Nolan POV
Jake’s birthday party was supposed to be a low-key affair. Just a handful of the old intramural guys crammed into his parents’ basement, fueled by cheap beer, a half-eaten sheet cake with an obscene amount of frosting, and the same tired playlist we’d been blasting since sophomore year. I was on my fourth beer, midway through a laugh at some ridiculous story Jake was telling about his ex, when my phone lit up. The name on the screen sent a jolt of ice through my veins. Juniper.
I answered before the first ring even finished, nearly sloshing my beer in the process. Standing up, the drink forgotten on the table, I earned myself a chorus of confused looks from my friends. Jake called my name, but I was already moving. Grabbing my jacket, I bolted for the door, the sharp, cold nigh
