Chapter 106: Madeline
I press my forehead against the wall, eyes closed, trying to catch my breath before I step inside.
What in the actual world just happened.
First—the bioluminescence. That impossible, shimmering magic that made me feel weightless, infinite, like the whole ocean was breathing with me. Then Jake… Jake who asked if he crossed a line. Jake who dried my hands so gently it made my pulse skip. Jake who touched my neck like he was memorizing it.
And then Jake—who told Reid to walk me home.
Why?
My thoughts are an absolute mess.
And Reid—Reid, who said he trusted me on the boat. Reid who smiled, who chuckled. I didn’t even think he could do that. Clearly, he doesn’t dislike me as much anymore. Which would be good, right? Except it isn’t. It’s awful.
Because I can’t. I absolutely can’t let myself stay close to him.
What I feel for Jake… it’s dizzying. He sets me on fire. My whole body forgets how to function when he’s near, when he looks at me, when he touches me. What I feel for Reid—
It’s something else entirely. Just as strong but... darker. Heavier. Like my body belongs to him before my mind can even protest. His to do whatever he pleases.
And I can’t afford that.
Not if Charlie’s my friend.
Not if I want to keep my job.
I sigh, long and shaky, and push off the wall. My legs still feel unsteady as I bend to take off my boots. The quiet of the house wraps around me, and I finally step inside, trying to pretend my heart isn’t still racing from both of them.
When I step into the living room, the first thing I see is the glow of the TV lighting everyone’s faces.
Sloane, Liam, and Finn are all crammed together on the couch, Charlie curled up in the armchair with a blanket over her legs.
They all look… normal. Like nothing strange ever happened last night. Like I didn’t just nearly melt into both of my bosses on the same day.
I lift a small hand in greeting. “Hey.”
Charlie smiles and waves back, and the others mumble variations of “hey” or “hi” before turning back to the screen. I start to make a quiet beeline for the stairs, already planning to crash face-first into my pillow, when Finn twists around.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m tired,” I say, trying to sound casual. “Figured I’d just go up.”
He shakes his head. “Nah, stay for the movie with us. You always fall asleep watching anyway, so it’s basically the same thing.”
I hesitate. I don’t have it in me to argue, and Charlie gives me a little wave from her chair, like, come on, just sit down already.
So I sigh, slip my phone into my pocket, and walk over.
Liam pushes against Sloane until she grumbles, “You’re an idiot,” and shifts an inch over. Finn pats the spot between him and Liam with a grin, and before I can second-guess it, I sit.
The movie’s loud and fast, some kind of action flick with way too many explosions. I try to focus, I really do, but all I can think about are the twins. Jake’s hands, Reid’s voice, that tension that still feels like static on my skin.
Then, out of nowhere, Liam leans close enough that his breath brushes my ear. “I wouldn’t blame you for falling asleep. This is boring as hell. Sloane’s fault, obviously.”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing, but a giggle escapes anyway—quiet, small, but real.
Finn opens his palm toward me, a small handful of Skittles glinting in the light of the TV. I grin and take a few, and he winks like he just did me some grand favor.
Liam shifts beside me and lifts the corner of his blanket. “You look cold,” he says, not waiting for me to answer before tossing part of it over my lap.
For a while, I just sit there, the weight of the day starting to fade. The movie hums in the background—more explosions, more yelling—and the couch feels impossibly soft compared to the rocks and salt air from earlier.
It’s… nice.
Being here.
Nice to be surrounded by guys who are just friends.
Who don’t make my heart race or my stomach twist into knots.
Moments like this remind me why I like being around them. With Finn and Liam, everything’s light. Playful. Harmless. They don’t make my pulse stutter or my thoughts spiral the way the twins do.
Sure, they flirt sometimes—but it’s just who they are. They do it with everyone. Finn winks at Sloane, Liam holds Charlie’s hand when he tells a joke, both of them grinning like idiots while everyone rolls their eyes.
They’re just fun, careless guys who don’t mean anything by it.
After a little while, the movie blurs into background noise—just colors and sound. My eyes are heavy, my head keeps tilting forward before I catch myself.
I glance at Charlie and smile when I see her already asleep, curled up in the armchair, her blanket slipping off one shoulder. Of course she’s out.
The warmth, the low hum of the TV, the rise and fall of breathing around me—it all feels so calm, so relax, so… normal.
I let my eyes close, just for a second.
Then, softly, a hand touches the side of my head, steady and warm, guiding it until it rests against a shoulder. I don’t even look to see whose. Liam’s, probably, or Finn’s. It doesn’t matter.
Because for now there's just the steady comfort of being surrounded by friends as sleep pulls me under.