The moment I'd received my college acceptance letter, I'd known that my friends wouldn't make my last night at home easy on me.

It wasn't a real first day unless I turned up with a hangover; they said.

Apparently, legal drinking ages didn't apply when you had something to celebrate.

It was summer, and the heat was blistering. It beat down on our bare shoulders as we shrieked and splashed each other in the pool, our voices barely audible over the heavy bass thudding across the yard from the speakers we'd set up on the patio. I didn't know half the kids who'd shown up. That was the problem with arranging anything in the time of social media. All it took was one person running their mouth about some party over the weekend and, before you knew it, about fifty people had invited themselves to join in.

Normally, I'd panic about how my dad would react to a bunch of half-naked strangers climbing in and out of his pool, but he was home at the time and had made it clear that anyone who did anything he didn't approve of would be thrown out on their ass.

That he didn't stipulate what he may or may not approve of had made the guests conscious of their behavior. Besides, none of them wanted to get on his bad side. He was a tenured professor at the local college and would oversee some of their grades when the new semester started. No one wanted to flunk their classes before they'd begun, not even a bunch of idiot teens who had access to coolers of beer and more novelty pool floaties than they could shake a stick at.

I'd been in the pool so long that my fingers and toes had wrinkled. I swam to the edge and heaved myself onto the sun-warmed tiles. My body felt leaden without the support of the water, and I took a moment to sit and get my breath back, my legs swaying idly in the water. A girl dropped beside me and flicked her red hair back over her shoulder. It slapped loudly against her bare skin, and I jumped.

"Wow, skittish much, Chaise?" Jenny asked. "Relax. It's a party."

I rocked to the side and bumped her shoulder with mine. "Big day tomorrow, remember?"

"Yeah, the banners kinda gave it away." Jenny's gaze was drawn to the one my dad had strung across the balcony. A garish reminder that this was meant to be my party and not a free-for-all for all the teens in our grade to get wasted and screw around in one of the nicest yards in the neighborhood. "But that's tomorrow. Loosen up and enjoy your last day before you're – I don't know – locked in a library or something. Isn't that what college is?"

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "I'm starting to think you had the right idea."

Jenny shrugged. "Gotta travel while you're young enough to do it. In Europe, they call it a gap year."

"What are you calling it?"

"Freedom."

I couldn't deny that I liked the sound of that better than jumping straight into more studying. The summer break should've been a respite from all the stresses of school. Instead, I'd spent my time packing up my room, researching the best places to hang out in my new city, and finalizing all the arrangements for my new living situation. It wasn't even worth mentioning all the money I'd had to drop on textbooks and the reading I was supposed to do before my classes started. I felt like I was at college already and I wasn't even on the campus yet.

"I'm gonna grab a water. You want anything?" I pushed myself up onto my feet and stretched my arms above my head.

"Not unless it's carbonated and alcoholic, I don't," Jenny replied with her trademark wicked grin. "And you shouldn't either."

"I promise I'll be totally drunk and irresponsible before the night is out, but if you want me to stay awake, I gotta hydrate."

"Ugh, fine." Jenny slipped back into the pool. "You're so responsible. It's gross."

Only my BFF could make responsible into an insult. If I'd been an irresponsible person, Dad never would've agreed to let me attend college so far from home. To be honest, I wasn't sure he was all that happy about it. He'd accepted it and he knew it was too late to change the situation now, but I felt sure he'd rather have had me living at home and commuting to my classes with him every day. Sure, I'd have probably had my tuition paid for me if I'd given in to his wishes, but I'd be too conscious of him keeping an eye on me. I didn't want that. No teenager did. Besides, the whole point of college was to find yourself.

Okay, so it was actually to get an education, but weren't you also meant to get an education in becoming an adult and all that stuff?

That wasn't going to happen with Dad breathing down my neck.

Walking into the house was like stepping through a veil. Outside had been all sticky heat, but inside the A/C had been cranked all the way up. The tile floor was like ice beneath my bare feet. I hastened my steps, rushing through to the kitchen in search of water and if I was honest, a break from all the noise. It was great that everyone wanted to have one last day of carefree fun together, but I'd have been just as happy lounging around and taking a breather before I threw myself into college life.

One thing I'd miss about living at home was all the space. There were a few reasons I'd chosen to live with my dad after he and Mom divorced a few years ago. For starters, I loved him, which was obviously important, but it also meant that I could finish out school with my friends, and I wouldn't be cramped into some tiny apartment in England where Mom had run off after her new boyfriend. Dad's house was like a testament to his career. He was one of the most respected professors in his field and his salary reflected that. I guessed that he'd invested in such a large house because he'd always hoped to have a bigger family to fill it. Mom just wanted a pool. In hindsight, he probably should've known she'd run off once someone offered her more than he could, but people didn't see their partner's flaws when they were helplessly in love like he was. It was hard to ignore them once she was dragging a suitcase through the door and shouting about alimony.

Still, even though it was just us, the house had never felt empty or lonely.

I supposed that'd change once I left.

I tore open the fridge door, grabbed a bottle of water, and gulped it back. I'd hoped it might dislodge the sticky lump of guilt that'd swelled in my throat, but all it did was make me choke. I placed my hand over my mouth and coughed into my palm.

Hardly elegant, but at least there was no one around to see that I was such a dysfunctional human being that I couldn't even drink water properly.

I sighed and closed the fridge door, little knowing that there was someone waiting on the other side. The guy had come out of nowhere and I reacted the same way most people might. Namely, I dropped the bottle of water and swore so loudly that it echoed around the cavernous kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked him once I'd regained my composure. I placed a hand against my chest and reached out to the kitchen island to ground myself with the other. "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"On the fridge?" he asked.

My eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What are you doing here? I didn't invite you."

I hadn't invited most of the other partygoers either, but that wasn't the point.

Grayson Reed was one of those family friends who'd just show up without notice. Whenever he felt like hanging out with my dad, he'd walk through the front door and head right up to his office to drag him away from his work. I appreciated that he'd helped him come out of his funk with the divorce and everything, but it was still our house. It was weird that he waltzed in like he owned the place, took a beer out of the fridge, and made me leave the living room because a game was on or something.

"Do I look like I'm here to use the pool?" he asked.

I flicked my gaze downward, making a quick appraisal so he wouldn't think that I was checking him out. Grayson was hot in that older guy way, but he was my dad's friend and I mostly just found him annoying. He was in a black t-shirt and jeans. He didn't look all that much older than some of the guys who were hanging out in the yard when he dressed casually, but his broad shoulders, toned chest, and the stubble around his jaw all gave him away as an adult. Not to mention, no one sane would wear a pricey designer watch to a pool party.

"Whatever. Just stay out of the way."

His lips curled into a crooked, roguish smirk. "Is that any way to talk to a guy who came all this way to wish you luck in college?"

"Please," I scoffed and turned away from the kitchen island. "You just came here to –"

In my annoyance, I'd totally forgotten about the water I'd dropped on the floor. Honestly, it was a miracle I hadn't ended up on my ass when I'd walked in from the pool without putting any shoes on. With a squeak of skin on tile and a yelp of horror, my legs slipped out beneath me, and I found myself headed down onto the floor. Grayson lunged forwards and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. His firm chest slammed against my back, and I felt my heart thrum in my chest at a million miles a minute.

Silence hung in the air between us, the sound of music and excited shrieks drifting in from the yard was the only reminder that we weren't alone. Thank God for that. Otherwise, I might have had certain thoughts about the buff man whose hands were on my bare skin or remembered that my bikini left very little to the imagination.

"Careful, Kitten. Don't want to break your neck before you make it to college."

Grayson's breath rolled warm and enticing against my cheek. A knot tightened low in my stomach. I moved my quivering fingers to his arms. "Yeah well, you know, if you hadn't surprised me in the first place –"

"Alright, good point. I guess me saving your skinny ass makes up for it, right?"

Heat flooded my cheeks. "Ohhh, you did not just mention my ass, Grayson Reed."

Grayson hoisted me off my feet and set me down on a dry patch of floor. I was relieved when he let me go. Not that I didn't appreciate being in the arms of someone who made the most of his gym membership, but I'd have preferred they were my age. Or, at the very least, not my dad's best friend. I took one slow, careful step forwards and, happy that I wouldn't fall over for a second time, I turned around to face him.

"Thanks, I guess? It was still your fault, though."

"Sure, it was." Grayson dropped a large hand onto the top of my head like I was a precocious toddler throwing a tantrum. "I guess that means I'm cleaning up the mess?"

"Would make a change if you did," I muttered.

Grayson was forever leaving beer cans on the coffee table when he and Dad were deep into guy's night. It was gross. And it wouldn't have killed either of them to use a coaster now and then.

"Fine. Consider it my gift to you for getting into college."

"Wow, worst gift ever."

"Were you hoping for something better?" he asked.

"No," I answered quickly. "I've literally never hoped for anything from you."

"Too bad." Grayson drew a small box from his pocket and held it in front of my face. "I was gonna let you have this, but if you don't want it..."

I reached out for the box, and Grayson snatched it away. "Seriously?" I asked.

"Ask me nice, Kitten."

"Hand it over or I'll tell Dad you had sex with Kelly from down the street on the pool table when you were meant to be babysitting."

Grayson dropped the box into my waiting hand and had the good grace to blush. "I thought you were asleep."

"And I thought you were old enough to know better." I snapped the box open and found a small silver charm inside. "It's an apple."

"Yeah, you know. Apple for a teacher. Teacher at a college. Thought you'd be smart enough to get that."

"Thanks." I could see his logic behind the gift, even if it was a weird connection to make. I cleared my throat gently. I wasn't about to do something dangerous like show any emotion in front of Grayson of all people. "I guess this is the last time I'll see you for a while?"

"Unless you're back for the holidays, yeah."

I shrugged. "I'm not planning that far ahead. I'm just seeing where this takes me."

Jenny peeked through the patio doors and called, "Hey, college girl! Are you coming back out here, or do I have to drink all this beer myself? Hey, Mr. Reed. Looking hot as always."

I cringed internally. If Grayson started banging my BFF while I was away, I'd never want to come home. I couldn't handle seeing them going at it on the pool table. Kelly had been bad enough, and she was just a neighbor.

"And you're looking way too young for me," he replied. Grayson offered me a smile with something like genuine warmth behind it. "Good luck, Kitten. Don't do anything crazy while you're gone."

"Oh, please. You're the last person who should hand out that advice."