Mack said, “No problem. We can share.”
Kayla was all for it. Not only because she very much wanted to be back in their room, where she could dry her feet and wallow in misery. The better reason for sharing came when Mack flicked open the umbrella and pulled Kayla tight against her body underneath it. Had her stomach always squirmed at Mack’s smile? Being wrapped in her arms, smushed close to her body while they walked made it positively dance.
“This is the problem with everyone thinking you’re a couple,” Mack shouted over the pounding of rain on their umbrella. “They think you want to share an umbrella, so you get half wet.”
“Are you saying being entwined with me doesn’t make you fully wet?”
Mack tripped on an uneven section of the sidewalk and only just caught herself before face-planting into the pool. When she recovered, her cheeks were flaming red, but she still managed to tease back. “I certainly didn’t say that.”
The rain had driven their friendly resort cat into hiding, so they didn’t have anyone to greet them at the door to their room. Once inside, Mack turned a serious expression on Kayla. “Change into dry clothes. The comfier the better.”
Since she had started to shiver, Kayla didn’t argue. She snagged a pair of worn sweats she’d brought out of habit. Mack disappeared into the bathroom to give her privacy, and she happily tossed her soaked sun-dress into the corner along with her bra. Rainy days should never involve underwire.
After she’d thrown her hair up into a messy bun, Kayla examined herself in the mirror. Her sweatshirt had once been a vibrant maroon but was now more of a faded rose. The loose black pants cuffed her ankles still, but the waist was sufficiently droopy to lounge comfortably in. She felt wonderfully warm and soft, but she looked a fright.
The bathroom door opened, and Kayla said over her shoulder, “This isn’t exactly honeymoon attire. I don’t even know why I brought them.”
“Maybe because you knew you’d have at least one day to relax and be yourself?”
Kayla shrugged and turned her back to the mirror. She didn’t need to look sexy today. She just needed to enjoy whatever diversion Mack had prepared for them. And Mack certainly couldn’t object. She had changed into a pair of sweats even more worn than Kayla’s. They were nondescript grey and sported a cracked and faded cartoon cougar with the words “Claremont High School” in ancient vinyl.
“Have you had those sweats since high school?” Kayla asked incredulously.
“Yep. They’re the ones from cross country. Don’t you still have yours?”
“I’d never fit in them anymore. Especially around the chest.”
Mack crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying your tits are bigger than mine?”
Kayla took the opportunity to check out Mack’s impressive breasts. Of course, they weren’t nearly as impressive in the shapeless cotton, but she’d seen enough of them this week to know them pretty well. She was especially aware since she woke up with them pressed into her back every morning.
Instead of mentioning that, she went with the safer explanation. “I’m saying mine grew later, so I didn’t have them in high school.”
Mack shrugged. “That’s true.”
“Hey!” Kayla couldn’t keep up the pretense of being outraged for long and melted back into a smile. “Back to my original point, these aren’t exactly standard honeymoon attire.”
“I disagree. Honeymoons are the perfect time for being yourself without all the fancy clothes and makeup.” Her face fell, and her voice dropped almost to a whisper. “If I ever have a real honeymoon, this is exactly what I want to wear.”
The uncharacteristic sadness sent a stab of grief through Kayla. Instinctively, she pulled Mack into a hug, wrapping her arms around her waist and dropping her cheek against her chest. The sweats were warm from her skin and soft as clouds from decades of washing.
Kayla said, “I know in my bones you’ll have a real honeymoon one day. If there’s anyone in the world who deserves happiness, it’s you.”
With her ear pressed to Mack, she could hear her heart pounding. It seemed to be beating extra fast, and Kayla worried Mack was going to cry. Keeping her arms wrapped tight, Kayla looked up. She met Mack’s steady, emerald gaze. There wasso much tenderness there. So much kindness. But there was something else. Something deep and hidden and truer than the fact of the sky and clouds and hammering rain.
Neither of them spoke. They just stood in each other’s arms, lost in each other’s eyes. Kayla forgot to breathe. She forgot to blink. Why did it feel so good to be here with Mack, in this moment? Why was it so easy to get lost in her eyes? Lost in the touch of her fingertips against Kayla’s back or the steady pound of their hearts setting the same rhythm.
Suddenly, Kayla understood what this was. Or at least what she would call it if it were anyone other than Mack. They had a spark between them. A glimmer of something that she probably shouldn’t name. If she did, it might burst into a bonfire of something real and uncontrollable. She tried to tell herself it was nothing, just an artifact of their deep friendship and not romantic chemistry. Then the corner of Mack’s lips turned up in that crooked smile, and a piece of hair, still wet from the rain, came loose and curled over her forehead, and she wasn’t so sure anymore. People didn’t feel the core-deep ache Kayla was feeling now for their friends, even their best friends.
Fortunately, Mack broke the spell. She used the positioning of their hug to lift Kayla up and toss her onto the bed. It was soft and springy, and she bounced, laughing from a mixture of joy and relief. And maybe a little bit to cover her confusion. Just what the hell was that, and why was she feeling it for Mack?
While she recovered from her moment of madness, Mack grabbed the bag from the gift shop and dumped it out on the bed in a flurry of glittering plastic and vivid primary colors.
Kayla picked up a pack of UNO cards. “What’s all this?”
“UNO. If you’ll recall, I beat the pants off you regularly with those when we were kids.”
Her raging hormones couldn’t handle the thought of her pants coming off, so she tossed the cards aside. Other treasuresincluded a pack of regular playing cards and a board game about escaping an island that looked like it was meant for kids. Mack hopped onto the bed after her haul and sat cross-legged, grinning like a teenager.
