heaven in hiding 🌷 tracob

28

Troye's pov

"And here we have it," Jay says, gesturing out forward, "Botany Bay."

My shaky hands folded together, I gulp harshly and force an assuring smile.

"Very beautiful," I whisper.

Waves so subtly crash and move towards us. Jay takes my hand and kisses my forehead, "It will be okay."

I melt to his touch and nod, "Okay."

He kicks off his shoes and lets his feet breathe into the sand. Looping his fingers around his shirt, he pulls it off over his head and tosses his mobile and wallet down along with it. I mirror his movements, not sure what to do, and slip his extra pair of shoes he let me borrow.

I shudder the slightest as the breeze from the ocean smoothes against my chest.

"Have you ever been here before?" He asks.

I shake my head, "I've never been to an ocean before."

His eyes widen, shock evident, "Never?"

I nod, "Mhm."

He wipes that silly expression off his face and nods in understanding, "That's okay."

"Today can be a day for firsts." He adds, "You don't have to go in deep, I'll be right there with you."

"Okay," I pipe.

"Do you know how to swim?" He inquires.

I shake my head, "No."

He takes my hand again, "It's alright. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Okay," I can't manage to let any other word out, my nerves getting the best of me.

He takes a step forward. I follow and let the odd feeling in between my toes settle. Sand feels weird- different. Not as soft as it looks, but it is very pretty.

Leading my forward, he keeps taking steps forward that I must follow. It's when we get to the edge of the water that I freeze.

"I'm afraid." 

He squeezes my hand gently, "It's okay. You're not alone."

"Nothing's going to get you." He assures.

He dips his toes into the water and inches forward. Hesitantly I do the same, flinching at the sudden coldness of the water. Another step forward, the water pools at my feet. I keep doing just that until I'm in waist deep, beaming at him.

"Do you like it?" He asks.

I nod, moving my free hand around in the water.

"It's much prettier than the pictures." I murmur, my body adjusting to the temperature.

Looking up at the sky, I find the pretty pink sunset falling down to the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He questions.

"Mhm," I look back to him, catching him staring at me.

I flush pink to my cheeks, looking away.

"Why are you looking at me?" I ask.

"I have a particular taste for beauty." He whispers, his voice soft and gentle.

I watch the flock of seagulls dance and caw in the air.

Finding myself at a lost for words, I don't say a word.

We stand around and sink into the ocean for a good half hour, cheesing at each other ever so often. When we got out, we were frozen by the dropping temperature. Though, we bear through it and get back into our clothes and shoes, shaking it off.

"Where to next, darling?" He questions.

My belly rumbles loud enough for him to hear, making me want to hide away. Now is not the time, hunger.

"Are you hungry?" He asks.

I shake my head, "No. No, I'm okay."

He gives me an unimpressed look for a short moment then lifts his cheeks to a knowing smile.

"I know a really cool place we could go to eat." He offers.

"It's okay," I excuse, "You don't need to waste your money on me."

"I can and I will." 

I look down to the ground and nod, not wanting to upset him. What he wants to do, he can. It's not like I'm in charge of him.

"Let's go," Jay requests, "Hoods up, face down."

...

Sat at an indoor table for two, we overlook the star-lit sky. Fairy lights hung above us and a candle between us, smelling like a warm vanilla. We share a plate of noodles, giggling at each other as they hang between our lips. His hazel eyes shine in delight, the two of us in the cheeriest of moods.

"Hey, what's so funny?" He asks, purposefully letting a noddle hang below his lips.

I cover a hand over my mouth and titter so lively, "No- nothing."

"You're adorable." He lets out, making my heart feel ten kinds of full.

"I can say the same for you, mister." I bat my eyelashes at him, finding a great sense of personality I haven't known in years shine through my anxiety-ridden body.

I sip my water and watch him play with his food just to make me smile. We find beauty everywhere we look, London being such a privilege to reside in. Classical music purrs around the air, making me feel like I'm in a different world. 

In fact, I still feel that way as I lay in bed with the lights off next to Jay. Our fingers are twirled together, his thumb running over the cut in my palm softly. Nothing but satisfaction settles in the air as we fall asleep in content.