Page 25 of The Summer of Us

She wanted to return the hug, to wrap her arms around Olivia and pull her closer, but she was too scared to move, so she left her hands resting in her lap until Olivia pulled away.

“Put your costume on just in case, but wear something warm on top because it’s probably going to be chilly out there,” Olivia rambled as she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed with a stretch.

Already regretting her decision, Paige did the same, the cool air hitting her legs and spreading goosebumps along her skin.

Olivia had already disappeared into the bathroom, so Paige rummaged through her travel case for her swim shorts and tank-top and quickly got changed before Olivia came out.

Pulling a long-sleeved shirt over the top, she wrapped a cardigan around her waist and slipped past Olivia into the bathroom to splash her face and scrub the last of the drowsiness away.

“This is so exciting,” Olivia half-whispered, already wearing a zipped-up hoodie and shorts over her swimsuit.

“This is exactly like the time I slept over at yours, and you woke me up in the middle of the night to watch that meteor shower,” Paige said as she slipped into her canvas shoes.

Olivia laughed. “I haven’t changed, have I?”

“Not at all,” Paige said, a fondness in her voice.

Leaving the porch light switched on, they locked the beach house behind them and headed down onto the sand in the darkness.

The moon was full and bright, bouncing off the ocean like stardust. Olivia used her phone’s torch to illuminate their way across the sand, her beach bag thumping against her hip as she picked her way over the pebbles towards the sea.

“Thanks for agreeing to this,” Olivia said, a pleasant breeze rolling off the water. There was a briny scent in the air that Paige had quickly grown used to over the last few days, and she already knew she would miss it when they headed back to the city. “I know I come up with some strange ideas sometimes.”

Paige shrugged, almost slipping on a piece of wet seaweed, until Olivia caught her by the arm, steadying her again. “Sometimes the strangest ideas are the best ones.”

Olivia laughed, her cheeks glowing beneath the moonlight. “I just figured, we’re on holiday, right? It’s fun to try new things when you’re on holiday. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve never gone late-night swimming before.”

Paige scoffed. “Actually, I do this every weekend,” she joked, making Olivia laugh.

“You’re hilarious.”

Paige gave her a lopsided grin. “I know.”

They reached the edge of the shore and stared out across the moonlit waves. The tide was relatively far out, and when Paige glanced back, she could only just see the roof of the cottage, the porch light creating a beacon in the dark.

“Are you going into the water?” Olivia asked as she slipped out of her sandals and unzipped her hoodie.

Paige swallowed. “I guess so,” she said, pulling her top over her head.

The moment the moonlight hit Olivia’s bare skin, Paige forgot how to breathe. Although it was difficult to see completely in the dusk, the pale pink bikini looked stunning on her, exposing enough skin to make Paige’s stomach flip. Wow.

She forced herself to look away before Olivia caught on, feeling less than enthused in her swim shorts and tank.

“You ready?” Olivia asked once they’d folded up their clothes and left them on the sand a little way back so that the tide wouldn’t claim them.

“Not really.”

Olivia gave her a soft, tentative smile and held out her hand towards Paige. “Together, then?”

Heart fluttering, Paige slid her fingers against Olivia’s, and they both dipped forward into the water, toes curling against the sand.

“Oh god, it’s freezing,” Olivia blurted.

“I told you!” Paige gasped, the coldness running through all of her nerve endings. “This was definitely a bad idea.”

Olivia laughed through her chattering teeth. “We’ll warm up once we start swimming,” she said, and they waded deeper into the water, shivering together.

“Just think, we can have a hot cup of tea when we get back to the cottage,” Olivia said. “And a warm croissant.”

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