It had been almost four months since you broke up with Zack Martin. Three months of telling yourself you made the right decision. That it was “too much,” that he was “too flirtatious,” that things weren’t going anywhere.

But deep down, you knew none of that was true. He’d never flirted with anyone else while you were together. He was loyal, for once. Sweet, in his weird, Zack-ish way. Things had been good—scary good. And that’s what did it.

You pushed him away before he had the chance to do it first.

Now you stood at the edge of the upper deck, just out of view, watching him working behind the juice bar as Maya sat at the stools directly in-front of him. She laughed at something he said, leaning just a little too close. Zack smiled back, easy, relaxed. Like he’d already moved on. Like it hadn’t meant anything to him at all.

And maybe it didn’t.

Maya was gorgeous. Confident. That flirty, beachy energy that Zack always seemed to be drawn to.

She walked off, still smiling to herself. And then, like some invisible force took over, you found yourself moving toward him before your brain could catch up.

Zack noticed you immediately. His posture shifted slightly, eyes narrowing with quiet confusion. “Well,” he said, “look who decided to show up.”