"I didn't mean to bruise your heart. I'm so sorry it drove us this far apart. Drowning in a sea full of tears. I thought we could've lasted for years, and I still do, wanna live my life with you." —Rueben Gray.

••

"Harmony."

Kite's voice comes from behind her before his palm lays against her shaking shoulder.

"He doesn't deserve you if he doesn't trust you."

She whirls to him with tears squeezing from her narrowed eyes, and the sight of her melancholy softens his gaze.

"Why did you do that, Kite?"

His forehead puckers as something resembling remorse crinkles in his amber eyes.

"I am sorry, Harmony. But I can't say I regret it. I would do it again if I had to."

She glares at him with gimlet eyes of disbelief. Is he hearing himself right now? "How can you say that? I need to find him—I have to explain."

She motions to walk away when he grasps her elbow to stop her. She angrily yanks her arm away, and he blows out a sigh.

"Don't you think you're chasing after Blaze a little too much? If he can't trust you, it makes no sense."

"What would you have done if you were in his shoes? He walked right in and caught us... doing that, and it is not fair to him. Why did you have to do that, Kite? You know I love him, and you said you understood, why would you..."

"He's going to hurt you."

"No more than I have already hurt him."

Kite slams his eyes shut for a second as if the words hit a whole new nerve within him. "Are you two even dating?"

"No, but we—it's complicated between us, okay? You wouldn't understand. Things are different between us... it's just different."

"Don't convince yourself."

She stares at him unrelentingly. "I am not convincing myself. I can't leave him even if I wanted to. I promised him, and I need to find him."

She turns away and walks off, and he forks his fingers through his hair. "Fuck-fine, but if he hurts you, I am here waiting, Harmony!"

She doesn't look back as she disappears around the corner.

••

Blaze was ten years of age when he last felt what heartbreak was; therefore, he has no clue of how to deal with the big ball of torment weighing on his chest. He contemplates returning to Homewood, but deep down, he hates the idea of leaving her here alone so Kite can have her all to himself. Although the emotions he's experiencing toward her is that of resentment and disappointment, the thought of them being alone without his supervision is enough to drive him insane.

It's a fortunate thing that Kite did not pay for his entry to the resort. He did offer, but Blaze disagreed and paid for his own ticket. Money isn't an issue for him—not when his dad ensures that his bank account is topped with cash every month. Perhaps his silent apology for turning a blind eye to his son's childhood abuse.

Not even witnessing his own mother blowing her brains out had evoked such painful emotions as seeing the only girl he has ever cared about locking lips with another guy.

And now, when he has finally begun to feel a spark within him after being dead for so many years, he is reminded of why it was better to be without feelings in the first place.

Caring about another human outside of himself sucks.

Wanting to erase the vivid imagery of Harmony's lips against Kite's, he grabs a cup of liquor off a nearby table and puts it to his head. The warm and tangy liquid travels down his throat but fails to wash away his growing bitterness.

Maybe he needs something a little stronger?

His eyes scan the deck of dancing bodies, spotting Amber's brown head of hair among the thick crowd. He pushes his way over to her, almost bumping a scrawny kid into the pool but not stopping to offer an apology.

He pulls her by her arm, and she's about to curse at whoever held her but realizes it's him and grins crookedly.

"Hi, baby."

"Dance on me." He orders.

"Gladly." She swirls her back to him and presses her rear against his groin; body to body, she grinds on him expertly. Her arms come up to wrap around his nape, and he tries to numb the ache still present in his heart.

"Wanna go upstairs after this?" She asks him above the music.

"Yeah, whatever," he answers, taking the last swig of his apple vodka.

If that'll make him stop thinking about Harmony for a while, then he's all for it.

••

Harmony anxiously looks around the dock for any sign of Blaze. She hopes he hasn't left yet. She would not be able to make it through the rest of the day without making amends with him. It hurts her deeply whenever they aren't on good terms.

The music is deafening, and with the aid of all the drama that has just happened, it sets off a painful throbbing in the middle of her head. Groping a portion of her curly strands, she slides through sweaty, moving bodies, her eyes frantically at work to locate Blaze's black cap.

Finally, she spots him in the midst of the crowd, and relief takes place in her battered heart. She begins to move over to him, but as she approaches, she realizes something that forces her strides to come to a slow halt.

He has a girl dancing against him.

Harmony feels as though her throat is closing up as her eyes prick with new tears of heartbreak.

Deciding not to stop, she propels closer to them. The need to talk to him overcoming the emotional suffering she's currently undergoing.

"Blaze." She lightly touches his arm, and he shifts his head in her direction. The muscles in his face loosen immediately, but then they tighten once again in short order.

"What is it?"

His tone is grim, and she swallows as she drifts her gaze to the girl who's currently rubbing her ass against him. In no time, she recognizes that it's the same girl who had asked him to tie her swim bra, and she fights back the urge to cry as she shifts her eyes back to him. "Can we talk?"

His brows stitch together. "I am busy, Harmony."

He turns his face away and sips from his new cup of beer, implying that he has nothing else to say and that the conversation should end there.

Amber is smiling smugly as her eyes rake over a dejected Harmony, and she doesn't stop her exotic dancing against Blaze as if he's a pole instead of a human being.

Harmony figures it's best she just walks away, but her need to gain justice just won't let her.

"Blaze—"

"He says he's busy, bitch!" Amber screams, charging into her face. Blaze rolls his eyes and extends his hand between them, pointing an angry glare to the fuming female.

"Don't you dare. Touch a hair on her head and I will murder you."

Her eyes roll skyward at the warning, and she looks away and crosses her arms against her chest, causing her breasts to perk up from her bra.

"Come," Blaze grips Harmony's wrist and pulls her away with him.