"No," Andros was saying.

Ashley stared at the inside of her eyelids as wakefulness slowly returned her senses. Her toes were cold; she'd kicked off the blankets in her sleep. Her nose itched. But, undoubtedly, what had woken her was Andros conversing in low tones with Zhane.

She opened an eye.

Andros's back was to her. She resisted the urge to poke him between the shoulder blades, instead burrowing more comfortably into the blankets and closing her eyes again. She was just drowsy enough that she could've fallen back into sleep, when Zhane ruined it by rolling onto his side to face Andros, jostling the bed and tugging the blankets with him.

"But—" Zhane was pouting, she could tell. It was in the timbre of his voice and Andros's amused sigh. "You had fun the last time."

"I..."

"You might as well agree now," Zhane informed him, and Ashley heard the smile. "I'm very persuasive."

"Are you, now?" Andros was smiling now, too, she could tell, which meant he would let himself be taken out in public today.

"Yes," Zhane said solemnly. "Ash says being obnoxious is part of my charm."

Ashley allowed herself a smile of her own, but bit her lip to stifle her laughter.

"Is that a fact."

"Well," Zhane amended cheerfully, "she might've phrased it a little differently. But she did say I was charming."

Ashley shifted, snuggling up against Andros's back. He didn't twitch, only relaxed into her embrace, and she knew he'd noticed the exact moment she woke up. "Morning," she whispered. She slid her arm over his waist, stretching to flutter her fingers in Zhane's direction.

He caught her hand, his fingers warm and strong, and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. "How do you feel about a beach day?"

"Mm," she said, and yawned. "I like the beach."

"I already agreed!" Andros said, in a long-suffering tone. "You can stop looking at me like that."

Her hand resting against his chest, Ashley felt the chuckle that Zhane suppressed. "And you look like you'd rather go to an Eltaran council meeting."

"I do not." He was trying hard to grumble, Ashley thought, but his tone was mild.

"Hmph." Zhane shifted again, leaning close to kiss Andros. "We'll have a picnic, and Ashley will be scantily clad—you will be, won't you?" he demanded, propping himself up on one elbow to see her.

"Oh," she said lightly, kissing the back of Andros's neck. "I think I could manage."

Satisfied, Zhane plopped back down. "Ashley will be scantily clad," he continued, "and we won't drag you into the ocean this time, but you should expect some splashing."

"Hey," Ashley said. It was her turn to push herself up. "I didn't agree to not drag Andros into the ocean."

"Well, now you know," Zhane said, smirking at them both. "Ashley makes no promises."

A glance down at Andros's face confirmed her suspicion that he'd been smiling this entire time. His eyes were closed, too, and he lay there looking peaceful and almost lazy. "Ashley knows what to expect, then."

"Oh?" she teased, her free hand toying with the ends of his loose hair. "And what's that?"

"Revenge," he said calmly, and caught her hand, twining his fingers through hers. He kissed her thumb, and she sank down into the blankets with a happy sound.

"So," she said, curling up against him, "when are we going to the beach?"

"Mmm," Zhane said, and his arm stretched across Andros to hug her too. "Later."