~Chapter 10~
Devin couldn't explain the sudden, restless pull in his chest. He glanced up, squinting against the blinding glare off the crashing surf. His eyes swept lazily over the two strangers settling onto the sand. For a split second-hardly longer than a heartbeat-his gaze locked onto the blonde.
Something inside him shifted, leaving a cold, sudden chill in its wake. He looked away immediately, giving his head a short shake to clear it. It was a nagging weight in the back of his mind, like trying to place the melody of a song he hadn't heard in years.
Sam's grin was effortless, fueled by a confidence that didn't need a reason.
"I swear the dark-haired one is tracking my every move," he said, adjusting his stance to catch the light. "She's got taste, I'll give her that."
Devin forced a dry, hollow chuckle, trying to shake the static from his brain. "I guess she's your problem, then."
But his mind refused to settle. His gaze drifted back-not to the black-haired girl's loud energy, but to the blonde. There was something in the tilt of her head, a ghostly familiarity that pulled at a memory he couldn't quite reach.
Impossible. Allison was in Spain. She was thousands of miles away, a steady, quiet ache he'd lived with for six years.
Sam stretched, his joints popping. "Well," he said, his voice dropping into that low, confident hum he used whenever he spotted a girl he liked. "They look friendly. Or at least like they need some company."
Devin knew that tone. "Man... No way."
But Sam was already on his feet, brushing the sand off his shorts with practiced ease.
"Where do you think you're going?" Devin asked, his voice spiking with a sudden, irrational edge of panic.
"I'm inviting them over," Sam replied, throwing him a wink.
Devin groaned, grabbing his shirt off the sand as if it were a shield. "Forget it. Let's just go home before you embarrass us both."
Sam caught Devin's shoulder, stalling his retreat. "Please, man. Just this once? For me?" He tightened his grip, already steering him toward the girls. "I'm serious. I'm tired of talking to your miserable face. I need a buffer before I lose my mind."
Devin hesitated. His eyes cut toward the girls one last time before he looked back at Sam, the internal tug-of-war ending in a sharp, defeated exhale. He slumped back onto his towel, the heat of the sand pressing against his skin.
"Fine," Devin muttered. "But I'm not playing entertainer. I'm here for the water, Sam, not to bail you out of whatever mess you're about to make."
Sam's grin was immediate-the kind of look that said he'd already won. "There he is. The loyal boy speaks." He kicked a spray of sand at Devin's feet, grinning when Devin didn't even blink. "Take it easy, Ponyboy. Try not to look like you're at a funeral while I'm out here making things happen."
Devin finally looked up, his gaze flat and promising a very long, very quiet walk home. "Just go. Before I change my mind."
---
Across the sand, Allison felt the ground drop out from under her.
"Anna," she whispered, her voice a thin, frantic gasp. "He's coming. Sam is-coming!"
Anna didn't flinch. She smoothed her hair, letting the dark waves fall perfectly over her shoulder, and settled into a poised, effortless curve that showed off every inch of her Spanish silhouette.
"Relax, Ali," she murmured, a practiced, magnetic smile touching her lips-the kind that looked inviting but felt like a trap. "Deep breaths. You're a tourist. A stranger. We're from New York City-God bless America."
"Does he recognize us? Does Devin know?" Allison's hand shot out, gripping Anna's arm like a vise. "Maybe we should leave. Right now. We can be at the car in thirty seconds!"
"No! Stop it," Anna hissed, peeling Allison's fingers off her skin. "Play it cool. If you run, you look guilty."
Sam reached them, stopping a few feet away. He had the easy, effortless posture of someone who had never been told 'no' on a beach. But before he could launch into his practiced opening line, Anna cut him off.
"Hi," she said, her voice cool and dangerously bored. "Are you lost, babe?"
Sam blinked, caught off guard by the directness. He laughed, a genuine sound that broke through his 'player' persona. "Lost? No. But my friend and I were wondering if you'd like to join us. We're just hanging out... maybe grab some drinks? It's too nice a day to sit in separate circles."
Allison felt her Creative Engine stall, then roar back to life as a cold, clinical shield. It was the only way she knew how to survive-by turning her own heart into a script. She narrowed her eyes, tracing Sam's posture with a sharp, suspicious gaze, as if she were reading the subtext of a poorly written character.
"With random strangers on a public beach?" she asked, her voice clipping each word like a cold blade. "That sounds like the opening scene of a very bad horror movie. The part where the girls end up in a shallow grave."
Sam's confident smirk faltered. He actually stepped back half an inch.
Hidden by the sand, Anna's fingers found the soft skin of Allison's arm and delivered a sharp, bruising pinch.
"Don't mind her," Anna said, her voice smoothing out into a sugary lilt that didn't match the warning in her eyes. She flashed Sam a smile so bright it was almost blinding. "She's just protective. And a little... cautious around new people."
Sam let out a relieved laugh. "Well, my friend is the opposite. He's the biggest loner you'll ever meet. He's moping over there like he lost his best friend."
The words 'best friend' hit her like a blunt force impact, shattering the script she'd just spent seconds building.
"Alright," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "We'll join you."