Two months had passed since that confusing night. Declan and I barely acknowledged each other's presence — well, mainly Declan. A kiss was usually shared between someone special, so why had he kissed me? Why make everything so complicated if he was going to ignore me afterward?

Ugh! Stop thinking! But no matter what these were the questions I asked myself when I couldn't sleep. Chucking my pillow across the room, I loudly groaned, wondering why Declan had to mess with my head. I was going to move on, or at least try to, but it's the thought that mattered. All I wanted was answers to my infinite list of questions.

While brushing my teeth, I kept daydreaming about Prom night over and over, causing toothpaste to spill onto my toes. Dangit! Can I disappear? Anything would be better than figuring out whatever was in Declan's head. He was unreadable.

A sudden knock startled me from my thoughts.

"Lana, your breakfast is getting cold," Mrs. Novak stated.

"I'll be down in a minute," I replied, quickly tying my hair into those ballerinas' bun.

After changing, I slipped into my ducky slippers and shuffled downstairs with my shoulder slumped. Summer has been a bummer. Meadow had left for London the day after Prom with her family for the majority of our vacation. Catalina left a week afterward to Hawaii, leaving me officially lonely.

Though every day they sent photos of themselves enjoying their lives and for a minute, I could pretend I was with them.

The waffle aroma flew into my nostrils as I skipped down the stairs to the beautifully decorated table. There was a platter of waffles with multiple toppings for us to choose from on the table.

"Good morning!" I cheerfully yelled, stealing the seat next to my father.

"Good morning," Mrs. Novak greeted, using the tongs to place a waffle on my plate.

"It's one of the hottest days in New York, it's supposed to reach almost a hundred degrees," Mr. Novak commented.

"Sounds like the perfect time to stay inside," Sam mumbled, his mouth stuffed with a gigantic bite of his waffle.

"Have your friends returned from vacation yet, Lana?" Mrs. Novak asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

My father sighed. "I'm sorry for not being able to take you to the beach this year. The restaurant has picked up recently and I've been so preoccupied, I feel so guilty. Children should come before work." My father wrapped his arm around my shoulders and placed a soft kiss on my head.

"Dad, it's no big deal with losing our house and our belonging. I understand all the profit from the restaurant is needed. Who wants to go to the beach anyway," I disguised my somber tone with a merry one successfully.

"You know, you love going to the beach and especially those vendors with all the food. Going to the beach was one of the few memories you have left with your mother," my father added.

My memory was foggy, but I had remembered certain parts of my adventure to the beach with my mother. She was running late for a Broadway show she arranged to take me and somehow perhaps because I was such an active child she confused the stops. My mother kept wandering around the streets and eventually, we ended up in front of the beach getting lost in its blue hues.

I didn't give my mother a chance to leave because I ran straight to the beach and fell when my footing on the loopy golden sand went south. The scorching sun made the sand unbearable at that point; my mother had no choice but to put me in the water. Her smile was so bright that day.

"I have an idea why doesn't Declan take her to the beach?" Mrs. Novak suggested, her eyebrows wiggling.

My eyes widened in shock. A beach day with just Declan and me? Doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Wait, scratch that I'm supposed to not care about him. Who needs a boy to go to the beach with? Also, we would have to acknowledge the kiss between us. . . or not.

It's probably better if we don't...

"No," he sighed, his gaze locked on the newspaper he was reading.

Well, there goes the arrow in my heart.

"Oh, come on, Declan," his mother whined, pouting her lips like a child.

"No, I have better things to do."

"It's alright, Mrs. Novak, don't waste your time trying to force him. Maybe I can take Sam with me," I proposed, smiling brightly.

"Over. My. Dead. Body," he scowled, his gaze shooting daggers.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It was worth a try."

The doorbell rang, and Mrs. Novak cleaned her hands on the napkin before heading to the front door.

My waffle was exquisite, decorated with whip cream, chocolate chips, sprinkles, dulce de leche, Reese pieces, and a bucket-load of syrup. It was a delicious, fatty, sugary meal ready to fill my artery with glucose.

"Lana, your friend is here for you!" Mrs. Novak yelled.

My friend?

After pushing my chair in, I strolled to the front door and a huge grin formed on my lips when I noticed his familiar brown-haired buddy. Instantly, I leaped into his arms, inhaling his strong musky cologne. His hands wrapped around my waist, bringing us closer together.

"Ambrose! What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling away.

"Well, since Cata and Meadow are away, I thought since the humidity was going to be intense today that it would be the perfect day to hang out," he explained, fanning himself by moving his white-tank top back and forth.

"What did you have in store?" I asked, leaning against the front door.

"First. we could spend the majority of the day at the beach, then maybe afterward we could have a picnic?" he smiled shyly, revealing the picnic basket he hid behind his body.

"Sounds perfect to me! Did you eat yet? Mrs. Novak has this amazing selection of waffles. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you ate with us," I mentioned, thinking about the whipped cream soggy up my waffle.

"Sign me up though I'm more of a pancake guy," he playful smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that before," I joked, grabbing his wrist and walking back to the dining room.

"Ambrose is going to eat with us... If that's okay?" I asked, not wanting to sound demanding.

The second I said Ambrose's name, Declan finally tore his gaze away from the newspaper onto the two of us. His expression was cold and distant like usual, but it remained longer on us than I expected. I swore I saw his eyes linger down to our entangled arms.

"Of course." Declan's mother smiled, getting ready to lift from her seat.

"I'll get the plate, don't worry," I said.

The subway ride wasn't the worst one I encountered, though even with the AC the entire cart was unbearable with humidity because of our stacked bodies. For the most part, Ambrose and I watched TikTok's together, laughing at the kitten getting a brain freeze.

"I think this is our stop," Ambrose stated through his laughter.

I raised a questionable eyebrow. "You think?"

"Stop being a smartass," he joked, snatching the picnic basket next to him and interlocking our hands.

Ambrose's excuse for holding hands was because I have a tendency of getting lost in crowded places. What can I say, I'm a window shopper and get distracted faster than a fly. It's pretty sad, but I made so many friends that way. So it has its benefits.

The sand was the most gentle hue of golden, almost earthen and muted, the humble star of the scene. The beach stretched out alongside the water, a group of friends chatting as the waves came in soaking their toes. I nearly gagged when I spotted the seaweed, the flora of those salty waves. Those slimy spawns of Devils would be the death of me.

Ambrose removed his shirt, leaving him in his shark pattern trunks, his olive skin glistening in the sunlight. It would be a lie if I said Ambrose wasn't attractive, but no one compared to Declan's level. Shyly, I reached for the hem of my top and slowly pulled it over my head while Ambrose attempted to set the umbrella in the sand.

Though I felt a burning gaze on me and looked up to see Ambrose visibly gulp as his eyes took the time to roam thoroughly over every inch of my body, his gaze lingering on my lower region.

Gosh, I knew it was a bad idea to wear this.

Today, I decided to wear my favorite bubblegum pink swimsuit with a sweetheart neckline that flared into the cutest ruffled skirt. I thought I made the right choice, but seeing Ambrose's reaction quickly changed my mind. He probably thought I looked ridiculous in my bathing suit.

He swallowed harshly and his eyes snapping back up to meet my own, his cheeks red probably from the sun. I cleared my throat awkwardly and tore my gaze away from him. Before applying sunscreen, I tied my hair into pigtails, which without a mirror was harder than I thought. Hopefully, they aren't lopsided.

"You know, I'll be glad to rub sunscreen on you," Ambrose offered, smirking.

"I'm sure you would." I giggled, shaking my head.

"You look cute in your bathing suit," Ambrose complimented, scratching the nape of his neck.

"Really? Thank you." I smiled, squirting sunscreen into my palm.

I managed to get every part of my body except my back, which already cremated in the sunlight. My face was probably white from the amount of sunscreen I applied; my cheeks always burned the easiest.

"Actually, can you help me with my back?" I asked, innocently pouting my lip.

"I would be the happiest too," he commented, dropping his phone onto the towel and moving towards me. "Hit me."

Just as he said that a volleyball flew out of nowhere and hit him hard on the side of his face. That's definitely going to leave a mark.

"Fuck," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"What the hairballs?" I yelled, shifting to the side to see where it had come from.

My eyes instantly landed on a smirking Declan standing far away in the distance. Declan narrowed his eyes before jogging his way over to us. He picked up the ball before looking up at us.

"Sorry, it was an accident," he said, plain-faced, with no sincerity in his voice.

"Sure it was," Ambrose muttered, clearly irritated.

What were the possibilities of Declan showing up at the same exact beach we decided to go to? Probably infinity to none, but yet it still happened. Why was he here? He refused to go with me to only come, anyway? Make it make sense!

"What happened to the better things you had to do?" I asked, chewing on my lip.

My heart started hammering so quickly within my chest, I was surprised neither one could hear it. Declan just had to flash his hot body right in front of me, reminding me how much I wished I was here with him. No, Lana, that's so rude to Ambrose.

Ambrose has always treated me with respect while Declan has not...

"I thought maybe the beach wasn't so bad of an idea," Declan answered.

"Declan, are you going to come back and play with us?" Nate yelled, running over to us. "Oh, I see. Hello, Lana," he smirked.

"Hi, Nate, how's your summer been?" I asked.

"It's been pretty boring until today. Where's Meadow? She's usually with you." he shielded his eyes from the sun and scanned the beach.

"She's away right now, so I came to the beach with Ambrose instead," I explained.

"A date, actually." Ambrose inserted himself, draping his arm over my shoulders.

"Oh, that's interesting..." Nate chuckled lowly, his eyes twinkling with a hint of wickedness.

"Anyway, since you have your volleyball back, you're free to leave," Ambrose said, a forced smile emerged on his lips.

"I have a better idea! Why don't you guys join our game?" Nate asked, earning an agitated glare from Declan.

I'm starting to believe the universe was actually on my side for once. Any chance I have to get closer to Declan, I will take. It's not like I could get any more pathetic. Scratch that, I'm doing a pretty good job at acting as if I don't care. We were fated to find each other here today, and I'll for sure make it worth his wild.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude," I hesitantly said, not wanting to sound desperate.

"Yeah, it's probably better if you stay here," Declan deadpanned, turning around to wander back towards the volleyball net.

"Wait!" I yelled, springing onto my legs. "I wanna come."

Scratch that, I am desperate.

"Lana," Ambrose whined, his eyes soften practically begging for us to do anything else. "It was supposed to be a day for just you and me."

"It will be after. Let's just play one game, please?" I batted my eyelashes using my most innocent voice.

He sighed, raking his fingers through his chestnut brown hair. "Fine! Just one," he replied, emphasizing with his pointer finger.

Everyone's probably wondering what's going on in Declan's head but trust me he's a pretty tough guy to crack lol.

Who do you think will bring up the kiss first? Lana or Declan?

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to upload the next one for you guys!!! Love you!!!!!!