Either way, the note seems wistful, which gives me hope that she’s not riddled with regret.
After breakfast, I slip into some swim trunks and make my way down to the beach. The sand is warm on my feet, but not hot enough to burn. It’s funny how when your circumstances are a little dramatic, you can forget that you are in paradise. Costa Rica is a far cry from Denver, Colorado; especially in January. The idea of going back to coats and gloves and layers of ice on the windshield every morning sounds awful. So I try not to think about that right now, and when I see Harper on the beach, it’s easy to forget anything bad.
She is wearing the green bathing suit again, and it is stunning on her. Its emerald hue, high-cut, but still cheeky, showing off her perfect ass. Her skin is sun-kissed, and her long hair is wavy from the humidity in the warm, salty beach air. The green suit compliments her ruby hair and tanned skin. She is walking with a carefree stride up and down the water’s edge.
I stop and smile. She’s bending down, standing back up, tucking things into a little side pouch she has in her hand. She’s gathering seashells.
“Well, look at you,” I say casually as I stroll up to her. “Are you collecting shells?” I ask her teasingly.
“I am,” she says, paying no mind to the fact that we talked about this just the other day. “They’re spiraled. Like the ones in the movies, and they’re everywhere,” she motions to all the seashells on the beach with her hand. With each receding tide, the beach is littered with hundreds of cone-shaped shells.
Harper bends down to grab a couple more, tucking them into her bag. I have to tell myself to stop checking out her ass as she does this. I don’t need to make every moment between usa horny one, no matter how much my dick protests. To distract myself, I crouch down and scavenge for a shell or two.
“What are you going to do with them?” I ask as I hand her my findings.
“I was thinking a necklace or maybe a wind chime?” She says as she brushes a wild, stray lock of burgundy hair behind her ear.
“Maybe you could make a dream catcher,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets to rearrange myself. Her pink, pouty lips turn up into a carefree smile when I suggest it. She is stunning with her rosy cheeks and emerald green eyes that sparkle when they catch the reflection off the water.
“Oh, I like that idea. A seaside themed dream catcher.”
With that, she turns and walks off, following the shoreline. As the water rushes over her feet, she splashes in it, turning in a circle to flash a perfect grin my way.
“Would it be bad,” she says, “if I admitted that I kind of love that we got stuck here?”
I smile too. “No. Not bad. I think it’s fortunate, don’t you?”
“I mean, even if my wedding was a big disappointment, at least I got to spend a few days in Costa Rica. Good food. Beautiful villa. Amazing beach all to ourselves.”
She throws her hands in the air, looks at the sky, and takes a deep breath.
“How about the company?” I ask, my hands still in my pockets as I stroll behind her, kicking shells back into the water.
“The company has been alright,” she says teasingly.
“Just alright?” I ask.
“Better than I would have expected for being stuck with my older brother’s best friend,” she says, dipping to grab another shell.
“Ouch,” I sort of laugh. But that did cut a little.
“I don’t mean it in a bad way. I’m just saying…considering the circumstances, it hasn’t been terrible,” she says. My smile must be gone because Harper’s fades too. “What?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I shake my head, looking at the horizon.
“No, there’s a tone there,” she presses.
I bite the inside of my cheek before looking at her again.
“Not terrible isn’t exactly a compliment,” I say.
Harper’s eyes narrow at me, but she’s still smiling. Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but I thought this was going somewhere. I don’t know where, but somewhere on the other side ofnot terrible.
“Ash,” she says. “You’re Jaylen’s best friend. And it’s been fun. But…you and I…that can’t happen.”
“I know that,” I say quickly. There’s a second of awkward silence between us, and all of a sudden I feel like an idiot. In desperate need to change the tone, I close the space between us, grabbing her hand.
“Let’s go for a swim,” I say, tugging her towards the water.
