𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢

𝐭𝐰𝐨; 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞

"Yes, and I want Nick to come with me," Noa declared.

Marjorie's initial delight faded as her eyes returned to her bed. "I think Nick should stay at home today. We don't want him to get sunburned."

"He has sunblock," Noa countered.

"I understand that, but I need him here. He has to help around the house."

"How come I never have to?" Noa wondered, crossing her arms. It was a genuine question for her because she never had to lift a finger around the house. Whenever she offered to help, her mother willingly took care of it, but Nick never got any assistance.

Marjorie stated the reason clearly. "He's older than you, so he has more responsibilities."

Noa begged her. "Please, Mom. All I want is one day with my brother. Is that too much to ask?"

Despite her firm stance, Marjorie couldn't ignore Noa's pleading eyes. It was her weakness because she never wanted to make Noa unhappy. "Fine," she said, sighing. She exited the room and made her way to Nick's. Noa trailed behind. "Nicholas, get dressed. You're going to the beach with your sister."

Noa and Nick's smirking faces revealed their triumph.

༺♥༻

When Noa and Nick arrived at the beach, they noticed Sean waiting at the entrance. While she and Sean exchanged greetings, Nick remained silent, a reminder that he and Sean weren't exactly buddies—Nick was just along for the ride.

Noa noticed that there were no familiar faces from the day before as they strolled across the sand looking for the perfect spot for their beach chairs. The beach was now teeming with new people, most likely tourists.

She found a spot and settled in with Nick, but Sean seemed preoccupied, staring angrily into the distance. "Earth to Sean?" Noa asked. "Put your chair down."

Sean, still fixated on something in the distance, muttered, "He's here again."

Noa followed his gaze and recognized Tyler from yesterday. Nick, who hadn't encountered Tyler since he had left early, asked, "Who is he?"

"A piece of shit, according to Sean," Noa said disdainfully.

Sean snapped his head towards her. "You know he is. He lied about me having an illness."

Noa defended Tyler's presence by saying, "Well, he's a lifeguard, Sean. He has to be here."

"Then I won't be."

He started to walk away, causing Noa to call after him. "Where are you going?!"

"Away from him!" Sean exclaimed, still storming off.

Noa threw up her hands in frustration, turning her attention back to Tyler. His mischievous eyes were fixed on Sean, and it was clear that he found satisfaction in making Sean not want to be around him, relishing in his role as the provocateur.

As Tyler took out his phone to make a call, Nick's question shifted Noa's attention. "Are we going to follow him?"

Noa didn't respond; instead, she quickly packed her chair and followed Sean. Nick followed suit, leaving Tyler alone on the beach, his mischief lingering in the air.

༺♥༻

Since Sean didn't want to go to the beach, the trio had plenty of options for how to spend their day. They chose to stop by the pizza place but didn't stay to eat. They made the decision to eat their pizza in the park.

Noa's focus wandered to the birds and other park-goers as they sat on a bench. During their silent meal, her brother asked Sean a pointed question. "Would you mind telling me why you despise Tyler so much?"