Page 128 of Summer Breakdown
“I am always thinking about it,” Frankie says. “I know what comes with kissing you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,” Frankie replies, her hand against her jaw. “It comes with going to bed at nine thirty.”
“Oh my God.” Jasmine laughs, burying her face against Frankie’s neck.
“And it comes with watching the kids at football, even though they’re so rude for ditching rugby. It comes with family dinners that Lani dishes up. It comes with camping, even though my back doesn’t like camping. I’m hoping it comes with Lani calling me Mum, even if you already have the cute version of that.”
Jasmine smiles brightly. Frankie looks at her with stars in her eyes. “You want to kiss me anyway?”
Frankie shakes her head. “Not anyway. There’s nothing bad about any of the things I said. Being with you is revolutionary. You’ve given me everything I never thought I’d beable to have. There’s no despite. I want to kiss you because of it.”
Jasmine’s throat burns for an entirely different reason. She really might get to keep Frankie for the rest of her life.
“I want to kiss you because you stuck stars on the ceiling for me,” Frankie says, kissing her temple. “I want to kiss you because you rubbed circles on my back when I didn’t even know who I was.” Her nose this time. “I want to kiss you because, during the scariest moment of my life, you were the thing that pulled me through.” Her cheek. “You’re the first thing I thought about when I woke up.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Frankie replies, a kiss on her lips. “And you’re smoking-fucking-hot. I wanna kiss you for that too.”
Jasmine’s eyes go wide, and then she laughs, and Frankie matches her. Jasmine wants to bottle the sound and carry it around with her always.
“I love you,” Jasmine says.
“I love you more.”
Jasmine shrugs. “Okay.”
Frankie laughs like she thought she would, her head so far back Jasmine can only see the muscles in her neck. “Come back here and tell me you love me the most.” But before Jasmine can say anything.
“I love you,” Frankie whispers. “Please kiss me.”
And, as with their first kiss, Jasmine smiles into it.
There’s no way Jasmine slept for more than another ninety minutes, but she feels rejuvenated when she steps into the kitchen. Lani is already at the table, legs swinging as shethrows Jasmine into a conversation the moment she sees her.
“Maybe we could call Frankie and see if she wants to be mermaids?” Lani asks, as she grips the crayon in her hand.
Jasmine smiles. “Morning, baby.”
Lani smiles back. “Morning, Mama.”
“Are you going to try and drown me?” Frankie asks, walking into the kitchen, and Lani squeals, the crayons spilling onto the floor.
“Frankenstein!”
Frankie picks her up before she has a moment to get off her chair. “Oh, hi, monster girl.”
“I missed you,” Lani says, her hands against Frankie’s cheeks. She kisses her nose, and Frankie laughs, kissing her back.
“I missed you most.”
Marcel comes running down the hallway, sliding into the kitchen in his swim shorts and no top despite the fact the sun won’t be hot enough until midday.
“Frankie!”
“Hey, champ,” she says, and he hugs her.
