beautiful | daniel howell

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day fifteen: monday
reason fifteen: your eyes.

there was nothing sweeter than the taste of fresh air. well that's what dan and elodie thought as they strolled along the beach hand in hand. the beach was always empty this early in the morning. so was the pier. i guess that's why they enjoyed their daily strolls. it was peaceful. the tranquillity calmed them, helped them to clear their minds. the idyllic view helped to do that too. the blazing sun was giving off warm rays of light that casted shadows over the pier and reflected golden shimmers over the vibrant green ocean. clear and free from the rubish that people discared daily, ignorant to the incredible wildlife that thrived in the ocean.

dan thought back to that sunday two weeks ago. it was a similar day to this however last time, he was alone. and now he had elodie. she was so oblivious to they way she had changed him. he was just a guy with no friends or family and quite frankly, nothing to live for.

borderline depressed. dan had to accept that was the way it was before and although he knew that one person couldn't change a chemical imbalance in the brain, one person was able to cover it up. and that was enough. elodie was enough. dan was trying to show her that, because beauty is more than skin deep. that fact had never been on the forefront of his mind so often before, but it needed to be. for elodie's sake.

salty waves crashed against the shore in a rhythematic pattern. it was therapeutic almost watching them fold in on themselves.

"this is out our last day." elodie blurted out, a dejected time in her voice. she stopped in her tracks to turn and face dan. dan shook his head in disagreement.

"it doesn't have to be our last day. it doesn't even have to be the last of my fifteen reasons." he speaks out stroking her soft cheek with his thumb.

"good, because i don't want it to be." she smiled widely, ear-to-ear. she closed her eyes as dan tilted her head downwards so he could plant a sweet loving kiss to her forehead.

"so what'll it be danny." elodie asked giggling; staring into those warm chocolatey eyes. he studied her for a moment, thinking. he didn't need to, he already knew his exact reason. and he had hoped it to be from the start.

dramatically dan sighed throwing his hands in to the air. "i. do. not. known." she tried to play it serious but a smirk got the better of dan creeping up on his face.

"reason fifteen " he stated, pausing for dramatic purposes. "is..." however dan doesn't finish his sentence, he pulls elodie by her wrist, down to the edge of the beach.

"come on! take them off." he laughed nodding towards elodie's socks and shoes. dan removing his own. she laughed and rolled her eyes in agreement.

they splashed around for what seemed like hours and it probably was because people had started to fill the streets in the opposite direction.

elodie's hair was thrown up into a messy bun and the lose strands were soaked with the mint-coloured shallow tides.

"reason fifteen." he began again. "your eyes." dan stated it as though interesting thing he'd ever seen. elodie was blushing a dusty rose. it spread across her entire face; covering it like a blanket. "it's taken two weeks, that's not a long time." he chuckles. "but they finally glow again. they finally radiate enery and life. just like i'm sure they once did. and it's the most incredible sight. they're like oceans. and i could go swimming in those eyes. you are beautiful." dan stated, not for the last time, as he tucked a lose blonde strand of wavey hair behind elodie's ear.