Here with you

Love letters and seashells

content warnings: mentions of war, wounds and death in the last few paragraphs

~

The beach. It's an amalgam of melancholic moments, heartbreak, and all things sad. For some, it's a reminder of all things beautiful in life. Children, adults, elders – anyone can hold this place close to their heart. However, for some, it becomes a place that represents everything to them – good and bad. It's a place filled with terrible, bitter memories, nostalgic memories, sweet and sour moments, and everything in between.

This tale is about two people who hold the beach close to their hearts, yet hate it with all their hearts, and can never let go of it.

This is a tale of two lovers who hear the crashing of the waves in every breath they take

~

"Arya! Don't run like that! You'll fall down and hurt yourself!"

But Arya was not one to listen to such silly advice. Don't run? How could she not run with the sand beneath her feet, the waves creating a stirring melody and the wind blowing her hair wildly? She ran and ran and ran until, just as her mother had warned, she tripped on a kite string lying on the ground and crashed onto the sand.

The tears came immediately from her eyes as she started screaming in pain and clutched scraped knee.

Suddenly, a boy of her age and a woman came running up to her. The boy kneeled beside her, washed her knee with a tiny bottle, and wrapped it with a napkin.

"I'm so sorry dear," the woman said. "Aryan left his kite lying around, and I think you tripped on it."

She hit Aryan's head lightly, and he clutched it in pain before mumbling an apology to her. But Arya had already forgotten about it. The prospect of getting a new friend overweighed any tears left in her eyes.

"My name is Arya! It's just like Aryan!" she said, holding out a chubby hand to him. He glanced at this mother for approval, and when she nodded with a soft smile, he grasped her hand with his.

Aryan's mother laughed. "Looks like you two were destined to meet each other. Who did you come here with?"

"Arya? Did you fall down? Did you get hurt?" Her mother called, forgetting her own advice and running up to her. Arya, already having moved past her injuries, embraced her mother and told her everything excitedly.

Aryan's mother apologized once again on her son's behalf, and Arya's mother accepted it gracefully.

By this time it felt like they'd known each other forever. Both mothers started talking while the kids ran to a mound of sand and built a sandcastle together.

They'd been just five then.

~

"Aryan! What are you doing? We've been to the beach for years together. Why are you blindfolding me now?"

Aryan didn't reply and continued to drag Arya by the arm. After all those years of growing up together, they'd developed an undertone of romantic tension in their friendship. Even now, both of them tried to ignore the beating of their hearts because of the close contact.

"Alright, here we are! You can take out the blindfold now, drama queen." she heard him say with a smirk on his face.

Arya pulled off the blindfold, grumbling to herself. The glare of the sun caught her eye immediately and she squinted, taking a second to adjust to her surroundings. Then she looked around and blinked. They were at a beach, but not the beach they had been going to for years.

'Look here!' Aryan called, making her turn towards the setting sun and ocean. The sight took her breath away.

The sun looked stunning, with the prismatic sky as its canvas. Standing before this sight was Aryan himself. He looked breath-taking, hair flying in the same direction as the strong breeze. Arya noticed how nervous he looked and frowned. Why was he nervous? Before she could ask him, she spotted a few odd-looking lines on the sand.