Page 93 of Rival Summer

I let out a dry, bitter chuckle and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I tried," I confessed, staring at the ripples in the lake. "I tried to be careful, not to dive into anything too deep. I told myself I wouldn't get hurt again this summer... I guarded my heart." I drew in a deep breath. "But here I am. Hurt."

"Chandler," Reese said softly, "hearts aren't meant to be guarded. No matter how much we try to control them, they're meant to be stolen—whether we allow it or not."

I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. I wouldn’t admit it, but I knew he was right. The tension in my shoulders eased as I leaned sideways, resting my head on his shoulder. The fabric of his suit was soft against my cheek, and for a moment, all the chaos of summer seemed to fade into the background. We sat there, together, sharing the silence that felt like genuine understanding. I knew in that moment exactly who I wanted to be with, exactly who had stolen my heart.

Before I could respond, the quiet of the night was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat—an unmistakable, deliberate noise designed to grab attention. My heart leaped into my throat as I straightened up and Reese shifted beside me.

Standing a few feet away from us was Boston. His blue eyes were sharp, focused intently on us.

THIRTY

boston

Her head was resting comfortablyon his shoulder, and her soft laughter reached me even at a distance. But, it didn’t matter. I was here for one reason, and one reason alone—to fight for her. As Reese's eyes met mine over the top of her head, they flickered with an understanding that didn’t need words.

In a single, fluid motion, Reese untangled himself from Chandler and stood. "I've got somewhere I need to be," he said to her, then stood.

"About time you showed up," he said to me, walking away with his hands shoved into his pockets.

Taking a deep breath to steady my thoughts, I walked over and sat beside her on the weathered dock. Our silence stretched out like the water's surface—calm, yet hiding so much beneath. I dared to glance at her profile. The breeze toyed with her hair, the moonlight painting her features in a soft silver glow that made my heart clench.

"Chandler, do you remember when you'd come over for frozen pizza?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Boston, you're talking about frozen pizza right now?"

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I used to hate it."

"You hated when I came over?" There was hurt in her voice, as she stared down at her hands.

"No. Well, sort of," I said. My words tumbled out as I tried to open up to her the best that I could. "I hated it because dinners at your house were perfect. You had both your parents and Parker at the table, your mom made a home-cooked meal, your dad helped do the dishes when it was done..." I trailed off, lost in the memories of her family, an extreme difference to my own reality.

"And when you and Parker used to come over," I continued, my eyes locked on the dark water, "Mom would throw a cheap frozen pizza in the oven." I hesitated, unsure if I should say more, but the stillness of the evening pushed me forward. "With my mom, it’s complicated. I’ll always love her and want to protect her, but it’s never been easy. I guess I’ve been distant because I thought keeping you at arm’s length was a way to protect you from the mess I’m dealing with. Every time I pulled away, it was because I didn’t want you getting dragged into it, too."

There was a long pause, and I braced myself for her response to the raw edges of my insecurities.

"Boston," she said softly, turning to face me, her eyes reflecting the twilight sky. "I don't remember frozen pizza. I remember the belly laughs we had at your house." A small smile graced her lips as she continued. "I remember your mom turning all the lights off and us playing hide and seek. I remember all the fun we had." She reached out tentatively, her hand brushing against mine. "I didn't care what was on the dinner table—or how many people you had around it. I liked spending time with you... and her. I just wanted to be with you. No matter what that looked like."

I realized then that it wasn't the perfection of the surroundings that mattered—it was the imperfect realness of being together that had etched those memories in her heart. And maybe that could be enough for me to accept too.

"Chandler," I whispered, my voice barely rising above the gentle lap of the lake against the dock. "I'm sorry for letting you walk away." I paused. "I'm sorry for accusing you of comparing me to him."

The silence that followed felt heavy, filled with all the things I’d left unsaid over the years.

"Reese and I," I continued before she could respond. "Things will probably always be complicated. But I know he's a good guy deep down. I know there’s a side to him that not everyone gets to see, and I understand why you care about him. Even if I’m not who you want, if you don’t choose me, I’ll walk to the ends of this earth for you. Today and always." I swallowed hard, trying to push away my ego.

Her eyes searched mine as she tilted her head to the side. "You're right, Boston," she agreed. "He is a really good guy deep down. Reese doesn't let many people see it, but there's so much more to him."

I felt my jaw involuntarily tick, listening to her go on about the great things about him—the way he listened when she talked, how he was smart, driving in deep the point she was trying to make.

She paused, her gaze still lingering on the dark waters as if they held the answers to our tangled hearts. "But unfortunately, there's a problem..." her voice trailed off, her eyes holding mine with a new intensity.

"He's not you," she said simply.

I felt like I could breathe for the first time that day. My heart hammered, daring to hope for something I thought I'd pushed too far away.

"See, unfortunately for me, my heart has always belonged to the boy who grew up next door." She paused, and then turned toward me. "You captured my heart the same night you captured those fireflies."

I struggled to process her words and she continued. “No matter how many times you tried to push me away, I knew one day we'd find our way to each other. And I’m sorry, too. For everything I said. I didn’t mean it. We weren’t just having fun. This is so much more than that."

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