⋆ b e a c h b i r t h d a y s & s u n s e t k i s s e s ⋆
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
amaranthine (adj.) undying, immortal, eternally beautiful or a deep purple-red
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
THE NEXT MORNING is blissful. The window is cracked open, so a light breeze gusts over our skin, and the faint twitter of birds chirping outside wakes us up peacefully.
"Good morning, love," Jordan says, opening his eyes slowly and stretching as I shamelessly watch his chiseled abs flex with the motion.
"Happy birthday, Jordan," I smile onto his lips, gently brushing mine against his.
"Thanks, Bumble," he murmurs, pulling me into the hard planes of his warm chest. We lay like that for a few moments before a knock sounds on the door.
"Wake up guys! I want to go to the beach!", Rosie's loud voice comes from outside the door. Jordan and I share a grin before he shouts back that we'll be there soon.
We both change into our swimwear, mine a white bandeau top and high-waisted palm print bottoms. Jordan's mouth falls open slightly when he sees me emerge from the bathroom. His heated gaze sweeps me up and down, taking in my long, bare legs, flat stomach, and stopping at other areas.
"Damn, you're sexy, Bumble," he mutters, causing my cheeks to heat up. I quickly reach for my cover-up draped on the chair, pulling it over my head.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Jordan," I laugh, grabbing his hand as we exit through the door. The walk down to the beach is pleasant, the clear blue skies dusted with pale yellows from the sun. Large palm trees sway in the wind, making it hard to believe that it's truly the day after Christmas. I feel as though I'm floating on air, with the unreal view of the sea in front of me and my hand holding the one of the boy I love.
We make our way down the stairs to the beach, slipping off our shoes before sinking into the sand. We make our way over to Marion and Rosie, who have set up towels and an umbrella. Marion lounges on a beach chair she set up, beer in hand, watching Rosie build sandcastles at her feet.
We put our stuff down before I drag Jordan over to the sand volleyball court, challenging him to a one-on-one. We aren't playing for long before a group of guys come over and join, all hollering that they want to be on my team. I see envy cloud over Jordan's eyes, so I tell them I'll join his team against them. We have fun for a few hours, playing intensely round after round, both teams evenly matched. Jordan is extremely athletic, so he's a natural at playing, scoring the majority of points for us, always diving to get the ball. Finally, we decide to stop playing, both of us covered in sand and out of breath. I wave goodbye to the other guys, a couple of them joking and asking for my number. They immediately quiet when Jordan shoots them a glare, grabbing my hand and storming off, dragging me along as I laugh hysterically.
"Jealous?", I tease, shoving him lightly.
"Oh be quiet, Bumble, you're mine," he scoffs, but I can see the light in his eyes.
"You're right, I am yours," I shrug, planting a kiss on his cheek as we make our way over to Marion and Rosie, who have set out lunch that hotel cooks graciously packed for us. We all sit on the towels, greedily attacking the platter of fresh fruit and tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwiches. I throw a watermelon piece into the air, and Rosie catches it in her mouth, juice dribbling down her chin as we all laugh. Even Marion seems to be in a good mood, occasionally throwing in a joke or two.
Jordan and I finally enter the cool ocean water closer toward the evening, wading out until the water is at our stomachs. Jordan lifts me into his arms, allowing me to wrap my legs around him.
"So, birthday boy, how was your day?", I ask, resting my forehead on his.
"It was wonderful. I spent it with the love of my life, the most beautiful, funny, and smart girl in the world," he replies, never failing to say just the right words to make my heart burst.
"I left your present in the hotel room, I'm sorry," I say, to which he just smiles.
"Being with you is enough, love, and the best gift you've ever given me was when you said you love me too," he says smoothly, dark voice running over my skin like a rich, red wine. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck, leaning into him.
I glance up at the sky above us which is darkening to a shade of amaranthine, the color of eternity, the last rays of golden sun fading from sight, untangling from the clouds and leaving behind hues of light purple and dark blue, like the ending to a chapter.
When I look back down at Jordan, his viridian eyes swirl with a dozen emotions, and he looks to be thinking about the future and what's to become of his family.
"Don't worry about anything right now," I say, watching the water pool around us, "just enjoy right now so that the memory will last you forever." He nods and looks up at me, eyes clearing. I gaze at him, taking in the sea green shards and gold flecks in his eyes, remembering the first time I ever noticed them, all that time ago.
"We'll be okay, right?", he asks, his voice strangely raw and vulnerable as he stares at me.
My next words are a promise, knowing that going through anything with him is bound to turn out fine, "We'll be okay. "
As long as we have each other, we can do anything. He seems to sense this as he pulls me closer, bringing my lips up to his and we collide once more, melding into each other for what seems like eternity.
✗ T H E E N D ✗ hope you enjoyed! keep an eye out for the epilogue ;)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
