Page 31 of Heartstruck

Alli

A few hours and way too many overpriced drinks later, we’re ready to call it a night.

Or at least, most of us are. Serena, in all her relentless, adventure-seeking glory, decides we have to check out Sullivan’s Beach.

Which is how I end up here, sand in my shoes, the salty breeze tangling in my hair, with the crash of the waves filling the silence between us.

The moon is casting a perfect silvery glow over the water like we’re in some kind of movie. I sneak a glance at Jared beside me, his hands shoved in his pockets, eyes fixed on the waves. Meanwhile, Serena and Tyler are way ahead of us, doing the whole hand-holding, giggling couple thing.

I haven’t felt this peaceful in so long, and that’s the part that freaks me out the most. Because the second I let myself fall, I know it’ll hurt like hell. It’s almost like standing still on a tightrope, the air perfectly balanced, and knowing the ground beneath could give way at any second.

I bite my lip and tear my eyes from Jared to stare at the water instead.

Maybe it’s the quiet of the beach, the way the sound of waves drowns out my racing thoughts.

Or maybe it’s him, the one person who makes me forget my walls exist. Who kissed me like it mattered and looked at me like I, only I, mattered.

I feel his eyes on me, and I swear, it’s like the air shifts. Jared doesn’t say anything at first, just holds my gaze, and it feels like we’re both waiting for the other to make the first move. My heart’s pounding, my thoughts running rampant for me to think and see straight.

He breaks the silence, “I can practically hear you thinking. What about?”

It’s a loaded question, and we both know it. I could brush it off, crack a joke, and keep things easy, but I’m too far gone for that. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, stalling, but I don’t look away.

“You,” I admit. The moment it leaves my lips, I feel exposed, like I’ve just given him a piece of me I can’t take back.

Silence greets us again. He doesn’t say anything, but I can hear his breathing with the way his chest rises slowly.

Now I’m starting to regret everything.

“Forget I said anything—”

“It’s different now, between us.”

Here we go. The same vomiting heartbreak I felt years ago—it’s back, and I’m bracing for impact.

“Just forget it,” I say, shaking my head. “We’re friends. We’re not supposed to be anything else.”

“Just let me finish,” he insists, his voice low but intense. “I don’t know how it happened. Hell, I didn’t even see it coming. But now I can’t stop thinking about you. About us.”

He tugs me off the path, firm but easy, leading me behind a small beach shack tucked in the sand. The world keeps moving beyond us, but here, in this quiet pocket of space, everything stills. All that’s left is the sound of our breathing—somehow in sync.

Us.

That one little word sends my mind reeling in multiple directions.

It’s like he gave me a roadmap with one location, and I can’t figure out whether to go left or right.

He’s voicing all the fears I’ve kept buried, the things I haven’t let myself even think about.

And before I can process any of it, panic surges through me.

“You don’t mean that,” I blurt, the words tumbling out without any real thought. “You’re just caught up in the moment. We shouldn’t have hooked up that night, we shouldn’t gone along with this—”

“No,” he cuts me off, “this stopped being fake for me a long time ago.”

I feel my chest pounding like a snare drum to the point that I don’t know if I’m dreaming. “What?”

“We’re way past friends, Alli,” he murmurs, his voice rough, like it’s scraping its way out of his throat. “Friends don’t look at each other like this. They don’t make each other feel like this.”

“Like what?” I ask, my heart in my throat, waiting for the answer I’m not sure I’m ready to hear.

“Like this.” He steps closer, the air between us crackling. “Like how you’re stuck in my head all the damn time. How every time you’re near, it’s like gravity’s pulling me in. It’s not just the kiss. Not just the nights we’ve spent together. It’s everything. You’re everything.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” My voice comes out shaky, matching my pulse’s uneven rhythm. I need him to say it. To make it real.

“You’re in my head, Alli. You’re the girl who keeps me awake at night.”

I freeze. He’s standing closer now, his hands still tucked in his pockets, but I can feel the load of his words pressing down on me.

“You’re the girl that somehow makes me like caramel lattes,” he continues, a small smile pulling at his lips, but his eyes, those blue eyes that pull me in every time in a way that feels far too dangerous.

I try to breathe normally, but his words are sinking into me, pulling me under.

He shifts, nervous, like he’s about to leap off a cliff, unsure if there’s water waiting below.

“You’re the girl who makes me look forward to Cell Biology, even though I hate that class. And you know I hate that class.”

A laugh slips out of me, because yeah, I know. He hated it from day one. But it’s the way he says it, like I’ve somehow made it better, that makes me want to cry and smile at the same time.

“And you’re the girl I steal puzzles for,” he adds, his eyes boring into mine. “Even though I suck at puzzles, I’d go out of my way to steal them just to see you get that little smile when you’re working on one.”

“This thing between us, it’s becoming something real for me.” He gives up. “I’m all in. I want this to be real.”

My throat tightens, and I bite my lip as I pinch the thin skin on my hand. Nothing fades. It’s happening. He’s not just talking about hookups or keeping up the act for everyone else. He’s talking about us, about me.

“I wasn’t supposed to fall for you… but I did,” he says, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “And I’m done pretending like I haven’t.”

I stand frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs.

He reaches for my hand, his thumb skimming over my knuckles. “I see it in your eyes. The way you look at me… like you’re waiting for something. Take a chance with me, Alli. Just one.”

I feel the tension in my chest melt away with his words. I lean into his touch, allowing the tenderness of his hand to harbor me in the moment. I want to, but I can’t, not when I feel like I’m seconds away from combusting.

“I didn’t think… I didn’t think you felt the same.”

A knowing grin that twists something tight in my stomach takes upon his face. “You didn’t? Alli, I’ve been losing my mind trying to act like I was fine with just being friends.”

“You’ve been acting cool?”

“Well, I thought I was.” His chuckle is quick, but the sound dies the second his eyes fall to the floor.

Like he’s searching for the right words.

When he looks back up at me, there’s a seriousness in his gaze that sends a shiver through me.

His voice drops an octave, like he’s letting me in on something I didn’t know I was supposed to hear.

“I’ve felt it for a while, but I was too wrapped up in my own shit to admit it. ”

I laugh, feeling a little breathless. And clueless. “So… what now?”

He steps closer, and before I have a chance to protest, his hand moves to cup my face, his thumb brushing against my jaw. My pulse skyrockets, my whole body feeling alive with fireworks. His eyes drop to my lips, then back to mine, honest and tired of fighting his feelings.

“Now… we stop pretending.”

Then his mouth is on mine, and holy hell, any sense of hesitation is gone. This kiss is nothing like the arguments we’ve had. It isn’t stubborn or angry. It’s raw, undoing every safety measure I’d carried far and wide for myself.

When we finally pull apart, both of us breathing hard, he leans his forehead against mine, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “Yeah. That was overdue.”

I huff out a laugh, my heart still racing. “Wow, just wow.”

His eyes sparkle with amusement as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Cat got your tongue, Castillo?”

I roll my eyes, but my smile gives me away. “Shut up and kiss me again.”

We lean in for another kiss, this one feeling real and intimate compared to the heated ones we’ve shared before.

A sudden high-pitched cheer cuts through the moment. “ALLI AND JARED KISSING IN A TREE. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

I pull back with a laugh, just as Tyler and Serena burst into applause, grinning like we’re the leads in some cheesy Netflix rom-com. Tyler nods, like he’s been waiting for this all along.

Serena cups her hands around her mouth, beaming. “That’s my girl!”

Tyler quickly covers Serena’s mouth with his hand, doing his best to muffle her voice. “Sorry for the interruption, carry on!”

I shake my head, trying to hide my smile, and glance back at Jared, unsure what to do next, so I lay my hands flat against his chest. “What now ?”

“The world is our oyster, Alli baby. We can take on the world, steal more puzzles, or hit up the best matcha spots around town. You’re mine now.”

“I’m not property.”

“You aren’t, but you’re still mine.”