I drove on the way up north and, surprisingly, Alex didn't object. She fell asleep in the car and I didn't have the heart to wake her, even when I stopped for a coffee and a bathroom break. She looked so serene in her slumber that I couldn't bear to disturb it. The last few weeks must have been unbearable for her, and I had added to that. I felt awful.

It was a three hour long ride, and when we arrived, I stalled the car and spent a moment just watching Alex. She was curled up on her side, her head resting against the window, her hands beneath her head. She looked so innocent and beautiful that I left her like that for a moment, carrying the bags into the beach house myself. Alex's parents had money, and they had a beautiful "cottage" that was actually at least eight times the size of our apartment, right on the water. We'd been here a few times before, but I never got tired of it. We tanned on the beach, swam in the lake, took long walks by the shore. We spent our days relaxing. It was an almost foreign feeling, because we rarely had the chance to do so.

I went back into the car to rouse Alex, but as I climbed into the car, Alex's eyes flew open. She looked around, a panicked expression on her face. "Olivia?"

I took her hand and squeezed it tightly, locking my eyes with hers. "Yeah, baby, I'm here. I'm right here."

She gave me a wan smile. "How long did I sleep for?"

I brushed a few strands of blonde hair back from her face. "Awhile."

She grinned sheepishly and got out of the car, breathing in the lakeside air with an expression of bliss in her eyes. "Mm. I love it here." She smiled in nostalgia, a faraway look on her face. "We spent summers here when I was a kid. It was nice."

"You didn't get sunburned?"

She laughed. "Oh, I did. Second degree sunburn in the summer of '82, water blisters and all. But I kind of built up immunity to it after awhile. I burn more easily now, actually."

I laughed with her. "I don't burn," I said proudly. "I tan."

"I know, gorgeous. No need to rub it in."

I was just so glad she was joking again, especially after all that had happened.

"Let's get into our bathing suits and we can come back out here," I suggested. "I can tan and you can . . . well . . . burn."

She grinned and followed me into the house. We grabbed our bathing suits and changed into them. She was wearing her one piece, even though she usually wore a bikini, but I didn't comment. I knew better.

Alex lathered on layers of sports sunscreen, SPF 60, while I looked on disapprovingly. "You smell like sunscreen now."

"Would you rather I smell like gauze when I have to bind up my water blisters? I learned the first time, thank you very much," she said coolly.

"Well, you didn't need that sports crap. You're sitting in the sun, not running a marathon."

She rolled her eyes. "Then don't come near me if it smells that bad."

I leaned in for a kiss, a passionate one, tongue and all. We broke apart, laughing, and I said, "Mm, no."

Alex grabbed some towels and we trekked out to the beach. She spread out the towels a few feet from the water and we lay down on them. I wrapped my arms around her and she closed her eyes, smiling as the gentle breeze ruffled our towels and our hair.

We were content to just lie there for a bit, but then it got warmer and the sun was shining directly above us. "Let's swim," I said.

Alex opened her eyes and looked at me for a moment, then shrugged and nodded. "Race you!"

We ran toward the water like we were children again, shivering as we dipped our toes in the cold lake, then immersing ourselves fully and wading further out. I leaned back in the water to soak my hair, then grinned up at Alex, splashing water like a kid. I didn't care though, and neither did she, because she pouted at first and then splashed back. Soon enough, we'd waged a full-out water fight. We fell backward, laughing again.

Then Alex flopped onto her back and closed her eyes, floating tranquilly on the water. I had the sudden urge to destroy the pretty picture and ducked under the water, coming up beneath her and lifting her into my arms. Alex's face went under for a second and she started spluttering, but then she laughed and pounded lightly on my back, shaking her wet hair like a dog so tiny droplets landed on my face. "Hey!" she protested, but I just laughed and carried her back to the shore.

We climbed out of the water and lay back on our towels, basking in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. Alex looked so relaxed – peaceful – happier than I'd seen her in weeks. I gently rubbed her back and she turned to face me in surprise. But then she smiled, and that made everything okay again. I would do anything to catch a glimpse of that smile and I would do anything to keep it there.

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