Page 86 of The Forbidden Fling

In a swift movement, she pulled off her T-shirt and threw it on the sand, standing just in her bra.

Quin looked at her quizzically. “I hope you’re not wanting to consummate this agreement, because you know, as hot as you are, it’s purely friend vibes.”

“Shut up, you.” She nudged them. “It would be a sin not to have a swim in the Portuguese ocean before we leave. So what do you say?”

They hesitated, worry etching between their brows as they glanced around the beach. People were sunbathing in scattered groups across the sand, the water dotted with swimmers already enjoying the water. The white-tipped waves rolled back and forth, encouraging them deeper.

“Fuck it.” They tugged their T-shirt over their head, revealing a bare chest with two faint surgical scars.

“Yes!” Faye removed her shorts, exposing her bag, and double-checked it was still snugly attached. Her bags were waterproof, but making sure the seal was done properly was important.

When they were both standing in their underwear, the sun warm on their backs, she held out her hand for Quin to take.

“We’re saying goodbye to the island, but we’re also saying goodbye to all the shit that’s held us back. To everyone who’s judged us and looked at us like we’re freaks. We’re leaving it all behind.”

They nodded. “It doesn’t end here. It starts.”

“Exactly. On three?”

“Let’s just go!”

So, with loud screams, they set off running into the waves, water splashing their calves and thighs before they dove into the deep, their laughter ringing out across the beach. Faye lay back, letting the ocean buoy her, the setting sun lighting her vision.

She was ready. For the first time today, she meant it.

For the ceremony, for Diana, for life after this…

I’m ready.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Diana

Diana didn’t have anyone flying out to celebrate with her. The only person she’d have wanted was Leanne, but she was in New York wrapping up a big book deal—not dissimilar to the one Diana was supposed to be writing. But it didn’t bother her. This trip had never been about her—until it had been.

She sighed, then continued applying mascara in the mirror. Her time on the island had revealed some unsavoury truths. She wasn’t happy with her life, not really. Some big changes and difficult conversations were needed when she returned home, not all of which she felt prepared for. But people rarely have the luxury to be ready. Life tends to throw us overboard, headfirst, straight into the deep end without asking questions or whether we have a carefully calculated plan.

She’d certainly never planned any of this with Faye. They’d successfully avoided the topic of the future; not that this was Diana’s finest hour, but she still didn’t know what she was going to do when the night ended. Her stomach flopped, claws hooking into her ribs.

Finishing things here, the way they were supposed to, would probably be doing Faye a kindness. Diana’s life was busy and hectic. The idea of long distance had never appealed to her, and the numbers didn’t lie—they were more likely to end in failure than success.

Yet the possibility of continuing this with Faye in the real world made the weight of all the pending changes easier to stomach. Faye had that effect on her. Like everything would work out alright if you just willed it hard enough.

But how could it? If Molly found out, all the progress they’d made on this trip would be torn to shreds, shattered beyond repair.

So why was it so damn hard to stop? The idea of saying goodbye to Faye forced those claws deeper and deeper into her ribs until she couldn’t breathe.

A knock at the door snapped her spine straight. She blinked at herself, her reflection mirroring the sharp edges inside her.

With a deep breath, she morphed her expression into something neutral and answered the door.

Molly came into her cabin with a spin, curls bouncing, yellow dress fanning outwards.

“Well, don’t you look nice!” Diana commented, remembering how Molly used to enter in exactly the same way home from school with exciting news of a school disco or a class trip.

“So do you.” Molly beamed her gap-toothed grin. “You look like you mean business.”

That hadn’t exactly been Diana’s intention when she wore one of her pantsuits. Nerves about the ceremony had been nibbling away at her, so she’d opted for something more familiar rather than a dress. Was she overdoing it?