Chapter 19 Reading Dates & Sunrise Picnics.
Reading Dates & Sunrise Picnics.
It felt so good out here on this beach. I loved that it was still warm enough to wear my favorite swimsuit as Dawn and I relaxed by the water.
She was stretched out on a beach towel, soaking up the sun as I sipped on a mimosa in a beach chair right beside her.
My comfort read was pulled up on my Kindle, and we had a platter of fruit and cheese ready for snacking. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon.
These last couple of days have been spent just like this.
Even though she said that we could do anything I wanted, all I really wanted was to relax with her in this gorgeous beach house she’d rented.
It had enough space for a large family, and plenty of amenities, from a pool to a game room, to a theater room, and even a full chef's kitchen. It was glorious, and I was lowkey sad that we’d be flying home tomorrow. I could stay here forever.
“What you reading?” I glance over at Dawn as she leans back on her elbows, her sunglasses pulled up over her head.
I turned the device so she could see the cover.
“It’s a cute little sapphic romance,” I tell her.
“The two main characters had a meet-cute at a track meet back when they were in college, and there were instant sparks. Of course, they fall in love, but unfortunately, there is a bunch of drama and jealous exes along the way. Also, there’s a really annoying set of parents who keep trying to hook one of the FMCs up with her ex.
I always wanna jump in a tell them about themselves, but I know that there’s a happy ending, so it’s all good. ”
“Wait, so you’ve read it before?” She questions, and I nod.
“Yeah, probably about five times,” I shrug.
“Damn,” she replies, genuinely shocked. “I don’t think I’ve ever reread a book. Is that common amongst avid readers?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I tell her. “I think most people who read as a hobby have at least one comfort read that they like to revisit every so often. This one is mine.”
“I love that for you,” she nods. “You make me want to revisit one of my favorite books. Maybe I’ll pick up on something I didn’t notice before.”
“Is it part of the subscription program? If so, I can log you in on my account on your phone, and you can read it there,” I suggest excitedly. “Maybe we can even read it together?”
She smiles at my enthusiasm before nodding.
I squeal and slide down to the beach towel beside her.
She informs me she already has the service, so she pulls out her phone and opens the app.
When she shows me what book it is, I gasp, because it was one I’d had on my Tbr for the longest. A story containing sapphic love, shifters, and magic, plus a plus-sized Black FMC.
I instantly downloaded it as well, and we lay back to read it together.
About an hour into reading, we move the party inside so that we can eat the lunch that Dawn ordered.
As we’re eating, I ask her questions about the book, and she does her best to answer them without spoiling anything.
I loved buddy reading with her, and I suggested we keep it going after we finish our current book.
She agreed, and thus started a two-person book club I named “R&D Book Club.”
Cheesy, I know, but I liked it, and Dawn didn’t care what we named it, as long as I was happy. Which I was.
After the lunch was eaten, and we’d read all we wanted for the day, we moved over to the couch to watch a movie together.
There was a romcom that she’d been dying to watch, and I agreed on it because I knew how much she hated horror movies.
I loved them way more than romance movies, if I’m being honest. Which is wild because I wouldn’t touch a horror book with a ten-foot pole, but I ate romance books up every day.
There was just something about reading horror that made it feel more realistic to me than watching it in a movie or TV show.
We ended up watching a couple of movies as we cuddled together, just enjoying each other’s company, but our attention spans started to drift around the third movie.
Instead of paying attention to the screen, we were laughing at video clips that we’d saved to show each other.
My favorite part was when we both realized we had a crush on Queen Latifah after saving the same edit of her.
“She’s fine, even if she is old enough to be my mama,” Dawn said as we watched the edit for the 10th time. I nodded in agreement. “She’s always been one of my top five celebrity crushes.”
“You saying that makes me curious about who you first one ever was,” I state, leaning in on my elbows to give her my undivided attention.
We had since moved to the kitchen to fix ice cream sundaes. Well, she was fixing them, and I was busy watching her arms flex as she scooped the ice cream. I was so far gone, I know. I know!
“Easy. Bow Wow,” she shrugged, and I nodded. “I remember crushing on him well before I even understood what a crush really was. I just knew he was cute in that Bounce With Me music video that came out along with Big Mama’s House. I played that movie out, not gon lie.”
“Oh yeahhhh,” I replied excitedly, remembering it like it was yesterday. “That’s so valid. So, I’m guessing you lost your shit when Like Mike came out.”
“Don’t even get me started,” she chuckled, shaking her head.
“I was a big ass fan girl when I was younger, not only because I thought he was cute but because I love his music. He was one of my earlier inspirations because I was so impressed that he was that young and spitting bars like that.” I nodded in agreement. “What about you? Who was yours?”
“Definitely Kyla Pratt,” I said without hesitation.
“Her in Love and Basketball definitely had a lot to do with my awakening. I didn’t know nothing about nothing, but I did know that her being all tomboyish and then girly at certain times was enough to make me realize that I liked girls like her.
I mean, Sanaa Lathan in that movie also played a big part in my awakening, too, but even past that movie, I was always so drawn to Kyla Pratt.
Even to this day, she’s still in my top five. ”
“Yeah, she’s gorgeous,” she agrees. “You have great taste.”
“Why, thank you,” I say, reaching over to boop her in the nose. She chuckles, shaking her head. “I know I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be with you.”
“Oh, aren’t you charming,” she teases, and I smile innocently. “Any others?”
“I mean, yeah, I have a few more, all of them women, though. I mean, I am attracted to men, but not nearly as much as I am to women or even nonbinary people,” I admit.
“I’ve only ever dated that one guy back in high school, and we never got past the making-out stage.
All of my other relationships were with women and female-aligned nonbinary people. ”
“And that’s perfectly fine,” she assures me. “Your relationships and feelings are valid still.”
“I know,” I chuckle. “But it is refreshing to hear you say that. I can’t even tell you how many people in my life have tried to invalidate my sexuality because I was either too attracted to women to be bi or they hated that I was attracted to men in general, and questioned if I really liked women at all. It’s frustrating.”
“I can only imagine,” she sighs, and she comes around to where I’m standing.
She pulls me in for a hug, and I bury my face in her chest. “I’m sorry people made you feel like that, but I want you to know that I’ll always respect you and your sexuality.
Your feelings are valid, and nobody has the right to make you feel otherwise. ”
“Thanks, my love,” I say, looking up at her. She kisses me softly before pressing her forehead against mine.
“I got you, baby. Always.” She assures me. “Now, back to these sundaes. What toppings would you like?”
I giggled before pointing them out to her, and she fixed the prettiest sundae ever.
She admitted that she and her siblings used to make them just about every Friday growing up, so that’s why she was such an expert.
Honestly, it was the best sundae I ever had, and I definitely got her to make me another one once I had finished the first.
December 15th, 2025 - 4:25 AM
I sat up on the sofa and stretched to ease the soreness in my neck.
Even though this couch was comfortable, it wasn’t ideal for sleeping on.
After binge-watching more movies, Dawn and I eventually fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. I should still be asleep, but the pain in my neck wouldn’t let me be great.
I looked to my right and saw that Dawn was still knocked out, so I ran my fingers through her curls and admired how gorgeous she was, even as she slept wildly.
She was snoring softly with her mouth wide open.
When she was awake, she looked so strong and protective, but when she was asleep, she looked so cute and innocent. She looked so at peace.
“Why you staring at me? I look cute or something?” she suddenly asked, catching me off guard. Her eyes opened slowly as she smirked.
“You scared the hell out of me,” I whined, hitting her arm lightly. She chuckled as she sat up. I let her pull me into her arms.
“I’m sorry, baby,” she apologized before peppering my face with kisses. I squealed and squirmed in her arms. “What are you doing up anyway? Couldn’t sleep again?”
“My neck started hurting from the position I was lying in,” I sigh. “I think I’m going to go get a bit of fresh air, though. I wanna enjoy the last bit of time we have here on the beach.”
“Okay, sounds good,” she says as she rises from the couch. She leans down to kiss me once more. “I’ll come with you.”
I begin to nod, but then an idea pops into my head, and suddenly, I’m ushering her to the room and telling her not to come out until I say. She’s confused at first, but I ask her to trust me. She kisses me and falls back on the bed, telling me to wake her when I’m ready.