Saturday came by quicker than expected. I was sitting on my bed with my back up against the wall and my laptop in my lap when my phone suddenly buzzed. I switched off "silent mode" before unlocking it to find a text from Felix.
Felix: Where do you want to go today, J?
I smiled and thought for a moment.
Me: I'm not sure. I haven't really gotten the chance to check the town out. Any suggestions?
His response was almost instantaneous.
Felix: I think I have an idea. You like the beach, right?"
"Hey." Felix said with a smile as I walked out to his truck.
"Hello, stranger." I replied. He pulled my door open and held his hand out in an "after you" gesture. "Why, thank you." The front door to the house suddenly opened and Mom peeked her head out.
"Have fun, Baby!" she called after me with a wave of her hand. My face flushed bright red as I waved back.
"Thanks, Mom." She smiled again, then leaned against the door frame. Felix got in on his side and started up his truck, lightly laughing.
"She seems nice." he replied and I nodded, glancing back at her before we pulled away from the house.
"Yea, she's pretty cool."
"She seems more excited than you do." I chuckled at his statement.
"That's only because I don't wanna scare you off with my excitement." He laughed at my reply, then shrugged.
"Well, lucky for you, I don't scare easy."
"Well, good, because I can be pretty terrifying, you know." I said, glancing over at him with a smile.
"Oh, really? Wanna give me a little 'for-instance?'" he asked, very quickly glancing at me before turning his attention back to the road.
"I'm a big ol' ball of wraaaaath! Fear me, human!!" I called out jokingly. He laughed.
"Alright, now I'm getting scared!" I laughed as well and readjusted in my seat.
"Good, you should be."
The rest of the ride was quiet yet comfortable. We arrived at the beach and I stepped outside into the warm sunshine. It was a nice day. And it was beautiful, the way the light bounced off the waves of the sea.
"You like it?" Felix asked as if he were worried he had disappointed me or had gotten my hopes up. But I wasn't disappointed. The view was amazing.
"It's beautiful, Felix." I replied and he let out a deep breath that he seemed to have been holding in for a lifetime. I then playfully smacked his arm, then dove back into the front seat to grab the blanket and the picnic basket. "C'mon! Let's get this date started." He smiled and we walked down to the sand.
The beach was rather secluded today. There were a few families down the way and a dog running through the water, but that was about it. We were the only ones on this side of the beach but I didn't care. Felix took the opposite side of the blanket and helped me spread it out across the sand, placing a few rocks on each of the corners, then setting the picnic basket in the center. Cliché dates are the best dates, aren't they? I think so...
After eating, we raced to the waves and began jumping and splashing in the water.
"Jeez, it's fricken cold!" Felix exclaimed, immediately jumping back out. I laughed and cupped the water in my hands, splashing it up at him. He pulled his arms into his chest and ducked his head down, trying to avoid the water droplets but they hit him anyway, lightly sprinkling his hair like glitter.
"It feels great, what are you talkin' about?" I asked, shaking my head and adding a smile.
"No, it feels fricken cold!" he replied and I laughed again.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked, climbing back into Felix's car and shutting the door behind me. Felix buckled his seatbelt, then glanced over at me, his hand resting on the steering wheel.
"Well," he began, pausing for a minute to take a breath. "I could take you home?" I smiled and shook my head in disagreement.
"I don't wanna go home. Not yet." I admitted and he smiled as well, nodding.
"Alright. How about we just drive around for a bit? I can show you the town and then we can go wherever you want after. How does that sound?" he asked and I smiled, shrugging.
"It sounds alright." I replied. "Cliché, but alright." He laughed and started his truck.
"Well, cliché is the best way, isn't it?"
"Absolutely."
We ended up going to the pier afterwards. It was the only place that came to my mind after seeing it from the road. We went on rides, played games, got some more food. It was fun. It was a lot of fun. We sat down at a bench by the edge of the pier for a bit, just looking out over the water and how the light reflected off of it. I finally spoke up after several moments of silence.
"Thank you." I said with a nod. He looked over at me, confused and tilted his head to the side. That same damn move he pulled on the first day. Well, you're not complaining, are you? Inner me asked and I chuckled, dropping my gaze to my hands. No... no, I'm not complaining.
"For what?" he then asked. I looked up at him and smiled as he did the same.
"For bringin' me out here. For takin' me on this..." I paused, suddenly unaware of what to call it.
"Date?" he finished for me and I nodded.
"Yea." I said and the color in his cheeks deepened ever so slightly. "Yea, this date. It's been a lot of fun."
"It has been. Thank you for saying, 'yes.'" he replied and I laughed.
"Yea, no problem." We were silent again for a few seconds, but it was a comfortable silence. I then put my hand on the opposite side of his face - the side I couldn't see - and placed a kiss upon his cheek.
After the pier, we walked back down to the beach where Felix's car was parked. The sun was starting to set already. Man, had we really been out that long? It only felt like an hour! Anyway, we went back to the beach and, instead of getting into the car, he started climbing into the bed of his truck.
"What are we doin'?" I asked and his eyebrows furrowed together, a smile crawling onto his face.
"Have you ever seen the sun set on the water?" he asked and I smiled, butterflies filling my stomach to the brim. I shook my head silently. "Well, you're about to." I watched as he reached into his toolbox to pull out a few blankets. One was very large and fluffy and the other two were smaller and didn't have nearly as much floof as the previous one.
"Smart." I commented and he shrugged.
"I do things like this all the time. I love watching the sunset out over the water. It gets rather cold, so we'll need these blankets." he replied with an additional smile. I would never get tired of seeing that smile. He held out his hand to help me into the bed of the truck beside him, then wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, but instead of pulling his arm back to his side, he rested it hesitantly around me. I nodded, letting him know that I was comfortable with it and his grip tightened ever so slightly.
We sat like this for what felt like forever, just watching as the sun slowly went down, then disappeared under the waves. All was peaceful. And beautiful, if I may say so. I beamed happily and rested my head against Felix's shoulder as he leaned his cheek to the top of my head.
After the sun had set and I had somewhat dozed off, Felix shook me lightly to assure I was awake.
"I should probably get you home." he said but I groaned.
"No, I don't wanna go. I like it here." I replied.
"Wouldn't your mother get worried?" he asked and I sighed, knowing he was right. I nodded and sat up and away from Felix's arm.
"This was fun. We should do it more often." I said and he chuckled, nodding.
"Hell yes."