Hey,” Lauren said, coming up behind

Hey,” Lauren said, coming up behind her girlfriend and placing a hand on the small of her back as they stepped back on to the hot sand and allowed their feet to sink beneath it, coating them with the small particles as they adhered temporarily to their skin. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Camila assured her, twisting her torso slightly and linking her hand with Lauren’s. “I just needed something to drink and a chance to sit down. Sofi is such a handful sometimes. I think she’s got the energy of seven cheetahs. There is literally nothing that seems to tire her out.”

Camila guided Lauren over to their things and reached down to pick up her t-shirt which she quickly put on before retrieving her bottle of water from on top of her bag and finishing it off eagerly.

“Wow, you really were thirsty,” Lauren noted as Camila recapped it and tucked it inside her bag out of the way.

“Yeah,” Camila returned, dropping on to her towel and wasting no time in throwing herself on to her back, evidently exhausted. “I don’t think I’m used to all this exercise. It’s making me dehydrated.”

“Why don’t you have a nap?” Lauren suggested, staring down at her girlfriend and easily noticing the tell-tale signs that she exhibited when her body was craving sleep.

“Aren’t you going to come and lie down here with me?” Camila asked ignoring the question and posing one of her own.

“It depends whether you’re going to sleep or not.” Lauren replied honestly.

“Why?” Camila questioned, pushing herself up on to one elbow to look at her properly.

“Well, because if you’re going to sleep then I’ll go back to the others and let you rest,” Lauren said.

“What if I want you to stay here with me though?” Camila hinted.

“Do you?” Lauren enquired mischievously and Camila smiled wide and stretched her uppermost arm out in front of her dramatically so that it was pointing at her girlfriend.

“So honey now,” she started singing playfully, her voice strong and cheeky. “Take me into your loving arms…” she persisted, sitting up on to her knees and crawling forwards towards Lauren, both hands now palm up in front of her imploringly.

“Camz…” she laughed but Camila continued on audaciously.

“Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars,” she went on, her face ablaze with amusement as she swept one arm in an arc above her head gesturing to the sky.

She reached for one of Lauren’s hands and held it between both her own as she carried on with her nonsense.

“Place your head on my beating heart.” She sang, pulling gently on Lauren’s hand.

“You’re such a dork.” Lauren chortled as she obeyed Camila’s silent command and fell on to her knees in front of her, landing on her own towel beside her girlfriends’. “What are you even doing right now?”

“I’m just…thinking out loud,” she said frivolously and Lauren rolled her eyes, knowing that she’d walked straight in to that.

“You couldn’t have just said ‘yes’ instead of singing to me? Lauren asked her as Camila lay on to her back again and lifted up one arm so that Lauren could lie beside her.

Lauren complied and Camila wrapped her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder, pulling her against her as she chuckled to herself.

“Are you telling me that my musical reply didn’t answer your question?” Camila queried.

“The only question it answered was whether you listen to too much Ed Sheeran or not,” Lauren teased.

“It is practically impossible to listen to too much Ed Sheeran,” Camila defended as Lauren buried her face against the smaller girl’s chest and started to draw delicate circles over her sternum with her index finger.

“Well you’d know,” Lauren sighed, turning her face and planting a soft kiss below Camila’s jaw. “You’ve had his album on repeat ever since it was released a few weeks ago and you’re still not bored of it.”

“Ed Sheeran’s album is a very handy tool when you’re in a relationship,” Camila revealed as she rested her chin on top of Lauren’s head. “Do you know how many great pick-up lines are on it?”

“Are you serious?” Lauren laughed.

“I don’t joke about Ed Sheeran’s lyrical genius.” Camila retorted evenly.

“Ok,” Lauren said, twisting away from Camila and on to her side so that she could see her better. “Why don’t you try a few out on me?”

“Ok,” Camila accepted Lauren’s challenge keenly. “I will.”

Camila sat herself up and looked at Lauren determined to be proven right.

“What about this one?” she questioned, cracking her knuckles and leaning closer to Lauren, her eyes looking in to her girlfriend’s deliberately. “I could look in to your eyes until the sun comes up.” Camila said softly, no trace of a smile or any glee in her voice as she spoke, her hazelnut orbs fixing on Lauren’s and making her girlfriend’s cheeks heat as she blushed.

Lauren knew that it was supposed to be a line but she also knew that Camila meant every syllable of what she’d said; her girlfriend’s voice full of affection and her eyes unwilling to surrender themselves to anything else except her green ones.

“That