A SOFT CLANK pulled me from sleep, and my eyes opened to find Weston setting a steaming mug on the nightstand. My bare body warmed at the sight of the shirtless, handsome man. Instinctively, I reached for his hand before he could walk away, causing him to freeze.
"You're awake." He sounded surprised as I pushed onto my elbows, pulling the flat sheet with me to hide my bare chest. The edge of the bed sank where he sat. "That coffee is for you, and I can make breakfast if you're hungry."
"I'll just have coffee for now, but thank you." I stopped giddy laughter from bubbling out of me because of how sweet he was.
"Alright." He smiled, leaning forward and hesitantly kissing my lips. I wanted to freshen up in the bathroom first, so I kept our kiss short by pulling away.
We stared at one another, unspeaking. Despite my inability to read minds, especially Weston's, I knew exactly what he was thinking because I was thinking about the same thing—about last night.
I recalled how he kissed and held me, how our bodies moved, the soft touch of his fingers, and how last night was the first night I didn't feel alone.
Regardless of how good it felt being with Wes, I couldn't shake the feeling that we complicated things beyond repair and that neither of us could put off the much-needed conversation about what would happen next because of the little time we had left together.
"Earth to Ivey," Weston said, squeezing my thigh.
"Sorry."
"Everything okay?"
I cocked my head to the side. "You know everything isn't okay."
He was silent for a beat, analyzing my answer. Then he took my hands, and his eyes scanned mine to ensure I was listening. "Give us today, okay? Just promise me we will enjoy the time we have left together."
I nodded.
After freshening up in the bathroom, throwing on one of Wes's tee shirts, and making his bed, we spent our morning on his patio with Masie.
I kept my promise and did not mention the fact that I was leaving or how it felt like a knife inside my heart twisted every so often to remind me the pain was still there. I fought the feeling as best I could.
I jumped from my seat. "I have such a great idea. Let's take the boat out today."
"Okay, I can pack us lunch."
Weston said he would meet me at my house, so I dashed home barefoot with my dress hanging over my arm and shoes in hand. I cleaned up again in my bathroom, put on a bathing suit and cover-up, collected my camera bag, and walked to my boat. I yanked off the cover and filled the gas tank.
While I waited for Weston, I finally looked at my phone littered with texts from Zoe asking if I was okay and to call if I needed anything, Kate wanting to know how last night went, and then a third text from Nora. My heart sank.
Do you have time to meet and talk today? I read her message over and over. Fuck. She had to be mad that I had left yesterday.
Masie barked, and I looked up as Weston rounded the corner to the backyard holding a small cooler. "Ready to go, captain?" he shouted, and I cackled.
"You did not just call me captain."
"I did because you are today."
We climbed into the boat and set sail out of our private inlet and into the open water. Instead of making a right toward the marshes like usual, I made a left and did not look back once at The Lincoln property.
We zipped past houses with docks, thick patches of trees, and small beaches. Music bellowed from Weston's speaker while salty water sprayed from the boat's sides, keeping my skin cool against the boiling sun.
He tapped my shoulder, redirecting my attention to Masie, whose tongue and ears flapping in the wind. Even though I couldn't hear him over the engine and waves, I could see him laughing.
His hands slid around my waist, and he pressed his chest against my back, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"You'll see."
The weight of my body sank against him, and I felt the anxiety dissipating from my body. Like the sparkling water, Weston's presence danced around me and filled me with joy. I thought I would be packing or crying in bed today, but this was much better.
I made a sharp left into a narrow cove, the trees hanging over us like a canopy, shielding us from the rays. This spot looked the exact same since the last time I was here back in high school.
My boat skidded against a sandbank, and I watched Wes's eyes light up. This spot was a hidden gem, with a small swimming hole created by the earth, nestled between rocks and a lush, dense forest. There was an opening in the trees where sunlight streamed through, warming the water and sand.
"Woah, I didn't know this place existed."
"The locals know," I teased. "This was the designated hang-out spot in high school, and it doesn't look like as many people come here now." Aside from our footprints and boat marks, the land appeared untouched as the vegetation slowly reclaimed its territory like it did to my parent's house.
I laid the large blanket on the sandy shore. "Will you help me put on sunscreen?"
Weston did not hesitate to kneel beside me, pulling my cover-up over my head to reveal my red bikini. He placed chaste kisses on each spot on my back before rubbing in the sunscreen.
I squirmed with laughter. "That tickles."
"Sorry, I'll stop."
"No, I like it." I looked over my shoulder and caught his gaze.
Seeing him act sweet felt strange like I was being shown an alternate version of him I never thought I would see. He wasn't as callous and distant as when we first met, yet I wondered what other sides of him I hadn't seen—like the ones Zoe knew.
The sand squished beneath my toes as I dashed for the water, which started warm and grew colder the further out I swam.
Weston and Masie watched me from the shore. She lay in the shallow water, her fur sopping wet.
"How is it?"
"Come in and see."
He took a couple steps further in the water, then went under. I swam to meet him, my legs kicking as he surfaced with water dripping from his dark hair and beading along his brow line.
"Can't you stand here?" Humor laced his voice, and I rolled my eyes. He clearly saw my legs working hard to keep me afloat.
"Obviously not."
"That's unfortunate."
"Actually, I'm lucky because the crabs won't pinch my toes."
He glanced at the ground, his face faltering. "There are crabs?"
I held back amusement. "Yes, there are crabs. Why?" I teased. "Are you scared?"
"Of getting pinched by a crab? Yes."
I chuckled, my muscles burning. "Good thing I don't have that problem."
He splashed water in my face, and I splashed him back. Laughing at our childlike behavior, he closed the gap between us, sliding his arms around my waist. The mood between us instantly shifted. Goosebumps scattered across my body like a rash when his thumbs grazed the spot below my breast.
"Here," he said, pressing his hands flat against my back. "Float, I'll hold you."
"How do I know you won't drown me?"
He snorted. "You don't. That's the fun part."
My body drifted up until I lay horizontal on the water's surface, weightless—Weston's touch preventing me from floating away. The trees swayed above us, casting circles of light that glistened across the water.
"How'd you know where to find me last night?"
Wes's gaze fixated on me. "Zoe pointed me in the direction."
A small sound of understanding leaves me. I needed to thank Zoe for everything she had done. I underestimated how kind of a person she was, considering who she was related to. I let my jealousy get the best of me before.
"Have you guys, you know... been able to talk?"
"We spoke after I found out she was here."
"Good, good." My words trailed, still feeling slightly guilty for not telling him about Zoe sooner.
"You know—" He spun around slowly, focusing on something in the distance. "Everything that happened with Zoe the night we...." He didn't finish, yet I knew what he was referring to. "We were both at a shallow point in our lives and made a drunken mistake that almost cost our friendship. But we got past it and can laugh about it now. She is one of the kindest people I know, and honestly, after moving here, I'm surprised she turned out as good as she did."
"Me too."
"Which brings me to ask, why do you care so much what Nora thinks of you? Or what any of these people think of you?"
His question made my stomach twist. "I—I don't know."
"I feel like do you."
I searched my brain for the answer Weston seemed to see, but I didn't.
"I failed them."
"Failed who? When?"
"Everyone here when my parents died."
He sat me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he cradled me. "You did not fail anyone, Ivey. I hope last night gave you some closure, but I also hope you stop giving pieces of yourself to these fucking people because there will be nothing left for you."
Tears stung my eyes—an impending threat they were going to spill. I didn't look away.
"You don't owe anyone anything except yourself," he repeated.
"Neither do you."
He frantically scanned my face before resting his forehead against mine in defeat. I closed my eyes, and tears trickled down my already wet cheeks. "I don't want to leave you behind," I whispered.
"You aren't, sunshine. You're moving forward."
I fought the selfish urge to ask him to come with me and get out of Clifton and away from these people. We promised not to talk about what was to happen between us, but it was growing more and more difficult.
Nevertheless, I didn't ask.
He lifted his forehead from mine and caught my lips.
Keeping my arms around his neck and our mouths together, he hoisted me up, holding the back of my thighs until my legs enclosed his hips and sank into the hardness of his body.
We kissed each other hurt away, our mouths moving and hands raking over each other's sleek skin. But then, it happened again, that twinge of pain deep inside me, ripping me from the moment. I fought the ache by touching Weston to remind myself he was still with me.
We were still here.
"Fuck, Ivey," he hisses.
I had not realized he had begun walking until he laid my dripping body on the beach blanket and climbed on top.
For a brief moment, we took in the sight of each other.
I thought back to the strange man in the blue house who did not smile or laugh, was curt with me and others, had a bad reputation around town, and wouldn't divulge a single thing about himself.
Then I looked at the man before me who boated to my house one of the first nights and helped mend my foot, who fixed my dock before the sun had risen, who was there for me through my prolonged, complex grieving process.
I realized the version of Weston I knew now had been here all along, clouded by the judgment I had from others. If I had realized sooner, we might have had more time. I almost thought about the life we could have had if Clifton was right for us, but I didn't let my mind go there.
He tugged on the ties of my suit, looking into my eyes as the wet top toppled from my chest and onto the towel. His mouth dipped down, catching my bottom lip; the heat of his skin was blazing compared to the cool breeze blowing past my damp, nearly bare body.
Weston tasted like sunscreen and salt, and I savored the flavor, feeling happily drunk on him.
His mouth caught my nipple, and I raked my fingers through his wet, curly hair as he made his way down my torso, settling between my legs, his mouth warming my core. Oh, God. I bit the back of my hand to fight any sound from escaping me, aware that we were practically in the middle of the woods.
When I opened my eyes, I caught his dark, hungry eyes looking at me from between my thighs, and it only made my head fall back in pleasure once more.
At some point, he returns to my mouth.
"I didn't bring any condoms," he said.
"Neither did I."
"We don't have to..." my voice trails off when he reaches for me.
"Let me," he breathes against my mouth. "I want to touch you."
And I let him.
He held me against his body while I grasped his forearm, coming apart and writhing under his touch. His name rang like a prayer on my lips, and I could not care less that I sounded needy because if Weston asked me to get down on my knees and beg, I would. As the pressure builds in my core, he kisses me, capturing every sound of mine with his mouth.
After I caught my breath, I reached for him with a racing heart, but he stopped my hand.
"Later."
"You don't want me to touch you?"
A deep rumble escapes him. "I do trust me, and I just want to prolong this. If we promise each other later, that gives me something to hold onto." He kisses my forehead just as my heart splits in half.
We spent the rest of the afternoon eating the lunch we had packed, swimming, and lying under the scorching sun. At some point, I took my camera out and snapped photos of him when he was "resting his eyes" (or what most people called sleeping) and some when he wasn't looking.
Except, when he noticed the shutter sound, he sprinted toward me, laughter ebbing out of us in waves. Running from him, I clicked the button, capturing images of his beautiful, upturned mouth—realizing those would probably be my only memory of his smile.
He grabbed the camera from my hands and took photos of me.
"Send those to me, please."
"I look like a wet dog, but okay."
"You do not," he laughed.
As I scrolled through the pictures we took, my smile faltered. "We don't have any together." So, we positioned my camera on a makeshift stand, set a timer, and took several pictures. Some of us holding each other, some laughing, and some with Masie.
When the air cooled and the sun shifted from a brilliant yellow to golden orange, we hopped on the boat to head home. This time I let him drive while I sat with Masie and closed my eyes, soaking in the last bit of today's light. My hand hung over the boat's edge, my fingers dragging in the wake.
I spotted a car parked in my driveway as we approached my dock. Somewhere amidst the wind, I heard Weston ask who it was, yet I was too focused on the urge to check my phone.
Missed calls and texts from Zoe littered the screen, which read—I think my mom is on her way to your house! I don't know why. I tried asking, but she told me to stay out of this.
I wanted to give you a heads-up. She doesn't seem happy.
Okay, I'm coming too.
Standing on my dock was Nora.
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
sorry for the very sporadic updates, I officially graduated uni and am studying for my board exam :)
INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: annasteffeyy
vote • comment • follow
Thanks for reading ♡
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛