Page 97 of Bend

Bexley gathers her hair into a messy knot. “Same. I’m melting.”

Lena is already standing, brushing sand from the backs of her legs like she hasn’t been sitting ten feet from the ocean this whole time.

I stay where I am.

Bexley looks back. “You coming?”

“In a minute.”

Cece plants a hand on her hip. “Mami, that sounded fake as hell.”

“I just need a second.”

The three of them exchange one of those looks that somehow manages to be an entire conversation.

Bexley looks back at me. “You’ve got five minutes, or we’re coming back to drag your ass into the ocean.”

“Threatening.”

“I prefer supportive,” Lena says. “The ocean heals. It calms you down.” She points toward the water. “Trust me, you need it.”

Cece nods solemnly. “She’s right, mami. Five minutes.”

They head toward the water together, laughing as they go.

I settle back on my hands and look around.

The tide keeps sliding over the sand, music drifts from the speaker behind me, and the air smells like sunscreen, beer, salt, and whatever Reign is pretending not to burn on the barbecue.

There’s yelling near the shoreline, someone arguing over the volleyball score, and Revel loudly insisting he meant to fall off the jet ski.

It should feel like too much.

Instead, it feels good.

Loud. Ridiculous. A little chaotic.

But good.

The sand shifts beside me.

I glance over as Sayshen drops down, one knee raised with his arm resting over it. His sunglasses are shoved into his hair.

He watches Revel struggle with the jet ski for a second before speaking.

“You hiding from volleyball too?”

“I’m hiding from all organized team activities.”

“Smart.”

We sit there quietly for a minute.

It isn’t awkward.

Sayshen has gotten good at being around me without acting like every silence needs to be fixed. He doesn’t push unless he thinks it matters, and even then, he usually leaves me enough room to dodge.

Which is probably why I don’t tense right away when he says, “Can I ask you something?”