She shook her head, muttering something to herself. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not, but either way, she knew the truth now.
And I felt as if it eased something between us, even slightly, although I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what.
The night fell silent, only the sound of the waves crashing into the shore. Even our friends were quiet, instead enjoying the night sky filled with stars. But all I could do was look at her.
She was all sharp lines and razor angles, the most sophisticated and effortless person I’d ever met. But I knew under that hard exterior was a softness I’d already had a taste of.
“Inés,” I managed to croak out. Her gaze refocused on my face at the sound of her name. “Please don’t make me stay out here all night.”
“Thank God you said it, I was about to break,” she said with a flash of relief, before launching herself back towards the shore. “Race you back!”
The tension broke as soon as the words left her mouth, and before I could process her reaction, Inés was feet ahead of me.
“Seriously?” I called after her, shaking my head, but a grin spread across my face. I chased after her, splashing through the waves as I chased her. The cold water stung, but I hardly noticed anymore, too focused on the sight of her silhouette against the dark sky.
As I closed the gap between us, she turned around, not even needing to stop and catch her breath.
“Took you long enough,” she teased, her eyes glinting as she shook the water from her hair.
“You’re impossible.”
Everything around us, the others, the beach, the entire world, faded into the background. It was her, swimming in the quiet night, the sharp edges I’d seen in her softening, if only for me. She looked at me, her expression less guarded now.
“Come on,” she said as we reached dry land, her voice low. “Let’s get warm.”
I nodded, and together we walked back towards the beach house, our clothes piled in our hands. The night might have been cold, but the space between us felt warmer than ever.
And maybe I was willing to accept that Henrik had been right about coming here. About her. Just this once.
14
Inés
My Body ft Your Lips—The Beaches
The sun was edging up past the horizon when I crawled out of my bed, the early light finding its way through a gap I’d left in the curtains, my head thumping with the beginnings of a hangover.
What had happened last night?
After our little dip, the group had stayed up late, sitting again by the outside fire and chatting until we called it a night.
And despite a quick shower, I could still smell the lingering salty ocean in my hair, still remember the bone-deep chill of the water. The way Chloe’s skin had glowed under the moonlight, every inch of it as she stripped next to me on the beach lingering through the wine-stained memory.
I remembered how she told me that she and Henrik had broken up. And the way I was not sad to hear that piece of news. Not even a little bit.
Maybe it was relief that I wouldn’t have to watch them be all cutesy together, hating myself for hating the way she laughed when he leaned over and whispered something in her ear. The jealousy that had threatened to eat me up from the inside out.
But after last night, the weight I usually felt when I thought about her had lessened significantly. Like I’d found a way to let go of theanger I’d been holding on to. I didn’t want to think about it anymore, the dryness of my throat pulling me out of bed, sneaking downstairs in only my thin cotton pj’s for some fresh water.
Opening the fridge, I grabbed a water, nearly emptying it completely. I wasn’t used to drinking this much, usually limiting myself to one glass of wine in order to stay fit to keep up with my schedule. But it felt good to break out a little, to really take a moment and relax for a few days.
Life had been travel, tournament, train, repeat. For years that had been fun, even enjoyable. Tennis was what I loved, and it was hard to hate any of that when you had a certain level of success. But take that success away, and add in injury and loneliness, and the system quickly becomes draining. I missed my family dearly, and the large gatherings that came with having many siblings, and the love we shared for food and wine.
I grabbed a second bottle, closing the fridge behind me, before turning to find some semblance of breakfast, raiding some of the pastries Scottie had bought.
“Hungry?” I turned around, food practically hanging out of my mouth, and found Chloe standing in the doorway. Her face was flushed pink across her nose and cheeks, stray tendrils of hair stuck to her face, the rest tied back in a ponytail, pale legs uncovered by shorts.
I chewed awkwardly, covering my mouth with a hand as she lingered, waiting for my response. “You’re up?”
