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We can hear the waves crashing in the distance.

The path down was narrow enough that we had to turn sideways in places. The cliffs rose around us, until the rest of Seraphin bay disappeared completely.

There was no road down here, no lights, no sound apart from us walking down there.

Damien had spent half of the walk trying to find a way to convince me that we should have driven his car down here. Apparently narrow paths carved into cliffs were not his idea of a reasonable route.

“I don’t think your car would have survived this,” I say, taking another step down.

“It has suspension,” he replies bluntly.

The beach is hidden between the cliffs, with dark rocks on both sides, and a small stretch of sand leading to the water. You can barely see this place from above. But it’s been Hayzel and I’s secret spot for years.

I slip off my shoes, and walk toward the water. The first wave reaches my feet, cold enough to make me gasp as I turn around.

He watches me and I can see the beginning of a smile.

“Have you ever had a midnight swim, Mister Caldwell?"

He looks out at the water, then back at me. “Not yet.”

I hold out my hand and reply, “Then you should try.”

He shrugs off his shirt, almost lazily, and my eyes follow the movement. Moonlight catches across his shoulders, the scar on his chest, and for a second, I forget that my dress is still on.

“Take off your dress.”

His voice brings me back to the moment and I nod as his mouth curves. I throw it on the sand and tug him toward the water.

The cold reaches our ankles, then our calves and I shiver at the sensation.

He looks at me with an amused expression before asking, “Are you cold?”

I shake my head, lying, and he steps closer, until the water moves around both of us. His hand settles at my waist, then he leans in. “You could use some body heat.”

He pulls me against him and I laugh softly, my arms instinctively wrapping around his shoulder.

“Better?”

I nod, “Much better.”

For a moment, we stay there, staring at each other, water living around us, and the cliffs rising behind the beach. Then his expression softens.

“You’re happy.”

Happiness. I like that, I like that a lot.

I smile and lean closer, letting my forehead rest against his. “I am.”

We float in the cold ocean, holding each other, and all I focus on is his pulse beneath my head. I’ve learned the rhythm of him. I know when his heart quickens because something has caught him off guard, when it slows because he’s thinking too hard or wants to ask a question but hasn't found the words for it yet.

Somehow, somewhere between all the arguments and all the moments we weren’t supposed to have, I’ve learned how to read his heart and memorize it.

“So,” he says softly as I pull back to look at him. “Federal agent.”

I laugh and push him away, splashing him with the water. “Don’t sound so impressed.”

“I am.”