Page 310 of As the Rain Falls
Tradition dictates that anyone under eighty is either in the parade or helping plan it, meaning that the streets are pulsing with energy.
Laughter ripples through the air, mixing with the sounds of drumming and constant chanting. Children are wearing made-at-home costumes, their fabrics displaying the colors of different groups that are participating in the parade.
Cassandra: becky
becketttt
beckett
BECKETT EVANS
Me: Yes baby
Cassandra: pick up glitter
at the store please
Me: What colors?
Cassandra: pink
and blue for you :D
Me: Okay :D
Cassandra: thxxx!!!!
you see how that last sentence
just rhymes????
crazy right????
Cassandra bursts through the door.
Her cheeks are flushed, a hibiscus flower is carefully tucked into her wavy hair, and bright pink glitter is dusting her cheekbones like stardust.
I’ve never been one to enjoy the cacophony, but this year I have a girlfriend to drag me through the festivities. She might be quiet and introverted, but the truth is that Cassandra loves to surround herself with people who deny the idea of quiet.
“You have to try Angelina’sbeijinhos. It means little kisses in Portuguese.”
I barely get a word in before she presses one into my hand. Instead of answering, I tilt my head down, pressing my lips to hers quickly, before trying the sweet treat.
“Ow.” I grimace, liking the taste but not the texture. “It tastes like pure coconut.”
“Do you like it? It’s her favorite traditional sweet.” She flicks her hair over her shoulders, adjusting the butterfly-shaped top covering her torso. Her smile is the brightest it’s ever been, unguarded in a way that makes my chest ache. “Her mom packed us snacks for later too. Kayla wants us to have a beach picnic.”
“I don’t dislike it.” I lower my head to find the curve of her neck, pulling her in. She leans into my touch, her breath hitching when I kiss the spot right above her pulse.
“I like to compare the things you like to the things I like,” Cassandra admits quietly. “Your taste is so different from mine.”
I press another kiss, closer to her ear, dragging my mouth to where her earlobe is. “You smell like flowers do.”
She giggles, feeling especially ticklish around that area. “Kayla made me wear her father’s new perfume. It’s a strawberry and roses kind of scent.”
“Mmnn.”
Today is a good day.
