Taylor POV:
It was a clear day in California, a perfect day to spend the entire day at the beach, every day was. But I knew the drill, going outside means getting caught by paparazzi and recently I had gotten so sick of getting my picture taken by complete strangers. I pulled my legs to my chest, setting my head on my knees to make myself as small as possible, and turning my head to peer out my window.
"It's an awfully beautiful day today." , my boyfriend for three months said out of nowhere and my eyes sprung open to see him standing just a few feet away.
"Oh...yeah." , I mumbled as he took a seat next to me and I nuzzled my face into his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.
"We should go outside to the beach today." , Joe suggested.
"No.", I whined rubbing my eyes underneath my large glasses.
"Why not? Come on. Today's perfect and you love the beach."
"Becuase then the paparazzi will see us and you know I can't deal with them!" , I exclaimed more mean then I meant it to sound so I added, "Sorry. You can go with me if you want. I don't want to hold you back."
"You aren't holding me back. I just want to be with you. ", he said and I looked up at him to get a little kiss. "How about this. We go out, but if the paparazzi find you we come back here and play Scrabble for the rest of the day."
I thought for a moment. It was a good deal, hard to resist. "Fine." , I groaned even though I was smiling. Joe's face lit up which was all I wanted to see and I began to get up but was pulled right back down to face Joe.
"I love you." , he said softly and I rolled my eyes at him for being so cheesy.
"Let's get ready for the beach." , I replied quietly and ignoring what he had just said.
He nodded respectfully as I gave him one more kiss before removing myself from his arms. By the time we got to the beach, it was even hotter outside. There were tons of people out which made me a bit nervous, either walking on the boardwalk or in the water so we moved as far away from them as possible.
After unfolding the beach chairs, I pulled out a bottle of sunscreen, SPF 60 (of course), and handed it to Joe, I had learned my lesson of not wearing sunscreen enough when I was a kid and I didn't plan on making the same mistake. "Will you put some on my back please?" , I asked.
"Of course, love." , he replied.
But before I could change my mind, he put his cold hand on my back and I shrieked, jumping away from him. "You know, you could've warmed your hands first!" , I shouted as he began laughing. "That was cold!"
"You asked!" , he protested. "And you should have seen your expression. Priceless."
Hearing that, I playfully hit him. "Well, I'm glad my pain is funny to you." , I said, crossing my arms.
When I had finally let him finish applying sunscreen to my back, we sat down in our beach chairs, laying in the sun. It didn't take long to feel unbearably hot and eventually, I stood up. Joe looked at me curiously as I took off my sunglasses and dropped them on the towel by my feet. "I didn't agree to come here just to lay in the blazing heat." , I announced stretching my arm out for Joe to take, which he gladly did. "Come on."
Running into the water with Joe following closely behind, I ran to the first wave I saw like a little kid and began jumping them which was pretty easy considering how tall I am. When Joe finally got next to me he gently took one of my hands, making me completely forget our surroundings as he inched forward.
"I love y-"
Before he could finish, a huge wave had crashed into us, making me lose my balance and get dunked underwater for a second. I had curled my hair earlier in the day and had managed to keep neat and dry until now. Slowly, I stood up with the help of Joe who was somehow still standing upright.
"Oh. My. God." , I said carefully, honestly furious for some reason. I glared at Joe who was staring nervously at me, still standing tall. "I can't believe you! If you hadn't tried to be all cheesy and stuff, telling me you love me every two seconds I wouldn't have almost died!"
"You didn't almost die." , he said holding back a laugh.
I scoffed, ignoring his remark. "You don't even mean it when you tell me all that."
He paused, shocked. "You think I don't mean what I say when I tell you I love you? I do!"
We had only been dating for a while, but I had yet to tell him that I loved him. He would tell me he loves me all the time and when I don't answer or act really weird from it he just tells me to take my time. But to be honest, I'm not sure if I ever will tell him I love him back. He would get sick of paparazzi. Sick of me. This relationship will fall apart eventually, they always do.
I blushed, and he could tell. I looked down at the water, making sure that there were no sea urchins, forcing myself not to look up.
"I know you're blushing." , he said softly.
"Shut up." , I mumbled, but instead of walking, or swimming, away from him, I took the few steps forward, letting him pull me into his safe arms.
Like every couple in the world, Joe and I fought sometimes, a lot, actually. But the fights never really mattered and when they did we could usually resolve them pretty fast.
"You make no sense sometimes." , Joe finally said.
"Do not!" , I exclaimed for a moment. With all my strength to get him back, I pushed him back letting him fall into the water and crossed my arms, proud with my accomplishment as he got up, now just as soaked as me.
"Oh, it's on." , he said.
I could take a hint, and immediatly turned my back and started running hte opposite direction as he cahsed after me.
Later, when things finallly cooled down, we found ourselves back in the beach chairs. I was sitting on Joe, legs draped over the chair and head on his chest as he played with my hair. Besides the rist of there being papaarzzi, I loved beign with Joe, places we didn't have to hide, wear sweatshirts, hods pulled over our heads, or me trying to hind him in a swarm of paparazzi. Here, we just got to be a normal couple.
"Taylor Swift?" , a voice that wasn't Joe's screamed out to me, pulling me out of my daze. From that, I immediatly lifted my head from Joe's chest, stood up, and looked around to find a little girl, about twelve, stnading a couple feet away, holding out a phone.
Joe got up next to me and the girl smiled. "Hi!" , she said sweeetly. "I'm really sorry to bother you but could I please get a picture with you?"
I smiled back, now realizign she meant no harm. "Of couse, sweetie." , I said walking over to give her a hug and take a photo with here. When I got back over to Joe I noticed he was beginning to pack up.
"What are you doing?" , I asked, confused.
"Well." , he said, stopping what he was doing and standing up. "I said that if we saw any paparazzi I would take you home. I figure that girl will probably post the picture and I don't want you to have to be here if paparazzi do come."
"I don't think she will." , I said which was a complete lie. "We can stay."
"Are you sure?"
I nodded, smilng as we both got comforatble again and I shut my eyes, enjoying the sound of the ocean.
"You do know I'm tellin thetruth when I tell you I love you." , Joe said ever so quietly that I didn'teven know if I was hearing him correctly.
"Yes."
"Good. Because I love you."
For once, the response to this senstence seemed so easy I wasnt sure why I hadn't answered yet. I looekd up at Joe who was watching me carefully. "I love you too."
