Page 5 of Sunburned

Ian and I hadn’t exactly been friends in school, but we’d been friendly. He was smart and we were in a few AP classes together, occasionally paired to work on projects. Most people thought he was a weirdo—but then so was I, though I kept my weird more on the inside. I’d never liked to be the center of attention.

“Damn,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s sad.”

“Not super off-brand, though,” Rosa said.

It was true he’d been a pothead, and I remembered rumors that his home life wasn’t great. Dad in jail, that kind of thing, though we’d never discussed it.

“But he had a scholarship to…” I racked my brain, but couldn’t remember where.

Rosa shook her head. “I heard he lost it.” She leaned in, cut her eyes toward the bar, and whispered, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

My heart caught in my throat as my gaze landed on Tyson Dale, leaning against the bar. He was wearing a fitted black T-shirt that showed off his toned biceps, his dark hair long enough to tuck behind his ears.

Damn. He looked good.

My face must have given me away because Rosa immediately shook her head. “No, Audrey. Absolutely not. He is bad for you. Look away.”

I obeyed, turning my back on him as I poured myself a vodka cranberry. I knew Tyson was bad for me, had always known Tyson was bad for me. But that had never stopped me from going there. He was my first boyfriend, my first love, the one I’d lost my virginity to, the one who’d broken my heart—more than once. Our history was long. Too long for a pair of twenty-one-year-olds.

“Ryan’s with him,” she reported. “They must’ve just gotten home for the summer.”

“Yeah, Tyson got in yesterday,” I said before I could stop myself.

“You’ve talked to him?” she asked incredulously.

“He texted me.”

“And you responded.”

I shrugged. “He’s one of my oldest friends.”

“Friends.” She snorted. “Did you tell him you were going to be here tonight?”

I winced. “Maybe.”

“Audrey!”

“I know, I know—”

“Do I need to remind you he stood you up on prom night?” she demanded.

“That wasn’t his fault. The boat—”

She held up a hand to stop me, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Rosa’s gaze shifted over my shoulder, and I spun to see Tyson and Ryan prowling toward us. Tyson’s dark eyes were fixed on me, his square jaw flexing as he landed at our table. “Happy birthday, gorgeous,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. I caught a whiff of the intoxicating cologne he’d worn since high school, which I knew I was supposed to hate. But that was not my Pavlovian response. “You look incredible,” he whispered into my hair, his hand lingering on my hip.

“Thanks,” I said. I ripped my eyes from him to give Ryan a hug. “Good to see you guys.”

Tyson slid into our black leather booth, pulling me with him.

“Please, join us,” Rosa said, her tone spiked with sarcasm.

My eyes caught on Tyson’s Coors Light. “I see your taste hasn’t changed.”

He eyed me. “No. It hasn’t.”

“How’s Boston?” I asked, ignoring his innuendo.

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