Only, Always, and Forever You

35 - Beach

Hey everyone! I have been super busy with school, but it's now spring break, so I'll be updating much more often! I hope you enjoy this chapter ;))
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Cole's POV:

I bring Amara to her house so that she can change. Once again, I don't tell her where we are going, so once again, she has me pick out clothes for her. And that's perfectly fine with me.

The outfit I picked out for her is a dead giveaway. It's a flowy, long skirt with a slit up the side that is embroidered with flowers, paired with a white tube top. Underneath, she wears a bathing suit, which I of course make sure is red.

She looks stunning in anything, but seeing her in red just makes her even more irresistible than usual. I can't yet figure out if that's good or dangerous.

"What a secret, Cole," Amara deadpans.

"Okay, you caught me. Maybe I just wanted to pick out your outfit again..." I say innocently.

It is true, I love surprising her with an outfit, and I love even more how she reacts. She smiles and practically glows, somehow impressed that a guy has a decent taste in fashion.

She blushes and turns to leave her apartment. We walk back down to my car, hop in, and then we're off.

Yes, I am taking her to the beach, but not just any beach. This is the beach my mom always used to take me to when she could. Other than traveling with my father for work sometimes, we didn't go out too often when I was younger. But if we did, we always came here.

It's special to me, and for some reason, that's why I want to take her here. I don't know why, but after this morning, after our kiss, something just switched inside of me. It no longer feels like I need to hide any part of myself from her. I want to know her, and I want her to know me.

And that scares the shit out of me.

The ride is silent but comfortable, and soon enough, we arrive at the beach. And yes, it's fall, but one of the upsides of living in California is that beach season is every season.

I park the car and hop out. Before Amara can get out, I walk over to her door and open it for her, helping her step down from the tall passenger door.

"What a gentleman," she says, a false British accent playing on her voice.

"Only for you, princess," I reply, mocking the same accent she used. I smile when I see her blush, and I walk to the trunk of the car and grab two towels.

Amara and I slowly make our way down the soft sand of the beach, enjoying the beautiful day and just talking about random stuff: favorite books, favorite movies, favorite foods, etcetera.

Every time she says something, even though to anyone else it's only a little funny, I laugh like I never have before— like she's the world's best comedian. Dually, she laughs at all of the stupid jokes I make, and when she does, I can't concentrate on anything other than the angelic sound.

Eventually, we settle down on a spot in the sand, right near a beautiful alcove and far away from the busy part of the beach.

She pulls out a book from her bag and turns to me, "I finished it. And I loved it."

I look down at the book in her hands and see that it's the book I gave her. A warm feeling spills inside of me, and a smile dances on my lips.

"I'm glad," I say simply, way too distracted by her soft, pink lips to articulate anything else that I'm feeling.

She puts the book back into her bag and grabs my arm as she gets up, pulling me up with her.

"Come on! I want to swim!" she exclaims excitedly.