Page 15 of North

I wanted to press her, to ask her how she could defend someone like him, but I bit my tongue. Instead, I changed the subject, steering the conversation toward safer topics—clothes, music, anything that didn’t involve North.

But her words stayed with me, lingering like a broken record in my mind.

Was I missing something? Or was Summer just blind to who he really was?

I tried to focus on her chatter, using it as a lifeline to distract myself from the turmoil inside me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about him—about the kiss, the way his lips felt against mine, the way he made me feel like I was unraveling with every word, every touch.

It was a game to him, I realized. A twisted, cruel game where he held all the cards, and I was losing pieces of myself with every move he made.

And the worst part was, I didn’t know how to stop playing.

“You should come tonight,” Summer said, continuing to gossip.

I frowned, glancing at her. “Come where?”

“The bonfire,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “North’s hosting it. It’s kind of a thing we do every summer. You’ll love it—it’s fun, I promise.”

I hesitated, my stomach twisting at the thought of putting myself in a situation where I’d have to face him again. “I don’t know, Summer…”

“Come on,” she urged, her tone playful but insistent. “It’ll be good for you to get out, to meet people. You can’t just hide in the house all summer.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but the look on her face stopped me. She looked so hopeful, so earnest, and I didn’t have the heart to say no.

“Fine,” I said finally, the word heavy with resignation.

Summer beamed, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. “Great! Let’s go find you something to wear.”

She led me inside, dragging me toward the guest room she’d chosen to stay in. Somewhere in the East wing of the lakehouse. The space was a mess, clothes strewn across the bed and floor in a way that made it look like a bomb had gone off.

I hid my mirth, but Summer must’ve seen something on my face anyway because she giggled. “Sorry,” she said with a sheepish grin, kicking a pile of shoes out of the way. “I wasn’t really expecting company.”

I laughed softly despite myself, the tension in my chest easing just a little.

“Here,” Summer said, digging through a pile of dresses and pulling out something soft and flowy. “Try this.”

I took the dress from her, the fabric cool and smooth in my hands. It was simple but pretty—a pale blue sundress with thin straps and a skirt that flared slightly at the waist.

“You’ll look amazing,” Summer said, her tone light and teasing.

I smiled weakly, my stomach twisting with a mix of excitement and dread.

This felt like a very, very bad idea.

Chapter 5

North

Standing in front of the mirror, I adjusted my hair, watching Victor and Connor in the reflection. The room smelled like expensive cologne, cigarettes, and the faint burn of whiskey. The speakers hummed with low bass, the sound filling the space but not loud enough to drown out the tension in the room.

Connor was sprawled across the couch like he had nowhere better to be, one leg hanging over the side, a beer in his hand. Victor leaned against the pool table, rolling his sleeves up slowly, his expression calm, unreadable.

They were waiting for me to say something, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I could still feel it—the anger, cold and sharp, sitting at the base of my spine like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

I finally exhaled through my nose, rolling my shoulders as I turned to face them. “Aiden’s not coming tonight.” He’d messaged me while we were getting ready, and I just sent him a thumbs up emoji in response.

Victor didn’t look surprised. He just hummed, reaching for his whiskey glass. “Told you he wouldn’t.”

Connor scoffed, dragging a hand through his curls. “Because he’s into all that fucking healing bullshit these days. Swear to god, sometimes I think that bullshit therapy just makes things worse.”

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