“Yes,” I say, keeping my eyes on the horizon for another second before I look back at him. “I just love being here so much.”

With you, I think.

“Me too,” he says.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, reviewing the menu and enjoying a cool breeze off the bay. Tyson orders a beer, and I go for an Aperol spritz.

When our drinks arrive, Tyson clears his throat, raises his glass, and stares into my eyes.

“To whatever it is that’s going on here,” he says.

I nod, staring back at him, then raise my glass.

We both take a long sip.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” I say.

He nods without hesitating. “It’s very weird. And out of nowhere.”

“Yes,” I say, my heart racing. “Out of the blue.”

“Yes,” he says. “But it didn’t start last night in the room. At least it didn’t for me.”

“When did it start for you?” I ask him.

“It happened at lunch. When I told you about Summer. Well. After I told you.” He hesitates, then adds, “When you took my hand.”

I feel a rush of emotion and relief. As much as I have always loved the thrill of seduction, I’m glad to hear that Tyson’s feelings for me run deeper than seeing me naked in the shower.

We stare at each other for a long few seconds as I work up the courage to ask my next question.

“What do you think Summer would say about…this?” I ask.

He takes a deep breath, then sighs loudly, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I think she would just want us to be happy. Whatever that looks like.” He hesitates, then continues. “I think she’d tell us that you only live once…. That life is short—way too short…. And you never know what can happen.”

I nod, concentrating as hard as I can, trying to stay in the moment, but my thoughts are racing in a million different directions.

He swallows, then says, “I think she’d also tell us to be careful. She’d tell us that our friendship is precious, and we need to protect it at any cost.”

I nod. “Yes. She would.”

He looks into my eyes. “I’m very attracted to you, Lainey…. But whatever is happening between us isn’t about that. Even last night…in the shower…I was completely mesmerized, but not for the reasons you might think.”

I stare back at him, my heart in my throat.

“It was that look on your face,” he says.

“What look?”

“That soft look in your eyes. It’s the same one you have right now.”

“Oh,” I say, my cheeks burning as I glance out over the water.

“Look at me,” he says.

I meet his gaze again.

“Seriously, Lainey. Don’t play games. Like that shower stunt,” he says. “Don’t do that shit to people. More important, stop doing that to yourself…. This isn’t about judging you or slut-shaming you or any of that. I’m just telling you…. You can have whatever you want, Lainey. The world is your oyster. Just be certain. Be clear. With yourself.”

I stare into Tyson’s eyes, too overwhelmed to speak. I nod instead, basking in his concern and the feeling of being understood. As his words sink in, I have a premonition that I will one day think back to this moment. That it is a turning point.

“What about you?” I finally manage to say. “Are you always sure about what you want…before you do things?”

“I try to be.”

“And?” I say, my heart fluttering. “What do you want?”

He takes a deep breath and says, “I want peace…and honesty…and the freedom to be myself. Something I’ve never truly felt before. With anyone.”

“So you didn’t have that with Nicole?”

“No,” Tyson says. “But part of that was my fault. I didn’t really tell her the truth….” His voice trails off.

I hesitate, then say, “The truth about Summer?”

“Yes. Summer. And other things, too.”

“Are you tempted to go back and tell her those things?”

“It has crossed my mind. She’s such a good person. I’ve wondered if things might have turned out differently if I’d been more open.”

“Maybe you should try again,” I force myself to say.

He shakes his head. “No. That’s not what I want to try.”

“Oh,” I say, my heart pounding, surprised by how shy I feel. “What do you want to try?”

“I’m figuring that out,” he says, his eyes locking in on mine. “But once I decide…you’ll be the first to know.”

I can’t tell if it’s from his words or from another cool breeze, but I shiver, getting goosebumps.

“In the meantime, we should probably reach out to Hannah,” Tyson says.

“You’re right.” I nod.

I get my phone out of my bag and fire off a quick text to her. She responds right away, saying she went for a hike and is going to watch the sun set.

I read it aloud, then look back up at Tyson. “So I guess it’s just the two of us,” I say.