One of the Girls(24)
Soon enough, the path began to widen, the trickiest section passed. When they finally reached the beach, Fen squeezed Robyn’s fingers. ‘You did it.’
They were standing in the tiny cove, shaded by the towering cliffs. Robyn turned to see the path they’d followed. It was high. Ridiculously high. ‘Holy shit.’
‘Sorry,’ Fen said, ‘the path was a bit sketchier than I remembered. It’ll be easier going up.’
‘I definitely need a swim now.’ As she said it, she realised she had no swimming costume, and was about to say so when Fen began removing her boots, pulling her vest overhead, and peeling off her underwear.
Fen walked straight to the water’s edge, her body tanned and muscular and strong, wading in without hesitation.
Robyn glanced down, wondering if she had the nerve to strip off. She hadn’t been naked in front of anyone since she’d had Jack, and was embarrassed by the loose skin on her stomach and the empty slope of her breasts. She’d agonised over what swimsuit to buy for the holiday, knowing Lexi and Bella would be lounging poolside, looking gorgeous and fresh in whatever they wore. Yet she couldn’t stand here, fully dressed, baking in the heat.
Fen had already put some distance between her and the shore – and there was no one else watching. Come on, Robyn.
She crouched, unknotting the laces of her hiking boots. She peeled off her socks and wriggled her pink toes. The urge to plunge her hot, swollen feet in the sea was overpowering. With a burst of courage, she flung off her sweat-dampened clothes and underwear, then hot-footed it across the beach.
Cold water splashed around her calves, climbing her thighs, cool and secret. Then she dived under, the salt water sensual and incredible, cooling every inch of her flushed skin.
When she surfaced, hair slicked, water beading her eyelashes, she hooted with delight. She rolled onto her back, floating with her arms wide, nipples exposed to the warmth of the sun – and found she was grinning.
In the periphery of her vision, she was aware of Fen making smooth, clean strokes. She admired her athleticism and strength, and how she seemed to know herself in a way that felt intoxicating to Robyn.
Floating on the sun-dazzled surface, hair fanning around her face, Robyn closed her eyes. The hot orb of the sun glowed orange against her eyelids and when she let in a fraction of light, a rainbow caught at the edges of her lashes. Here she was, skinny-dipping in the Aegean Sea! She floated in this moment of bliss, the mountains rising before her, feeling an opening of something deep in her chest.
Robyn wrung the water from her hair, droplets darkening the sand. She’d nothing to dry herself with, so she stood there naked, letting the sun bake her.
By the time Fen waded to shore, Robyn had pulled on her clothes and was standing in the shade of the cliff, sipping from her water bottle. ‘Good swim?’ Robyn asked as Fen approached, her skin wet and glistening.
‘Glorious.’ She pulled on her top, not bothering with a bra. ‘Worth the scramble down, right?’
Water droplets were caught in the ends of Fen’s lashes, sunlight glinting off the perfect clear beads, making her green eyes look like they were sparkling. Robyn felt a fresh charge of energy in her chest. ‘Absolutely.’
The climb back up was easier, toes of their boots stamping dust, fingers reaching for the nooks in the cliff for purchase. Too easy, in fact, because before Robyn knew it, the villa was in sight, their adventure over. She asked, ‘Think we’ll be in trouble for disappearing for so long?’
Fen shrugged. ‘Probably.’
‘Thank you for today,’ Robyn said. ‘I’ve loved it.’
Fen smiled. ‘Me too.’
Robyn felt warmth bloom in her cheeks, heat rising from the very centre of her. Fen’s gaze skirted across her face, as if reading something in her expression. Robyn could feel the sun hot against her scalp, hear the gentle lap of the sea at the foot of the cliffs.
Then, echoing from within the walls of the villa, the stillness of the moment was dissected by a scream.
18
Bella
A flare of pain stabbed between Bella’s toes as she pulled her foot from her espadrille.
‘What is it?’ Lexi cried, rushing to Bella’s side.
Bella, hopping, grabbed on to Lexi’s shoulder. She pointed to a glossy black creature, emerging from the toe of her shoe. ‘Scorpion!’
‘Shit! How bad is it? Should I call an ambulance?’
A burning sensation was spreading across her foot. Bella sucked in a deep breath. She could handle this. It was just pain. Her heart rate had increased but not dangerously so. Healthy people didn’t die from scorpion stings. This didn’t mean hospital. It was going to be okay. There was nothing to show for the searing pain except an insultingly small pink mark between her toes.
Eleanor and Ana burst from their room, dressed for town. ‘Jesus, are you okay?’ Ana asked, clocking the scorpion. ‘What can we do?’
‘I need to wash the sting,’ Bella said.
Lexi helped Bella hobble to the sofa, while Ana filled a bowl with water and Eleanor fetched a towel.
‘How’s the pain?’ Lexi asked, face creased in concern.
Bella brought her foot into her lap to examine it. Now the redness was beginning to bloom outwards. She’d stepped on a weaver fish as a child and this was a similar pain: she wasn’t dying, but damn it hurt.