Vivian walked around the front of the Jeep, careful not to step on anything that might swallow her shoe, and wrapped her arms around Sienna’s waist. There was a smidge of mud on her cheek. She lifted one hand to brush it away. “I think this is very romantic. Especially since we’re not documenting anything for your blog. It’s just us. Together forever.”
Sienna pulled a face. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“I’m not,” Vivian said, staring into those lovely green eyes she woke up to every morning and said goodnight to every night. “Do you know why?”
Sienna shook her head; a strand of hair stuck to her cherry-flavored lip gloss. Sienna didn’t even like cherry flavor, but Vivian did. It reminded her of sticky popsicle fingers in the heat of a Florida summer, which was why Sienna insisted on wearing it. It made Vivian smile. After all they’d been through, navigating life back in the US, juggling new routines, Vivian thought herself stupidly lucky to have met Sienna eighteen months ago.
“Because you and I have survived far worse than a little mud,” Vivian said softly, leaning a little closer, holding Sienna a little tighter.
“This is more than a little mud,” Sienna said, glancing at the rear tire. “We’re stuck, babe. And I haven’t seen another car in ages. Have you?”
Sienna had a point. The road ahead looked deserted, curling off into a blur of mist and emerald forest. There wasn’t a single person or car in sight.
Vivian sighed. “Nope. I haven’t seen a single soul. Guess we’re all alone.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
“I can’t think of a better place to be alone with you.” Then Vivian chuckled at her wife’s expression, at her lovely brows scrunching tightly together, at the way she pouted, and her heart swelled even more. Which was funny, because Vivian hadn’t thought it was possible to love her more than she already did.
Even being stuck didn’t matter to her. It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d found themselves in a crisis. Usually it was Sienna’s fault, and usually it involved some sort of injury.Sienna was a one-woman natural disaster, and Vivian would be lying if she said the last year hadn’t been a crazy adventure. But it had also been the best year of her life. Something she had never expected when she climbed off that small charter plane at Sabi Sands Nature Reserve.
AfterThe Sapphic Matchhad aired, things had exploded, as expected. Fans called itThe Never Rose Showsince no one ever made it to the final rose ceremony. Clips of their secret glances, near touches, and whispered conversations had gone viral, and by the time the last episode had aired, the internet had lost its mind. There were memes, reaction videos, and hashtags. Vivian and Sienna were both celebrated and hated. Which had made the decision for Sienna to leave Instagram and go back to travel blogging relatively easy. Especially since Vivian had stepped away from her TV hosting duties for a season to chase Sienna across the world. In the span of a few months, they’d wandered through the sun-bleached streets of Corfu where Sienna had tripped over an older woman’s shopping basket and nearly flattened a fruit stand; eaten street food in Hanoi where she’d spilled an entire bowl of pho down her dress. They had watched a stunning sunset in Cinque Terre, where Vivian had popped the question. And just last week they’d exchanged vows in Paso Robles surrounded by friends and family and rolling vineyards.
Now here they were, stranded in Costa Rica, on their way to a hike they probably were never going to get to.
Sienna rested her forehead against Vivian’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I talked you into coming here. I know you wanted a relaxing honeymoon, and this is so far from relaxing it’s practically on the other side of the world.”
Vivian kissed her head. Her hair smelled sweet and citrusy from the hotel shampoo. “I don’t care where I am,” she said. “We could be in the bush for all I know.”
Sienna lifted her head. “I thought you loved the bush.”
“I do,” Vivian laughed. “Of course I do. It’s where you fell head over heels for me. Literally. You’re the first person to ever take that saying seriously.”
Sienna rolled her eyes, and Vivian laughed. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you more,” Sienna grinned. “So much, I’ll even push the Jeep while you—”
Vivian kissed her quiet. It started as a press of mouths, soft and apologetic, the way she did whenever Sienna spiraled and needed grounding. But the second Sienna sighed into it, the second her fingers curled in the front of Vivian’s shirt, something greedy unfurled in Vivian’s chest.
“Babe,” Sienna whispered against her lips. “We’re stuck in the mud.”
Vivian nipped her bottom lip. “Exactly.” She glanced around at the empty road, the curtain of trees, the mist hanging in the air like they were inside someone else’s daydream. “No tourists. No cameras. Just you, me, and a Jeep with zero chance of going anywhere.”
Sienna’s eyes narrowed with both suspicion and interest, the exact combination that always made Vivian’s pulse pick up. “Viv…”
Vivian turned, grabbed the rolled-up picnic tarp from the back seat, and shook it out with a snap. The plastic fluttered in the warm air before drifting to the ground in a neat rectangle beside the Jeep. “We can call for help later,” she said. “Right now, I have a different emergency to deal with.”
Sienna arched a brow. “Oh yeah? What kind of emergency?”
Vivian stepped into her space and nudged her gently back until Sienna’s spine met warm metal. “The kind where my wife is standing here, looking delicious and grumpy, and I haven’tkissed her properly since breakfast.” Her hands slid under Sienna’s muddy shirt, thumbs skimming bare skin, and she felt the shiver travel all the way through her. “Also, I am pretty sure your frustration levels are a danger to public safety.”
“There is no public,” Sienna breathed, though her hands were already bunching Vivian’s shirt higher.
“Exactly my point.” Vivian kissed her again, deeper this time, tasting cherry gloss and a hint of coffee she had stolen from Vivian’s mug that morning. Sienna melted almost instantly, every line of her going soft and eager. Vivian felt that familiar rush of power and affection, the heady mix that came from being the one person Sienna always leaned into.
When she broke the kiss, Sienna’s eyes were hazy and accusing. “You’re trying to distract me from the fact that we’re stranded.”
“Is it working?” Vivian murmured, fingers already sliding to the button of Sienna’s pants.
