beautiful | daniel howell

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day zero: sunday.

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

however, today was different. there was a figure, sitting down about two hundred yards from where dan was. he saw it. he was confused by it. no one came down to the beach at five in the morning. other than dan of course. he knew his habbits were strange but the time he spent down here was relaxing. it was his escape. and oh did he need that escape from his life.

dan began to wander towards the figure skimming rocks across the water. as he got closer he noticed it was a girl. she looked young, possibly about twenty. her golden hair was flying behind her, carried by the wind. she wore a white dress with pastel flowers decorating it. her arms were only covered by thin straps and although the sun shone, she seemed slightly effected by the cold breeze that hugged her body.

getting even closer, he could now see her face. he wasn't one to judge people on their appearance or superficial beauty, but he also wasn't one to lie when he did see something that had superficial beauty. it wasn't a cruel way to describe her, she was beautiful, he knew that. but something about her made dan want to get to know the beauty that was in her words. the beauty that was in her personality, not just her face.

"i didn't think anyone else came down here this early." dan spoke calmly. he tried not to make her jump but she must not have heard him coming as she jumped at the sound of his voice nonetheless.

"i-i don't usually. i guess that i just needed some time to myself." she looked up into dans eyes. he smiled at her allowing himself the time to study her face. she had blue eyes. but they weren't bright. they were dull and puffy like she'd been crying. she was bitting down on her lips so much that it had turned them a deep shade of red. the young girl wasn't wearing any makeup either. you could see all of her freckles and the redness that covered her face. as if she suddenly realised that she didn't have makeup on, she jerked her head back to look out at the ocean.

it was silent for a few seconds as dan sat down next to her. he already knew that he'd be alot taller than her. but aleast now they were sat next to each other, they'd be somewhat level.

he copied her position slightly, pulling his knees up to us chest but his long legs only allowed them to go so far so he just rested his hands over his knees. "i know what you mean. i come down here every morning." she kept looking forward, a look of thought playing on her face.

"i'm elodie." she almost whispered turning back to dan.

"dan." his lips curled into a warm smile as he stared into her eyes.

elodie knew he was trying to figure out why she really here. why her eyes puffed and why her cheeks were stained. she'd never see him again, so she sat thinking of a way to tell him.

"you want to know why." she searched his warm brown eyes for reassurance. "why i really came here." he shook his head, his brown curls flopped over his forehead.

"you need time. time to think. i get that. we all need time." dan was a stranger, but elodie had never met a stranger who understood so well. everyone pressured her to be perfect. they said she was beautiful and that made her think that's all people saw in her. elodie didn't believe it anyway. after her parents died, everyone pitied her. so she wanted to be someone else. someone she wasn't. "you don't believe what they say. do you?" he moved his hands to the sand as he played with the grains.

"what?"

"you are beautiful elodie." dan's smile was beautiful. but he was smiling with his eyes. which was even more beautiful. not her. not elodie. she wasn't beautiful.

"how could you possibly know that's what i was thinking about." elodie was baffled at how dan knew.

"it was written on your face." he simply shrugged looking over to the water. "beautiful people either know it, or refuse to accept it."

"you're one of them. that's all you see in me." for the first time meeting dan, elodie was disappointed. she thought he would be different. she'd never seen someone who had the glow that dan did.

"no. not at all. i want to be friends. get to know the beauty inside of you."

"no. you're the same."

"give me fifteen days. let me teach you how beautiful you are."

"but i'm not."

"elodie, you're the most beautiful thing here." her name on his tongue gave her butterflies. her stomach did flips and her lips broke into a smile.

"okay."