Chapter 53
Chapter Fifty-Three
Milo
“Sienna? You ready, baby?” I knock softly on her bedroom door, my knuckles hovering just above the smooth wood.
Something crashes inside, followed by a muffled curse and her cheerful voice. “One second! Almost done!”
I lean against the wall opposite, a slow smile tugging at my lips. Less than five minutes pass before the door swings open, and the air leaves my lungs in a quiet rush.
She stands there in the same yellow sundress she wore on our very first night here. The soft fabric flows around her thighs, catching the warm lamplight, and her dark curls tumble over one shoulder. She looks breathtaking.
Not just beautiful—though she always is—but like the very first spark that lit everything between us.
“Wow,” I breathe, my voice low and rough with everything I’m feeling. I step forward, my hands finding her waist as if they belong there. Because they do. My thumbs brush the soft fabric, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath. “You look… fuck, Sienna. You’re beautiful.”
I pull her closer and press my lips to her forehead, lingering, breathing her in. Then I kiss her properly—slow, deep, and full of everything I haven’t said. She melts into me as her hands glide up my chest, fingers curling into my button-down as if anchoring herself to this moment.
When we finally break apart, her eyes are brighter, a little dazed, lips parted like she’s forgotten how to breathe for a second. My heart gives a heavy, happy thud in my chest.
“You clean up pretty nice yourself,” she murmurs, her voice a touch husky as she smooths my shirt collar. Her fingers linger, tracing the edge. “Though I’m still partial to you in nothing but board shorts. Or less.”
I laugh softly, the sound rumbling through me, and press another kiss to her temple. “Noted. Come on—everyone’s waiting for us at the bonfire. But if you keep looking at me like that, we might not make it out of this villa.”
She grins, bright and mischievous, then slips her hand into mine. We walk down the winding path to the beach, fingers laced tightly. The sky is a deep onyx scattered with stars, and the bonfire crackles ahead, casting a warm golden glow against the darkness.
Only Ethan and Aria are there when we arrive. They’re tangled together on a big throw, her head resting on his shoulder, drinks in hand, their faces lit by the dancing flames.
Aria spots us and waves enthusiastically, nearly spilling her drink. “There they are! Come join us!”
I sit first, then gently pull Sienna between my legs so her back rests against my chest. My arms wrap loosely around her waist, my hands splaying over her stomach. She leans into me immediately, one of her hands covering mine, fingers intertwining as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” Sienna asks, glancing around.
“Not here,” Aria answers with a playful grin. “They said they’d pass tonight. They wanted the ‘young couples’ to enjoy the night without the ‘oldies’ cramping our style.”
Sienna snorts, leaning further into me. “Yeah, right. They’re probably lurking nearby. You know how they are.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Aria laughs. “Dad probably brought his telescope and is spying on us right now.”
Ethan shakes his head, smiling. “The telescope wouldn’t have fit in his suitcase, but binoculars? That’s a different story.”
Sienna bursts out laughing, doubling over. “Oh my God, do you remember that time in high school when I went on a double date with Jenna? I spotted Mom and Dad three tables over, disguised as old people with binoculars, like they were on an undercover stakeout!”
Aria throws her head back and laughs so hard she nearly knocks over her wine. “Stop! I remember you video calling me from the table right before you marched over to confront them. Their faces went bright red. I’ve never seen anything funnier in my life.”
Both sisters dissolve into helpless giggles, their laughter light and infectious, blending with the gentle crash of waves in the background. The bonfire crackles warmly, casting flickering gold and orange light across Sienna’s face, making her look even more radiant.
I can feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing against my chest, each soft laugh vibrating through her body and into mine.
Every once in a while, she tilts her head back against my shoulder to look up at me, her eyes bright with joy.
Without thinking, I press a gentle kiss to her temple, loving how she melts into me.
The night unfolds beautifully from there.
Ethan challenges me to a ridiculous marshmallow-roasting contest that quickly turns into chaos. We both burn our fingers, laughing like idiots as gooey sugar drips everywhere. Sienna teases me mercilessly about “finally not being able to cook something perfectly.”
I retaliate by roasting one to golden perfection and feeding it to her slowly. Her eyes flutter shut in exaggerated bliss as her lips close around it. A tiny bit of sticky sweetness clings to her lower lip. I watch, mesmerized, as she licks it away with a grin that sends heat rushing through me.
“Mmm. Okay, you win this round,” she admits, her eyes sparkling. “But only because you’re unfairly good with your hands.”
I lean forward, my lips brushing just below her ear. “My hands aren’t the only thing I’m good at,” I murmur, my voice low only for her. “I’m a man of many talents.”
She playfully swats my arm, cheeks flushing that adorable pink I love so much.
Before long, Aria jumps up with a mischievous grin and drags Sienna off for “girl talk” by the water. I watch them go, smiling softly. Ethan shifts closer on the throw and nudges my shoulder.
“So…” he says, his voice low and knowing. “Have you told her how you feel yet?”
I let out a slow breath, staring into the glowing embers. “Not yet. Not properly, at least. Every time I think I’m ready, something holds me back.”
“You’re in love with her, Reyes,” Ethan says seriously. “What are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, rubbing the nape of my neck. “I keep thinking… what if she’s not ready? What if saying it out loud scares her off? She said she wants to see how things go in New York, but we’re still here. I can’t—”
“Trust me,” Ethan cuts in gently. “She’s just as gone for you. You don’t see the way she looks at you when you’re not watching. But Sienna is down bad.”
I glance toward the water, where Sienna and Aria are walking arm-in-arm, heads close together, laughing. Even from here, her laugh makes my chest ache in the best way.
God, I fucking love her.
“You think so?”
“You’re both overthinking this so much, and it’s fucking painful to watch,” he groans, rubbing his temple. “I never thought I’d have to be the logical friend here, but if you don’t say something… I might just tell her for you.”
I open my mouth to respond, but laughter cuts us off. Sienna and Aria are walking back toward us, giggling hysterically. Aria settles back down next to Ethan, but Sienna stays standing, her hand extended toward me, eyes soft.
“Can we talk?” she asks.
My heart kicks hard against my ribs. I take her hand without hesitation and let her lead me to a large rock overlooking the beach, just far enough from the fire to have some privacy. The waves hush gently below us.
“I brought something,” she says, reaching into her bag. She pulls out two folded sheets of paper I recognize immediately—the poems we wrote for each other during the bingo game. “I’m not sure why I kept them… but I did.”
I blink, surprised and deeply touched, as she passes me the one I wrote about her. Her fingers brush mine, sending a spark racing up my arm.
“I thought tonight felt like the right time to read them,” she continues, nervously folding the edges of her own paper. “That’s if you want to, obviously. You don’t have to. We can just throw them out and—”
I turn to face her fully and gently cup her cheeks, my thumbs brushing her soft skin. “I do want to.”
She smiles, her eyes searching mine. “Do you want to go first?”
I nod, unfolding the paper carefully. My own handwriting stares back at me, but the words feel different now—deeper, truer, and heavier with everything we’ve shared since I scribbled them.
I clear my throat, my heart beating steadily as I begin to read.
“Sienna,
You’re chaos dressed in sunlight—a storm that somehow brightens the sky. You move through the world like it’s a game only you know the rules to, and I already find myself wanting to learn every one.
I’ve only known you for a handful of days, but I can already feel this pull, this shift, as if the ground is tilting under my feet in the best way. And if forever starts with five days on this island, then I’ll take every sunrise after that with you by my side.
You’re my favorite kind of unexpected. My once-in-a-lifetime chaos.”
When I finish, the paper feels warm and heavy in my hands. Sienna’s eyes are glossy with unshed tears, catching the distant glow of the fire. She blinks rapidly, then leans in to press a soft, lingering kiss to my jaw, her breath warm and slightly shaky against my skin.
“That was… fuck, Milo,” she whispers with a breathy laugh. “Poetic. You’re a man of many hidden talents, aren’t you?”
I wink at her before urging her to read her poem. She takes a shaky breath and unfolds her poem with trembling fingers. Her voice starts quiet and unsteady, but it grows stronger with each line, wrapping around my heart like the waves below us.
“Milo,
Although I barely know you, I can already tell you’re the calm shore to my crashing waves.
You look at my chaos and don’t flinch. You touch my knee when my thoughts race too fast, and I catch myself wondering how you already know exactly how to calm the storm inside me.
I’ve only known you five days, but you’re already rewriting what I thought forever could look like—which is fucking crazy, because I had never thought of forever before I met you.
And maybe I’m delusional, I don’t know… all I know is that ever since I saw you on that plane, I knew you were going to be someone I’d never forget. ”
Her voice cracks on the last line, raw and honest. I pull her closer, wrapping my arms fully around her as she tucks her face into my neck. I feel the slight tremble in her body, the way her fingers clutch my shirt as if she’s afraid to let go.
“Sienna… that was beautiful,” I whisper into her hair. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
She lets out a soft laugh and pulls back just enough to look at me. Her hands frame my face with such tenderness that my heart aches. Her thumbs brush gently over my cheeks as her eyes search mine.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” she whispers back. “Milo, I—”
Loud laughter suddenly echoes from the bonfire. We both turn to see Ethan and Aria tangled in the sand, wine glasses spilled across the throw, the two of them cracking up like complete idiots.
Sienna shakes her head with a fond smile, gently breaking the moment. She carefully tucks the poems back into her bag, handling them like something precious. Then she rests her head against my shoulder and lets out a shaky breath, melting into me again.
I wrap my arms around her a little tighter, savoring how perfectly she fits against my body.
“What were you about to say?” I ask quietly, glancing down at her. My heart is still hammering from the way she looked at me just a second ago—open, vulnerable, and full of something deep.
She swallows hard, her fingers tightening slightly around my arm. “Nothing. It can wait.”
I don’t push her, even though I desperately want to. The words are on the tip of my tongue—I love you—but I swallow them. Tonight has already been so full, so perfect. I don’t want to rush her.
Instead, I hold her closer and press a kiss to the top of her head, breathing her in.
Whenever you’re ready, baby, I think, letting the quiet certainty settle deep in my chest.
I’ll be right here.