Since 1998

The Reunion

Devin woke up dizzy, the sharp throb in his skull blurring his vision.

The memories of last night rushed back: his desperate charge against Daniel, the wild punch he'd launched that had made him look like an absolute fool.

The Hollingsworth heir had single-handedly knocked him down, leaving him with a bloodied nose and nearly fractured bones.

"Devin!" Sam's voice cut through, followed by a frantic pounding on the front door.

"Devin Austin! Open up!"

Devin leaned his head back against the sofa and exhaled at the ceiling. "You fool," he muttered.

Wincing, he forced himself off the couch and swung the door open.

Sam stood there with a restless grin, though his eyes immediately scanned Devin's face.

"Man, are you good now? Be thankful you got no bruises, just bloody nose."

"Of course... What's the plan?" Devin asked, stepping onto the porch.

"How about that glass house of yours? I want to see if it's actually habitable yet."

"Fine. We'd better start walking," Devin replied flatly.

"Walk? In this heat? Are you serious?"

"Unless you feel like swimming there, yeah."

A block away, the sky-blue Beetle sat under the heavy shade of an oak tree.

Inside, the AC was losing the battle against the humidity.

Allison leaned forward, her forehead nearly touching the glass. "What if he recognizes me, Anna?"

"Ali, relax. You aren't a scrawny eleven-year-old anymore." Anna pressed closer to the windshield. "Wait. The gate is moving."

A young man stepped into the heat. Anna squinted, leaning over the dashboard. "That's Sam, right? The best friend? Hmm... I think I like the view already."

Allison rolled her eyes, her stomach doing a nervous flip. "You what?"

"What? I'm just appreciating the local scenery. He's cute."

Allison's lungs suddenly felt tight. A second figure emerged behind Sam, squinting against the glare. He was taller and broader and carried himself with a quiet heaviness that hadn't been there before.

But it was the hair that gave him away-that messy, sun-bleached blonde that the wind kept flicking over his forehead. When Sam nudged him and he finally laughed, the hard lines of his face softened.

"Anna...” Allison whispered, barely finding her voice. "That's him. Oh, God, I'm melting."

Anna kept a safe two-block distance, the Beetle chugging along as the boys headed toward the coast.

"They're going to the shore."

"Perfect," Anna said, shifting gears. "Romantic. Scenic. Great place for a fake 'meet-cute.'"

"I feel like a creep," Allison admitted, sinking lower in her seat. "Maybe we should just go home."

Anna tapped the steering wheel. "We are not turning around. You crossed an ocean for this, Ali. Don't tell me you're satisfied with just staring at the back of his head. The 'tourist' act is going to be fun. Trust me."

"It felt like 1998 again."

A few yards down, Devin was staring at the horizon. Sam looked like he was dying of boredom.

"Bro, I thought we were going to the glass house."

Devin gave a dry, short laugh. "If we go there, I'll just miss her more, Sam. Everything there reminds me of her."

Sam started to reply, but his eyes locked on two girls walking across the sand. "Well, never mind. I guess it's destiny that we stopped here."

"Destiny?" Devin turned.

When he saw Allison and Anna approaching, he went completely still.

"Shut up, Sam. We're here to enjoy the summer. I don't care about anyone else."

He stood up, pulling his shirt off to head for the surf.

Allison inhaled sharply, quickly shielding her eyes with a shaking hand. The twelve-year-old Devin was gone.

"Anna... the sun," Allison muttered. "It's too bright."

Anna raised an eyebrow, watching Devin wade into the waves. "Yeah, the 'sun' is really something," she teased. "Finally, the egg is cracking. I was worried I'd be babysitting the whole summer."

"No, I think I have a fever."

Devin surfaced from the water, droplets running down his shoulders. He didn't look like a memory anymore.

He looked-

"Hot," Allison whispered, the word escaping before she could stop it.

"Yes, he is," Anna agreed smoothly, her eyes shifting to Sam. "But the one on the left? I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun breaking him in."

Allison snapped her head. "What?"

🔅🔅🔅

​"You did it again?" Olivia's blood pressure spiked the moment she caught sight of her son's latest conquest parading around the villa pool.

​Daniel didn't even look up, lazily adjusting his sunglasses. "Mom, relax. They're supermodels. Look."

​"My son, when are you going to stop this?"

​"Mom, please. Let me enjoy my youth," Daniel countered, a careless smirk playing on his lips. "I'm too young to be tied down by a contract made of paper. Unless, of course, that Ainsley girl knows how to ride like a horse."

​Olivia gasped, her face flushing with pure disbelief. "What? Is that even you, Daniel? Can you hear yourself right now?!"

​Marching straight toward the edge of the water, she glared at the cluster of women and pointed a sharp finger toward the gates. "Out of my house! All of you, get out!"

​Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and stormed back into the estate, leaving her son behind in the sudden quiet.

​Rafael stepped out from the shade of the veranda, watching her storm back inside. "Daniel, you should stop. You're genuinely hurting your mom."

​Daniel's smirk finally faded, as he stared out at the empty pool. "She got me right there. I feel bad, bro."

​"Then make peace," Rafael muttered, leaning against the wall. "Marry the girl she wants."

​Daniel chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Heck, bro. Let's just go to your place."