2. College

TWO

COLLEGE

Koa

“ H old up,” I call as I attempt to catch up to her.

My steps are quick, fueled by a mix of determination and curiosity. It’s been years since that summer we all hung out at the beach, years in which I have transformed a bit, but I didn’t think I was unrecognizable. She isn’t to me—she never could be. As soon as I saw her dancing, my heart, my spirit, recognized her before my eyes even did.

Nalani, the girl who left me angry and with a hurt that never really faded. Memories of sunsets and laughter, of a connection that once felt unbreakable until she ended up with Joey Buchannan.

She’s walking ahead, her pace steady, but I close the gap between us, feeling both anticipation and a hint of trepidation.

When I reach her, my voice breaks through the music that seems to have disappeared into our silence. “Nalani.”

She looks back at me, surprise flashing in her eyes. She’s beautiful, just like I remember. Her eyes carry a certain kind of light, like moonlight dancing on water. I couldn’t ever mistake her for anyone else. The curve of her smile, the one that used to make my heart race— it still does— hasn’t changed either.

For a moment, her gaze searches mine, as if she’s trying to place me. And then I see it—the confusion dawning in her eyes. She still doesn’t recognize me. The years have changed me, but that much?

Maybe. The gym will do that to you, and so will a growth spurt sophomore year, one so radical my mother took me to the doctors, concerned with growth plates and shit. My youngest sister—a Twilight movie fan and “Team Jacob”—was convinced I was turning. My oldest sister told her she was stupid, and not because of the whole turning thing, but because she hadn’t read the books or she’d be “Team Edward.” I’ll never admit it, but I read the books and then watched the movies, which is the proper order in which that should always be done.

I’m “Team Seth.” That kid had the type of unbreakable loyalty that I admire.

Nalani may not recognize me, but I recognize her. I see her younger version in every curve of her face, in the way she tilts her head when she’s trying to figure something out. I see her in the way she worries her bottom lip, a nervous habit she’s obviously carried from back then.

There’s a mix of emotions swirling inside me—old memories, the thrill of seeing her here at Hayward, and the uncertainty of what comes next.

“Nalani,” I repeat, my voice softer this time, a thread of vulnerability weaving through her name. “It’s Koa.”

Her eyes widen, and I see shock flicker across her face as she looks me over from head to toe before she manages to school her features.

Koa. My name hangs in the air between us as her gaze searches my eyes.

And then, slowly, the corner of her mouth begins to move, but instead of smiling, her lips turn down.

“Koa,” she repeats.

In that one mention, I hear recognition. It’s not just my name; it’s an acknowledgment of shared history, but she doesn’t seem to enjoy that memory as much as I do.

She steps forward and pushes against my chest. “Did he tell you to watch me?” She pushes me again. “Did he tell you to?—”

“Fuck no.” Annoyance boils inside of me that she thinks I’m here for him. I’m going to guess that, mixed with the alcohol I rarely put in my system, has me in my damn feels. “Your boyfriend is a first-class asshole. He may think he runs the island, but he doesn’t. Wailea is a small part of a much bigger picture, one he’ll never be able to see.”

She lifts her nose in the air, giving me a reminder of why I lost the girl before I even had her. I didn’t know it when I met her, but Nalani’s family has more money than I’ll ever see. I would never have known that because her grandmother lives in my town—Kihei—which is the reason I met Nalani. She came for surfing lessons from my father and bought a board, one I helped build and finish with a sweet lavender-colored paint job.

“How about you call and ask the king of Wailea why he left Baldwin,” I huff. “Spoiler alert: it’s because he lost captain of the football team to me, and it bruised his massive ego.”

“Ex-boyfriend.” She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes.

I cross mine and try my best to mirror her facial expression, but damn, do I wanna smile. “Ex-teammate.”

She looks me over skeptically and shakes her head, releasing some of the tension. “Your dad taught me to surf, which I appreciate, but you introduced me to Joey.”

“Unintentionally,” I state.

“He told me—” She stops herself.

“Let me guess, he told you I wanted you to meet him.”

She unties her sweater from her waist and nods as she pulls it over her head.

“I wanted him to meet you because I was interested.”

She stands frozen with her arms in the air, sweater blanketing her face. My body hums with energy, knowing she’s affected in a much different way now—positive, not negative.

“You stuck? Need some help?” I begin pulling it down. My cock jumps a bit when I see her nipples poking against her shirt, but I force myself to do the right thing—stop staring and keep pulling the sweater down. When her face appears, I see she’s blushing.

“Was?” she whispers the question as she looks down at her feet.

I lift her chin with my finger, getting her eyes back to mine. “That connection out there, before I even knew it was you, tells me it’s still there. And this time, it’s not one-sided.”

“I didn’t know,” she defends softly.

I pop my pecks. “Or maybe you just didn’t notice.”

Amusement is dancing in her eyes as she steps back and waves her hand up and down. “You think it’s because you look like … that ?” Then she rolls her eyes. “As if.”

“I own a mirror—I know what I look like. I know what women see and what they want. And I know you were looking at me the same way they do.”

“I was looking for a rebound before I knew it was you.”

And I’m looking for a do-over .

“Look around.” I tip my head backward, toward the crowd. “Do you think any one of those guys believes they have a chance with you now?”

She shoves me again jokingly. I don’t move.

“You’re so full of yourself.”

“Just a heads-up: eventually, you’re going to be so full of me you’ll realize immediately that, even before the growth spurt, I’ve always been the bigger man.”

She laughs out loud. “You’re going to realize even quicker that a man they call ‘The Cock’ hasn’t got a chance in?—”

“Hell no.” I laugh. “You can’t take what you already gave me. Do you know how much restraint I used to make sure I did not get hard when your sexy ass was grinding against me?”

She fires back, “I can take away consent anytime I want.” She again playfully tries to shove me. This time, I take her hand, and she doesn’t try to pull it away. “That wasn’t a call to action; that was dancing.”

“Dancing?” I shake my head.

“And an attempt to stay warm. It’s freezing here, and you’re like a furnace.”

“There’s a lot of cold nights in Vermont; you may want to rethink this.”

“I promised myself this wouldn’t be another one-bed situation for me.” She rocks back on her heels, still holding my hand. “I have to keep my options open. I’m a single college girl. I’m not planning on being wifed up. I wasted years of my life doing that.”

“Okay.” I nod, even though it’s not, but hey, I’m not about to force her hand this early in the game.

I let go of her hand and shove both of mine in my pockets. “When you get sick of the dating game and want something regular , let me know. But Nalani, once you and I’ve gone there, there’s no one else.”

She crosses her arms over the sweater that swallows her up. “The campus Cock isn’t what I’m looking for.”

“Cock is a nickname that?—”

She barks out a laugh. “I’m sure it is.”

“That,” I speak over her, “my teammate gave me.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” She continues to laugh.

“Replace the Cs with Ks and drop the last one,” I explain.

“What?” She shakes her head.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Nalani Kāne. K.O.K. are my initials. Koa Olu Kelekolio—Cock.”

“That may be so, but when I asked my friend who you were, she said The Cock. It wasn’t in a K.O.K. tone.” I start to object, but she holds up her hand. “No judgment. But I’ve sworn off football players.”

A smile creeps up my face. “Good to know.” I nod toward the crowd. “Let me walk you back over.”

She looks me over again, and I notice the slight shake of her head. She’s clearly shocked.

Good.

After making sure Nalani is back with her friends, I decide it’s time to relocate the party.

I head over to our team’s co-captain, Dash. “You ready to take this back to the house?”

“Yeah, man, of course.” He rubs his hands together. “Let’s roll.”

I lift my chin toward Nalani and her friends. “Those four need an invite. My name needs to be left out of it.”

“Little brunette?” he asks.

“She’s off limits.”