𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤 | 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟗

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤 |
𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐄—white marble floors, huge open spaces, and a pool that practically bled into the ocean. You could hear the waves even from inside, and everything smelled like citrus and sea salt. I'd been to places like this a hundred times before, but this one felt different. Calmer.

We ate outside on the terrace, the sun warming our skin and the ocean breeze softening the heat. Fresh fruit, grilled seafood, sparkling water poured into glass bottles like it somehow made it taste better. I sat cross-legged in my bikini, sunglasses on, sipping pineapple juice through a metal straw while Adriana scrolled through her phone like something interesting would appear if she just refreshed enough times.

"I'm bored already," she said suddenly, tossing her phone down onto the table with a dramatic sigh. "Let's go to the beach. I need the ocean."

Lucas looked up from his plate. "You just ate an entire crab. Give your stomach five minutes."

Adriana rolled her eyes. "I don't need digestion advice from someone who thinks Coke is a good hangover cure."

I smirked and stood up, stretching my arms over my head. "Come on. Let's go before the sun starts to cook us alive."

The beach was completely empty—just like I remembered. Secluded, silent except for the crashing waves. Rafe walked behind me carrying towels and a speaker, his shirt already off, sunglasses low on his nose. Lucas followed, mumbling something about sand and his sneakers.

"Take your shoes off then, genius," Adriana muttered as she passed him, already kicking off her slides.

I laid down on a lounger and untied the straps of my bikini top. "Can you do my back?" I asked, not even looking at Rafe.

He sat beside me without a word, squirted sunscreen into his hand, and started massaging it into my skin. His touch was slow, lazy. Familiar. His fingers traced soft circles, dipping lower with every pass.

"Don't get any ideas," I muttered, letting my head fall into the crook of my arms.

"I never do," he said, amusement curling in his voice. His hand slid just above the waistband of my bikini bottoms, lingering longer than necessary.

My phone vibrated beside me. I didn't need to look—I already knew who it was. Alejandro. Again.

I sighed and picked it up anyway, glancing at the screen just to confirm. His name flashed across it, bold and unwanted.

"Is it him again?" Rafe asked, still rubbing the lotion in, his tone immediately colder.

"Yeah." I blocked the number with one swipe. "I'm not doing this with him. Not here. Out of sight, out of mind."

Rafe didn't say anything, but I felt the tension in his hand. He hated Alejandro—always had.

Adriana was lying on her stomach, sunglasses on, chewing her gum with that look on her face—the one she wore right before something happened. And sure enough, she pushed herself up suddenly and said, "Are those people coming toward us?"

I turned my head. Five people. Two guys, three girls. Around our age. Maybe older. They looked like they didn't quite belong here—too excited, too loud. The way tourists act when they land somewhere expensive for the first time.

"I thought this place was private," Rafe said, retying the straps of my top.

"Probably the villa next to us," I replied, sitting up a little. One of the guys was already staring at me. Tall, tan, messy brown hair and that cocky beach-boy energy. His gaze held mine, just a second too long.

Adriana adjusted her sunglasses. "Let's see how weird they are."

The group reached us. The girl in the pink bikini stepped forward, all smiles and dimples.

"Hey! Mind if we join you? The beach is kinda boring on our side."

Adriana tilted her head. "Sure. Why not?"

They dropped their towels and bags, kicking off flip-flops like they were already comfortable. Rafe's hand slid to my thigh. Casual. But I felt the weight of it.

"I'm Inés," the pink bikini girl said, already spreading out her towel. "This is Bruno, Diego, Carla, and Sol."

I nodded politely. "Catalina. That's Rafe, Lucas, and Adriana."

We all gave each other a couple of polite smiles—except Diego, who was still blatantly staring at me like I was a prize on a shelf.

"So," I said, shifting the vibe, "where are you guys from?"

"Spain," Diego answered quickly.

I raised a brow. "Same. Small world."

Carla spoke up, pulling her hair into a loose bun. "Yeah, we're not actually supposed to be here. Our hotel got overbooked and they randomly upgraded us to this place."

"Totally unexpected," Sol added, laughing a little. "We're still trying to figure out how it even happened."

"That explains it," Adriana muttered just loud enough.

"What?" Inés asked.

"Nothing," Adriana said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Diego turned back to me, too focused. "This place is insane. You've been here before?"

"A few times," I said, sipping my drink. "My dad likes collecting properties in pretty places."

He let out a low whistle. "Must be nice."

I shrugged. "It is."

I got up to refill my drink, walking to the cooler we'd brought down. Before I could take a step back, Diego followed.

"You've got this energy," he said, way too close. "Like you know people are watching you. And you like it."

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Thats supposed to impress me?"

"Does it?"

Before I could answer, Rafe's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Careful."

I turned just as his arm slid around my waist. He pulled me back, down onto his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. His hand rested on my thigh, firm, territorial.

"I'm just being friendly," Diego muttered, backing off slightly.

"Yeah," Rafe said coolly, "Be friendlier somewhere else."

I leaned into him, saying nothing. Letting the tension speak for itself.

On the other side, the girls in their group were circling like flies. One of them laughed too hard at something Lucas said, and another was leaning toward Rafe now, pushing her chest out like she wasn't being obvious. He didn't even look in her direction.

Adriana, of course, was unbothered. She tossed back another drink, sunglasses on, gum snapping like she was waiting for the next drama.

"They're fun," Rafe whispered against my shoulder. "But they could never be us."

Not even close.

"So," Inés asked, bouncing slightly on her towel, "do you guys party?"

Adriana sat up instantly, grinning. "Do we party? Are you serious?"

Bruno laughed. "There's a beach rave tomorrow night. We were thinking of checking it out."

Adriana didn't even hesitate. "We're going."

Of course we were.