The bathroom was my new best friend. Nothing made sense anymore. After two months of being around Ambrose all the time, why was I suddenly nervous around him? Normally, my heart ticked like the hand on the clock, normal and peaceful. But today, it was like the speed of race cars around him.

What caused this sudden change? Why was talking to him a harder task than normally? One thing for sure was I had to sort out this issue before I pulled my hair out and became bald. I wouldn't be able to pull off that look.

To ease my nerves, I washed my face with cold water and gently patted the paper towel on my skin. My heart nearly exploded when I saw the door open to reveal a raccoon-eyed Catalina sauntering in. Her entire demeanor spelled out the word distressed, and I wasn't sure if I could be much help.

"Are you okay?" I asked, observing as she used the paper tables to remove the mascara.

She nodded. "For the most part. Just a little frustrated."

I rubbed her back as a sign of support. "Do you feel like talking about it? Or being alone?"

Catalina sighed, throwing the paper towel into the garbage can and tying her hair up into a ponytail. "It's Cameron, my boyfriend. Our relationship has been on the rocks lately with him touring a lot and my fashion business hitting off."

I leaned against the sink taking in her ablaze eyes filled with sorrow. This was another reason I couldn't do relationships. They took an enormous amount of work and devoured you to the point that sometimes we lose ourselves. With Colton, he wanted to be my everything, and if I for a second thought about something else it would end in a fight.

So toxic...

"But I've been feeling off the past few weeks so I went to the doctor, they just got back to me." she licked her lips, shifting her gaze to her toes. "I'm pregnant and I'm so fucking scared. My career has barely taken off and Cameron's touring doesn't pay much of the bills so how are we supposed to be parents?"

Did everyone take a bite of the pregnancy tree or something because this was concerning? I'm just hoping this energy doesn't rub off on me. I needed to work on myself before I could even think about bringing a child into this world.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight secured hug; something Catalina looked like she really needed. "There are options for you guys if you aren't ready. Adoption, maybe abortions if you're alright with it. But I think the world has a weird way of working itself out."

"What happens if Cameron doesn't want to be with me? We're both so young, and I know us having sex is taking a risk but how will we know if we're ready for all this responsibility?" Catalina asked, tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Just communicate with each other. Relationships are built on it, and that's all you need to figure out what you guys want in life. Don't be afraid if it doesn't work out. You have five people who care about you and will do anything to help if you just ask," I said, handing her another tissue.

Catalina let out a happy sob. "Thank you, Davina. I'm going to talk to Cameron when we hang out next week. If he doesn't want to be with me anymore then it's his loss because I'm going to be the sexiest momma."

I chuckled, draping my arm over her shoulder. "That's my girl."

Once we joined the table, Ambrose and Declan had finished eating so chairs were left vacant which was a sigh of relief for me. Surprisingly, the two lover boys were playing volleyball together catching the attention of all the girls at the beach. No one dared to talk to Ambrose knowing he's committed to me; I had the reputation of being a tiny bit possessive.

"I'm ready to stuff my face with hamburgers!" I squealed, my tastebuds getting lost in the juicy meat, cheese, and vegetables in my mouth.

Lana rubbed her belly which was sporting a food baby as she let out a burp. "I'm so stuffed! I ate four burgers, two steaks, and three hot dogs. I think I have an addiction."

"Oh my god, Declan just smacked Ambrose with the ball I gotta record this!" Meadow laughed, grabbing her cell phone to record.

"Wait, I have to see who wins this macho match." Catalina jolted from her seat and ran after her best friend.

The gooey cheese melted perfectly in my mouth bringing everything together. The buns had just the right moisture with ketchup, mustard, and radish. I'm starting to think maybe Declan should join the cooking industry because this shit was amazing.

"Isn't it so cute how our boyfriends are best friends and we are best friends?" Lana squeezed the living daylights out of me. I didn't know it was possible with her spaghetti arms but this girl had strength.

She had to be the definition of oblivious if she really thought Ambrose liked her husband. But I loved hanging around miss sunshine, she certainly brought light to my life that I was missing. Especially since my younger sister was confined to her bed.

"Are you alright?" Lana asked, her eyes searching for an answer in mine. "I couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable you've been acting around Ambrose... Did you guys get into a fight?"

My eyes widened. Was my behavior that noticeable? "Well, fighting is a daily thing for us."

Lana frowned, her lips protruding. "I'm going to have a serious talk with him. He shouldn't be fighting with you." Her eyes darted over to the boys, but I snatched her hands before she could get any farther.

I shook my head. "No, it's no big deal."

Mouth unusually dry, I stared at the droplets of water running down Ambrose's abs which were a fascinating sight. My eyes led down the path his waist getting lost on how his v-line looked in his navy blue trucks. My chest felt swollen and prickly, I forced myself to look away. Annalise was away on vacation but maybe Lana could be my substitute.

"This isn't about me, but I have this friend...Marcie. She's been hanging around with this guy, they hated each other at first. But now, they're kind of friends but she's suddenly feeling nervous around him and can't talk to him like she used to... Do you have an idea what that means?" I asked, munching on the french fries.

Lana pursed her lips. "Let's see, in other words... The friend of yours, whenever she's around this certain person. Her heart starts racing suddenly, it becomes harder to breathe, and she can't talk to him like she normally does? Is that right?"

I slowly nodded. "Yeah... Seems like it started recently, out of the blue, and she can't figure it out herself."

She blinked, her lashes fluttering against her olive-toned skin. "Well, to be perfectly frank..."

I smiled the suspense of her assessment rooting into my body. "Yes, what is it?"

"I believe that she has a crush on him," Lana confessed, causing all my air to leave my lungs.

Like an automatic response, I dropped my burger onto the floor and felt my cheeks scorching hot. "What? C-c-c-crush? Huh?"

Her hazel irises widened in shock at my response. "Yes, that's what I think. You don't agree, Davina? All the signs are there if it happened suddenly after things were normal at first, then that's probably what's going on."

A crush? Did she really say a crush? But if that's true, then everything would make sense... The racing heart beat. My loss for words when he was in an inch radius, the tingling feeling when he touched me... No, forget it!

This was impossible.

I mean, we're talking about bean spout, of all people. It didn't make sense on paper or in real life. Sure, Ambrose had a few redeeming qualities especially the past few days. He's really grown on me. Who am I kidding? Me having feelings for Ambrose? Pigs had to fly before that could happen.

But if it was impossible... then why couldn't I ignore the pounding hammer in my chest?

I just had to stop thinking about it.

Thinking equals bad.

"Just tell your friend to go with the flow, having feelings for someone can be really scary, but they shouldn't close themselves off from it either. Sometimes it's nice to feel the good things in life," Lana advised, grabbing Catalina's half-eaten burger. "How could they leave this delicious burger all alone?"

"I'm not sure..." I nervously laughed. "But I lost my appetite. Let's go join the others at the volleyball court."

Lana's eyes gleamed with content. "Sounds like the perfect idea!"

As if the universe graffitied rainbow-flame upon the evening sky, the sunset came in its boldest blaze. The rest was dove grey with a subtle hint of purple, just enough to bring out the artistic value in the sky.

I watched the sea, lost in the rhythmic percussion of waves on sand. My eyes were steady to the horizon, face aglow with the last orange rays before twilight beckons the stars. After a little match with Declan's team winning, we spent an hour swimming around the water. Lana swam around with her goggles on the top of her head until she lost them and begged for Declan to search for them.

The goggles have yet to be found.

Catalina, Meadow, and Ambrose talked me into playing chicken but only if I used Meadow's shoulder. I used the good excuse of Meadow having a better shot of winning over my fake boyfriend. It was the right choice because we won and my stomach didn't somersault one bit.

That's a good sign.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder bringing me from the daze of the beautiful Instagram-worthy sky. Swinging around I saw Declan, Meadow, and Catalina grinning with the magical cake in their hands. Strawberries adorned the plain white cake with a beautiful pink frosting saying 'Happy Birthday to my wonderful girlfriend'.

Catalina and Meadow stuck in three candles and lit them. They all started singing, making my cheeks beetroot red from all the attention and having random strangers bust in to say happy birthday. But I'll truly save this moment in the back of my head forever.

"Alright, time to make your wish!" Catalina squealed, frantically clapping her hands.

Three... Two... One...

I blew the candle.

I wished for all my days to be like today.

"Yay! Now, let's cut it. I'm craving something sweet," Meadow said, her smirk growing as Declan searched for a knife at the table.

"The birthday girl has to get the first piece." Declan shot an annoyed glare at Meadow before handing the slice over to me.

I took the cake from his hand. "Where's Lana and Ambrose?"

Declan cut another slice. "They went off a while ago to talk but I didn't want the cake to get all stale and it was getting late. So I made the executive decision to sing happy birthday, sorry for my bad singing voice."

My stomach coiled. Uncertainty splurged through my body like getting a shot from the doctors. Ambrose was alone with the girl of his dreams, and I had been staring at the irrelevant sea. My emotions were on a high-wire and I didn't know how to keep them tamed anymore. But I had to see them for myself.

"Cut me two slices, I'll go ahead and bring it to them," I said.

He nodded. "Sure, they're probably by the cave over there. I saw them walk in that direction but knowing Lana, she probably got distracted by some seashells. She loves collecting those."

A sense of hope pushed a few of my uneasy thoughts always. A reminder that Lana loved someone else and their relationship was precious. "It's cute how you notice every single thing about her. Ambrose mentioned he was skeptical about your feelings for her but they seem really genuine."

Declan laughed. "He just said that because he wants a chance with her. I spent so much time denying my feelings for her it's refreshing to be so open about how much I care about her. She's the most important person in my life. If I don't notice the little things like her getting excited over pebbles and shells then who would?"

"Your love confession is even more nauseating than Nathan's," Meadow commented, making gagging noises.

"Don't say that." Declan's lips curled upward. "He likes to make rhythming poems for you."

"Yeah, it's cringy as fuck," Meadow countered.

Catalina rolled her eyes. "You're the definition of ungrateful."

Meadow shrugged. "Whatever."

A girl, bundled in a blanket, skewered a marshmallow and stuck it in the fire. When it caught aflame, she shrieked and pulled it out. The curly-haired boy next to her grabbed the stick from her and blew out the fire before she could do any damage waving the flaming marshmallow around. He kissed her on the cheek and shocked her from the sudden attack.

That's when I was close enough to see the two of them; Ambrose and Lana. Hesitantly, she ate the marshmallow, peeling back the charred layer as he wrapped his arms around her. Ribs squeezed stiffly, gripping the plastic plate tighter.

"Be careful, don't burn your tongue. You always forget to blow on it before you eat things," Ambrose said, perfectly in earshot from my spot.

"Ambrose, should you really be holding me like this? I don't think Davina would like this, I wouldn't like Declan's arms around another girl," Lana said, her tone surprisingly stern.

"Davina doesn't care if I hug you or not," Ambrose responded, placing a small peck on her head.

Davina doesn't care if I hug you or not.

Two months ago, I wouldn't even spare a second glance. But today, my chest ached and a strong sensation to cry grew in my eyes. I should've made someone else come to search for them. Meadow and Catalina were perfect candidates but I made the stupidest decision today.

"But as her friend, I don't feel comfortable with it." Lana pulled her frame from underneath his arms. "I don't know what's up with you. Being extra touchy with me last night while watching the movies and now? Did you get in a fight with Davina? You both have been acting weird since we've been here."

Ambrose sighed, raking his fingers through his locks. "So, I wasn't the only one who noticed. I'm pretty confused, to be honest, everything was fine a few days ago but today she hasn't spared more than five words for me. Normally, I wouldn't care but it's driving me insane."

Lana reached over for his hand. "From my conversation with her, I think she's just overthinking. Sometimes I would say things and she would be in another world in her head. I don't know what she's struggling with but as a boyfriend, you have to be there for her."

"I will don't worry." Ambrose nodded, connecting his two hands with hers.

Silence dawned over them and I figured it was my cue to drop in with the cakes. Nobody needed to know I heard their conversation, it wasn't like they dropped a huge secret or anything. Before I could step forward, Ambrose said two words that upset me more than they should've.

"Kiss me," he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

Lana didn't move an inch.

Ambrose groaned, covering his face with his hands, the burning redness on his ears coming through. My eyebrows furrowed when I heard faint snoring. He must've heard it too because he glanced in her direction with a sign of satisfaction.

"What the hell did you say?" Declan's velvety voice yelled causing Lana's body to jolt from the chair and Ambrose's face to reach another dimension of red. My heart thumped when Ambrose's golden irises met mine.

Lana wrapped the blanket tighter over her frame. "What happened? I dozed off for a second."

Declan marched over, his jaw clenched, and wrapped his arm around his wife. As if his arm marked the territory of Lana being his and no one could take her away. "Did you just ask her to kiss you? Your girlfriend was standing right there the whole time."

Thank you for blowing up my spot, Declan.

Ambrose's gaze softened when our eyes connected but I wasn't sure why they had. We didn't owe one another any loyalty besides going along with the relationship. But if he could've gotten Lana before our six-month contract deadline, shouldn't I be happy?

"I was practicing what I wanted to say to Davina since Lana was sleeping," Ambrose lied, but he had this tell when he flicked his nose several times.

Declan raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Mmm."

Lana tapped his chest. "He's telling the truth, let's just go sing happy birthday."

"We already sang it for her while you guys enjoyed this fire over here, but I came over here because I think Lana has something to tell me," Declan stated, his penetrating gaze blazing into hers.

Lana laughed nervously. "Um... Um...Um.."

"You said Um three times," Declan deadpanned.

She nodded. "Um... Oops sorry. I-I think I'm pregnant."

His mouth parted. "Are you sure? Have you taken a test or seen the doctor?"

Lana shook her head. "No, but your mother said..."

Declan began walking, engulfing her small hand in his huge ones. "Let's go."

Lana followed with a confused look on her face. "Wait, where are we going?"

Soon enough the married couple had disappeared from our eye view and we were the only ones standing by the warm fire. My nerves went haywire being within a radius of this guy and it's completely driving me insane. Just breathe through the nose and act like everything's fine and dandy.

"I brought you guys cake... but I think there might be some sand in it," I nervously snickered, walking closer to him and trying to ignore the way my heart bounced around my ribcage.

His lips teased a smile. "Thanks, D. I spent all morning baking this for you so hopefully it's up to your level."

My heart swelled with bliss. "The frosting is a bit grainy but besides that, it's pretty good. I'm just not really hungry."

Ambrose stabbed his fork into the strawberry and leaned over to feed it to me. "Does my honey want me to feed her?" His voice altered into a higher pitch as if he was talking to a baby.

Like an agitated baby, I refused the sweet gesture. "I got the cake so you can eat."

He shrugged and crammed the fork in his mouth. "Didn't know you care so much about my wellbeing."

My eyes drifted over to midnight blue sea as I took Lana's spot in the comfy chair. I snatched a rock by my foot, rubbing the rugged red color stone, and debated over throwing it. If the rock landed in the water that meant these feelings weren't real. The crush I thought I have would be a misstep.

But if it fell in the sand then it would be true.

I cared about Ambrose more than a friend?

I craned my hand back, took a deep breath, and aimed my shot.

"What are you doing?" Ambrose asked, breaking my concentration and causing the rock to fall only inches away from me in the sand.

Goddammit!

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything in particular."

A concerned expression passed over his handsome face. "Is everything alright? You know you can talk to me about anything. I sense an awkward aura around you."

My cheeks flushed pink. "Don't talk about me like you know me! What do you know about me?"

Ambrose's head tilted upward, a smile surfacing on his lips before taking another bite of the cake. "I do know some things about you. It's only been a few months, but you and I are together almost every day, I'm bound to learn things over time."

My entire body was going on embarrassment overloading so I ferociously nudged his shoulder and caused the fork to slip from his grip. "Don't do that!"

His eyes bulged from their sockets. "Don't do what?!"

"Shut up."

"That's not fair..." He muttered, dipping his finger into the creamy frosting. "Something is on your mind. Can't you be honest with yourself?"

"Don't act like your my friend. You and I are a fake couple, remember? I mean, you probably dislike me, don't you?"

Confusion lingered on his face. "Now where's all this coming from?" He scratched his head, a deep crease permanent between his eyebrows. "Well, I guess I'd have to say yes. Though it's not as much as when we first met..."

Hope expelled as helium did in a balloon. My gaze sank to my lap, and I subconsciously gnawed at my lips. Lana's statement from earlier made no sense if he had said any of those things then it had to be a lie. Because in reality, he hated me.

"Then how about you?" His eyebrow perked up. "Do you still hate me?"

"Of course, I still hate you!" I snarled. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I freaking hate you. I absolutely loathe you!"

Ambrose cleared his throat. "Is that right? Well, I can't say that doesn't depress me a little."

One question consumed my thoughts. If I had a certain shift in feelings was it possible for Ambrose to switch his affections onto me? Could we even work as a couple? We valued different things, we never agreed on anything, our conversation ended up with us fighting.

Could two people like us become a couple?

"Hey...If we..." I held my breath trying to ignore the ping-pong in my chest. "If we dated for real, do you think it would've worked out?"

Ambrose choked on the cake and spat out the piece he failed to swallow. "What's up with you all of the sudden, huh? That was out of character."

"Nevermind. Just answer the question," I whispered, wishing I could freeze my flaming cheeks.

Here's the funny thing about hope. It's like a dream in a sense. It's one of the only emotions that kept people going when things are challenging. An emotion we fixated so much on, put all our everything into this little thing to either watch it take place or split away.

"Are you kidding?" Ambrose scoffed. "Of course, there's no way it'd work out!"

I guess hope wasn't all it cracked up to be.

Hope was for suckers.

"To sum it up, you're just not my type, okay? You're ungrateful, rude, annoying, and bratty. There's hardly a sweet bone in your body unless you're benefiting from it. We'd probably fight all the time like we do now! For starters, maybe if you had some of Lana's traits then it could maybe work. I'm telling y-."

My chest was overtaken by a tsunami wave full of pain. I didn't expect it to hurt this much but hearing all things he hated about me just shattered me. So wave was let out. "Oh just shut up, will you? I get it! So just shut your fucking mouth!"

I didn't want to share I cared.

But my outburst just proved I valued his opinion more than I thought. Ambrose was a category five hurricane and my tantrum was the aftermath; the tsunami. I hadn't wanted to unleash water on the people but my emotions got the better of me.

"Sorry," I whispered before running off with tears threatening to escape.

"Wait, D!" I ignored his calling and dashed to a secured area.

Where the burning pain in my chest could come out without anyone looking.

Let's take a moment to appreciate how horrible Ambrose was in this chapter lol... Poor Davina tho :(! Feelings can get really confusing!

Hope you guys loved this long chapter also sorry for making it super long... got inspired lol.

Love you guys