Page 73 of Rival Summer

"Just let me own the past, okay? It was me pushing you away, I basically held the door open for you to walk right to him." His fingers brushed against my cheek in a slow, tender motion. "But the future... the future could be ours."

And in that moment, in the dark evening with the lake silently witnessing us, I absorbed the gravity of Boston's words. I found myself momentarily speechless, caught in the tangle of emotions that he had unraveled. He always looked out for me, protected me—and here he was, doing it again.

"I don't understand. I don't deserve the way you always take care of me, the way you always save me. You've been doing it since we were kids. Even the first time we ever met, and you didn't even know me."

Boston chuckled. "No, Chandler, you have it all wrong." His hand reached up to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "The moment I saw you, you saved me."

My pulse raced, every one of my senses dialed to his proximity, to the earnestness in his voice.

"I was a kid who spent the whole day watching my mom cry; she held it together around other people, but she let it out with me. And I was used to putting together some kind of meal for her that was probably like potato chips and ketchup. I was always so worried about her..." He shook his head, and then he spoke again. "And then there you were, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. You gave me hope for the first time. You were a bright light in the darkness, and from that moment on, I always hoped that you would be my girlfriend one day."

I felt the tears trying to surface again.

"So the bracelet you gave me," Boston continued, a sheepish yet soft smile on his lips, "I'll never take it out of my glove. It's what reminds me of you. It’s my hope, my luck—hopefully my future, everything."

Tears blurred my vision as my emotions surged, overwhelming and raw. Here was Boston Riley, laying bare his soul. And the worst part about it was that each time Caroline tried to embarrass me with this stupid game, it somehow ended up bringing us closer together.

"Fuck," I whispered. ”What are you doing to me?" I knew at that moment, this whole trying not to fall for anyone this summer thing was crumbling—shattering, even.

Lifting my chin gently with his fingers, he met my gaze steadily. "I can't stand you crying," he said, his tone earnest and filled with emotion that made my heart swell.

With a calloused thumb, he wiped away a tear that had fallen down my cheek. Then he placed a gentle kiss on the other side of my face, removing another.

Without hesitation, I kissed him, our lips colliding. The kiss was different from any we'd shared before—gentle, but more intense. Boston's hand cradled my face tenderly as our lips and tongues moved at a pace that was both new and familiar. My hands found their way to his hair, the wavy strands slipping through my fingers like golden threads as I pulled him closer. Nothing else mattered in this moment— there was no more Caroline drama, no worries about what others thought, no barriers between us. Just Boston and me and the feelings I was finally allowing myself to explore.

TWENTY-FOUR

boston

The locker roomechoed with laughter. Metal lockers slammed shut as we strapped on our cleats. I leaned back against my locker, shaking my head in disbelief at the locker-room talk. The events from last night's game of truth or dare had spiraled completely out of control.

"Man, you should've seen that girl's face when she had to suck Bailey's toe!" one of the guys hooted, slapping his knee.

"Hey, it wasn’t so bad," Bailey shrugged.

Reese, leaning casually against the row of lockers, chimed in with a smirk. "Let's not forget how Bailey's dare was a complete failure."

The group snickered, but all eyes turned to Reese, anticipation hanging in the air.

"Apparently, she gave him Jim's Grocery's phone number instead of hers," Reese continued, trying his best to keep a straight face, but it was evident he was enjoying every second of it.

"Shut up, dude, she was probably just busy working and gave me the wrong number," Bailey retorted, trying to save face, but his cheeks were a telltale shade of red.

"Sure, Bailey," Crew chimed in, sarcastically. "She just wanted to get rid of you."

"Get rid of me?" Bailey scoffed. "No way. I'm irresistible."

"Speaking of irresistible," Parker said, nudging Crew with his elbow, "didn't you go home with the entire table of girls who you showed your ass to?"

"Hey, there's enough love to spread around," Crew boasted, puffing out his chest as if he were already a legend in his own mind.

"Wait a minute..." I cut in, trying to keep a straight face. "One of those women had to be in her eighties."

Crew shrugged, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "I don't discriminate."

Reese snickered, shaking his head. "Well, you fucking should."

The locker room filled with laughter again as everyone finished getting ready for the game.

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