The fire cracked and popped, throwing sparks up into the dark. The ocean hissed in the distance, steady and indifferent. Somebody laughed near the cooler. Theo was making a case for somewhere else having better burgers. Jax treated it like a personal attack. The Grill Shack wasn’t just food. It was tradition.
For the first time since Friday, I felt the world stop pressing in.
Mila tipped her face up slightly, eyes catching mine from the angle. “So why the bonfire on a Monday night?”
I kept my voice low. “We’re celebrating, and we just need a break from the bullshit.”
“Celebrating what?”
I ran my thumb along her wrist, finding her pulse. The beat stayed steady, even if the day had tried to break it. “We all signed our binding agreements with Michigan athletics today.”
“What?” She pushed herself off me and twisted so we were face to face. “That’s fantastic!”
I grinned. “It’s pretty much been a done deal since the end of sophomore year when the coach heavily recruited me. Today was just a formality.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I tugged on a piece of her silky hair, needing the connection.
Her breath moved slow, her body easing more firmly into mine as she leaned back again. “Act like it isn’t a big deal. It is. I’m so happy for you. And the guys.”
She shifted her head slightly, letting her hair brush my jaw, and the sensation sparked down my spine. I pulled her in closer, holding her there like I needed to prove she was real.
“It’s about us, Mila. We’re leaving Blackwood—together.”
Mila leaned back into me again, her weight settling without hesitation. Whatever waited beyond graduation, she was not stepping into it alone. Neither was I.
“I can’t wait,” she said, the words warm against my throat.
I pressed my mouth to her hair, breathing her in. “You won’t have to for long.”
For the first time in weeks, the future didn’t feel like something we had to survive. It felt like something we were running toward.
Jax’s voice cut through the circle. “All right. Graduation.”
Chase groaned. “Do not start.”
Jax ignored him. “We’re out of here in a few months. No more Blackwood rules. No more parents hovering.”
Theo took a slow drink. “No more safety net either.”
Chase leaned back in his chair. “You mean no more being the biggest fish in a very small pond.”
Jax grinned. “Speak for yourself.”
Chase leaned back in his chair. “My plan is for the NHL and to not end up as my father’s minion.”
Avery snorted. “Please, he’ll push you out the door for hockey.”
Chase placed a hand over his chest. “That’s emotional violence.”
Tori’s laugh slipped out, small and surprised, as if she forgot she was allowed to find anything funny.
Theo’s gaze flicked toward her, softening. The look alone carried something real between them.
Mila watched it and snuggled closer against me. I felt her mind moving, connecting pieces, imagining futures.
Avery nudged Tori with her shoulder. “You’re staying in this circle.”
