Midnight Coffee (SatoGou)

Chapter 3

"Hey, we should go to the beach," she suggests. "It's not too far from here. Me, you, Dawn, Ash. We could sneak off before Serena notices."

"She doesn't have anything planned for today?" I ask.

"Nope. C'mon, let's see if we can find them," she says, dragging me up. Back inside, I spot Ash with Iris again. As we approach them, Iris moves closer to Ash, until their legs are touching. I don't know how to ask him to come with us without it being awkward if she's here.

"Can I talk to you?" I ask, and his eyebrows flick up in curiosity. He gives Iris an apologetic smile and follows me away while Chloe goes in search of Dawn.

"What's up?" Ash asks when we're alone in the entranceway. I have the keys to the rented car in my pocket, ready to go.

"Chloe wants to go to the beach. Just us, and Dawn. I thought we could sneak away for a while," I say nervously, afraid Ash might be offended at us trying to steal away.

Instead, he smiles. "Sounds good."

Chloe appears in the archway, Dawn in tow, wearing a ridiculously large sunhat and sunglasses, carrying a beach bag. How she managed to pack one that quick, I have no idea, but she hurries us out the front door, giggling as she tries to shut it quietly. They jog over to the car, jokingly pushing each other, and climb in the back seat while I get into the front.

Chloe guides me with the map again, but mostly I just follow the signs for the beach, until the ocean comes into view, and Ash points it out. We drive through a little beachside town, stopping at a store to get some snacks for a mini-picnic, and some more sunscreen for Dawn and Chloe.

The beach is packed, and it takes me five minutes to find a parking space. When we get out of the car, I can't help but admire Ash for a second. As he stretches, it seems as if he's almost glowing, his tanned skin shimmering in the sun. Dawn and Chloe are already racing down the wooden steps onto the sand, and we follow close behind them. Luckily, there's a family leaving, and we quickly claim their abandoned sunbeds, throwing towels that Dawn thought to bring down on them. Dawn lays back on hers, stretching out her legs and sighing. When Chloe catches me watching, she frowns at me and I look away. I hadn't even noticed I was looking, really.

I lay down too, but after ten minutes, it's too hot for me to lay around, so I get up and head for the water instead, peeling my shirt off. Ash watches me, then gets up and does the same, wordlessly falling into step beside me as we head down to the water. It's surprisingly warm, but still shocks me when I walk in up to my thighs, the waves rushing past my legs.

"It's been ages since we did something like this together," I say, looking back across the beach to where Dawn and Chloe are sitting up, waving at us. I give them a wave back.

"Yeah," he sighs. "I wish we weren't so busy all the time."

I look at him, and he's frowning down into the water, pushing it back and forth with his hand. "You know, it doesn't always have to be you," I say, and he looks up at me, confused. "Saving people," I clarify, "someone else can do it sometimes. I... I can tell you're tired."

"I like helping people," he says defensively. I admire that in him, but I want him to think about himself, too. How many times has he come close to dying in the past ten years, even before he met me? I've already heard the stories from all of his friends.

I sigh. "I know, Ash. I just worry about you."

He seems to lighten up at that, and splashes water at me. "Aw. You're worried about me," he says teasingly, and I feel my cheeks tingle with the blush no doubt spreading across them.

"Shut up," I hiss, splashing him back. "I'm allowed to be. We've known each other for eight years."

"That's so weird, right? So much has changed," he says, strangely wistful, which is so out of character for him that I study him. He meets my eyes, and an electrical current runs down my whole body. I want to ask him about Serena, and this would be the perfect time, when we're relaxed with one another. But I can't make myself ask. It's almost like, for some reason, I don't want to know the answer.