I turn back toward Penny, apology already on my tongue, but she says, “I didn’t expect you to agree to pictures with them.”
That catches me off guard. I frown at her. “Why not?”
With a shrug, she sits back down on the blanket and I sit beside her once more. She pops another strawberry in her mouth, full lips glistening at the burst of juice. “I don’t know. I just thought you might be the type to say no to that kind of thing.”
“You thought I was a dick.”
“I mean…” She trails off with a devilish smirk and I throw a grape at her. It bounces off her forehead and she gapes me at, causing me to chuckle and shake my head.
“Fans like them are what gave me the career I had and the life I have. If I have a chance to take pictures without it causing a huge scene, I’m never going to say no to that.”
Her face softens. “That’s sweet of you. Not everyone does.”
There’s definitely been times where I’ve dodged photos in public or wished that I could enjoy a night out in peace back during the height of our career. But as a band, we always tried to make sure we gave back what we could to the people who supported us and our music. And if that means taking a few pictures, we do it.
Except Nikolai and Hayden have backed off of it in recent years after everything they went through, but that’s understandable.
“Does that bother you?” I ask her. “That I get recognized, and that I’ll take pictures with people if they ask.”
“Why would that bother me?”
“I guess I’m wondering if that’s something you’re goingto be okay with when you’re out with me. So far, you haven’t really experienced the full scale of what it can get to, and when we go out, there’s always the chance things like that will happen.” It’s my reality, but it doesn’t have to be hers.
Although the relief I feel when she says, “No, that doesn’t bother me. I respect you for it, actually,” shows just how much her answer mattered to me.
“Good.” We sit in silence for a while as the sun begins to fall. A few bikers ride along the path but we’re not interrupted again.
She pushes her sunglasses up onto her head. “I love the beach,” she muses, a dreamy look on her face as she stares out at the ocean.
“As you’ve said before,” I tease with a soft smile. “Believe it or not, I never really come here.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, always seemed so messy with the sand and everything. But sitting here like this”—I look toward the water—“I see why you enjoy it so much. It’s peaceful.” A feeling I don’t get to experience very often.
She hums softly and leans her head against my shoulder. The contact immediately sets me on edge, a low fire stoking in my stomach, as the smell of her bright shampoo overrides the salt in the air. I shift closer so she leans more of her weight on me.
We watch the sun set over the horizon, but I’m more interested in the view sitting next to me. The golden rays set Penny’s hair ablaze, highlighting the different shades of red and gold and orange in her long curls. Her freckles are more pronounced, especially the ones across her nose and on the apples of her cheeks.
She’s a ray of sunlight personified and utterly beautiful. It’s not like I haven’t noticed that since I’ve seen her again,but sitting here like this, freely allowing my gaze to wander over the contours of her face, it hits me how truly beautiful she is.
As if feeling my stare, she turns her head and flicks her baby blues up to mine. Her eyelids grow hooded as her chest begins to rise and fall faster. My own does too.
I cup her cheek and bring her face closer to mine. So close we share the same breath.
“I wanted to do this last week,” I whisper, my words a heated rush against her lips.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I’m trying to do things the right way.” And I knew that if I kissed her that night, in her bedroom, I wouldn’t want to stop. And this thing, whatever the hell it is with Penny, isn’t something I want to risk fucking up.
“Since when are you so concerned about doing the right thing?”
I brush my thumb across her cheek reverently. “Since they concern you.”
Her eyes dance back and forth between mine, tentative hope and trust held in them. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
“I never say things I don’t mean.” And with that, I close the remaining distance between us. Our lips brush, and it’s not an instant rush of electricity, not a zap of energy, not an untamed, wild unleashing like I’ve felt before.
