When he hangs up, he doesn’t go back to the tower. Instead, he jogs straight toward me.
“Hey.” He’s slightly out of breath, sand sticking to his sweaty calves.
“What’s going on?” My voice comes out quicker than I mean it to. My brain is already cycling through worst-case scenarios—someone’s hurt, something happened to Maddie, a family emergency.
He shakes his head, exhaling like he’s trying to settle himself. “That was Maddie. She had plans to go see her favorite boyband tonight—Harmony Heartz—in Shelby Harbor with her friends. She’s been really looking forward to it.”
I blink, waiting for him to elaborate. But he doesn’t.
“…Okay?”
He swallows. “Her friend’s parents were supposed to drive them, but their car broke down,” he says. “They offered me their extra tickets if I can get them there.”
It takes me a moment to process what he’s trying to say. My face softens.
“Wait—” I raise an eyebrow. “Mason, are you asking me to come with you to a boyband concert with your teenage sister and her friends?”
He grins, a little sheepish. “I mean… when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous.”
“Itisridiculous.”
“So… is that a no?”
I pretend to consider my options, tapping my finger on my lips. “Let me think. A Friday night surrounded by screaming teenage girls, glitter, and boys lip-syncing in matching outfits…”
“C’mon,” he pleads, pouting adorably. “It’ll be fun! Maddie’s wanted to see this dumb boyband for years. I’m not gonna let her miss it. If you come with me, I’ll even buy you an overpriced beer at the venue.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s something about the way he talks about Maddie that always makes me melt. Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do tonight besides moping around my empty house and watching trashy reality television.
My lips twitch into a smile. “Fine. I’m in. But we’re taking my car—it’s roomier than your pickup.”
He smirks, gaze flickering to my lips. “Thank you. God, I wanna kiss you so bad right now.”
Heat crawls up my neck. “Later?”
“Later,” he promises, gently squeezing my elbow. “Swing by my place around 4:00?”
“I’ll see you then.”
He waves at me before returning to the lifeguard tower.
I plop down in the sand, cross-legged, and pull out my phone to promptly Google “Harmony Heartz.”
What the hell did I just agree to?
***
When I pull into Mason’s driveway, my car hums to a stop behind his battered pickup. I park and glance at my reflection in the visor mirror.
Thankfully, my hair is still holding up after applying copious amounts of gel. I smooth my hands down the front of my button-up, the light pink fabric dotted with tiny white flowers. I painted my nails a coral color to match. I might have gone a little overboard by rolling the cuffs of my slim black jeans and wearing my favorite Converse sneakers—but if I’m going to a boyband concert, I’m leaning into it.
I knock, and the door swings open almost immediately.
Mason’s standing there, halfway through a sentence—“Hey, we’re almost rea—” but then he stops. His gaze trails down me in a slow sweep before flicking back to my face.
He blinks. “Uh.” His hand tightens around the edge of the doorframe. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say, amused at the faint hitch in his voice.
