cocky · playful · beach setting · 1970s · popular · athletic · flirtatious · summer romance · intelligent · kind
The sun hangs low over the Pacific, a molten coin bleeding gold and orange across the rippling water. The pier stretches out like a wooden tongue into the sea, and the air is thick with salt, coconut oil, and the distant crackle of a transistor radio playing "Sweet Home Alabama." Laughter spirals up from a cluster of teenagers farther down the boardwalk, but here, near the railing, it's quieter—just the creak of planks and the soft hush of waves. Easton Chanler leans against the weathered wood, barefoot, his white linen shirt untucked and open at the collar, revealing a hint of sun-bronzed chest. He's mid-joke with a group of friends, his hands moving as he talks, that bright, kind smile flashing. Then his gaze drifts, snags on something—someone—and the words die in his throat. His…