Tale In The Red Sand

Chapter Twenty- Six

"It really is red sand," Ercole marvelled, having not even stepped foot on the peculiar landscape, and yet, he stood astonished.

Hibaaq pulled her keys from out of the ignition, nodding her head, satisfied with his reaction. "Did you think I was kidding?" She jested lightly, signalling for him to follow her down the slope of the hill, leading him away from the concrete parking lot to dive into the ashy red sand below.

Hibaaq had already taken off her sandals, holding the pair with the hook of her forefinger as she let her feet sink into the soft surface, pleasantly crunching at every step she took towards the calm shore. She could hear Ercole's long strides, it wasn't long till he caught up, standing tall beside her as he looked out unto the undisturbed waters; moving to and fro serenely. The late morning sun shone down graciously in warming rays, it was the kind of sun that could alter any foul mood in a second.

"Not at all," He breathed, bending to rest his rear on the sand, allowing his toes to be tickled by the small approaching waves, accompanying a flurry of sea foam. "This is really nice," He remarked. Ercole squinted his eyes from the burning sphere to gaze up at the burning beauty that still stood, grinning at his statement.

"It is," Agreed Hibaaq. She ensured there was a respectable distance between them before she plopped down on the sand with a small huff, adjusting her dress loosely. "This place is my escape, it helps clear my head," She told him, raising her knees to rest her arm on, her other hand busied itself drawing patterns in the wet sand; appearing almost brown from soaking in the ocean water.

"I could really use some of that right now,"Ercole remarked, solemnly. His life could take some drastic turns whenever it wished, as if it knew he was at peace and genuinely content. Seemingly, just when he had the pleasure of getting to know Hibaaq Cali. His past would unfortunately always rear it's tragic head, then suddenly he was back in constant reminding of just how awfully tragic it truly is.

Peering at him closer, Hibaaq could clearly see the darkened skin under his eyes, the deep purple that encircled them. He looked beyond bone tired, she wondered about the last time he had caught a goodnight's sleep. "I figured," She said softly.

"Thank you," He responded, before letting a doleful silence creep in. Hibaaq didn't want their little getaway to be anything like such, but eventually the feeling consumed her also, prickling the backs of her eyes and stinging the roof of her nostrils.

"Do you have to go?" She enquired, quietly. Ercole would've almost missed the sound of her voice had it come any later than the crash of a large wave in the distance. There was a long beat or two, plenty of time to take her silly enquiry back, laugh it off, regret it even. Hibaaq did none of those things, she could practically feel the shame clawing her neck, and yet she idled. He had more than a valid reason, there were no ifs and buts in the matter to be precise, but still she grasped at the last shot of hope. Perhaps he would change his mind and stay, she thought, selfishly.

Ercole's eyes widened for a second, at loss for words, though a tiny grin pulled up the corners of his mouth. It was definitely not something, he thought she would ever ask. He was amused, delighted. "Why, you don't want me to go?" He watched her fumble over her words, endearingly.

"I -, that's not what I meant," She lied. What made her face heat up, made her whole body feel fuzzy, her heart beat out of it's place, was the fact that he probably knew that she was lying; yet he was smiling at her, his eyes beamed and narrowed gleefully.

Ercole laughed heartily with a hand on his shaking chest. He found it incredibly amusing teasing her, a ghost of a coy smirk hidden in his wide grin. He would dreadfully miss it. "What exactly do you mean, Bella?"