Serendipity

It's really nice

When Mom drops us off at the beach, Sydney and I exchange an excited glance.

"Come on," I grab his hand, twining our fingers together and tugging him towards the little bridge between the parking lot and the beach.

Kiki howls briefly, her tail wagging as she gallops beside us. When we get to the bridge, she shakes herself, telling me it's time for me to let go of the leash.

"Okay, hang on," I bend down and tie the leash to the harness so it won't get tangled when she's running, then give her a pat on the rump. "Go on."

She gives my hand a lick, then bounds away, though she makes sure to stay where I can see her.

Sydney squeezes my hand, reminding me of his presence. I look at him curiously.

He smiles and shakes his head. "Nothing, just wanted to do it."

I laugh and hug him close, breathing in the scent of sunscreen and his shampoo. "You're cute— have I ever told you that?"

"I'm pretty sure you have," He chuckles, but hugs me back just as tightly.

When we pull away, I take his hand again and start running towards the beach. He yelps in surprise, then laughs as he stumbles to keep up.

We run as fast as we can down the beach, and though the sand tries to grab our feet and root us to the ground, we leap away from it, bounding across the beach and towards the water.

We skip to a stop when we're about fifty paces away from the waves, and I plop down onto the sand with a grunt, tugging Sydney down with me.

"Hey— now I'm all sandy," He laughs, poking my shoulder teasingly.

"It's a common side-effect of the beach," I tell him seriously. His lips twitch, as if holding back a smile. "The sand will infiltrate every inch of you. Sand doesn't ask for consent."

He runs his fingers through it thoughtfully as I speak.

"If you enter the water, you subject yourself to sand in places you definitely didn't want it to go," I chuckle. "Your butt-crack will never feel the same."

"Eww!" Sydney shakes his head, but he's smiling.

"It's true," I insist. "You'll have sand everywhere for the rest of your life."

He leans back, laying down carefully and folding his arms behind his head. He closes his eyes. "I think you're exaggerating."

"You'll never forget the feeling of the sand..." I mumble, starting to lay down as well, but then I pause so I can unload. First, I take my phone out of my pocket, and after that I take off my hat and place it on the sand beside my head, then start fiddling with the buttons of my shirt.

After I get it off, I fold it up quickly and put it next to my hat and phone, then lay back down and copy Sydney's position.

After a moment of shared silence, Sydney speaks.

"Thank you."

I raise an eyebrow and turn my head to look at him. "For what?"

He smiles, his eyes still closed. "For being here. It's really nice."

I feel my cheeks warm, but I think it's just because of the sun. I shift my position so I have one arm free, then I reach over and awkwardly twine my fingers with his.

He moves slightly so his hand is more accessible, his smile broadening.

"I can't remember the last time I went to the beach," He says, sounding a bit drowsy. He shifts again so one hand is on his stomach, and the one I'm holding is between us.