No Better Version of Me Than When I'm With You

Chapter 6

He didn't let Thomas reply, instead walking in the direction of the beach without another word. Thomas watched him go, wondering if he should follow. He tried to sort through what had just happened, and couldn't make heads nor tails of it. Was he upset that Newt had interrupted Caleb flirting with him? Had it felt weird to feel Newt's arms around him like that, however briefly? Not to mention the ghosting of a kiss on his neck. The possessiveness of Newt taking his hand felt both uncomfortable and like it was the most natural thing in the world. The tightness in his chest denoted just how upset he felt about the whole ordeal, and wanted nothing more than to forget about it and move on. Today was supposed to be a good day with Newt, not one where they walked around unhappy with each other. The point of the trip had been to relax them both, yet now here they were storming off in anger.

Thomas shook his head to clear his thoughts, suddenly aware of the fact that his shaved ice was melting in the heat and Newt had all but disappeared into the throngs of people along the beach. He took a tentative bite, hoping the flavor he'd gotten had been as good as Caleb had suggested, and was pleased to find he was right.

He found Newt sitting on a bench just off the beaten path to the beach, under the shade of a tree. He looked lost in thought, and hadn't seen Thomas yet. He was slowly eating his shaved ice, saving the melting liquid in the bottom of the cup for last as he always did. Thomas walked up and sat next to him, leaving some space between them as he did so.

"I'm sor -"

"I didn't mean -"

They both started talking at the same time, then stopped abruptly. Thomas looked up at Newt and gestured for him to go first.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't realize you were possibly interested in that guy and I didn't mean to get in the way of that." Newt said. "Okay, well - I kinda did mean to, but I thought you were okay with that. I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Thomas replied. "I don't even know why I got upset, really. He just seemed nice and you swooped in out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it and that's not really your fault. Can we just - can we just move on? Today is supposed to be good, it's not supposed to stress us out even more."

Newt looked at him for a long moment, then nodded and seemed to relax. "Sure, yeah. We're good, Tommy, 'lright?"

"Okay good." Thomas nodded as well, letting out a breath. He then gestured with his cup of shaved ice towards Newt, "Wanna try some of mine?" It was quiet between them for a long time after that; sitting together on the bench and watching the people and the waves come and go as they ate. He wondered if Newt was as lost in thought as he was, or if he was simply enjoying the view as he appeared to be doing. As they ate he began to relax, leaning back against the bench. The sky was a partially cloudy pale blue, the bright sands covered in colorfully clothed people. The ocean beyond them was a much darker blue, and the sound of it soothed him. Sitting in the shade was cooler than in the sun, but only a little, and the urge to jump into the ocean was growing stronger by the minute.

He waited for Newt to finish off his shaved ice and toss it into the trash beside them before tapping him on the arm. "Race you to the water?"

Newt's expression brightened and his eyes narrowed competitively. "You're on. But -" he reached out to stop him from standing, fingers closing around his forearm. "Let's find a place to set our stuff so we aren't jumping into the ocean with our phones in our pockets, hm?"

"Sure." Thomas agreed easily, nodding and stepping out of the shade of the tree. Leading the way, he found a spot for them along the beach and they laid down their towels to stake their claim, before shedding his shirt while Newt did the same. He tucked his phone into the towel bag and stood with a hand on his hip, waiting.