Bonfire Promises and the Day After The next morning came slow and hazy, sunlight slicing through the slats of Cal’s bedroom blinds like it had a personal grudge. Milo woke last, head pounding faintly from cheap beer and the memory of Lena’s laugh cutting through the bonfire smoke. His mouth tasted like salt and regret—not for the spill, not for the conversation, but for how badly he’d wanted to kiss her right there on the...

The boardwalk lights were just flickering on as Milo pulled the old station wagon into the narrow driveway behind Cal’s family house. The place hadn’t changed: weathered gray shingles, a wraparound porch sagging slightly under years of salt air, the faint smell of pine and low tide drifting in through the open windows. Cal’s Jeep was already parked crooked, surfboard strapped to the roof like always. The same ols salty ta...