Coming Up For Air | ✓

8 | a suntastic time

Jake grabs the bottle of rose pink, weighing it in his palm. His fingers brush against hers as he holds it out for her.

"This one."

"Good choice."

Sensing his eyes on her, Stella turns her head to find Jake's taken his gaze off the bottles. The faintest crease appears between his brows as his eyes flicker over her features, lips slightly parted before they press together and form a hint of a smile.

Wrapping her fingers around the bottle of the nail polish, Stella draws a circle in the terrycloth of her towel. "Do I have food on my face or something?"

Jake shakes his head with a soft chortled breath, gaze falling away from her to glance at the magazine-spread. A beat of silence passes between them before he says, "Beirut."

"What?"

He taps his finger against the page, drawing her eyes to the crossword.

Her lips silently form the six letters. "Oh, thanks,"

Taking hold of the pen, she fills the boxes with her italic scrawl before grabbing another apple slice. She extends the plate to Jake, letting her pen rest between her fingers as she lightly taps them against her chin in thought.

Then, as Jake makes to push himself to his feet, the pen clatters to the dock as Stella's hand shoots out to wrap around his wrist.

"Let's do it together," She says, flashing him a smile before she lets her lips fall into a feigned pout. He knows it well, it's the same she's perfected ever since they were kids and she made a claim for the last KitKat bar. Reaching for the pen, she offers it to Jake. "Help."

A hint of a smirk plays over his smile as he takes the pen from her hand, shifting his weight between his elbows as he lies back down next to her.

 Stella moves aside, offering him at least part of her beach towel as she begins to unscrew the cap of the bottle of nail polish. The chemical yet comfortably familiar scent hits her nose in an instant, rising into the summer air—where it blends with the notes of ruffled magazine sheets and sunblock melting into her skin in the warmth—as the two of them take on the rest of the crossword together.

━ ♡♡♡ ━

Stella runs her index finger along the rim of a hand-painted vase—daisies on a green canvas, flickering her gaze across the table it's stood upon. Next to it is a portable radio in turquoise, a set of six coupe glasses on its other side.

They—Jake and her—abandoned the dock some hour past noon in favor of exploring the town, starting off with a late lunch at Lottie's, as per Stella's request, before embarking on their adventure of simply sauntering about.

The niche boutique they're browsing through now, with its chosen selection of interior, coffee beans and confectionary rhyme along the same theme as the rest of the shops lining this street. Picturesque. With potted flowers out front and the faint whiff of cotton scented candles filling its premises.

"Stells."

As Jake's voice sounds through the store, she glances over her shoulder to find his eyes are already set on her, lips tugging into a small smile as her gaze catches his. He nods his head to the side as she lets go of the coaster in her hand, carefully placing it atop the stack with the rest before making her way through the room.

Weaving through oddly placed tables and shelves, she sidles up next to Jake as her eyes flicker to the shelf of ceramic tea-and coffee cups before him. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes, each and every one unique yet alike: a quote slapped across the ceramic, surrounded by countless of illustrations. There's one with butterflies, another with frogs. One with cactuses. Next to it there's one with sunflowers, and next to that one with bees. In the back, behind plenty of others, Stella glimpses one with whales painted in shades of gray, black and blue.