The salty breeze whipped strands of my hair into my face as I stood by the edge of the beach, toes sinking into the cool sand. For a second, everything felt normal until Alexander’s laugh pulled me back into reality. 

“Come on, Kim!” he called, grinning, his eyes squinting against the sunlight. He held a beach ball under his arm, his shirt discarded, his toned chest catching the sun in the most distracting way. “You’re not gonna just stand there looking pretty, are you?” 

I ...