Freeze

Her name was stupid long. His name was painfully short. When they had their first real date, he had asked if he could shorten her name to make it easier on him, and she agreed. He shortened Maximilliana, to Maxie, a nickname she had only heard once or twice. Everyone else called her Max. Her mom called her Milly. Her older brother called her annoying. She asked if she could give him a nickname too, though his name was only a simple four letters. He told her to try. She came up with Li. He said he’d heard it before. She pushed him towards the growing waves, soaking the shoes on his feet. He picked her up and began carrying her towards the water, dangling her over the shallow froth of the Pacific. She yelled his name for the first, and obviously not the last, time.