♫ god of the sunsets / seb ♫
☆
it's been sometime you've been on my mind, baby
i get too comfortable with you
🍊 🍊 🍊
| real life | social media |
real life
When I make my way into the coffee shop next door to the therapist's office an hour later, I immediately spot Chris in a booth in the corner, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his fingers move rapidly against his laptop keyboard. A half-eaten muffin is sitting abandoned on a plate beside him and he occasionally reaches up to brush his hair out of his face, scowling in annoyance each time he does so.
Despite the dark cloud of vulnerability that is left hanging over me after therapy, a soft smile spreads across my face as I make my way towards Chris. I slide into the seat across from him, dropping my tote bag beside me as his eyes shoot up to meet mine. "Hi."
"Hey!" Chris greets, immediately closing his laptop. "How was therapy?"
I shrug lightly, dropping my hands onto the table in front of me to fiddle with my rings. "It was good, I think? Definitely hard at points, but the therapist is really nice and I think seeing her could be really beneficial for me."
"B, that's amazing," Chris smiles at me, reaching forward to loop his pinky through mine, and a warm feeling fills my chest. I would never admit it to him, but I love it when he links our pinkies. He always does it in quiet moments when people aren't really paying attention to us to remind me that he's by my side.
"How's your work going?" My gaze flickers to the abandoned muffin for a moment as my mouth rounds in a grin. "You seem pretty in the zone."
Chris groans, pulling his hand away from mine to open his laptop back up. "Yeah, just trying to work on some Fresh Love stuff. People are pretty pissed that their shipping is taking so long."
"I hate slow shipping," I tug my own laptop out of my bag and deposit it onto the table. "But hopefully everyone will be understanding."
"Yeah," Chris mumbles, his eyes flickering at a rapid pace across his screen. He sighs lowly before shutting his laptop again. "Can I get you lunch?"
"I can get my own lunch," I brush off Chris' offer, reaching to dig my wallet out of my bag.
Chris laughs as he stands up. "That's a funny joke. I told you we were celebrating your first therapy appointment. So what do you want?"
I shake my head in amusement, wanting to argue but knowing that Chris won't give in. "If they have avocado toast, I'll get that, please. And an iced coffee?"
"You got it," Chris grins and ruffles my hair before heading to the counter.
Chris and I spend the rest of the afternoon in the coffee shop. Due to both of us having a lot of work to do, we stay relatively on track and don't distract each other too terribly, minus the half an hour discussion we slipped into about what would happen if the ocean rose over high enough to cover all land, but humans grew gills so we could continue to survive.
When the setting sun starts to cast beams of gold through the cafe windows, Chris shuts his laptop and beams at me. "Let's go."
"Go where?" I question, but begin to pack up my stuff regardless. If I have to look at one more set of numbers today, I am going to gauge my eyeballs out with my bare hands.
"You'll see," Chris grins at me as he swings his backpack over his shoulder and reaches out to grab my hand. "Come on!"
"I'm coming!" I laugh, glancing over my shoulder to double check that nothing was left behind before lengthening my steps to catch up to Chris. "I told Nick we would be back in time for us all to get dinner together."
Chris nods in agreement, letting go of my hand as we walk to opposite sides of my car. "We'll be home in time, I just want to make a detour."
We are soon settled in the car and Chris begins giving me directions. It doesn't take long before I figure out where we are going, and I can't stop the involuntary squeal that slips from my lips. "Are we going to the beach?!"
Chris laughs at my reaction, and the noise only makes my grin widen. "I'm honestly shocked you didn't force Matt to take you already."
"It's been busy since we got here!" I protest, but my words suddenly become irrelevant when I spot the beach. "Holy shit, I'm going to cry."
"Save it for after you safely park the car," Chris chuckles, directing me towards the parking lot.
After parking, a sudden gasp slips from my lips as I whip sideways to face Chris, whose eyes widen in surprise at my sudden movement. "Will you swim with me?"
Chris immediately laughs, nodding in agreement. "Man, have I missed your spontaneous ass."
I beam at him before unbuckling and clambering into the backseat. "It's a good thing I carry a swimsuit in my emergency bag!"
"Your what?" Chris turns around, his eyes narrowed as he watches me unzip my backpack to riffle through it.
"My emergency bag. It's got a change of clothes, a swimsuit, bathroom stuff, some snacks, a sketchbook and whatnot, you know," I shrug, reaching to the bottom of my bag where I know my bikini is. "I usually keep it in my car, and since I knew that I would be acquiring Sully today, I brought it with me. I have a pair of your old shorts in here too, if you want them to swim in."
"Are you serious?" Chris exclaims, plucking the dark shorts from my hand when I pass them to him. "B, these are from sophomore year, why do you have these?"
I roll my eyes at Chris, finally locating my swimsuit. "I always steal your old clothes, I don't know how you don't know that. They make good pyjamas or painting clothes."
"You're crazy," Chris chuckles as he climbs out of the car. "I'll wait outside while you change."
Once I've changed, leaving my sweater on top of my bikini, I bounce on my toes on the asphalt of the parking lot, waiting for Chris to finish tugging the shorts on.
"These are tighter than they used to be," he groans, pulling at the fabric.
"You'll be fine. Let's go!" Impatiently, I lock the car and grab Chris' hand to tug him forwards.
Having left my shoes in the car, my feet immediately sink into the warm sand, and I toss a wide grin over my shoulder at Chris. "Thank you for bringing me here."
He grins, squeezing my hand. "Of course."
The beach is relatively empty, only a few stragglers watching the sunset. The fresh smell of the ocean is carried along by a light breeze, and the sky is lit up in vibrant pinks and oranges as the sun sinks towards the ocean.
We stop at a spot close to the water to ditch the few items we carried with us, and I quickly strip off my sweater before grabbing Chris' hand again to pull him with me towards the water. "Come on!"
Chris' laugh is loud and bubbly, and I grin at the sound. "You are so impatient, holy shit!"
I slow for half a second to let the warm ocean water lap against my feet before I continue charging forward, elation filling my body. Chris suddenly disconnects his hand from mine and I spin around to question his action, but I am quickly being scooped up and thrown over Chris' shoulder.
"What are you doing?" I laugh, groaning slightly at his shoulder jabbing into my stomach. His hands are gripping the backs of my thighs to hold me in place, but I plant my palms against his back to steady myself. "Chris!"
Chris just laughs, ploughing deeper into the water. When the water reaches the middle of his back, his hands shift from my legs to my hips. "Ready?"
I squirm lightly in his grasp, not wanting to fall, but not wanting him to throw me. "Chris, I swear-" My voice is cut off by a shriek as Chris lifts me from his shoulder and tosses me into the water. My body hits the surface with a smack and I sink down towards the sea floor, bubbles flying up past me. Pushing up off the sand, I quickly resurface to fresh air, sputtering as I push my hair out of my face.
Chris is cackling with laughter, his eyes squinting with happiness as he grins at me. "I couldn't resist."
I scowl at him, but my annoyance doesn't last long. I can never be in a bad mood at the beach. "I hate you."
"No, you don't," Chris chuckles, swiping his hand through the water to spray me.
I immediately launch forward and tackle him, shoving him by the shoulders so he falls backwards into the water. Laughter erupts from my lungs as Chris struggles to regain his footing underwater before standing back up, a corny grin drawn across his face despite having been dunked.
"You're actually insane," Chris laughs, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes.
I beam at him, sinking down into the water to swim backwards away from him. "I love the ocean."
Chris grins as he follows me. "Believe me, I know."
I giggle quietly, turning to look at the sunset behind me. The sun is getting closer to the horizon, casting the world in a warm glow. I rotate back around to see Chris, and for whatever reason, my breath catches in my throat when I catch sight of him again. The sun is hitting his skin and causing it to glow, and his hair is tangled in wet strands that hang over his forehead. The dark blue of the ocean reflects against his eyes, making the colour pop, and the radiant smile stretched across his face makes my stomach flip.
"You're pretty," The words slip from my lips, and I grin when Chris startles slightly.
"What?" His brow furrows in slight confusion, his fingers trailing a pattern through the ocean's surface.
"I said, you're pretty," I repeat, grinning when I see a slight flush rise on Chris' cheeks. "The ocean suits you."
"The ocean doesn't suit anybody like it suits you, B," Chris sinks down in the water to be at eye level with me. "I think you must have been a mermaid in another life."
"That's the best compliment you could ever give me," I beam at him as I glide my hands through the water, marvelling at the smooth feeling of the ocean.
Chris smiles softly, grabbing my hand in the water. "If I'm pretty, you're ethereal."
I raise my eyebrows, ignoring the little flutter of butterflies coming alive in my stomach. "That's a big word."
He shrugs, holding my gaze. "You deserve the best."
An immediate laugh escapes my mouth and Chris' smile widens. "Chris, that was cheesy as fuck!"
"But it made you laugh," Chris counters, grinning at me.
Holding back another giggle, I flick at the water in front of me, sending water spraying up into Chris' face. He sputters in surprise, but recovers quickly and returns the gesture. I clap my hands over my face as water rains down on me, unable to stop the laughs from escaping my mouth.
When I remove my hands from my eyes, all I see in front of me is the open ocean. Frowning in confusion, I turn to see if Chris moved behind me, but a sharp tug on my ankles pulls me down into the dark water. I kick out and my foot collides with Chris' chest, and I rise to the surface laughing, already hearing him groaning underwater.
Chris emerges from the water scowling and rubbing the middle of his chest. "That was mean."
"You yanked me underwater!" I laugh, shaking my head in amusement. "You asked for it."
Dropping his hand from his chest, Chris swoops forward to wrap his arms around my waist and push me back down into the water, letting himself fall with me. Bubbles escape my mouth as I laugh underwater and I push Chris' head away from me as I resurface. "You're a bully."
"Just returning the favour," he grins at me. His eyes suddenly blow wide with an idea. "Handstand competition. Right now."
"You're on," I grin, shaking my arms out. "Get ready to be destroyed."
"Let's see it," Chris gestures for me to go first.
Aware of his eyes on me, I duck back down into the water and plant my hands on the sandy floor, pushing my legs up straight until I feel the cool air on my skin. I immediately feel Chris' hands shove my legs, sending me toppling over.
Popping back up to the surface, Chris' loud laughter immediately fills my ears. "You're so easy!" he cackles, his eyes bright with exhilaration.
"That was crazy," I huff as I push my tangled hair out of my eyes, but the smile drawn across my face doesn't falter.
"I couldn't resist, I'm sorry," Chris grins, stepping forward to wrap his arms around my waist in a wet hug.
"No you're not," I snort in amusement. I twist my arms up around Chris' neck and drop my chin on his shoulder. His skin is smooth against my touch and my pulse jumps at our close proximity.
"I love you, B," Chris mumbles quietly into my neck, his grip on me tightening slightly.
My lips turn up at his words and I relax in his hold. "I love you, Kristoff." I run my fingers through the hair at the back of Chris' head and goosebumps rise on my skin when I feel him exhale, his breath warm against my skin.
"B?" Chris questions, his voice catching slightly on the single letter.
"Yeah?" I hum in response, dropping my hand to run my fingers up and down his back.
"I-" Chris hesitates for a moment. "Do you want to go get ice cream before we go home?"
I laugh lightly at his serious set-up to such a light hearted question, and pull away from our hug to grin at him. "Of course I do."
Chris grins lightly before shoving me backwards and taking off towards the shore. "Last one back is a rotten egg!"
I gasp in shock as I scramble to regain my footing. "You're a fucking cheat!!"
Chris' laugh echoes back towards me and I can't help but grin as I dive into the water to chase after him.
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christopher.sturniolo has posted...
christopher.sturniolo beach babe
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brynlee.williams you cuteeeee
⇨ christopher.sturniolo you cuterrrrr
⇨ brynlee.sturniolo okay pirate chris🏴☠️
⇨ nicolas.sturniolo bryn's unhinged (as she usually is)
nicolas.sturniolio ☀️
user chris is SERVING today
user the way we know he's with bryn😭😭
matthewsturniolo The belt really pulls it together
⇨ christopher.sturniolo 🫡
user f all you people who were freaking out about matt and bryn last week. chrislee is endgame
⇨ user they're just friends????
⇨ user you really believe that??
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brynlee.williams has posted...
brynlee.williams ocean eyes coded
tagged: christopher.sturniolo
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laylamadden You're stunning???
⇨ brynlee.williams thank you???
user queen of photo dumps fr
⇨ brynlee.williams 💅🏻
nicolas.sturniolo Babes referencing billie😭❤️
⇨ brynlee.williams our mother🫶🏻
nicolas.sturniolo Wowowowowow
user bryn's obsession with the ocean is heartwarming
⇨ user didn't her dad die in the ocean???
⇨ user you would think she would be terrified of it lmao
⇨ user wait i don't know about her dad??
⇨ user it was on the news for ages in boston
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user bryn always bringing us the best chris content🙏🏼
matthewsturniolo 🧜🏻♀️
user is no one going to talk about the OCEAN EYES REFERENCE???? she's fr in love with chris istg
☆ cara's obsession ☆
^ me obsessively writing chapters in order to avoid studying for exams🫠
also i fr love therapy. i HATED it when i was elementary / high school and was so pissed when my mom kept sending me to see different therapists, but last year, i started going of my own free will and it's been life changing. being able to talk to someone is actually the best and i highly recommend!! and if you can't afford therapy, i hope you have friends/family you can confide in!! cause seriously, being open about feelings is crazy crazy crazy. (bryn and chris obviously have no idea about the value of vulnerability lmao)
🍊 🍊 🍊