“What the actual hell, Montgomery?” I groan, rubbing my hands over my face. “It’sfive in the morning.”
He chuckles, shifting into drive as he pulls away from the house. “And?”
“And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a morning person.”
Jaxon smirks. “I noticed. You’re also dramatic as hell.”
I scowl at him, but he just grabs my hand, lacing our fingers and bringing them to his lips for a quick kiss before resting them on the console between us. And just like that, I melt.
“You’ll like this,” he promises, squeezing my hand.
I exhale, settling into my seat, the low hum of the radio filling the comfortable silence as the sky slowly begins to lighten.
A few minutes later, we pull into a coffee shop drive-thru, and I raise a brow.
“At least you know better than to make me do this without caffeine,” I mutter, making him laugh as he rolls down his window to place our order—two coffees, extra strong, and breakfast sandwiches.
Once we’re back on the road, I lean my head against thewindow, sipping my coffee and letting the warmth seep through me.
Jaxon won’t tell me where we’re going, no matter how many times I ask, but as the drive continues, as the roads begin to look more and more familiar, something deep in my chest starts to tighten.
I glance at Jaxon, at the way his fingers tap the steering wheel, his jaw relaxed as he hums along to the song playing softly through the speakers.
I know where we’re going.
My breath catches in my throat at the realization.
The beach.
He’s taking me to the beach.
We find a spot near the water's edge, close enough to feel the occasional spray when a wave reaches farther than the others.
Jaxon pulls me down to sit beside him on the sand, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as I lean into him. The warmth of his body shields me from the morning chill, and I breathe him in—coffee mixed with his soap and hints of amber.
"You know," he says after a moment, his voice barely audible over the waves, "I used to think endings were the only beautiful part of anything."
I look up at him, studying the line of his jaw, the way the growing light glints in his eyes. "What changed?"
He looks down at me, and there's something in his expression that makes my heart stumble. "You did."
My breath catches, and for once, I don't have a sarcastic comeback ready. I just stare at him, at the boy who somehow became everything without my permission.
"With you," he continues, his fingers tracing absent patterns on my shoulder, "I started to realize beginnings could be just as beautiful, that starting something new didn't have to be terrifying."
I swallow hard, looking back at the horizon as the sun starts to peek above the water, painting the sky in streaks of gold and pink. "I'm still terrified," I admit quietly.
Jaxon's hand finds mine, his thumb stroking my knuckles. "Good."
I raise an eyebrow, giving him a look.
He smiles, and it's soft and sure and steady. "It means it matters, Mads."
The waves crash against the shore, constant and unchanging yet never quite the same. Like us. Like this thing between us that evolved from friendship to something I still don't have the right words for.
"Tell me what you're thinking," he says, studying my face like he's trying to memorize it.
I take a deep breath, the salty air filling my lungs. "I'm thinking I'm not good at this. At...feelings. At letting people in."
