Sweet Little Birds (BxB Romance, Completed)

Chapter 21: Picnic Basket

The beach was desolate this time of the year. Only scattered groups of people were spotted walking along the shoreline, many of them joined by dogs who happily ran free in the open space. Seabirds yelled in the sky and salt was in the air. As Robin inhaled gulps of brisk air, all morning grogginess immediately washed away, and when he put his feet into the white sand--making footprints on the moon-like surface where it seemed no one had threaded before--his skeptical attitude vanished. Going to the beach might have been a good idea after all.

A groan made Robin turn. Des had already run ahead, with the picnic basket under her arm, but Tyler was behind him, struggling to combat the soft sand on crutches. There was a pained expression on his face as he put the crutches forward cautiously in small increments.

"Should I help?" Robin asked anxiously. He hated to see Tyler struggle but he was always unsure how to handle the situation when it happened.

"I'm fine... I just... didn't think about how tricky sand would be," Tyler muttered as he parried when his crutch sunk about an inch into the sand. "Can't just run through it anymore."

He paused for a moment to regain his balance and flex his hands slightly. A tinge of sadness twinkled in his eyes as he took a deep breath to focus on the continued journey. "Just walk ahead, Robby. I'll catch up."

Robin shook his head. "You know I won't leave you behind, Ty. Just tell me how to help you."

"I don't need help, Robby!" Tyler snapped at him."Stop trying to be such a gentleman." His crutch once again lost traction and in frustration, he threw it to the side. "Just go!"

The rash words took them both aback. They both looked down into the sand, scared that they had upset the other one.

"Sorry..." Tyler mumbled under blonde curls and tried to haul in the thrown crutch with his remaining one. The maneuver wasn't successful.

Robin took a step closer and bent down to get the lost crutch. "I'm not trying to be a gentleman," he said and discreetly handed it to Ty. "I'm trying to be your boyfriend."

That word hadn't been spoken before. It had just slipped out. They smiled awkwardly at each other. "I just don't quite know how yet." Robin took yet another step closer. Close enough to flick blond curls away from Tyler's face and stroke an unshaved cheek. "I've never been someone's boyfriend before."

The kiss that followed was as soft as the sand beneath them. Its silky embrace wrapped around them both and smoothed out all edges.

"I've never had a boyfriend before either," Tyler said with lips still lingering close. "But you're great at it, Robby. Just give me some space so I can figure this out by myself."

Another kiss followed. As deep and full of motion as the waves that crashed to shore close by.

Up ahead, Des had turned back to look for her lost companions. "What is taking you guys so long?" she yelled from atop a dune. "Oh, you're kissing."

"We're coming!" Ty replied. "There's just... a lot of sand." He held one of his crutches up in the air to hint at the issue.

"Oh right," Des replied, putting two and two together. "We can stop up here. I'll put the blanket out."

"I'll go up ahead and help her." Robin kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before giving him the space he needed to figure out the sand by himself.

Robin helped Des unpack the items from the picnic basket: an array of juice boxes in different flavors, squeeze tubs of yogurt, triangle sandwiches with hummus and tomatoes, and cut-up fruit. A picnic fitting a group of kindergarteners, or a couple of college students.