Hannah leads her to sit down, a frown on her face as she presses her cool hand against Caroline’s cheek. “It’s too hot, you’ve been doing too much.”

She swiftly reaches out and grabs some ice from the cooler, wrapping it in paper towels before pressing it against the back of Caroline’s neck.

“No, that’s not it. I’m fine.” She waves her off, but still can’t quite relax into Hannah’s cool touch, as much as everything inside of her wants to.

“Then what –” Understanding comes over Hannah’s face and with it, a new panic in her stomach. “You were jealous.”

Damn. She should’ve just accepted the excuse that it was too fucking hot when she had the chance! Idiot.

Her heart jumps back into her throat as she shakes her head quickly. “No, I, um…”

But Hannah just gives her a soft smile as she struggles to come up with an excuse. The gentle, affectionate smile. The one she gives to Caroline like it’s reserved for her, and even amidst this, it makes her melt. “I’m not going to date your brother.”

“You’re not?” She hates the relief coursing through her. It’s not fair and she knows it. It’s not fair to hope against Hannah finding someone else. But, Christ, she needs it to not be her brother.

Hannah readjusts the ice against Caroline’s neck and her entire body shivers from it. She can feel her nipples harden against her bikini top with the combination of the ice and Hannah’s fingers following it over her skin.

“No. I’m not… I can’t date right now.” Her eyebrows scrunch up in that contemplative way, those perfect lips twisting into a frown. “It’s… there’s so much…” She trails off, staring at Caroline intently, as if willing her to just understand what she’s trying to say.

It’s something she’s certainly picked up along the way with Hannah, the way she struggles at times to put into words what she has on her mind. Whether it’s because she doesn’t want to share and is so used to keeping everything close to the vest, Caroline isn’t sure. But she gets it.

And her relief grows stronger at Hannah’s words. She doesn’t want Hannah to be alone. God, she really hates the thought of that, even if it can’t be her that Hannah chooses to be with. But she thinks she just needs some more time to figure out how to shelve these feelings or at least manage them to the point that Hannah being with someone else doesn’t make her feel like her heart is being stepped on.