Page 48 of Revv

The sand is hot enough to burn through my sandals. The air smells like salt, sunscreen, coconut oil, and food from the stand near the boardwalk. Music gets louder as we reach the crew, mixed with waves breaking and people yelling across the beach.

They’ve taken over a spot close to the water, towels and chairs spread all over the sand like nobody else was planning on using the beach.

Bexley’s lying under the umbrella in a red bikini, sunglasses on, while Echo digs through one of the bags beside her. Thorne is standing behind them trying to open a bottle with a key instead of just asking someone for an opener.

The volleyball net is crooked, and Draygon and Talon are already arguing over who set it up wrong. Reign and Sayshen are heading toward the water with the boards while everyone else talks over the music.

I drop onto the towel beside Echo, pop open a can of Mango Loco Monster, and pour it into my tumbler. Then I add a generous splash of Tequila, give it a quick stir with the straw, and take a drink.

This is why I came. The girls, the beach, the sun.

Not Revel.

Except he’s standing near the water with a surfboard under one arm, laughing at something Sayshen says, and he’s impossible not to notice. The sun catches on his tattoos, his shorts sit low on his hips, and when he tips his head back, a few women nearby look over.

Of course they do.

He looks like every bad decision I’ve ever been warned about, and he knows it.

Echo follows my gaze. “You know staring doesn’t count as ignoring him.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

“You’ve been looking at him for a full minute.”

“I’m looking at the ocean.”

Bexley adjusts her sunglasses. “The ocean has tattoos now?”

“Shut up.”

She laughs and rolls onto her back.

The next hour passes in a blur of noise, drinks, and people yelling about rules no one follows.

Talon and Draygon challenge Thorne and Reign to volleyball. Sayshen joins halfway through, even though no one invited him, and starts playing both sides depending on where the ball lands.

Revel spends most of the game making everything worse.

He jumps the net to argue a point, steals the ball from Draygon, and gets tackled into the sand for it. When he comes up laughing, covered in sand from shoulder to hip, he looks over at me.

Always me.

Like the whole beach disappears whenever he finds me.

I look away first.

By the time the game ends, I’m halfway through my fifth drink despite saying I’d have only one.

The sun is lower now, less brutal, turning the water bright orange along the horizon. Bexley and Echo are talking beside me about plans for guys race next weekend, while I nod in the right places and try not to pay attention to Revel.

It works until a girl in a tiny green bikini walks over to him.

She’s pretty. Tall. Tan. Long dark hair that looks too perfect for someone standing in wind and saltwater.

Revel is holding his board upright, talking to Reign, when she steps between them.

I can’t hear what she says, but I can see her hand though.