Sophia
I arrived at the White Sand Beach just as the sun began its slow rise.
Wow.. the sky was a stunning palette of blue, pink, orange, and yellow. I marveled in the scenery and relished the fact that I was the only person here for the time being.
The beach is simply beautiful. It has fine white sand that stretched for miles and crystal-clear waters that change with alternating shades of emerald and azure.
I stepped closer to the waters and squinted into the distance, my gaze flying to the incredible cove also known for its beautiful limestone rock formations that form a unique cave.
A fair amount of tall coconut trees were scattered around the massive beach. And as far as my brown eyes could see, there were no signs of jagged rocks or corals or seaweeds on the seabeds.
I automatically touched the bridge of my nose but I just remembered I left my glasses at home.
"Okay, Sophia. Time to relax." I squatted down and unzipped my green backpack, then I pulled out a medium-sized beach blanket decorated to look like an empty aquarium and splayed it out and over the white sand. Then I sat on it, bent my knees, and reached inside my picnic basket for a bottle of water because I felt thirsty.
Twisting the cap open, I drew the bottle closer to my dry lips and I emptied half the contents.
What was going on with me lately? I've been feeling easily tired in the past months.
I reached inside my basket for a sandwich and chewed it while admiring the environment.
An hour, maybe two, had crawled by. From time to time, I would scoop up fistfuls of sand and had been fortuitous enough to find some sand dollars. I also created different sandcastles and strolled the beach on my bare feet.
I walked around on nude soles while one of my hands carried my pair of brown slippers. A salty breeze blew into my face. I closed my eyes, taking in the tranquility of this little part of the world.
It was hard to tell, what happened next: Did I take a nap on the sand or had I collapsed?
But when I fluttered my brown eyes opened after what felt like a lifetime, I was sprawled on my beach blanket with my right cheek pressed against the sea-blue fabric.
"How did I get here?" I said with a grunt, rubbing the side of my neck as I pushed myself up.
"Don't strain yourself, Sophia," I heard someone advise me.
A groan escaped my lips as I flipped over and leaned my elbows on the blue blanket under me.
"What.." I squinted blearily at him. "..are you doing here?"
Tall. With boyish black hair. Gentle brown eyes. He wore a blue hoodie and dark yellow shorts.
Lucas told me: "I arrived four hours ago."
"That doesn't really answer my question, but alright." My arms and knees felt heavy, but why?
"A smart girl once said to me," he began. "'Never underestimate the healing powers of three things--music, the moon, and the ocean."
I made a face at him. "Wait. Four hours? Have I been asleep that long?"
"Sophia, you fainted." Lucas helped me properly sit up, and I feebly thanked him.
"I did?" My head felt light and sore. I cupped my forehead. I wasn't running a fever.
The look he was giving me was full of concern and I lowered my brown eyes to my hands.
"It's probably just hunger," I said,more to myself than him. "Don't worry. I brought food."
I made to grab another sandwich from the picnic basket in front of me but Lucas halted me.
"Sophia. I think you need to go home and rest. Your skin is pale and I can see you're suppressing your coughs."
"I'm fine," I told him through gritted teeth, and with a defiant glare, I took out a bacon sandwich.
"Grease.. are you kidding me?"
"Lucas, please!" Why was he being such a mother hen? And how come he was here anyway? Shouldn't he be with Stacy, making her smile and laugh and fall for him like I had?
The realization hit me in the face like a freight truck.
Lucas clearly had more questions to ask because he kept fidgeting and darting me glances.
I wrapped my arms around my legs in a small embrace and rested my forehead on my knees.
"Okay, go ahead," I mumbled into my skin. "Say what you're thinking."
"Why are you at the beach?"
"Research for my next book."
"You knew it would be cold outside,s o why are you in a green tank top and long, white skirt?"
"I wanted to stay in character."
"Where are your eyeglasses?"
"At home. They're only for reading purposes."
"Why isn't your sister with you?"
"If she were here, we're liable to just goof around."
"Have you eaten anything else besides sandwiches today?"
"No. I wanted to watch the sunrise."
"You're not considering taking a dip in the ocean, are you?"
"It's not a consideration. I'm actually going to swim later."
"I don't know if that's such a good plan, Sophia."
"Lucas, I'm sorry, but I wasn't asking for your opinion."
"You're really cranky today."
"Can we please talk about anything else?" I pleaded.
"Okay." Lucas stretched his arms before him. "You remember our agreement last time?"
My eyebrows knitted together in obliviousness.
He elaborated: "You bring your poems. I bring my drawings."
"O-h-h-h."
"O-h-h-h," he mimicked with a childish smile. "So.. ready to show your masterpiece?"
I felt around inside my backpack and produced my worn out notebook. "I guess."
Lucas pulled out a moleskin notebook from his brown leather satchel and looked at me.
"Who's gonna show first?"
"You mean, who's gonna laugh at the other first?"
"Well put." His lips tugged up.
"You go. You planned this whole thing."
"No. It should be you. Ladies first, as they say."
"What a gentleman," I said sarcastically.
"Indeed I am. I appreciate you for pointing that out."
"And very humble too." I felt myself smirking.
Lucas chuckled. "Let's do it together so it'll be fair for both of us."
I extended mine to him, and we swapped notebooks.
Carefully, I flipped open his sketchbook, and my jaw fell. Scattered across the pages were sketches of everyday life. People, animals, landscapes, insects---I had no idea he had such an amazing talent.
I glanced at him. He was reading my work so quietly. I went back to his sketchbook and flipped to the last page, and I barely hid my gasp.
Something about the haphazard strokes immediately drew me in. He didn't even bother erasing the unnecessary lines, but it added to the whole effect of the sketch.
There was something intimate about the idea of him capturing me the way he saw me, seeing myself the way he did--lips frozen in a half-smile and eyes somewhat shining.
I pushed my hand inside the picnic basket, placed the PB sandwich next to me,then proffered the ham and cheese sandwich to Lucas,who accepted it with gratitude.
"So.. um.. how are they?" I awkwardly asked the tall male sitting on the sand.
"They're all great. I like this one." He read the poem that I had written after I had my first conversation with him under the shady tree in Orion University.
Lucas nodded and smiled as he continued to read the poem. "You're in love, aren't you?"
My heartbeat slowed down. "What made you say that?"
"It shows a lot in your work."
"They're just words. I wrote them without giving them much thought."
"Yes, but these words came from you. And the fact that you didn't give much thought shows that it reflects what you feel inside."
As he said that, I felt like he had somehow uncovered a little piece of me. "Okay, you've got a point," I told him. "But it doesn't prove I'm in love."
"Really?"
"Really. I'm not in love with anyone," I lied.
"If you're not right now, then you will be someday."
"You sound awfully sure of yourself."
"There's nothing greater and stronger than the gravity of falling in love."
I glanced at him and saw him rereading some pages. "Not done yet?"
"No." Lucas swallowed the last of his sandwich and his brown eyes met mine.
"Not done reading you."