Page 97 of Endo
“¡Vámonos, chica! This is your night!” Cece’s hips sway perfectly to the rhythm, her energy demanding attention.
Bex laughs, stumbling slightly as she tries to follow Cece’s fluid movements. “Bitch, I’m a designer, not a dancer!”
“Bullshit! I know you can work those hips,puta! Don’t even try to lie to me,” Cece retorts, spinning her around.
The team erupts into laughter. Talon, standing nearby with a drink in hand, is Cece’s next victim.
“C’mon, big guy,” she says, grabbing his arm. “Don’t be shy, Talon. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Talon groans, dragging his feet but ultimately giving in. His moves are stiff at first, awkwardly timed to the beat, but Cece’s relentless encouragement with a bit of help from Bex breaks him down. Eventually, he loosens up, and decides to attempt a spin with Bexley that nearly takes out the table of food the girls spent hours setting up.
“You call that dancing, mate?” Thorne shouts, already halfway through his own dramatic moves. He’s got his beer in one hand, the other snapping theatrically to the beat as he twirls around like he’s a member of one of the goddamn boy bands he loves so much. “That’s how it’s done!”
“Easy there, Fred Astaire!” Wolfe teases, his grin wide as he leans against his bike. “Looks like we have a proper fucking twinkle toes over there.”
“You’re just jealous,” Thorne shoots back, giving Wolfe a mock bow. “Not everyone can pull off moves this smooth, mate.”
“Jealous? Nah,” Wolfe replies, raising his drink. “I’m just admiring the view.”
The group bursts out laughing, Revel nearly choking on his beer. “Wolfe, you’re fucking shameless,” he says, shaking his head.
“Someone’s gotta keep shit interesting,” Wolfe says with a wink. “Besides, we all know he likes it, he just doesn’t want to admit it yet.”
The warmth of their laughter settles over the beach like a blanket, softening the edges of everything. I can’t help but glance down toward the shore, where Lena sits alone, the waves lapping at her toes.
I leave the chaos behind, stepping through the warm sand until I’m standing a few feet from her. Her head is tilted toward the ocean, her fingers sifting through the grains of sand by her side. She looks peaceful, but there’s a quiet weight in her posture that pulls at me.
“Hey,” I say, my voice low enough not to startle her.
She glances up, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Hey.”
I sit down behind her, enclosing her between my legs. The water is cool as it washes over my feet, grounding me in the moment. “You okay?”
She nods, her gaze returning to the horizon. “Yeah. Just needed a minute.”
We sit in silence for a beat, the waves filling the gaps between us. I don’t push her to talk. I know better. Lena speaks when she’s ready, not when she’s pressed.
After a moment, she turns to me, her eyes soft but a little hesitant. “Do you ever think about where all of this is headed?”
I pause, glancing at the waves before looking back at her. “What, like the big picture? Or just the mess we’re in right now?”
She shrugs, dragging her fingers through the sand. “I don’t know. Both, maybe.”
I let out a low breath, leaning back on my hands. “Yeah, I think about it. More than I probably should. But I’ve learned not to get stuck on what’s next. It’s always changing anyway.”
Her lips twitch, almost like a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s one way to look at it.”
“It’s the only way,” I reply, my tone lighter now. “Because if you’re always chasing what’s next, you miss what’s right in front of you.”
She looks at me then, her brows knitting like she’s trying to figure me out. “And what’s right in front of you?”
I hold her gaze, my chest tightening. “You.”
Her cheeks flush, and she looks away, biting her lip. The sight stirs something deep in me, but I don’t push it. Instead, I let the silence settle, the sound of the waves filling the space between us.
“You fit here, you know,” I say after a moment, my voice softer.
She glances at me, confused. “What do you mean?”
