Lesley could hardly look away.
Across from her, Denisse lounged comfortably against the sofa, completely at ease as she talked with the others gathered around the aft deck. Her hands moved animatedly as she spoke, her bright eyes lighting up whenever someone responded. Even from where she sat, Lesley found herself lingering on every little detail: the gentle curve of her nose, the long dark lashes framing her eyes, the soft pink of her lips.
She was right there.
Beside her. Close enough for Lesley to feel the warmth of her hand still clasped in hers.
Every so often, Denisse would glance her way, and each time, Lesley felt the same strange disbelief settle over her. She had spent so long missing this face, this voice, this easy presence beside her. Now she only had to turn her head to find her.
And this time, Denisse was hers again.
Officially.
Lesley sat slightly turned toward her, one arm resting along the back of the sofa while her other hand remained intertwined with Denisse's. Her thumb moved absently over Denisse's knuckles, almost as if she needed the small, familiar contact to reassure herself that this was real.
The yacht rocked gently beneath them. Conversations drifted across the deck, mingling with the low hum of the engines and the rush of water trailing behind them. A breeze lifted a few strands of Denisse's hair, and Lesley watched as she tucked them behind her ear without interrupting whatever story she was telling.
It was hard to reconcile this quiet moment with what had happened only hours ago.
One moment, Lesley had been on the deck speaking with the staff, barely aware of how quickly the afternoon was moving around her. The next, she had been on the third deck with Denisse, crying in front of her, saying everything she had been too afraid to say before.
The memory came rushing back in fragments: Denisse's trembling voice, the tears on her cheeks, the warmth of her hands, and the way she had looked at Lesley when they finally stopped pretending that none of it had mattered.
Lesley squeezed her hand.
Denisse glanced over.
"What?" she asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Lesley shook her head, unable to stop her own smile from appearing.
"Nothing."
Denisse studied her for a moment, as though she knew there was more to it, but she let it go. She turned back toward the conversation, still holding Lesley's hand.
Lesley watched her for another moment before looking out across the water.
And then, despite herself, her mind returned to that moment...
Lesley's eyes widened.
For a moment, she could only stare at the woman standing in front of her.
Denisse.
The woman she had wanted beside her more times than she could count. The woman she had missed in the quietest hours, when there was no one around to distract her from the ache of her absence. The woman she still loved.
Her gaze stayed on Denisse's face, almost afraid to blink. She had the strange, irrational thought that if she looked away, even for a second, Denisse might disappear.
She knew she was staring.
She just couldn't stop.
Then reality caught up with her. Lesley quickly turned her eyes toward the ocean, pretending the view had suddenly become fascinating. She tightened her grip around the railing, her knuckles paling beneath her fingers as she fought the sting gathering behind her eyes.
Not here.
She couldn't cry here.
Not with Denisse standing only a few feet away.
She had spent so long imagining what it would be like to see her again. She had pictured what she would say, how she would act, how she would finally have the chance to speak to her.
None of those imagined moments had prepared her for this.
A quiet shift beside her made her glance over.
Denisse had moved closer.
Now she stood beside Lesley, her gaze fixed on the ocean ahead.
Lesley turned her attention back to the water. The breeze carried the faint scent of salt across the deck, stirring her hair against her cheek. Somewhere behind them, the sound of crashing waves echoed against the yacht, but it seemed distant, muffled beneath the pounding of her own heartbeat.
She had waited for this.
For weeks, perhaps. For one moment when she could stand beside Denisse again, hear her voice, even say her name.
And now that she finally could, she had no idea what to say.
Her throat tightened.
Maybe this was what she deserved. Maybe some part of her still remembered exactly how much pain she had caused Denisse and refused to let her forget it. What right did she have to approach her now? What right did she have to ask anything of the woman she had hurt so badly?
Still, Lesley gathered what little courage she had left.
"Denisse…"
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
The name felt different spoken aloud.
She had said it countless times in an empty house, an empty bed, an empty office. She had whispered it when there was no one there to hear her.
But now Denisse was standing beside her.
Really here.
Lesley swallowed.
"How are you?"
The question sounded painfully inadequate the moment it left her mouth.
She had no idea if she had the right to ask. Not after everything that had happened between them. Not when she was the one who had left Denisse carrying the hurt.
But she needed to know.
Even if Denisse told her she was happier now. Even if she told her she had moved on and no longer needed her. Lesley knew she would have to accept it.
"I'm fine."
Denisse turned to look at her.
Lesley managed a small nod.
"That's good to hear…"
Of course it was.
Thank God she was fine.
Even if she was fine without Lesley.
Lesley stole another glance at her.
Denisse had already turned back toward the ocean. There was something distant in her expression, as though her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
A quiet uneasiness settled over Lesley.
Maybe Denisse didn't want to talk to her.
Maybe she wanted to be alone, and Lesley was only making this harder by standing beside her.
The thought was enough to make her chest tighten.
Lesley released a slow breath and loosened her grip on the railing.
"I should leave you alone," she said quietly. "Please, enjoy the view."
She pushed herself away from the railing before she could lose her nerve.
Then she turned and walked away.
Lesley had only managed to take a few steps when her chest tightened.
Was she really going to let this chance slip away?
For weeks, she had imagined this moment. She had prayed for the chance to see Denisse again, to stand in front of her and finally say everything she had been too afraid to say before.
And now she was walking away.
Was that really what she wanted?
Lesley closed her eyes for a moment.
She knew she had been wrong. She knew she had hurt Denisse, perhaps more deeply than she had allowed herself to admit. But was leaving really the right thing to do? Was walking away supposed to be her punishment, or was she simply running from the fear of being rejected?
Her friends' voices came rushing back to her, followed by her sister's.
"People don't just stop loving someone overnight. You won't know what she feels unless you try."
"But don't forget that the two of you love each other, too."
Lesley drew in a shaky breath.
No.
She wasn't going to walk away again.
Even if Denisse didn't forgive her. Even if she didn't want her back. Lesley would still take this chance. She owed her at least that much.
She was just about to turn, ready to go back.
Ready to finally speak.
To apologize for everything. To tell Denisse how sorry she was. To ask, even if she had no right to hope for an answer, if there was still something left between them worth saving.
But before she could turn fully, a pair of arms slipped around her waist.
Lesley froze.
Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat.
For a second, she couldn't move. Couldn't even believe what she was feeling.
Denisse.
Denisse was holding her.
Her arms were wrapped around Lesley from behind, her body pressed close against her back. Lesley felt the tremor of her breath against her shoulder, warm and unsteady.
"I missed you…"
The words were barely a whisper.
Lesley heard them anyway.
Every syllable.
Something inside her broke open.
Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them. She tipped her face toward the sky, blinking hard as though she could somehow force them back, her lower lip trembling between her teeth.
God.
She had missed her too.
More than she had ever known how to say.
And now Denisse was holding her again.
Just like that.
After all the nights Lesley had spent wishing for this, wondering what it would feel like to have her arms around her again, it was actually happening.
"I missed you so badly."
The words left her brokenly.
More tears spilled down her face.
"I'm sor—"
Before Denisse could say anything else, Lesley turned in her arms.
She cupped Denisse's face in both hands, her fingers trembling against her cheeks as she searched her eyes for just a second.
Then she kissed her.
There was no hesitation left in her.
She kissed Denisse with every sleepless night, every unanswered thought, every moment she had spent longing for her. With all the love she had been too afraid to say aloud.
And when Denisse kissed her back, Lesley closed her eyes and held on.
The soft clink of a wineglass against the coffee table pulled Lesley back to the present.
Denisse held out a glass toward her.
"Thank you, babe." Lesley accepted it, their fingers brushing briefly before she sat up straighter.
Denisse smiled at her, and Lesley found herself smiling back.
"See? I told you, babe. I had a feeling we'd still get to celebrate your birthday like this," Gigi said to Steff, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "I knew they'd work things out."
"Thank God! I honestly thought we wouldn't get the chance if they hadn't reconciled," Steff said, letting out a relieved sigh.
"I knew they'd make up eventually." Leanne grinned as she lifted her hand to Gigi for a high five. "All that planning was worth it."
Their palms met with a satisfying slap.
Lesley shook her head, laughing softly.
Of course.
She had known the moment she saw Denisse that none of this could have been a coincidence. How else would Denisse have ended up on this yacht?
Her gaze drifted toward her sister, and a small, knowing smile tugged at her lips.
"Gigi was practically bursting at the seams trying not to spill the plan to Denisse," Steff said, clearly amused.
Denisse turned to Gigi, narrowing her eyes playfully. "So that's why you insisted on picking me up yourself, huh?" she asked before taking a sip of her wine.
"Exactly," Gigi said with a grin. "Someone had to make sure you showed up for the grand finale. We couldn't risk you missing this moment."
Lesley smiled into her glass.
"This was unexpected, but I still want to thank you guys," she said.
Leanne waved a hand dismissively. "We just found a way to get the two of you in the same place. Everything after that was up to you."
"And we're very happy that you two finally made up," Gigi added, her grin widening. "Official girlfriends now and everything."
Lesley laughed softly, warmth spreading through her chest. She turned toward Denisse, their eyes meeting across the small space between them.
"I'm really happy too."
She set her glass down and leaned closer, closing the remaining distance between them.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of laughter, food, music, and sunshine. They ate until they were comfortably full, drank wine as the afternoon stretched on, and eventually ended up in the water, where the birthday celebration dissolved into playful splashing and laughter.
For the first time in a long while, Lesley didn't feel the need to think about what came next.
She had Denisse back beside her, her hand warm in hers, her laughter filling the space between them.
And after everything it had taken to find their way back to each other, Lesley knew one thing for certain.
This time, she wasn't letting her go.