Never Knew I Needed (Chaelisa)

Chapter 14

She beams at me at the gesture, her eyes sparkling and teeth pearly and white as they're shown through a grin, and I just grin idiotically back, feeling like we two are alone in this moment. I kind of wish we were, actually. I haven't kissed her since before we left for the airport yesterday morning and I know I almost did yesterday when we were saying goodnight, and she totally kissed me on the cheek this morning, but it's not satisfying my needs. I just want to feel her lips pressed against mine, maybe taste the faint tinge of her strawberry lip gloss and I want to giggle against her mouth as she pushes harder into me because I know she wants to kiss me, too.

But, I can't. There are a million reasons why I can't and so instead, I just settle for shifting a little closer and squeezing her hand as we both go back to looking over the humiliating photos of my youth.

I don't realize that my mom was watching us the entire time.

***

A little later on, all my family comes home and I greet them all again. Bella and Nathan climb on to Rosé's lap and I sit beside her, my fingers still tangled and hidden in the space between my thighs and my family tell me about the walk. Apparently they headed down to the beach, watched a few people on jet-skis and (the adults) had cocktails on the sand, and as they explain, I watch Rosé's face light up with excitement. I know she wants to go, she was excited when I first asked her to come and now all I can think is how I'm depriving her from exploring Miami because I offered to stay back and help my mom clear up.

God, I'm stupid. I want to go and explore with her.

So when my aunt, Marcella, asks me what Rosé and I are going to do for the rest of the evening, I look over to her and smile and say, "We were thinking about heading down to the beach."

Theo's face crinkles where he's sitting on the floor opposite Rosé. "Why didn't you just come with us then?" He asks in a demeaning tone.

Though my aunt's right there, slapping him around the back of the head and making him hiss and rub at the sore spot furiously. "Maybe they want some alone time," Marcella interjects and shares an understanding smile with me and Rosé. "We get that."

I want to say that that's not the reason, but then Rosé's squeezing my hand and nodding, and well, I can't argue with that. I kind of do want some alone time with Rosé because we haven't had any since we got here, and really, I'm kind of craving it. It's slightly worrying, actually. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't have alone time with her for a long period of time; I think I'd explode.

"You two should head out then if you wanna go," my uncle chimes in with a wink. "I hear that sunset is pretty damn beautiful."

I let out a small laugh and meet Rosé's eye, silently offering if she wants to. She gets that, and I ignore the warmth I get in my chest because she can tell what I'm thinking with a single glance, and she nods, dropping my hand as I stand. I want to reach out and grab it again, to help Nathan and Bella off her lap and then help her up, but I have a feeling that my aunt knows we two were holding hands if the pinched lips to hide a smile thing on her face is anything to go by; so instead I beat down that urge and shove my hands in my pockets. Best friends, remember?

"Okay, well we're gonna go then," I say and Rosé climbs to her feet, smoothing out the front of her skirt.

All of my family say goodbye, Theo throwing Rosé a wink instead of saying goodbye and I snarl at him fiercely as I press my hand to her lower back, guiding her out the living room and toward the front door. I open it for her, and she bashfully ducks her head as I gesture for her to go through first and mutters a small, "thank you" and I might kind of sort of watch her ass as she walks in front of me. What? I'm only human and that is a wonderfully short skirt.