Page 67 of Closer than Ever

“Woohoo!”

Anna sipped her coffee, glad things weren’t weird between them after last night. A day by the water would be perfect. It wasn’t like they needed to be anywhere. They were in the middle of nowhere with miles to get to anything even if they wanted. “I’ll get my bikini.”

“Perfect. I’ll get the boards out.”

Hayley opened up the storage cupboard and rooted around while Anna continued to lie on the bed. She just watched her. She could look at Hayley forever if she let herself, but she could not. Emotion rose to the surface at the idea of this connection they shared not meaning the same thing to Hayley as it did to her.

“Got them.” Hayley stood back up. “I’ll start getting them inflated.”

“Great. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Hayley lingered for a few seconds and then left her alone in the campervan.

Anna took a deep breath. She got up and put on her bikini, a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt. This was going to be a good day. All she had to do was to get a grip of her feelings.

Outside, Hayley was kneeling over one of the paddleboards. She had laid the boards out next to each other beside the campervan and had taken her fleece and t-shirt off so that she was in nothing more than her sports bra and pair of very short shorts. Anna’s tummy tensed up and her breath caught. Hayley pushed down on the pump again and again. The muscles in her arms were more visible as she strained against the pressure.

Anna swallowed, feeling her neck and jaw tense up.

Hayley looked over at her. “Why the hell did I buy a manual pump instead of an electric one?”

Anna shrugged. She wasn’t unhappy about it. “Easy mistake. We can see if we can buy one in the next town.”

“Good idea.”

“Let me help.” Anna stood beside her.

Hayley continued pumping up and down. The paddleboard was nearly inflated. “Not yet. I’m nearly done.”

Anna thought back to their disastrous sex the night before Hayley had left, again. She couldn’t stop thinking about Hayley in a sexual way now. It was as if something had shifted between them and now it was all Anna could focus on – even though it was a no-go area that had proved itself to be painfully unrequited.

“She’s all yours.” Hayley stood up and passed her the pump, satisfied her board was done.

Their fingers brushed. A spark of electricity coursed through Anna’s veins. She dipped her chin to her chest and composed herself for a second. She fitted the pump to the valve and got going. After not even a minute, she was feeling tired. It was exhausting. “You made this look easy. It’s so hard.”

“Well, you’re making it look a lot more exciting than I think it’s meant to.”

Anna scrunched up her forehead as Hayley went into the campervan. Did Hayley just flirt with her?

A short while later they locked up the campervan and headed to the beach wearing wetsuits and carrying rock solid paddleboards. The sand was soft underfoot as they made their way through the long grass. The sea looked calm as they walked towards it.

Hayley stopped and put down her paddleboard and beach bag. “Is here okay?”

The sand was nearly white, and the water was crystal clear. “Here’s great.”

Before long they were in the water, wading along the tropical-like shore. Anna’s feet were cold, though. The setting was an illusion. “I’m glad of these wetsuits.”

Hayley turned to her and smiled. “I know. Means we can enjoy it!” Hayley jumped onto her paddleboard as though it was a surfboard and managed to stay upright for a good few seconds before falling into the water with a splash.

Anna laughed.

Hayley resurfaced. “Fuck me, it’s cold!”

Anna couldn’t make out if Hayley was shivering or laughing as she managed to climb back on her board.

Hayley’s eyes were bright, and had that naughty, playful look in them that did things to Anna’s insides. “You coming?”

Anna straddled her board. She paddled towards Hayley in the secluded bay. “I might start off on my knees after seeing you fall like that.”

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