JENNIE

At some ungodly hour of the morning, Lisa shuffled around the room as light began to filter through a window. I threw an elbow over my eyes with a groan. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Surfing time. Sorry, baby." The mattress dipped, and I lifted my arm. She climbed on top of me in only her board shorts and kissed her way up my neck until she reached my mouth. "Smell that ocean breeze?" she asked.

I smiled sleepily with closed eyes. "Mmm."

She laughed. "Go back to sleep. I'll be done in a few hours." And then she was gone, so I rolled over and pulled her pillow between my arms.

I woke up later to a knock at the door. "Who is it?" I asked, slightly disoriented.

"Me." In that one word, I heard Rosé's voice crack.

I sat up quickly and grabbed Lisa's undershirt from the floor. "Come in," I said, throwing it over my head.

She entered with a red face, lifting her eyeglasses to rub her eyes. "Hey."

"What's wrong?" I exclaimed.

She climbed onto the bed to sit cross-legged in front of me and took a shaky breath as if holding back sobs. "He's gone," she said.

Jaehyun. That fucker. "What happened?" I asked.

She shook her head, and once her shoulders had stopped quaking, she continued, "I don't know. When we went to bed last night, we were fooling around, and he wanted to have sex. I wanted to also—we haven't done it yet, and it's been months. But I couldn't bring myself to, Jen. I don't know why. I said no, and he got pushy."

My teeth ground together. "He got pushy?"

"Enough for me to kick him out of the room. This morning, I heard a commotion, so I went downstairs. Lisa and Jaehyun were face to face, arguing about Kai."

My heart dropped. Lisa wasn't known for controlling her temper. "Oh, no. Please don't tell me they got into a fight."

"They didn't," she said. "But seeing Jaehyun standing there, waiting for me to defend him, I just . . . I don't know. I didn't feel any sympathy or like we were on the same side. So I said, 'Lisa's right. You were out of line.' Jaehyun called me a frigid bitch, and before I even had a chance to respond, Mingyu appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the shirt!"

My mouth hung open. "Mingyu defended you?"

She nodded quickly. "He shoved him into the refrigerator. Jaehyun said, 'Fuck it,' gathered up his stuff from the couch, and left. Just left." She looked like she was about to laugh, but she burst into tears instead.

"Jesus." I scooted close enough to embrace her. "Have you been crying all morning?"

"Yes, but I'm not even sure why."

I pulled back to look her in the eye. "What do you mean?"

"Jaehyun wants everything to go back to the way it was, but . . . it can't." She looked at me. "He acts like you and Jisoo are still his best friends."

"Me? I've barely seen him since he moved to Chicago."

"I know," she exclaimed, "and he's only seen Jisoo once!" She pulled her glasses away and rubbed her eyes again. "I don't know. The fact that he left without talking to me makes me wonder if he's changed at all."

Thinking back over the past twenty-four hours, I didn't have to wonder long. "He hasn't. I'm so sorry."

She sighed, wiped away another tear, and looked around the room. "Gross. I'm sitting right where you guys had sex last night."

"Pfft . No, you're not." I grinned. "We didn't even make it to the bed."

She made a strangled noise, and her face crumpled. "Even fooling around with Jaehyun wasn't that great. I remembered it better."

As the words left her mouth, loud footsteps ran up the stairs.

"Crap," she said and stood. "They're probably back from surfing."

"Don't go," I said.

"I'm a mess." She straightened her shoulders, tugging at her pajama top. "I need to change."

Lisa started through the door, wet, then stopped. "Hey," she said.

"How was surfing?" I asked.

"Good, fine." Her eyes drifted between us. "Everything all right?"

Rosé dropped her face in her hands and shuddered with her back to the door.

"Yes," I said, "but can you just give us a minute?"

Mingyu appeared behind Lisa and peered in. "Rosé," he said softly.

"Just go away, Mingyu," Rosé muffled from her hands.

He ignored her and pushed Lisa aside to enter the room. My mouth fell open when Mingyu took her arm, pulled her off the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. "He's not worth it."

Rosé stilled, and I was afraid she'd push him off, but instead, she moved into his chest and unleashed a fresh set of tears.

I glanced at Lisa and mouthed, "Oh my God."

She shrugged.

"You guys ganged up on him," Rosé said into Mingyu's chest.

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, and her expression hardened. "He crossed a line."

"But he was right," she continued. "I was frigid not to sleep with him and a bitch not to defend him."

"Hey!" Mingyu cried as if offended. He lifted her chin with his finger and looked down at her. "That's a load of shit. He was disrespectful to Lisa and Jennie and to you. You were right not to defend him."

"He's a coward," Lisa said, still near the doorway.

"And a chump," Mingyu added.

Rosé laughed softly and pulled away from Mingyu. She removed her glasses and wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands. "I'm sorry. This is embarrassing."

"I didn't know you wore glasses," Mingyu commented.

"Contacts," she said, nodding. "Usually."

His eyes darted over her as she cleaned her glasses on her t-shirt. She was red and puffy, but her eyes shone. Just like Mingyu's. It struck me then how similar looking they were. Soft blond hair, tan complexions, and striking, Windex-colored eyes. How had I never noticed before?

"How about a surf lesson?" Mingyu asked her. "Lisa's taking Jennie. I can take you."

"What about your girlfriend?" she asked with a sniffle.

"She doesn't want to get wet." Mingyu shrugged. "Go figure, we're at the beach."

"I've taken lessons before, but . . ." She looked at the floor. "Sure. I guess."

"Atta girl," Mingyu said. "Go put on your bathing suit, and I'll meet you downstairs in ten."

She smiled with her eyes still downcast and nodded before leaving the room.

"Thank you, Mingyu," I said. "I know you two don't get along, so I really appreciate that."

"No worries," he said, then added to himself, "She's not so bad underneath it all."

I arched an eyebrow. "What was that?" I asked.

He looked up. "Nothing," he called over his shoulder as he left.

Lisa sighed and finally entered the room. "I say good riddance."

I rolled my eyes. "Did you wake Jaehyun up from the couch just to yell at him?"

"Yep."

"Do you feel macho now that you've put him in his place?"

I expected Lisa to defend herself, but her chest just puffed up. "Yep."

I laughed.

"Mingyu likes her, you know," she said. "I can tell."

"Rosé?" I crinkled my nose. "I was wondering if he might, but she made a pass at him a while back, and he turned her down."

"Trust me," Lisa said, running a hand through her damp hair. "He's into her."

"They act like they hate each other," I said.

"There's a fine line between love and hate, baby," she said, rifling through her bag. "And she likes him, too."

"Now that is definitely not true," I said. "I believe 'pompous prick' is how she once described him."

"You and your dirty mouth again, Miss Kim." She glanced up from where she squatted. "I never did give you that spanking."

My eyes widened. "Give it to me now, then."

"No, not now." She pulled out a fresh change of clothes. "We still need to talk. You seduced me into forgetting that I was supposed to be restraining myself."

"So, let's talk."

She stood, shut the bedroom door, and came to sit on the edge of the bed. "Here's the thing, though," she said. "I don't have an answer."

"I do." I crawled over and set my hands on her damp swim trunks. "There's nothing to worry about. I meant what I said. I trust you, and I promise to tell you if it's too much. Maybe I should've said something the other night, but I was confused because I liked what you were doing to me . . . even though it hurt a little."

"I don't want to hurt you," she said earnestly.

"Your pleasure turns me on—you taking what you need from me drives me wild." I bit my lip. "I love knowing I can give you that."

"Only you."

I nodded. "You won't go overboard because you know, and always have known, exactly what I need. But I promise, if you ever do, I'll tell you."

"All you have to do is say 'stop,' and I will, no matter what." Her brows furrowed. "I'll never get so far that I can't stop."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I know. Now, are you going to spank me, or are we going to surf?" My laugh turned into a squeal when she grasped my waist and dragged me facedown across her knees.

"Like this?" she asked. Since I was only wearing her t-shirt, she pushed the fabric up and exposed my backside. Her hand ran over it tenderly before giving me a hard slap. I groaned with a quick exhalation, and she began to knead my skin, running her hand over the backs of my thighs. "Okay, up you go," she said suddenly, lifting me onto my feet.

"No," I protested.

"Yes. It's time to surf. Let me see that itty-bitty bikini. Although, no—not with Mingyu around." She frowned. "Actually, did you bring a one-piece?"

I laughed and shoved her shoulder before dropping to get my suit out of my suitcase.

Downstairs, Mingyu waited in the kitchen by himself.

"Ready to shred?" I asked and glanced at Lisa. "Is that the right word?"

Mingyu laughed. "Yes, ma'am. Just waiting for your friend."

With a small shuffle of feet, I jerked my head toward the pantry, where Mingyu's girlfriend stood. Had she been there the whole time? "Oh. Morning, Kat," I said. "Didn't see you there."

"Hi."

"Are you getting a lesson, too?" I asked.

She shook her head, the corners of her mouth drooping. "I burn easily."

"Oh."

Lisa's face brightened as if that reminded her of something. She grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the counter and passed it to me. "Slather it," she said. "Don't argue."

The Miami sun had the potential to destroy me, so I did as she said. As I finished rubbing in the suntan lotion, Rosé appeared, all shiny again with her hair and makeup fixed and her contacts in. "Let's hit the beach," she said cheerily.

Lisa and Mingyu stuck longboards under their arms as the four of us made the short walk to the ocean. "The waves are small right now," Lisa observed. "We can just practice in the whitewater."

"Whatever." I shrugged. "Let's go."

"Uh, not so fast, little mermaid," she said. "First you have to practice on land."

"Why?" I wrinkled my nose. "Can't we just do it?"

"No." She set her board on the sand next to Mingyu's. "On your belly."

"Yes, sir," I teased.

Her expression remained serious. "The ocean is no laughing matter, Jennie. And these have to go," she said, sliding my sunglasses off and tossing them with our stuff. "You need to be alert out there. No messing around. You could get hurt."

I saluted her. Rosé and I giggled, but her jaw hardened. We stopped laughing immediately and dropped onto the boards. She demonstrated how we should paddle and pop up. We both imitated what she'd done and held our poses as instructed. Lisa squatted next to me, fixing my stance by adjusting my legs, as Mingyu did the same for Rosé. I tried in vain to flirt with Lisa as she corrected my back foot.

"What's all this?" I heard Mingyu ask Rosé. When I looked over, he was waving his hand near her face.

"What?" she asked.

"All this hair and makeup just to get in the water. It's ridiculous."

"So I want to look good." She shrugged. "Who cares?"

"I do. You don't need all this. You looked prettier this morning. Bed hair, no makeup, and pj's."

"Shut up, Mingyu." Her lips drew into a line. "Why do you have to be such a sarcastic dick?"

His brows knit. "I'm being serious."

"Well, then," she said, shimmying to straighten her back, "I don't need your pity."

"No need to get defensive," Mingyu said. "All I asked was what the point is. It's going to get ruined anyway."

"It's waterproof makeup," she pointed out as if it was obvious.

"Oh, is it?" he retorted. "Let's test it, then."

He scooped her up before she knew what was happening, and she screamed as he ran her to the ocean.

I cringed as he tossed her in easily. "He is so dead," I muttered.

But she came up laughing.

"See?" Lisa said. "They like each other."

Rosé and I splayed out on our towels, wrecked after two hours in the water.

"I think I could be really good at surfing," I said to Rosé. "I mean, I stood up almost every time. You only got up, like, twice, right? And you've had lessons before. Lisa said I was a natural."

"Whatever," she said, huffing from behind her sunglasses. "It's not a contest."

"So, um . . ." I failed to hide a smile. "You and Mingyu were sort of chummy out there."

"We were chummy?" She balked as she got up onto her elbows. "I'm pretty sure small children had to be removed from the beach because of you and Lisa."

"Oh, please," I said, reddening. "A little making out never hurt anyone. I mean, have you seen Lisa?"

She lowered her sunglasses to look at me. "Good point."

"So?" I asked. "You and Mingyu?"

"Ugh, what?" She flopped back onto the towel. "I don't like him. He's been actually tolerable today, but that doesn't mean anything. Right now, I'm just trying not to think about Jaehyun."

I nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that Lisa thinks he likes you."

She popped back up on an elbow and lowered her sunglasses again. "She said that?"

"Yup."

Her answering laugh sounded forced. "That's crazy."

"Is it?"

"Look, I never told you this, but after the one date we had . . ." She hesitated. "I kissed Mingyu."

"I know. He told me."

"Of course he did, the rat." She narrowed her eyes toward the ocean, where Lisa and Mingyu had gone back out with their boards. "Did he also tell you that he shot me down?"

"Yes," I said. "So what? That was a while ago."

"Guys don't shoot me down, Jen. Clearly, he's not into me. Not that I'm into him, but, anyway, he's not into me."

"Okay," I said, offering up my palms. "But either way, maybe you should take a break and be single for a while."

"Or forever."

"Don't say that," I said. "Jaehyun sucks. Not all guys are like him."

She squinted ahead. "Jesus, they're smoking fucking hot , though, aren't they? Look at them."

I followed her gaze to where Lisa and Mingyu sat in the line-up—Lisa gorgeous and sexy, Mingyu blond and goofy. Both looked drop-dead gorgeous, though. "Mingyu's pretty ripped, huh?" I asked.

"Would you stop?" she asked, exasperated.

"Just calling it like it is. But yes. They're extremely hot," I said, my eyes drifting to some female gawkers on the shore. "Those girls over there are checking them out."

We laughed and reclined back again. I closed my eyes to soak in the warmth of the sun and was almost asleep when I heard the bass of Lisa's voice.

Rosé, already up on her elbows, yawned. "Look," she said, jutting her chin at the water. "They're talking to the girls."

I squinted through my sunglasses at the shoreline. Three girls in bikinis, ankle deep in the surf, shaded their eyes with their hands as they looked up at Mingyu and Lisa. I sat up all the way, and Lisa lifted her hand in a wave. A pleasant warmth washed over me, and I smiled. Despite all my worrying that I'd inherit my mother's madness, I realized there was too much love in my body to leave any room for jealousy. Those girls could flirt their asses off, and it looked as if they were trying to, but they'd never steal even a fraction of Lisa's attention from me.

Lisa broke away, jogged up the sand, and dropped her surfboard next to me. She fell over me gracefully, propping herself on outstretched arms and dripping water onto my warm skin. "Sorry, honey. Hope you don't mind getting a little wet," she said.

"Let's see a push-up," Rosé demanded.

Lisa lowered herself, kissed me on the lips, and pushed herself back up. "One," she said and repeated the motion, this time kissing the curve of my neck.

"Two," I said breathlessly as a tingle made its way up my tummy.

"Okay, that's enough," Rosé said. "I don't want to know what happens when you get to ten."

Lisa laughed and rolled over onto the sand. "God, I love the beach."

"Word," Rosé agreed as Mingyu strolled up and plopped down next to her. "How was the surf?" she asked.

"Shit," Mingyu said. "But it's okay because we had longboards."

"Dude, did you see that little kid ripping out there?" Lisa asked.

"He was like ten years old," Mingyu told us, "but he trounced the rest of us."

"I'd start my kid surfing the second he could walk," Lisa continued. "Boy or girl, I wouldn't care. Snowboarding, too."

A tremor of dread worked its way through me. From behind my sunglasses, I noticed Rosé glance at me. I couldn't believe that hearing Lisa talk about children would be one of the most terrifying things in my life. Jihyo's warnings from the other night tried to pop into my head, but I pushed them away.

And gave way to my own harrowing thought.

Someone will have to sacrifice.

"Same here," Mingyu agreed. "Hey, we could move out to Florida and raise a professional surf team."

"I'm in," Lisa said. "I don't know if your lady friend would be up for that, though. She doesn't seem to like the beach."

"Who, Kat?" Mingyu laughed. "No, definitely not. Sadly, I think our time together is coming to an end."

Rosé twirled a finger in the sand beside her towel. "She, um, doesn't seem like your type."

"Oh, yeah?" Mingyu said. "Why not?"

"Well, for one . . ." Rosé looked up. "She doesn't ride a broom."

Mingyu's answering laugh was so loud, it seemed to echo around the beach. He fell back on the sand. "Rosé." He groaned, covering his face with his arm. "Quit busting my balls, would you?"

I looked from Mingyu to a grinning Lisa. Florida looked good on her. I took a mental picture of her profile, wanting to remember this carefree, in-her-element Lisa forever.

Because deep down, I knew.

It couldn't last.

As long as we hadn't discussed the one thing that could still break us, stormy waters lay ahead.