Summer of Second Guesses

My palms were sweating. Again.

I wiped them on my denim shorts for the third time, staring at Jake across the bonfire. The ocean wind whipped my hair into my face, and I tucked it behind my ear like maybe that would make me look chill instead of absolutely losing it.

"You okay?" Maya whispered, elbowing me. "You've been clutching that soda like it's your only hope of survival."

"I'm good," I lied. "Just... thermally regulating."

She snorted. "You're gonna talk to him or what?"

Before I could answer, Cooper's Golden Retriever—somehow off his leash again—came barreling through the circle of beach chairs, sending a half-eaten bag of chips flying. The dog chased it straight into Tommy, who faceplanted into the sand.

"BERKELEY!" Cooper yelled, sprinting after him. "Bad dog! Very bad dog!"

Everyone cracked up. Even Jake.

This was my moment. Talk to Jake. Be normal. Just say hey.

I took a step and my toe caught on something—a thick black cable snaking through the sand, connected to someone's portable speaker. The whole setup tipped over with a crash, silence washing over the party as the music cut.

My face burned hotter than the bonfire.

"I got it," I mumbled, scrambling to fix it, but my hands shook and I made it worse.

Jake appeared beside me. "Here." He knelt, his fingers brushing mine as he helped rewrap the cable. "Cole never tapes these down properly."

Our eyes met. His were dark, framed by impossibly long lashes.

"Thanks," I said, my voice barely there. "I'm, um, Zoey."

"I know." He grinned, kind of lopsided. "You sat behind me in bio freshman year. You drew absolutely ferocious bears all over your notes."

I stared at him. "You noticed that?"

"Hard not to." He stood up and offered me a hand. "Wanna get away from this disaster zone? There's a taco truck down the beach."

I took his hand, and for the first time all night, my palms stopped sweating.

"Absolutely," I said.

Sometimes the universe has to knock you sideways to push you toward what you actually want. And sometimes it takes a loose cable, a chaotic dog, and a guy who remembers your bear doodles from two years ago to make you realize you're ready to be seen.