"Right," Hazel says.
Shae changes the subject, steering the conversation toward Fall Classic prep, toward safer ground.
But I'm not listening anymore.
Five minutes ago I was standing here thinking about how right this felt. How settled. How happy.
I thought—
I don't know what I thought.
That maybe she'd decided without saying it. That staying at my place every night was a choice that mattered. That this routine we'd built meant something.
But she's keeping her options open.
Taking it day by day.
Like the last few weeks were just borrowed time.
The fire gets quieter. People start drifting toward the water. The group thins out.
I stay where I am, Hazel still against my side, but the ease from before is gone.
After a while, I lean down close to her ear. "Want another beer?"
She nods, and we drift away from the group toward my truck.
The tailgate's down already—Chace must've grabbed beer earlier. I hop up, reaching into the cooler, and Hazel follows, settling on the edge, legs dangling.
It's quieter here. Still close enough to hear the music and laughter, but far enough that we're not in the middle of it.
I hand her a beer and she takes it, our fingers brushing. She takes a sip, then looks up at the stars starting to appear overhead.
"It's nice," she says softly. "Being here. With everyone."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She glances at me. "I forgot what this felt like. Just... being part of things again."
I set my beer down and step closer, moving between her legs. Her breath catches.
"You are part of things," I say quietly. Because I need her to believe it as much as I do.
"I know. It just took me a while to remember that."
My hands find her thighs, warm and bare under my palms. She goes still, watching me.
"This," I say, running my hands up slowly. "Been thinking about this since you put those shorts on."
Her breath catches. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." My thumbs brush the inside of her thighs and she leans forward, her hands sliding to my chest.
"Eli—"
I kiss her. Hard. Her hands fist in my shirt and I pull her closer, needing her against me, needing—
"GET A ROOM!"
