She turns and looks at me. “You were a godsend. I’ll never forget what you said to me.”
“What did I say?” I ask, not remembering anything that came from my mouth.
“Only piece-of-shit men make pretty women cry. And then you asked me if I had an OnlyFans.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that now. You were so shocked I’d asked. But I wanted you to smile.”
“It worked.”
It grows quiet for a few seconds, and we listen to each other breathe.
“That night, I knew there was something between us, something I couldn’t name. I thought about that conversation for weeks. Was pissed that you had given me a fake last name, but now I understand why.”
“Yeah, well, imagine how surprised I was to see you standing in Zane and Autumn’s house. You lied and said you were a tourist.”
“Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t want to see you again.”
“Meanwhile, I was dreaming about your face, but?—”
“I wasn’t ready,” we say at the same time.
“That’s why I didn’t text you back,” I confess. “Because I knew if I did, I’d come back for you.”
“And yet here you are,” she whispers.
“We’re unavoidable,” I say, tucking hair behind her ear and sliding a kiss across her lips.
She releases a satisfied sigh. “That’s how it feels.”
I look up, noticing it’s finally dark and more stars are out.
“Come on,” I say, standing. “Ready to do this?”
“What?” she asks.
I peel off my shirt. “Stargazing while skinny-dipping.”
“Right now?” she asks.
“Next thing on that list, babe.” I kick off my shoes and unbutton my jeans.
“It’s September.”
“And? You didn’t specify a season. Plus, the water’s warm from the hot spring. No excuses. We have limited days to complete that list.”
It’s a reminder that the clock is ticking.
She tosses off her jacket and removes her shirt. Next, she’s unzipping her jeans and shimmying out of her sexy lingerie until she’s naked.
I watch, mesmerized, as she takes off running toward the water.
“You coming?” she asks.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” I say, moving our phones and my wallet away from everything, then undressing before following her in.
The water is perfect, warm, and silky. Julie dives in, then comes up with her hair slicked back. She treads water like a mermaid.
“Shit, I’m dating Ariel.”
