Purposefully Coincidental ✓

19. Caught

Leo

I've spent days several times on Nicole's yacht. Mostly I'm alone or Nicole's with me.

But my favorite time has got to be today, with Josephine.

She's just a fun person to be with.

After eating the food I packed with me because I wasn't very optimistic we'd catch any fish—and I was right—we do one last dip in the ocean before we call it a day.

When we eventually arrive at Josephine's building, I help her get down.

"Wanna go upstairs?" She surprises me by saying. "I have freshly made juice to help us cool off."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

I keep my eyes planted on the steps as she ascends the stairs before me.

She unlocks her door and takes off her shoes, so I do the same before I close the door behind me.

My eyes do a quick check of her place. It's small and functional.

When you enter, you land in the living room. On my left, there's a small kitchen. A hip-length wall where the sink is also acts as a divider between the two rooms.

There are three couches where two are two-seats and the last one is a three-seats. The place is neat and there is an array of those fluffy and colorful pillows that every girl's in love with. The window sill, the same window where she waves at me when I drop her off, has a few frames, but they're a little too far for me to see the pictures in them clearly.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I ask, my bladder full.

"Toilet is to the right." She nods to the door that is in the middle of the wall I'm facing.

I relieve myself and enter the living room again. I see her in the kitchen, standing on a step as she grabs two glasses from the top cupboard. She holds them in one hand and opens the fridge with the other to grab a bottle with dark red liquid in it. Almost the same color as wine.

"My mama made this fresh juice with fresh Wild berries. It's really sweet and delicious."

I sit down on the two person couch and she sits down next to me, pouring us juice.

She hands it to me and watches me as I take my first sip. A rich flavor meets my tongue.

Nodding, I take another sip. "Really good."

"You can add some vodka to it if you're feeling a little risky." She whispers, as if she's telling me a secret.

I feel risky. But not the kind of risky where I'd get behind the wheel after I've drunk alcohol.

She puts her feet on the couch and turns sideways to face me better. I adjust my position so I don't have to strain my neck looking at her.

Her face is flushed from spending the entire day under the sun. Even though she reapplied sunscreen every two hours on the dot. She had set alarms on her phone as reminders. She also made me reapply a few times. Saying she doesn't want skin cancer for either of us.

"So, what's your verdict on fishing?" I ask, trying to make small talk and to not stare too hard on her stunning face.

"Well," she squints her eyes, thinking about her answer. "It's not fair to rule it out immediately. So I'll have to do it again to decide."

"That's good to hear."

She takes a small sip and stares ahead of her, contemplating something.

"Leo," my name is said in a hushed voice. My skin prickles with awareness at her tone. "Can I ask you something?" She meets my eyes.