine. You guys go ahead,” Chloe told Wyatt. “We’ll meet you back at the hotel.”

Wyatt hesitated before he left.

Sloane joined Chloe and shouted, “Did you cause a bar fight? You are truly a living legend.” Based on the volume of her voice, it was likely Sloane had had too many shots as well.

“I didn’t cause anything. That was Luke’s fault.” Chloe turned toward Clint. “I’m sorry about my friend.”

“You aren’t the one that needs to apologize.” Clint extended his hand. “Ready to dance?”

Chloe shook her head. She was frustrated that Luke had ruined such a fun evening. And even though she knew she had no reason to feel guilty about dancing with Clint, she did. “I think I’ve had enough dancing tonight. We should go.”

“Alright,” Clint shrugged. “Thanks for the dance.” He walked away, as if fist fighting and finding new dance partners were as common as Bud Light.

Sloane was twirling around the dance floor, oblivious, but Marianne studied Chloe’s concerned face. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Chloe said. “Can we go?”

“Should we find the boys?” Marianne suggested.

“No,” Chloe quickly replied. “Luke needs to sober up, and I need to cool off.”

“Okay. How about a walk on the beach?” Marianne proposed. “Sloane might need to sober up too.” Marianne and Chloe turned to look at their friend, who was now involved in an elaborate dance with the cement column in the middle of the dance floor.

“Great idea,” Chloe said.

They managed to drag Sloane outside, and the three of them made their way down to the beach. The moon was full, creating a dusk-like lightness across the sand even though it was well into the night. As Chloe and Marianne chatted about the frustration of boys and the pitfalls of relationships, Sloane did cartwheels up and down the sand. The next day Sloane would complain of a mysterious shoulder pain, suggesting that there was very little of the night she actually remembered.

By the time they made it back to the motel, Chloe hoped the guys would already be asleep. But as they approached the door, she could hear Alden and Wyatt bickering through the paper-thin motel walls.

Sloane went in first, going straight to the bathroom. Marianne followed while Chloe lingered in the hallway. She leaned against the wall. Even after dissecting the night with Marianne, she still wasn’t sure how she felt.

“Is she coming back?” she heard Luke ask. The slur in his voice seemed to have disappeared.

“Yeah, she’s outside,” Marianne replied.

Chloe took a deep breath and entered the room.

“I’m sorry, Chloe,” Luke said as soon as the motel room door opened.

Alden and Wyatt looked up from their card game, eyes shifting nervously around the room.

“I’m willing to have a discussion with you outside,” Chloe said to Luke, gesturing toward the glass slider onto the balcony.

Marianne turned on the radio, providing some noise to muffle their discussion through the flimsy door, and Chloe was grateful for the slice of privacy.

Luke looked like shit. He leaned over the balcony railing and pushed his sandy hair off his forehead. Bloodshot eyes stared at Chloe, pleading for forgiveness before he even opened his mouth.

“I really messed up, Chloe. I’m so sorry.”

She wanted him to apologize a thousand more times, and at the same time she was so annoyed by the apology. Luke hadn’t just ruined her night, he’d ruined everyone’s night. It seemed selfish that she was the only person hearing about his regrets.

Chloe stood in front of Luke, her voice low as she said, “I’m not into jealousy. At all. This thing between us stops now if you can’t get over the fact that we are our own people. We have to trust each other.”

Chloe expected protests and excuses. She was surprised when Luke plainly replied, “You’re right. I was out of line.”

“What were you thinking, Luke?”

“I wasn’t. I looked across the bar and saw you with that guy and I lost my mind.”

“You really did,” Chloe replied.

“It won’t happen again, Chloe. I promise. That’s not who I am.”

“I think I know that,” Chloe said. “That’s why I was so surprised.” Luke was pacing on the small balcony and Chloe reached out her hand to stop his movement. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Luke winced. “What exactly?”

“Us. Do we need to define what we’re doing?” Chloe asked.

Luke exhaled. “We’ve only been hanging out for a few months. You didn’t want a relationship.”

That’s what Chloe had said. Because when she had returned to campus after winter break, she had wanted to be clear that she wasn’t coming back for Luke. And immediately jumping into a relationship with him would have made that point hard to argue. So she had told him it was casual. She had told him it was fun. And they had both played along with that story. But they both knew that wasn’t the complete truth.

Luke continued, “I trust you, Chloe. But I don’t want to watch you dance with other people.” Luke swallowed nervously before he said, “I only want you to dance with me.”

The edge of Chloe’s lips broke into a small smile. “Okay. I can handle that.”

“Good.” Luke exhaled.

Chloe took a step closer, erasing the space between their bodies. “But that means you don’t dance with other people either, Luke. I’m not okay with a double standard.”

“Of course,” he said too quickly.

Chloe’s eyes focused on his. “Your flirting seems to be uncontrollable. Do you think you’re ready for only one person?” Her tone reflected the earnestness of her question.

Luke pulled her close. “I’m ready for you, Chloe. Despite my stupidity tonight. I really don’t want to mess this up.”

“Good. Don’t be an idiot again and we should be fine.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Man, my girlfriend is so intense,” he said as he trailed kisses across her shoulder.

A wide grin spread across Chloe’s face. It was fun hearing him call her that. “Only because her boyfriend drives her crazy,” she replied.

The curtains in the motel room moved, and Chloe and Luke looked into the room to see their four friends lined up at the door, ears pressed against the glass.

Alden slid open the door. “Did you guys make up?”

“Yes,” Chloe laughed.

“Good,” Marianne said. “I hate tension.”

“We are never dancing anywhere again,” Wyatt declared. “We’re cursed. We always get kicked out.”

The six of them gathered on the hotel bed, joining in Alden and Wyatt’s competitive game of Go Fish and belting out the lyrics to the songs that had been playing on repeat in the bar. Eventually, they abandoned the cards for dancing, trying to re-create more and more elaborate and ridiculous moves until the hotel manager knocked on the door and threatened to throw them out because of the noise complaints. The boys hid in the bathroom while Sloane promised the manager that they’d be quiet and they finally, reluctantly, fell asleep.

Chloe would remember so much from that first trip together. The piles of Alden’s clothes that drove Sloane insane. The smell of sunscreen and rum that perfumed the motel room. Days spent playing competitive games of beach volleyball and floating on cheap inflatables in the Gulf. Dinners of McDonald’s fries spread out on beach towels before they spent the night hopping from one bar to the next using the fake IDs Luke had gotten from his fraternity brother. They all drank too much at night and got sunburned during the day.

But mostly, Chloe remembered waking up each morning, clinging to the edge of the bed because Marianne always managed to sprawl in the middle, Luke asleep on the floor, his hand extended from his sleeping bag and wrapped around Chloe’s. His girlfriend. Each morning, Chloe looked around at her sleeping friends and felt like the luckiest person in the world.