Please Don't Go
because of how the setting sun reflects off of the ocean
The beaming sun was shining down on top of us and I could already feel the sweat starting to pool in places that shouldn’t normally feel damp. It was one of the warmest days of the year by far, and I was already regretting the fact that I decided to leave the house.
“Halie, are you coming?” I called, torso deep in the trunk of the Jeep, attempting to fit all of our belongings inside.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” I heard a voice from inside the house call back to me and I couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face. She emerged from the doorway, arms filled with more food than we would ever need. Halie was always overly prepared for everything. She started to rattle off a list of the items that we needed as I checked to make sure they were all there, making sure to not touch the expertly packed items that had been Tetrised into the trunk.
“You do know we’re just going for the day, right?” I asked in a teasing way as she hit my arm. “You’ll thank me when you’re looking for an extra tube of sunscreen and it’s right there under the pile of extra blankets.”
I rolled my eyes and got into the driver’s side, knowing that Halie would refuse to be anything but the navigator during our journey. We drove off, the air conditioning blasting in our faces and the music turned up so loud it drowned out any other noise.
The beach was almost completely empty by the time we arrived. It sun had started its descent to the horizon and the coolness of the air was a welcome relief. Halie grabbed a blanket out of the trunk while I grabbed the food and we began our trek to find the perfect place to watch the sunset.
“Here!” Halie exclaimed suddenly as we were walking, stopping in her tracks and causing me to crash into her. She was unfazed though, already spreading the blanket out against the sand. The spot she picked was in the middle of the beach, away from everyone else that was left, and far enough back that there was no way we could be hit by water.
She sat down and pulled me with her, wrapping my arms around herself like some kind of coat. We spread the other blanket across our laps, though the air was still fairly warm, and she leaned against me, looking out at the ocean in front of us. The sun had almost set now, sending colors across the clouds and the last of its light just hitting the water, reflecting at the perfect angle.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice quiet and her eyes transfixed on the scene in front of us.
“Yeah,” I said, looked down at her, taking in all of her soft curves and jagged edges, “it is.”
“Halie, are you coming?” I called, torso deep in the trunk of the Jeep, attempting to fit all of our belongings inside.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” I heard a voice from inside the house call back to me and I couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face. She emerged from the doorway, arms filled with more food than we would ever need. Halie was always overly prepared for everything. She started to rattle off a list of the items that we needed as I checked to make sure they were all there, making sure to not touch the expertly packed items that had been Tetrised into the trunk.
“You do know we’re just going for the day, right?” I asked in a teasing way as she hit my arm. “You’ll thank me when you’re looking for an extra tube of sunscreen and it’s right there under the pile of extra blankets.”
I rolled my eyes and got into the driver’s side, knowing that Halie would refuse to be anything but the navigator during our journey. We drove off, the air conditioning blasting in our faces and the music turned up so loud it drowned out any other noise.
The beach was almost completely empty by the time we arrived. It sun had started its descent to the horizon and the coolness of the air was a welcome relief. Halie grabbed a blanket out of the trunk while I grabbed the food and we began our trek to find the perfect place to watch the sunset.
“Here!” Halie exclaimed suddenly as we were walking, stopping in her tracks and causing me to crash into her. She was unfazed though, already spreading the blanket out against the sand. The spot she picked was in the middle of the beach, away from everyone else that was left, and far enough back that there was no way we could be hit by water.
She sat down and pulled me with her, wrapping my arms around herself like some kind of coat. We spread the other blanket across our laps, though the air was still fairly warm, and she leaned against me, looking out at the ocean in front of us. The sun had almost set now, sending colors across the clouds and the last of its light just hitting the water, reflecting at the perfect angle.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice quiet and her eyes transfixed on the scene in front of us.
“Yeah,” I said, looked down at her, taking in all of her soft curves and jagged edges, “it is.”