Everyone who was anybody showed up at the Petersons’ that night. The parents were congregating inside and on the deck of the house while the younger generation had ended up in the pool and down on the beach. Most of the people near Trihn’s age were even further gone than she was, and she was pretty sure a good number of them were on something much stronger than alcohol.

Not that she cared tonight.

Music was pumping through some high-tech surround-sound speakers that made the sounds reach all the way out to the beach. Her feet were in the sand, her hands were over her head, and she was dancing to the tempo with a few girls. They were a giggly mess and kept falling over into the sand. As Trihn tried to help one girl stand up, the girl yanked on her arm and pulled her down next to her.

“Oh my God,” Trihn cried. She had sand all over her new dress.

The girl just laughed. “Sorry, Trihn. Stronger than I look I guess.”

“Sure you are.”

She was trying to get to her feet again when someone bent down and put an arm around her waist.

“Let me help you.”

Trihn looked up into Preston’s eyes, and her body went slack. He was touching her. Her head swam, and all she could think about was how amazing his lips looked and how much she wanted to kiss him and all the dirty things those lips had done to her body.

He smiled down at her, as if he could read her thoughts.

He hoisted her up easily onto her shaky legs and pulled her against him. She wasn’t breathing properly. His skin burned her everywhere it touched her, and all she wanted to do was lean into him. This was right, one hundred and fifty percent right.

“I like the dress,” he breathed.

Then, she came to her senses. This was not right. There was no way this would ever be right again. “Get away from me,” she said, wrenching out of his grip.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Ian said. He jogged up to them and put a protective arm around Trihn. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

“You should leave her alone,” Ian said.

Preston’s eyebrows rose. “I was just helping her up out of the sand.”

“Yeah, well, I think you’ve helped enough,” Ian spat back at Preston.

“Come on, Ian. Let’s just go get another drink,” she said.

“I’m not sure another drink is in your best interest,” he said as they left Preston standing alone.

“After that, I’m almost certain it is.”

Once they reached the bar, Trihn grabbed the first thing she could and downed the drink in one long chug.

“Whoa! Slow down.”

She wiped her mouth and trashed the drink. Grabbing another in her hand, she veered back out into the sand and headed straight toward Lydia.

“Trihn, what are you doing?” Ian asked, following her.

“I’m going to tell everyone what an asshole Preston really is.”

“Right now?” he squeaked.

They had almost made it all the way to where Lydia and Preston were standing when Ian grabbed Trihn around the waist and held her back.

Her back was flush against his chest, and he leaned down, so he could whisper into her ear, “You are making a horrible mistake.”

“Ian,” she growled, “let me go.”

“You didn’t think Lydia would believe you when you were sober. What makes you think that she’s going to believe you when you’re drunk?” Ian prodded.

Trihn deflated at his words. Of course he was right.

She relaxed back into him with a frustrated sigh. “I just want it to be over.”

“Not tonight.”

Lydia noticed them standing a short distance away. She laughed and waved. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day when Mom’s prodding worked.”

“What?” Trihn asked. She took a step forward but stumbled as all the alcohol seemed to hit her at once.

“You and Ian.” Lydia suggestively raised her eyebrows.

Preston stared between them with his eyes narrowed. “Nice rebound.”

Trihn’s mouth opened and then closed. She was not interested in Ian. What the hell is wrong with them?

“Hey, it’s okay. You can like whoever you want,” Lydia said. “Free love, sis.” Then, she turned back to Preston and left Trihn standing there in shock.

“Trihn,” Ian said.

He reached for her, but she took another step away from him.

Oh, shit! Does he think that I like him, too? Her head hurt at that thought. He couldn’t think that. No one should even be thinking that. He was just Ian. And she was just Trihn. And she was still dealing with the Preston thing to even consider that Ian might actually like her..

“I need some fresh air.”

“You’re outside,” he pointed out.

“Fresh air…away from everyone else.”

“Including me?”

As she started walking toward her house, Ian followed.

“Including everyone,” Trihn said. “I just…want to be alone.”

His face fell.

Oh, no. He didn’t like her. He couldn’t like her. He had just been trying to take care of her. There was nothing else to it.

She just needed fresh air to think and try to come down from how drunk she was. At least that was what she was going to tell herself.

TRIHN DIDN’T MAKE IT INSIDE.

Her head swam, and she figured the pool deck was far enough. It was empty and secluded. She could still hear the party raging next door, but six-foot-high shrubs and an Olympic-size pool separated their houses, so it was muffled at least. The air didn’t feel as constricted here.

No Preston. No Lydia. No Ian. No questioning everything.

Trihn lay down on one of the cushioned benches next to the hot tub, propped her feet up on the white wooden armrest, and stared up at the stars above her.

Solace. Sweet solace. Just me and the universe.

This was the good thing about alcohol. She didn’t have to think or feel or really do anything. She could just lie here all night.

Then, hands covered her eyes, blocking her view of the stars, and she screamed.

One of the hands moved to cover her mouth, and a soft whisper came from behind her, “Shh.”

Trihn tried to scream again.

Then, his voice filtered through her struggle. “Calm down, beautiful.”

She would recognize that voice anywhere.

Preston.

He released her when she stopped struggling.

She quickly sat up, bringing a wave of dizziness with her. “What…are you doing here?”

“Came looking for you.”

She reached out for the bench to steady herself and took a deep breath. She needed a clear head for this conversation. “Why? I don’t know what you want.”

“I wanted to see you,” he said smoothly.

His eyes scanned her body, and her heart accelerated, but at the same time, she was disgusted. How can he look at me like that? And why do I want him to?

She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

Those dark blue eyes dancing in the dim deck light, the strong jaw and messily styled hair that she wished her fingers were running through, the loose khakis and blue-striped button-up he had rolled up to his elbows—everything about him made her ache to move closer toward him. But she stayed rooted in place.

“What the fuck, Preston? You’re dating my sister!” Trihn hissed.

“Last I checked, I was dating you, too.”

“That’s disgusting!” she spat. “We’re not together. I don’t even know how you could date two people at once like that!”

“You seemed pretty cozy with Ian. I thought this was par for the course with you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Ian and I are just friends. Always have been and always will be.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.”

She shook her head. “Don’t try to put this on me. Even if I were dating Ian, which I’m not,” she clarified, “you and I were over the second I saw you with her.”