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  For a little while, we just sat there, listened to the music, and drank our beers. By the time I drained my second bottle, it was time to dance. I looked at Elena and tilted my head toward the dance floor. She nodded and we stepped out of the booth with the guys following.

  It was crowded, but we were able to meld into the mass of people. At first, Elena and I danced together to a techno beat and, by the end of the song, I was laughing. This was so much fun. It was definitely a step up from Henry’s party.

  Soon, hands gently grasped my hips from behind and the smell of the forest and fresh rain flooded my senses. I knew it was Mason. Sinking into the music, I closed my eyes and let it take me over. It felt natural to have Mason dancing with me; there was no awkwardness at all.

  Two songs passed as we all took turns dancing together and in a group. Once we started to get too hot and sweaty, I was tired and ready for another drink. Before I could retreat from the dance floor, large hands settled on my hips and moved me to the beat. Instantly, I stiffened at the feel of this male body flush with mine.

  I whirled around only to come face to face with Jameson. My eyes narrowed and I scowled at him. “Go away, I don’t want you here.”

  He frowned, gripping my hips tighter and reigning kisses down my very exposed neck. “You’re drunk, Lexi. Let’s get together tomorrow and talk about things.”

  Anger welled up inside me at his response. “No, I don’t think so. Let me go, I’m here with friends.”

  It was next to impossible to speak, and having to scream into each other’s ears was getting old. I pulled his hands off my hips and fled as soon as I was released from his hold.

  I guided a frowning Elena off the dance floor. She tugged an unsure Mason and his clueless friend behind her. Jameson tried to come after us, but we managed to make it to the VIP area before he could.

  The bouncer nodded to us and we reentered the booth we were sitting at earlier. The same waiter hurried back to get us another beer. I was thirsty and it took me just a matter of minutes to drain my third beer. Loosening up, I thought to myself how I’ve rarely let myself just relax and enjoy things like this.

  So much time was spent taking care of Jameson and Elena, there was never a chance. It felt good to tell Jameson no. He didn’t deserve me anymore, if he ever had.

  I was suddenly grateful for Elena and the breakup with Jameson. The end of our relationship was for the best after all, I was sure of it now. It was going to be a great fall in college with Elena. We were going to have a blast.

  Our night continued on much like it began. We drank a beer and then headed to the dance floor. I ended up dancing with both guys often, as did Elena. It looked like there was some chemistry between her and surfer dude.

  Only one other time did we have a problem. A group of college guys moved in on us and didn’t take the hint that we weren’t going to dance with them. Lucky for Elena and me, Mason herded us off the dance floor and back to the V.I.P. section where they couldn’t follow.

  Mason felt like our protector, especially after the incident with Jameson. Having Mason here was a good idea and I would have to thank Elena later. Becoming friends with him was encouraging and it assured me that it was going to be a great end to the summer.

  We practically closed the club down before wandering outside. Everyone had drunk their share and we were all pretty sloshed. I leaned against the cool brick wall, trying to stop myself from swaying. Mason put his hands on my shoulders to steady me and I smiled at him.

  “Thanks, I think I’m just a bit drunk tonight.”

  “Yeah, but you’re a cute drunk. You looked happy in there tonight. I’m glad we got to hang out with you too, crazy ex-boyfriend and all.”

  “I was unclear on how that happened exactly. Then Elena apologized and you walked in was how I knew something was up.”

  “Actually you texted me, and asked if I could come and bring a friend. It wasn’t until I saw the surprised look on your face that I realized it must have been your friend that texted me on your phone.”

  “Yeah it was, that sneaky bitch,” I joked.

  We both laughed.

  “Seriously though, it was fun. I hope we’re still on for bowling tomorrow.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. It will be a blast,” I replied.

  “Maybe we should invite our friends over there. They seem to be hitting it off quite well.”

  I looked over and sure enough, Elena was getting well acquainted with surfer dude. He had her up against the brick wall at a darker spot of the sidewalk, kissing her senseless. I just shook my head and smiled. That was typical Elena alright. She would probably regret it tomorrow, but I wanted to have a little fun as payback.

  “I think bringing them is a great idea. She’ll be with me for sure.”

  “Great, now where are the two of you headed?”

  “Elena lives up the street from here. We’re just going to walk.”

  “It’s late and you ladies look way too sexy to be out alone. Tate and I will walk you home.”

  I started to argue, but the words died on my tongue. Truthfully, it was a good idea. We didn’t really think about getting home and he was right, we were just going to attract trouble.

  “Sure, that would be great.”

  “Cool, now we just have to pry them apart long enough to get them going.”

  “I’ve got this.”

  Walking up to Elena, I ran my hand softly down the length of her exposed back. She jumped about two feet back, squealing in surprise.

  “Lexi May, I’m going to kill you for that!”

  “You can kill me later, it’s time to get home. The guys are going to walk us.”

  I could see the reluctance in her eyes but she relented and nodded. Tate took her hand in his and led her down the sidewalk. We followed just behind them at a slower pace.

  It was cute to watch them whisper and giggle with each other. Elena couldn’t walk a straight line, but she and Tate weaved their way down the sidewalk together. I could only imagine how we looked following them.

  I had my arm tucked in Mason’s and we just followed in a comfortable silence. Then he finally broke it.

  “So, Lexi, do you do this kind of thing often?”

  “Yeah, not so much, this is sort of a first for me. I had a boyfriend and I always spent my time taking care of him and Elena.”

  Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt to talk about. I was finally coming to the realization that it happened for a reason and Jameson wasn’t the one for me.

  “Well, I’m glad I got to have fun with you. It was a great night,” Mason said.

  “I agree.”

  Elena reached the house first and stumbled onto the porch with Tate trailing behind. We needed to be quiet so we didn’t wake up her parents. They wouldn’t appreciate us waking them at two in the morning. They liked us to be home early.

  I was far from sober, but apparently much better off than Elena. When we got to the porch, I let go of Mason’s arm and gently moved her out of the way. She pulled her house key out of her clutch and I used it to get the door unlocked.

  Looking over at Mason one last time, I smiled.

  “Thanks for walking us home. It was really nice of you.”

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  He gave one of those sexy half smiles that made me want to melt. Then he turned to Tate and tugged on his sleeve. “Come on; let’s let the girls get some sleep.”

  Tate nodded and I watched as they made their way down the sidewalk. Soon, they were around the corner and out of sight. Quietly opening the front door, I guided Elena into the foyer and shut the front door with a barely audible click.

  I put a finger over her mouth to keep her quiet and then we tiptoed to her room. She was so drunk I thought she was probably making a game of it. It didn’t matter as long as we wouldn’t wake her parents up.

  As soon as we shut the bedroom door, I flopped down on her bed and took a deep breath. I kicked off my heels with a groan. My head was
spinning and I knew there would be no way I could go to sleep yet.

  It was tricky, but we managed to dress ourselves in shorts and tank tops before slipping under the covers. Elena was still drunk, more than I was, so we turned on the television and watched pointless infomercials until the wee hours of the morning.

  The whole time, my mind kept wandering to Mason. Reminding myself of all the reasons it would be a bad idea, I forced him from my thoughts. At some point, we both managed to fall asleep.

  WAKING UP WAS a really bad idea. The pounding in my head echoed like a Ping-Pong ball rattling around. I was nauseous and starving at the same time. When was the last time I had eaten? The last thing my mind could conjure was yesterday afternoon when we had grilled cheese and milkshakes, which was pretty careless of me.

  I looked over to see Elena still sprawled out, face down and snoring softly. If I knew Elena, she would be out for quite some time still. Instead of enduring breakfast here, I decided to head home. Mom would probably be at work, so I could nurse my hangover with a few aspirin and maybe some toast.

  There was no way I was putting last night’s clothes back on, so I opted to go home in the tank and shorts already covering me. Grabbing everything off the floor, I quietly shut the door behind me, and then snuck down the hall and out the front door without any interaction.

  Relieved, I reached Polly and started her up. My headache was too bad to listen to music, so I rolled my windows down and listened to the sounds of birds chirping in the background. It was a peaceful break from reality.

  I was engrossed in my own thoughts and I didn’t realize how close I had gotten to the side of the road. Before I knew what was happening, my car clipped the side of the road and I ended up veering to the right.

  My foot mashed on the brakes, but not before I ran down poor Ms. Davenport’s birdhouse mailbox. Ugh, hopefully she wouldn’t be upset. The gray-haired old lady opened her front door and the screen slammed behind her.

  “Oh, dear, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, Ms. Davenport, I’m just a little shaken up right now. I’m so sorry about this; I’ll purchase you a new one right away.”

  “Oh pish-posh, dear, I know you’ll take care of it. I’m more worried about you. What on earth happened? You should be lucky it was just a mailbox and not a tree. We wouldn’t be having this conversation then.”

  “Well, I was too close to the curb, clipped it and lost control of the car. Thank heavens I was only driving about thirty miles per hour.”

  “Be careful driving home, dear. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Ms. Davenport gave me her friendliest smile and then headed back inside her house. At least I got lucky enough to hit her mailbox and not Mr. Jenkins next door. He would have my ass in a sling before I could apologize. The old man was a retired drill sergeant.

  The drive ended and I was thankful. At least the driveway was empty and Mom was already at work. She didn’t need to see the car or how hung over I looked this morning. I rolled up the car windows and got out. Looking at the damage, relief flooded through me. It wasn’t too bad, just a dent and a little scrape.

  Once the front door was unlocked, I relocked it on the other side, threw my shoes off, and slid down the back of the door. My head was throbbing and I was exhausted.

  After what seemed like forever, I reluctantly stood back up and went to the medicine cabinet for some aspirin. Caffeine was needed next. I bee-lined into the kitchen and poured a stale cup of coffee. Bitter cold coffee was never my first choice, but I felt too awful to bother with a new pot.

  As soon as I got the aspirin down and my cup drained, I headed back to my room. Vaguely remembering our bowling date, I looked down at the clock and realized it was only seven. I had four hours to get Elena here and have myself ready.

  I still felt like hell, so I set my alarm on my phone for two hours and slid between the covers. I was quickly thrust into a dreamless sleep, even with the coffee running through my veins.

  Two hours later, my alarm went off, but I was still a bit groggy. Thoughts of Mason entered my mind and I smiled. If I hadn’t sworn off guys he would be the perfect boyfriend.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t think like that. I was going across the country in just over two months. There couldn’t be anything, even if I wanted him. Of course, knowing I couldn’t have him just made him more interesting.

  I reluctantly peeled myself out of bed and headed for the shower to wash away the smell of alcohol. There wasn’t much time for me to get ready before I needed to get over to Elena’s. I had to drag her ass out of bed and get her ready for our day out.

  Dressing in a white-and-silver laced tank top, sexy jeans, and my silver ballet flats; I gave myself a once over in the mirror. Satisfied, I grabbed a pair of socks and headed out.

  It was another gorgeous day out. There was a gentle ocean breeze and I sighed in contentment. The humid air never bothered me like it did most people. To me it was soothing, like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Polly started up and I opted for the windows down again. My headache wasn’t completely gone, but it was much better after my nap.

  My thoughts kept drifting to Mason. If only I had met him three years ago instead of Jameson, things would be much different. They were opposites in every way from the little I knew about Mason. He was caring and considerate where, I realized, Jameson wasn’t.

  With a sigh, I parked in Elena’s driveway, careful not to block her parents in. Her mom answered the door shortly after I knocked. She was tall, just like her daughter. A warm smile graced her as she peered down at me.

  “Hey, Lexi, come on in. I think Elena is still sleeping, but she needs to get her lazy bones out of bed.”

  She stepped aside and I thanked her before heading into my best friend’s room. Sure enough, Elena was still in bed, exactly where I left her. It was time for payback.

  I clapped my hands loudly and shouted, “Elena, it’s time to get up!”

  “Gah, what the heck are you doing, Lexi May?” she grumbled.

  “I’m waking your ass up so we can get out of here.”

  “You’re on crack, I’m hung over and don’t plan on leaving this bed.”

  “Nah-uh, you owe me for yesterday. Get up, we are expected at eleven, so that gives you an hour to shower and make yourself presentable.”

  Her eyes widened. “No, no, no. You’ve got to be joking.”

  “Nope, we are meeting Mason and Tate at the bowling alley at eleven. Get up if you plan to look better than something the cat dragged in.”

  “Harsh, Lexi May, but you do have a point. Fine, you win. Give me twenty and I’ll be showered.”

  I watched her leave the room, cursing the whole way. I chuckled at my best friend, knowing she wasn’t a morning person. When I mentioned we were meeting at eleven, she got in gear. Elena had to be punctual, like always.

  Sitting on her bed, I had a lot of time to think. I just couldn’t get my mind off Mason. In forty-eight hours, the guy had managed to invade every nook and cranny in my thoughts. It was hard to remind myself of the fact that he was off limits. I had resolved myself to no guys this summer and I needed to stick to it. Besides, the summer was already close to being over.

  That didn’t stop me from thinking about how gentle and caring he was Friday night. I was grateful for all he did for me. No other guys would have taken the time to care for me, especially a stranger.

  I had just begun to think about the way his body felt pressed against mine in the club when Elena came in and snapped me back to reality.

  “You’re thinking about Mason, aren’t you?”

  She could see right through me this time. My cheeks flamed and that was answer enough for her. Elena just grinned and then focused on getting ready. I insisted she grab socks before heading out.

  I usually drove, since we both loved Polly. She had a nice, new car that was pretty generic, but it just didn’t have the same feel to it as Polly did. Besides, I loved to drive and she didn’t care either way.
/>   “What in the heck happened to Polly?” Elena asked.

  Damn, I had almost forgotten about the dent from Ms. Davenport’s mailbox. “Well, funny story about that. I accidentally hit the neighbor’s mailbox on the way home earlier. It’s fine though, I think the dent adds character anyways,” I fibbed.

  “Only you could do that on a bright and sunny day. You need to have a hazard sign affixed to you. That way people would know to give you a wide berth.”

  I just shook my head. It was true, I was a walking disaster.

  Once we got into the car and fastened our seatbelts I started Polly. Her engine thrummed to life and we pulled out of her driveway and toward the bowling alley across town.

  To get us amped up, I started to question her about Tate. “So, you and Tate seemed to hit it off last night.”

  “He’s pretty cool. I don’t think I would settle down with him, but he could be a fun end-of-summer fling.”

  Grinning, I just shook my head at my boy-crazy best friend. She always had guys on the brain.

  “What, like you don’t have a thing for Mason?”

  “He and I can only be friends. I don’t need to deal with any guys right now. I’m just starting to get over Jameson. Besides, I’m not getting involved only to have yet another guy who leaves me because of my sexual status.”

  “I really doubt Mason is like that. He seems like a really genuine guy. Maybe he’s one of the good ones.”

  “Even if that’s so, Elena, it would just make it harder at the end of the summer in a few weeks. I don’t see any way out of a broken heart in either scenario.”

  “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so. There is chemistry there and who would be willing to just be a girl’s friend if they weren’t interested?”

  Thankfully, we parked at the bowling alley and I was able to get her to drop the uncomfortable conversation. We got out of the car and she linked her arm in mine as we headed toward the entrance.