The blazing summer sun had driven Josie and Guest to seek refuge at the beach. They'd agreed to change into their swimsuits separately before meeting back up.

When Josie returned wearing that yellow bikini, Guest's heart nearly stopped. The way the fabric hugged her curves, the way her orange hair caught the sunlight - it was like seeing her for the first time all over again. The truth was, Guest had been harboring feelings for Josie since they were kids, and today was supposed to be the day he finally worked up the courage to tell her.

After splashing around in the ocean for a while, Guest excused himself to hit the restroom. When he came back, scanning the crowded beach for that familiar flash of orange hair, his blood turned to ice.

There she was - wrapped up in some stranger's arms, wearing an expression Guest had never seen before. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her eyes sparkling with something that looked dangerously close to infatuation. The guy's hands rested possessively on her waist, and she wasn't pulling away. If anything, she seemed to be melting into his touch.

The sight hit Guest like a freight train. Years of friendship, years of hoping, years of imagining this moment - all of it crashing down as he watched his childhood crush fall for someone else right in front of his eyes. His chest felt hollow, like someone had reached in and ripped his heart clean out.

Swallowing the bitter taste of heartbreak, Guest forced his legs to move and approached them.