Ctrl + Alt + Dalt (BxB)

Ctrl + Alt + Dalt + 10

"I'm sorry, I know that it's kind of weird."

"No, don't be. It's not weird at all. I promise to be the perfect gent—I won't look one bit. Although, as dark as it is, I don't think either of us would be able to tell skin from skin at this point. But, if you'd like, we can even walk in entirely different directions, if you wish."

"Well, let's get this over with before they decide to lock the gates with my car still inside the lot," I say as I quickly remove my shirt, placing it against the side of the cliff face.

"Right," Edmund says as he turns around to face away from me as he takes off his shirt and crouches down to undo his shoes. I slip my shoes off along with my socks and create a pile on the ground. Grasping around the waistband of my boxer-briefs, I pause with nervous hesitation. Instinctively, I glance sideways to Edmund as he lowers his shorts seemingly without having a second thought. Before I see anything and before he even manages to expose anything of himself, I turn away and remind myself to keep my gaze at eye-level or higher from now on. Without turning around, I can hear Edmund jogging away as he says, "I suppose we'll just meet back here when we're finished, then."

"Right, I'll give you the head start," I call out in response without turning toward him, resisting the urge to sneak a peek. I finally remove my underwear and add that final piece of clothing to my little pile. Ideally, not wanting to have to look in his direction when we hit the beach, I realize I should ask in which direction he'll be going, so that I can go in the opposite one. I think to call out to ask, but I stop because I know that he's clearly gone and probably out of hearing range already.

As I hit the beach, the soft and cool and loose sand spreads away beneath my feet. I look around, but it's so dark that I can hardly make out anything. It's odd, but I never knew that darkness would ever feel so comforting. The darkness grants me the freedom to simply be. No prying eyes. No judgement. No shame. In the far distance, there are the shapes of what are perhaps a couple of figures near the water tugging along some sort of box—perhaps some fishermen packing up for the day. I look to my left at the cliffs and towards the grove of cypress, half expecting to see Edmund's distant figure jogging away, but I can't see anyone at all—it seems that the beach is just about completely deserted.

I walk over to the water, but decide not to get my feet wet, seeing as I don't have a towel and I don't want to have to dry my feet on any of my clothing. I stand at a distance, far from the edge of where I think I see the last wave end, staring out to the blackened sky and even darker sea as my eyes slowly begin to adjust to the darkness. I look up at the waning moon, or at least, I think it's a waning rather than a waxing phase. The thin slice of a pale crescent glows, complementing the stars.

As I stand still, my nervous excitement and adrenaline beginning to fade, the chill begins to seep through my muscles and into my bones. I fight the shiver, trying to enjoy the view and prolong my first experience of being completely and entirely free upon the beach. The cold quickly gets to me and I decide to head back for my clothes, but upon reaching the base of the big rocks, I feel the need to conquer the high ground to fully conquer the experience—it seems to me to be a fittingly ceremonial ending.

I head up along the sides of the big rock formation, climbing up the hard, sandy surface. Nearly slipping on a slightly wet spot, I slide down a bit before I manage to regain myself. I look up at the somewhat steep surface and look around for an easier path up. Finding one that might fit the bill, I work my way over and climb towards the barren top, the highest point of the big rocks, towards the spot that Edmund and I were earlier—I shudder, pushing away the memory of what happened earlier from trying to burp its way back up from my stomach.

As I get up to the top, I spot the back of a head—a lone figure staring away from me towards the direction of the glowing orange bridge in the distance. I crouch down and lower my head, hoping not to be seen in my exposed state so closely, even if it is as dark of a night as it is. My foot slips a little bit on the sandy rock with a resounding grind of a noise, and I peek back up to see the figure turn their head back and towards my direction.