Cassie's POV.
The waves reflected the soft light of the evening, with string bulbs hanging between makeshift poles as music played from the stage where Daelan and the others were performing.
I was sitting cross-legged near the bonfire, the beach sand warm beneath me and a slight buzz ringing in my ears. Sandy had disappeared somewhere with Axel, and I didn’t blame her. I had caught a glimpse of them earlier, standing close, laughing. She looked happy. Honestly, it was the first time I had seen Axel even remotely interested in someone, and I was surprised by how genuine he looked. Perhaps I had been wrong about him, and he actually did like her but just had that casual guy exterior.
The warmth of the fire in front of me wasn’t doing much to melt the sharp knot forming in my chest. Fr
