Page 112 of Sweet Heart

“Always.”

Cat rolls her eyes and places the cooler under the umbrella that Isa and Carmen have already set up before greeting them both.

“We saw you yesterday.”

“You saw me yesterday,” Carmen quips back. “But I haven’t seen Mary’s cute face for at least…”

“Forty-eight hours,” we say in unison, and then start laughing like a bunch of teenagers.

Isa’s mouth ticks up into a smirk, and she shakes her head. But her fingers find Carmen’s, and they lace together seamlessly. I feel myself smile as I watch them, and my heart fills with love. My eyes almost automatically glide over to Cat, whom I expect to be looking at them as well, but who instead has her gaze locked on me. Her lips are pulled into a soft smile, but her expression is unreadable. It makes a shiver run down my spine, and I see her pupils dilate as it does. She reaches her hand out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. My whole skin tingles and hums, and I instantly step into the space that opens up as if I am pulled to her by a magnet.

“Aww, look at all that young love, baby.”

“Absolutely adorable.”

We all look up at the taunting voices to see Riley and Celeste plowing through the sand with another cooler and two smug grins. Carmen’s face lights up again, and she greets them with the same energy with which she welcomed us only five minutes ago. Where she gets it from is beyond me, but it makes both Cat and me chuckle.

Celeste quirks her eyebrow, instantly reminding me of Cat, but Riley wraps her arms around Carmen as if she hasn’t seen her in years. Isa’s gaze narrows for a beat, and her chest flushes before she casts her eyes down. Is she… jealous? Before I can even ponder it, the two break apart, and Carmen bounces around the group.

“Good, now that we are all here, let’s go and soak up some sun.”

With that, she pulls off her shirt and kicks off her sweat shorts, revealing the iridescent bathing suit underneath. Of course, Carmen would pick something that would make you look twice. Why am I even surprised? Isa looks up again, biting her lip now, as she takes off her own clothes.

I have to suppress my chuckle until Cat starts to unbutton her shirt next to me, and a flood of heat crashes over me. Her nimble fingers work quickly, and the two sides fall apart, revealing the black bikini top underneath. The fabric hugs the swell of her breasts, pushing them up a little more than usual, while the soft cotton of her blouse frames her sides perfectly. I struggle to take in a full breath and want nothing more than to slide my hands in there to caress that golden skin.

When she looks up at me, her eyebrows pull together before she lets out an amused huff. Too late, I realize that I am gaping at her and that I am the only one still fully clothed. I quickly pull my summer dress over my head and untie my Chucks, but the blush is already spreading over my cheeks.

Cat smirks, grabs our beach bag, and pulls out two large towels. Instead of handing one to me, she takes it upon herself to lay them both out. She puts them so close that they are nearly touching, and I can’t help but feel my stomach flutter. They say that the feeling of falling in love only lasts for three months. After that, the hormones calm down, and that dopamine high starts to fade. But even after being with Cat for almost a year now, that feeling of falling for her is still rising. Still climbing. And I don’t think the peak is anywhere in sight.

She sits down to settle herself, her lean legs looking unfairly delicious stretched out like that, and pats the towel next to her. I lower myself far less gracefully than she does and lie on my back as our fingers interlace before I even have to reach for her.

“Estás aquí,” she hums, satisfied.

“Mi corazón puede sentir tu presencia. Tú estás aquí, tú estás aquí.”

Carmen belts out the lyrics as she plops down on the other side of her. Cat rolls her eyes and swats at her best friend, who lets out an offended ‘ay’ followed by full-body laughter that has us all chuckling.

Within seconds, we are all drawn into conversation and laughter while the sun climbs higher. Around noon, Carmen wonders whether it is already time for mojitos and gets swatted on the shoulder by her girlfriend.

“What? The sun is out to play, and so should we,” she objects, and Isa rolls her eyes.

“It’s barely twelve, bonita.”

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” she grumbles back.

Cat replies before Isa can.

“She is right, you know.”

My head snaps up, and I stare at her. Is she for real? Cat isn’t innocent when it comes to drinking, but Isa isn’t wrong. It’s barely the middle of the day, hardly a time to start. But she just shrugs.

“It’s warm, the water is perfect, and the company is exquisite.” Her lip tugs up in a subtle grin. “But I’d say we have some bubblies instead.”

“Bubblies?” I ask, surprised, before a wet chuckle slips out because I still fucking love how she says it.

She flashes me her teeth, pulling on my heartstrings, and pushes herself up into a half-seated position, looking out over the water.

“Yes, bubblies. After all… we are here to celebrate, aren’t we?”