Turning life around

Nobody else

I absolutely love the beach.  

The view here is breathtaking. I was sitting on the edge of a rock, the kind that started off from the land to finally grow into a sort of cliff hanging over the water.

I wasn't reading, or doing something in particular. I was mainly appreciating the silence, the nature, and that moment to myself.

It's soon interrupted by a ruffling sound. I turn around a little, and although I can't clearly see his face, I recognize his silhouette all too well.

"Hi", he says softly.

I wait for him to get closer, as he comes up the hills in big steps.

- What are you doing?

"Ah not much... Just enjoying the view." I reply.

He smiles. "Well, it happens that I have something to make you enjoy it even more."

He sticks his hand out to me, and I take it, helping me get up.

I try to get the sand and other dirt out from my long, white skirt. I was wearing my colorful bikini top and the skirt over my bottom. I had my hair down, messy from the curls the sea gave me.

He took out a pair of binoculars and tested them out.

- Where'd you even get these?!

- The gift shop, he winces. So they might just not be... binoculars.

We both laugh, and he takes them up to his eyes and looks around. He looks ridiculously attractive.  

"Look there", he says after a while, pointing at a random point in the sky.

Okay...

I do so, and my God, what a sight! I was able to see land, the sky, and even boats far away, from another angle. 

The sun was setting, and colors started coloring the sky.

 "Wow.." 

I take the binoculars away from my face, and look back at Jake.

"Did they come back yet?" I was referring to our friends, who went out to get groceries, I think. Jaden and Mark stayed though, as they were still in a really intense Mari Kart game.

Jake shakes his head no, but takes a step back.

"Your outfit is so cute, by the way", he says out of nowhere.

I feel my cheeks heating up a little bit. His compliments are not rare, but I don't think I'll ever get used to them.

I mutter a thank you, but he doesn't seem to even hear it. He throws his head back a little covers his face a little, and grunts as though he's in pain.

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Jake's POV

Torture. Fucking torture.

Standing there, admiring her beautiful eyes, her smile, her laugh, her face, and not being able to call her mine is torture.

"You're so fucking beautiful."

It was in that moment that it hit me. I could not wait any longer. The adrenaline was taking over my body and I took a step forward towards her, wanting her close, wanting me close. Then I start talking to her. To the most perfect human being.

"Tris..." I begin with sigh. "I know we're in our twenties but when it's about you I experience this teenage crush all over again! I am crazy about you, about your smile, about your morning runs, about the scars on your thigh you got this summer, about- Gosh I could go on all day. Nobody makes me feel that way, Tris. Nobody but you. We've known each other for so long, but every freaking time I see you it hits me how awesome you are. I've had feelings for you since the day you dropped a blueberry ice cream all over yourself in college. We've always had this atomic friendship and it kills me knowing that what I'm saying might ruin it, but every second in your presence destroys my guts knowing I'm not yours. Even though you're mine. You will always be my person, nobody else."

 With that, I take her hand in mine, searching her face with my eyes, looking for details that might show me her reaction. But her face is blank, expressionless. 

My heart skips a beat, and disappointment starts to flood in.

Shit. I messed up. How could I tell her all that! I knew that she didn't like me that way-

Except her face breaks into a smile, her hand squeezes mine, and she jumps up and down a little.

"Finally!" she exclaims before jumping to my neck, hugging me tightly.

I am taken aback, but her giggles bring me back to the present and I put my arms around her too.

She soon pulls back a little, though our bodies are not so far.

"What took you so long?" she grins. "I was wondering when I'd have to make the move myself!"

I chuckle.

"It killed me, trust me", I answer focused on putting a lose hair strand behind her ear.

Then I remember something. "But the timing seems to be perfect", I say taking out the shark tooth necklace from my shorts, the real reason I came up here.

- I found a shark tooth this morning in the sand.

Her attention shifts from my face to the leather string I'm holding between my fingers.  

- Here.

I pass it through her head and neck, and let the pendant fall on her chest, right in the middle of her two... coconuts.

She looks down at it, fiddling it with her nails.

"It's so pretty", she whispers in awe. "You made it?" She looks up at me with shiny eyes. I nod in answer.

"Are you happy?" I ask.

- Very, she says.

"Good."

With that, I finally close the distance between us, holding the side of her face in my hand. 
My lips touch hers, and as soon as they do, my whole body perks up. My heart is beating so fast I'm sure Tris can feel it, as she put her hands on my chest while mine rests on her waist.

The kiss was astronomical.

"You're my person too, Jake. I hope you know that."