Page 76 of Say You'll Never Let Go

They’re both terrible swimmers. From the outside looking in, it must seem as if they’re drowning, but she’s enjoying herself far too much. Barely holds in a shriek when his hand ghosts her ankle and she ducks under the water to evade him a second time, but he’s determined, and when she pops up again, assuming herself far away, she miscalculated.

“Gotcha.” The smile is clear in his voice, ghosting her ear as he grabs her from behind.

Kara admits defeat with a pleased sigh, having to hold in a snort when the fabric of his boxers brushes her ass. Of course he left them on. She should have known he would.

There was no ulterior motive with any of this, but her mistake is clear when his forearm finds the underside of her breast. He practically flies across the lake to get away from her, mumbling apologies.

“It’s okay. I’m the one who lured you in here,” she says sadly. “I’m sorry. Let’s get out and go clear that motel. We could use some food.”

They easily devise a silent plan to exit the lake one at a time while the other turns away, but truth be told, she doesn’t care if he sees her. She trusts him with her heart and soul, there’s no reason she wouldn’t trust him with her body, too, but she’s not about to make him even more uncomfortable.

She’s already fucking up. Pushing too hard in an effort to feel as free as she’s always dreamed of being and dragging him along with her.

Those cracks and wobbles in their relationship they’ve ignored up until now are only more evident with no buffers. For as long as they’ve known each other, it’s never only beenjust themand fuck if that doesn’t highlight what’s left to fix.

* * *

Clearing the motel is easy through the fence before heading to room number eight and depositing their packs on the floor, each taking up one of the twin beds.

It’s musty and dank with peeling wallpaper and a tiny square footage that has them nearly stacked on top of each other, but the sheets are soft after being shaken out, and the mattress is firm.

“Was thinking,” Wade begins, digging for food they brought along. “You wanna take the long way? Go up through lower Colorado first, then swing down?”

She rolls her head against a pillow. Nothing has ever sounded better. “Okay.”

“Yeah? You sure? ‘Cause we can still take a straight shot. It’s faster.”

She shrugs, accepting his offering of bread before sitting up straight again. “I’m not in any hurry. I’ve never been to Colorado. I’d like to see it.”

“I’m not either. In a hurry.”

He ducks his head like he said something telling, looking up at her through long bangs with that bashful half smile that always makes her feel special.

“That’ll put us through Kansas too, right?” she replies. “Endless corn fields for miles. I wish we had a camera or a way to develop the photos. You know, we should try to check off a few things while we’re out here. Like a bucket list.”

“That sounds depressing as hell.”

“I don’t mean it literally, not because I think anything bad’s going to happen, just that there could be a number of reasons why we never see these places again. We should make the most of it.”

He considers this thoughtfully, always open to anything she suggests, and that’s a quality she never takes for granted.

“Got ideas? Things you wanna do?”

“Already checked one off the list today. Skinny dipping again.”

He shakes his head, huffing in amusement. “I can’t believe we did that.”

“Me either.” She smiles. “Thought for sure you’d leave me hanging in there.”

“Not a chance. I can’t swim for shit, but if you’re going I’m going.”

If that isn’t a description of their whole relationship, she doesn’t know what is.If you’re going, I’m going,may as well be their motto.

“I do have a few things…” she admits, as rain pelts the roof even harder in a chaotic dance.

“Like what?”

Suddenly, she’s self-conscious. She wasn’t worried in the slightest about being naked in front of him, but now she’s almost too shy to list off frivolous things in a world where those don’t matter anymore. “It’s silly. Pick apples in an orchard, see the stars from the back of a pickup truck…watch a sunrise on a mountain.”