“This isn’t good?”
“I don’t know… but I… I want to have fun. Can we do that?”
“Of course.” That’s the one place where I excel.
That’s what she wants from me.
What everyone wants from me.
Despite the drugs, Daisy is too motion sick to read. We spend the rest of the ride sharing my headphones, listening to my mom’s favorite The Cure album.
Daisy rests her head on my shoulder, closes her eyes, taps her fingers along with the music.
She’s there. Free. Relaxed. Happy.
Usually, I try to set people at ease with… alternate means. It works, more or less.
This is different.
Like she can see some part of me no one else can.
Thankfully, Oliver doesn’t think anything of us sharing music. He says nothing as we dock.
The beach is beautiful. A stretch of beige sand, nestled between high cliffs. Clear blue water. A cave roof stretching over half the water.
A dozen people on the sand. Another dozen in the water.
It’s as picturesque as it gets, right down to the lemon sun and the bright sky.
Daisy rouses. Turns her attention to the beach.
Even though she’s wearing her sunglasses, I can tell her eyes are going wide.
Fuck, the curve to her smile. The heave of her chest. The tug of her nails.
“Oh my God.” She stands, which tugs at the headphones.
They fall out of her ear. She mouths sorry. Turns back to the beach. Takes in all its glory.
It is glorious. Clear water disappears into a cave roof. Sun falls through a hole in the roof, turns a circle of ocean into sparkling turquoise.
There’s a sand bank past that, though it’s out of sight at the moment.
Daisy turns to her brother. “Thank you.”
He stands. Pulls her into a tight hug. Whispers something in her ear.
She looks to me with a smile. “Thank you, Holden.” Her attention turns to her brother. “Swim to the bank. With us. At least for a while. Then you can hang out on the boat.” She slides off her sunglasses. Places them on the dock.
Oliver’s face scrunches in distaste.
But he nods okay, fine. Motions to his waterproof backpack.
She nods good thinking, moves some of her stuff into his bag.
Luna does the same. Then she does away with her sundress, slips out of her sandals, moves to the edge of the boat. “You coming?” She looks back to Daisy and raises a brow.
Daisy nods hell yes.
I try not to stare as she takes off her cover-up.
I fail completely.
Fuck, she’s beautiful. And she’s wearing that same pastel pink bikini.
It’s perfect against her pale skin.
It’s—
Fuck, I need to stop this line of thinking or I’m going to fuck her right here.
I force my gaze to the ocean.
Daisy takes her best friend’s hand and jumps off the boat.
They shriek as they hit the water.
The sailor says something about how the boat will return in two hours.
Oliver looks to me what the fuck am I doing? He shakes his head. “Might as well get this over with.”
“Is it that bad?”
He looks at the ocean like it did him wrong. Then he shrugs here goes nothing and jumps in.
I dive into the water. Take in the comfort of the warm, salty ocean.
Then I surface and try to keep my eyes off Daisy.
She and Luna swim around like they’re part mermaid.
Oliver heads straight for shore. Despite his hatred of the beach, he’s a strong swimmer. Even with the backpack, he’s fast. And fuck knows that backpack must be heavy. There’s at least a gallon of water in there.
He surprises me. He finds a spot on the sand, drops his backpack, returns to the water.
Goes straight to his sister.
She shrieks as he splashes her. Then she splashes him back.
They’re so close. Like best friends.
They’ve been through a lot of shit together and they’re still standing. Helping each other stand.
And here I am, threatening to fuck that up.
But I won’t.
Whatever happens, I won’t fuck that up.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Holden
“This is perfect.” Daisy looks up from her spot in the middle of the cave. She takes in the wide hole letting in the sun, the brilliant sky, the greenery covering the rock. “How did it get so round?”
“Supposedly, it was from some kind of artillery,” I say. “A cannon or something.”
“Damn.” Her eyes stay fixed to the opening. “That should be horrible. But it’s so pretty.” She swims into a ray of sunlight.
Fuck, she looks like an angel.
Light covers her in a warm glow. It bounces off her pale skin, her wet hair, her pink bikini top.
The purple bruise on her neck.
She catches me staring. Fights a blush. “I should have warned you.”
“Yeah?”
“I bruise easily. But… uh…” She looks around the cave. There are other people here. A young couple on our right. A family on our left. But no sign of Oliver or Luna.
They’re on the beach. Out of view.
More or less.
Daisy turns to me. She moves closer. Closer.