Book 18: Everything Is a Mess

Zayn

Jason, barefoot with his cotton trousers rolled up past his ankles and the top buttons of his shirt undone, moves into the shade of a large palm tree and sinks onto the grass where Tali and I are already situated. He passes a bottle of beer to me and then hands one to Tali.

Undone is a good way to describe Jason right now–in more ways than one.

Tali’s golden eyes hold mine for a few seconds before he leans forward and nudges Jason on the knee. Jason, unaccustomed to not only being touched, but conversing openly in general, flinches away. He casts Tali an apologetic glance and drinks deeply from his beer.

Meanwhile, I’m watching the scene on the beach just outside my house–my castle.

Fallon stands beside Cathy, the two of them deep in conversation, while the three boys–Andy, Grac