Mia slides her legs underneath her with her feet to the side as she braces herself with her palm pressed to the blanket. I find myself watching her—wondering what she’s thinking. I wish I was better at small talk. I’m not exactly a people person and by the time this is done, she’ll probably realize that and avoid me like the plague.
My legs draw up with my forearms draped over my knees. “So, Mia. What do you like to do for fun?”
“Fun?” She taps a finger to her mouth and thinks hard, as if I’m asking what her favorite sex position is. She seems like someone who has a handful of girlfriends that she hangs with every weekend. “Gosh, I don’t even know. It’s been so long since I’ve done anything I’d call fun. I like to draw.” Her eyes stare out at the water, taking in the mesmerizing view.
“Really? What do you like to draw?” The sun has set further, blanketing the waves in a soft pink glow. I wonder if she’s drawing it in her mind as we speak.
“Pretty much anything. I lived abroad for a couple years and got into portrait painting.”
No idea what that means. She must have read the expression on my face. “People. Namely, nude people. I’d sit in the art studio for hours painting these strangers. Discovering the parts of their bodies that make them unique. Every blemish, scar, and bend. Then I’d go home and dress them in whatever I wanted them to wear.”
“That’s awesome. So, you like to draw clothes, too?”
She nods. “Mmhmm. Through portrait painting, I discovered my passion for fashion design.” She looks over at me with soft, observant eyes. “I’ve never told anyone about that passion before.”
Something pricks at my chest. As I look back at her, I see more than a one-night stand. I see a beautiful girl with depth. Even if she regrets telling me her secret, for a brief moment she felt comfortable enough to do so.
Mia snaps out of our cemented gaze and leans forward, scooping some sand into her hand. “What about you? Do you ever do anything fun?” she asks, dropping one handful of sand into the other, back and forth.
“Don’t laugh.” I grin. She drops the sand in her hands, brushes them off, then turns her whole body to face me, giving me her full attention. Now, I’m regretting even saying anything. I hesitate, but something about this girl is comforting. “I like stone skipping.”
Her lips press together in a thin line as she bites back a smile. “Stone skipping? What is that?”
I chuckle at her ignorance. “Exactly like it sounds. You skip a stone over water. When my…” My words trail off when I realize what I was about to say. I was about to tell her when Taylor died, I’d go out to the pond behind our home and skip stones for hours. “I just find it relaxing is all.” I look back at the water, glistening in the lights coming from the pier, and change the subject. “The show should be starting soon.” I straighten my legs out in front of me and lean back, pressing my palms behind me on the towel.
For a brief moment, I felt like I was talking to a friend—but, she isn’t a friend. She’s a co-worker, a one-night stand that never should have happened.
“Oh, look.” Mia beams, pointing at the sky as it lights up. “It’s starting.”
Sparks of fire paint the sky. I’ve watched fireworks every year since I was a kid, countless times a year, but something is different this time. It feels like a fresh start and being here with Mia feels strangely, right. Even if I did make a promise to myself two days ago that I’d stay away from her.
Mia leans back with her legs still folded to the side, her fingers brush mine gently and heat radiates through from her touch. When my eyes slide to the left, meeting the skin of her cleavage, that warmth shoots straight to my cock. My gaze slides up and she’s looking back at me—lustful, wondrous eyes swallowing me up. Her teeth graze her bottom lip and I’m toast. My cock hardens instantly and if she were to look down, she’d see a show happening in my shorts.
She smirks before turning back to watch the fireworks.
I want to grab her face and pull her into me so I can devour her mouth. Then I want to run through the beach holding her hand until we're back in the hotel, just so I can lay her on my bed and spread her legs and feast on her pussy. Memories of our night together circulate through my mind.
All I can think about is what I remember seeing under that dress. Her perky tits pressed against my chest. The pink bud of her nipple and how it rolled relentlessly between my fingers.
I need to get away from this girl before I ruin her. I’ll fuck her night and day, but it will never go anywhere. We will never be anything more than what we are right now as we sit on this beach—strangers who met before.
We sit there with a silence blanketing us. It’s loud as hell, but quiet at the same time. There’s laughter, chatter, and the bang of the fireworks, but all I can focus on is the girl sitting next to me. She hasn’t moved her hand. One finger drapes overtop of mine and I don’t pull back or adjust because I like the way her touch feels—right, but wrong at the same time.
Everything is still—silent. I want to curl my index finger around hers, just to lock them in place. Even as the fireworks stop and people start gathering up their chairs and blankets, we just sit there. I look over at Mia, wishing I could read her mind. Wondering what this feeling is and why I’m acting like a teenage boy with his first boner.
She’s looking back at me. A smile perched on her lips. In a swift motion, she pulls back. “We should try and get ahead of the crowd.”
I give her a nod and push myself up. Once she stands, she sweeps herself off and I grab the blanket, shaking it before folding it into a square to carry.
With the blanket tucked under my arm, we walk side-by-side through the crowd. People are everywhere. Bumping into us, shoving and pushing. I’m worried I’ll lose her in the mix, so I grab her hand without even seeking approval. Her eyes skate down to my touch as I glance from the corner of my eye. She holds on tightly as if she’s thinking the same thing.
We're just trying to get through this maze. Don't overthink it.
There's a group of teenagers setting off bottle rockets as we come up on the street. Lights flash from a police car down the road and they all laugh and take off running in the opposite direction. Oh, to be young again.
"Come on," I say, picking up my pace and pulling her along for the ride.
Mia chuckles, tugging my hand back and trying to slow us down. "Wait." She laughs even louder. It grows with intensity until she's full-blown belly laughing. I stop and look at her as she crouches over and slides her shoe off. "My shoe broke." She holds it up and tears stream down her face from the fit of hysterics.
"Oh, shit. It did." I take it from her, examining the leather sandal. The strap came undone and there's no way it will stay on her foot. I check out the size with a grin. "Well, I'd offer you one of mine, but I've got at least eight inches on you." I stuff her sandal in the back pocket of my shorts. "We've got no choice." I step in front of her, giving her my back. "Hop on."
Another rumble of laughter climbs up her throat. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. We can't risk it. You'll step on something, cut your foot, and we’ll have to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot. Come on. I won't drop you."