Seven years ago…

“Tch. This party is so blasé,” I complain as I scan my surroundings.

I’m in a friend’s mansion backyard—there’s a pool, a massive dance floor with a DJ booth blasting music across the place, a grassy area where partygoers sprawl in lazy clusters, and a bar serving drinks to an endless line of guests. Everyone’s screaming, dancing their souls out, and laughing like this is the best night of their lives.

“Blasé? Are you insane? This is the best birthday party I’ve ever been to,” Hansel squeals, throwing his hands in the air before taking another gulp of his drink.

“I know it’s great, but…” I trail off, glancing toward the other end of the dance floor.

Andrew is there, kissing Charlotte in the middle of their friend group. The sight reminds me—yet again—that I’m nothing but an invisible girl to the boy who was my first kiss last year and broke my heart months later.

“Oh no, Mily. Please don’t torture yourself like that,” Hansel urges when he realizes where I’m looking. “You need to get over Andrew and find a new boy for yourself.” He throws an arm around my neck and presses a quick kiss to my cheek.

“Yeah, sure. That’s soooo easy,” I snort, rolling my eyes. “All I have to do is convince my dumb heart to stop liking my best friend’s boyfriend and magically move on. Maybe I should like that one sitting over there.” I gesture toward the grassy area, where a nonchalant boy lounges with a large group of people I’ve never seen before.

“Who’s that? He’s pretty cute,” Faith comments, appearing out of nowhere with a drink in her hand.

“Where have you been?” Hansel asks, curious, since we haven’t seen her in the past two hours.

“Talking to the birthday girl’s brother,” she replies casually, shrugging.

“Really? Where is he?” Hansel arches an eyebrow, a lopsided smile forming on his lips.

“I don’t know.” She shrugs again and starts dancing, sipping her drink. “You know, this party is pretty great. I still can’t believe the adults in this house allowed something this wild for a sixteenth birthday.”

“That’s why there are medical tents everywhere.” Hansel points at the white tents scattered around the backyard. “Just in case things get out of hand.”

“Still feels irresponsible,” Faith mutters, finishing her drink.

“Yet here you are, having the time of your life,” Hansel sneers before bursting into laughter, his teasing making me laugh too. Oh, the irony.

“At least I’m having fun,” Faith huffs, glancing at me. “Unlike Mily.”

My lack of interest in getting drunk, dancing, and doing whatever people my age consider unforgettable is really biting me in the ass right now.

“Hello!”

A strange male voice interrupts us, making all three of us turn toward the intruder.

“You’re the cute boy Mily was pointing at earlier,” Faith gasps, openly inspecting him. He’s ridiculously charming, with brown eyes, light brown hair, and dimples that appear whenever he smiles.

“Cute boy?” he smirks, his gaze locking onto mine. “Hi. I’m Dylan Fuller. Nice to meet you.”

I stare at him in silence, my brain struggling to process the fact that a cute boy just introduced himself to me. Especially when Faith is way prettier, with her long blonde hair and blue eyes. Hell, even Hansel is prettier than I am—not by much, though.

“What? You don’t talk to strangers?” Dylan’s smile widens, his dimples deepening. “To be fair, you did point at me earlier, and now I’m curious why.”

“Oh, I pointed at you in a purely theoretical situation,” I respond, finally remembering how to speak.

“Okay…” He arches an eyebrow, clearly waiting for more. However, when I say nothing, he sighs. “Care to elaborate?”

“No,” I snort, rolling my eyes. “Why would I?”

“Are you always this rude?” Dimples looks genuinely surprised—and entertained.

“Yes,” Hansel and Faith state in unison.

“Who are you again?” I ask, shifting the focus back to Dimples because being the center of attention makes my skin itch.

“My friends and I live in Columbia, and we’re friends with the birthday girl’s brother,” he explains casually. “It’s funny we’ve never met, though. I’m in Lancaster all the time.”

“How old are you?” Hansel asks, narrowing his eyes as he wraps a protective arm around my waist. Ever since the Andrew fiasco, he has been in full guard-dog mode.

“Seventeen,” Dimples replies.

Hansel snorts. “You’re older than us. Sorry, you’re automatically disqualified. Also, you live in another city, which means you probably have a secret girlfriend there that we don’t know about.”

“Hansel, we should grab more drinks.” Faith hooks her arm through his and pulls him away. She throws me a mischievous wink over her shoulder, clearly telling me to go for it—and by it, I mean Dimples.

“Your friends are great,” Dimples remarks, amused, as we watch my friends disappear into the crowd.

My gaze drifts back to the couple who have been haunting my nightmares for the past twelve months—also known as Andrew and Charlie. They’re dancing together, laughing, and looking at each other like the world doesn’t exist beyond them.

“I wish I were Charlie… I wish I could kiss the most handsome boy in the world without a care,” I whisper, my chest aching.

“Who are those?” Dimples asks, following my line of sight, probably noticing the sadness and longing in my stare.

“Andrew Keegan and Charlotte,” I answer absentmindedly. 

“And you’re staring at them like that because…?”

“Because Charlotte is one of my best friends,” I admit quietly, “and she’s living my life.” The truth slips out before I can stop it.

“I see… You like that boy, don’t you?”

Once again, my body betrays me before my brain can intervene, and the next thing I know, I’m nodding vehemently without taking my eyes off the happy couple.

“That’s rough. One of your best friends is dating the guy you like.”

“What do you want, Dylan?” I snap myself out of the trance and turn to face him, irritated. 

“I want to be your friend,” he declares, smiling broadly. “You’re interesting.”

“Why?” I press, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring.

He chuckles. “Because you’re interesting.”

Unconvinced and suspicious, I retort, “I’m not interesting; I’m just miserable.”

“And blunt and feisty,” he adds, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “I like that.”

“Ew.” I cringe, chuckling. “You’re weird.”

“I know.” He grins.

“For your information, I’m not blunt and feisty,” I say defensively. “I’m just in a bad mood tonight.” My attention drifts back to Andrew, who is now standing off to the side while Charlie chats animatedly with her friends.

“You should stop staring before they think you’re planning something,” Dylan teases, waving a hand in front of my face. “By the way, you never told me your name.”

“Emily Sky.”

“That’s a beautiful name.” His gaze softens. “It suits you.”

“Wow. Smooth talker,” I snort, laughing despite myself, pretending not to notice the flutter in my stomach.

“It’s a talent,” he declares proudly, making me laugh even harder.

“To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this,” I confess. “Thank you, Dylan.”

Dimples stares at me and hesitates. “Can I confess something? I noticed you the moment you stepped onto the dance floor because you stand out.”

I look at him flatly for a brief moment before bursting into laughter again.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, puzzled.

I open my mouth to respond, but Charlie’s voice slices through the moment, making me stiffen.

“Mily, there you are,” she exclaims with a giggle, holding Andrew’s hand tightly.

“Apparently, I’m a joke,” I mutter under my breath.

Dylan casually drapes an arm around my shoulders, as if silently telling me I’m not alone in this battlefield of emotions.

“We haven’t met,” Charlie tells him, her tone polite but curious. “I’m Charlie, and this is my boyfriend, Andrew.”

Andrew gives me a soft smile before glancing at Dylan, the former’s expression stiffening instantly.

“I’m Dylan,” he says flatly, “I’m Emily’s friend.”

“How come you’ve never mentioned your cute friend before, Mily?” Charlie giggles again.

Two memories hit me at once—Charlie stating that Andrew wasn’t her type back in sixth grade, and the night she kissed him without telling me.

“Probably because she wants to keep me all to herself,” Dylan jokes, tightening his arm around me.

“You’re from Columbia, aren’t you, Dylan?” Andrew suddenly asks.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“We have mutual friends,” Andrew replies before pulling Charlie into a hug and kissing her on the lips.

“Fantastic. Just twist the knife while you’re at it,” I murmur, averting my eyes and grimacing.

Dylan tightens his arm around me even more. “Let’s go sit with my friends in the grassy area. You don’t need to stand here watching this,” he whispers in my ear.

I nod gratefully in response, eager to get out of here.

“Emily and I are going to join my friends,” Dylan informs the couple. “Excuse us.”

Before I can escape, Charlie grabs my elbow. “Are you sure you want to stay with him? He seems nice, but you should stay with us because it’s safer.”

I close my eyes and take a slow breath, fighting the urge to finally lash out. She knows how I feel. She always has.

With trembling lips, a forced smile, and a voice on the verge of breaking, I say, “Relax. I’ll be right over there.” I point toward the grassy area.

“Call me if you need anything,” she adds.

Dylan gently guides me away before I can respond, and I finally breathe once we reach his friends.

“Does the guy know you like him, Emily?” Dylan asks, prying gently.

“Yes.”

“Does your friend?”

“Yes,” I whisper, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Patting my head, he smiles. “Come on; let me introduce you to my friends so they can tell you just how ridiculously good-looking and charming I am.”

I laugh, my guard lowering as my chest finally stops aching.

Dylan Fuller feels like a lifeline, and for the first time in years, I find myself interested in someone who isn’t Andrew Keegan.

* * *