Page 36 of Tequila Lime and Sunshine

After an hour of riding around, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Our rental time is over, and it’s time for us to head back to the beach. Carly looks more than a little relieved.

The four of us grab lunch at an outdoor restaurant in the resort, then change into real clothes to go shopping.

We cram into a taxi, the boys putting Carly and me in the middle on the short drive to downtown Cancun. We pass restaurants pumping out delicious smells and a ton of brightly colored buildings. It’s beautiful here. Such a contrast from all the high rises and office buildings in New York City.

The outdoor market reminds me of a giant flea market. Each seller has their own stall, and everyone sells something different, everything from blankets and hats to bags and shoes. It’s loud and exciting, but I love it. I pull my phone out and take a video around the main aisle of the market to show off the different stalls. I’ll post it later.

I walk up to a stall with handmade bags. The woman starts talking to me, but my Spanish is rusty, so I only catch every other word. I look through her bags, taking in the different colors and designs. They really are beautiful, but I have a rule about not buying anything from the first store I shop in. So I move on to the next stall and the next, browsing and taking pictures for later.

Holden and Carly are a few rows over, but Hawke stays close to me. He comes up beside me and hooks his pinky finger with mine. It links us together without actually holding hands, which would be way more obvious if Holden were to catch us. I can’t help but smile down at our fingers. I know I should step away but can’t bring myself to do it. Being around Hawke is making me make all sorts of bad decisions. I glance at Hawke to find a soft smile on his face as he looks through watercolor paintings on the table in front of us. He pauses on a sunset over the ocean.

“You should get one. They’re small enough to fit in your bag,” I tell him, nodding toward the picture.

“I’m considering it. I think it’d look good in my apartment.”

The thought of his apartment surprises me for some reason. I guess I’ve always pictured him living in his childhood bedroom. I have the sudden urge to know everything about adult Hawke. Where does he live? How has he decorated? Is he messy, or is everything in its place?

The boy I grew up with is practically a stranger to me these days. But things have changed this week. We’ve been together every single day. We’ve formed a bond. Rekindled our friendship. It just feels weird to me that, outside of this week, I don’t know him like I once did.

“What? Why’d you get all quiet?” he asks, turning to give me his full attention.

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

I try to walk away, but he pulls me back to him. “Talk to me, Sunshine.”

Sighing, I decide I might as well tell him. “It’s stupid. It’s just that I don’t know what your apartment looks like.”

He cocks his head to the side as he studies my face, which I’m sure is a nice shade of pink right now. “And that makes you sad?”

“Well, yeah. Kinda.” I shrug. “We used to be so close; sometimes it feels like I don’t know you.”

“We can change that. Come home with me.” He tosses it out so casually, like it would be no big deal to go home with him. Like it wouldn’t make it even harder to say goodbye when I finally have to leave.

“You know I can’t do that, Hawke.”

“Why not? Your job is to literally travel the world. You’ve never been to LA, have you? I would’ve been really mad if you had come to my city and didn’t even tell me.” I haven’t been to LA, but honestly, even if I had at some point, I don’t know if I would’ve told him. For the past ten years, Hawke has been a stranger to me. I was so upset with him for leaving. “I could take you to all the best spots and my favorite restaurants. Whatever you want to do. I’d be your personal tour guide.”

I swallow my regret and say, “My schedule is pretty full after Mexico.”

His smile falls a little, but he quickly puts his mask back up, which breaks my heart a little. “Oh. Well, it’s an open-ended offer, ok? Just think about it.”

I nod, and at that moment, Holden and Carly appear at Hawke’s side, forcing us to drop our pinky connection.

“Hey, guys. Find anything good?” Holden asks, looking between us. I feel like he knows something is going on, but I’m not gonna be the one to confirm or deny anything.

“I was trying to convince Hawke to get this sunset picture.”

Holden looks at the picture and says, “Yeah, man. That would look great over your couch with all the other sunset pictures you have.” Another twinge of jealousy pangs in my chest that Holden knows what his apartment looks like, and I don’t. It’s stupid because his brother has obviously visited him since he’s lived in LA.

Hawke nods, but Carly pulls Holden away to look at something before he can respond.

“Do you have a thing for sunset pictures?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

He takes the painting off the table. “Kinda. I like the sun. It reminds me of summer, and summer is my favorite season.”

He winks at me and takes the picture to the man to pay for it.

Summer is my favorite season.