Sunflower Café

19

...Anybody, somebody, please,
I'm begging,
I'm even on my knees,
I've got a dozen insecurities,
But I don't think you should be worried for me...

–H

"Fuck!" Harry swore, getting lunged forward by the sudden jerk of an eager Nala anxious to play with the waves.

Amaya laughed tenderly, kneeling down to unclasp her leash and set her free. "Don't go too crazy, alright? No going in the water or no more treats for today. Understood?"

Nala just bolted past her, rolling excitedly in the sand that met the seashore. Amaya sighed unsurprised but laughed afterwards, shaking her head as she stared at her play. "There goes the bath she took today."

"You can just wash her off in the water after," Harry suggested, watching along.

"Oh no, that's not very wise." With the shake of her head she led them further from the coast to a patch of unoccupied sand. "The water's littered with rocks and sharp things," she began to explain, "I don't want her getting hurt. This isn't really a place to swim, more to laze and admire."

"Oh..." Harry's eyes found the Husky, fearful she'd stray too close to the rocks.

"Yeah," Amaya let the backpack fall from her arms and slumped it on the sand, beginning to unpack. "We should settle here. This seems to be where she wants to stay."

Harry helped Amaya stretch out a large, lilac blanket where they settled facing the view—far ahead, the excited husky dug her nose in the sand before beginning to chase her tail. They both watched her play fondly, Nala's happiness seeming to reflect back on them.

      Behind Nala, a crystal sky of endless blue reflected on the crashing waves that burst to white foam by the shore as they broke against the rocks that were sprinkled about. Before them, a large rock formation towered above with an arch that allowed the sunlight to bend through it, cascading the golden light upon them in a warm glow. The sand beneath Harry's fingers was soft as he played with it, building small mounds before squashing them beneath his palm.

"It's purple," he said.

"Hm?" Amaya looked at him sidelong as she laid back, her head resting on the backpack. Her sunglasses were now tucked on the waistband of her jeans and he could see her features more clearly under the blue sky, could see the purple hues surrounding her eyes and the pale skin of her cheeks.

"The sand, it has purple," he explained, studying it between his hands.

"Oh, yeah..." she watched his hands build a small castle, adding windows and a fence, before destroying it. "Pretty cool isn't it?"

     "It is. It's beautiful." He felt the breeze caress his skin and sighed at the pleasantness.

     "You should see it when the sun sets, it's a whole light show. You see the arch on that big rock over there," she pointed and Harry hummed a yes. "That rock's called Keyhole Arch. Sometimes, when the sun kisses the horizon just right, it sits perfectly between the opening and illuminates the whole place in golden light. It's breathtaking. People from all over the world come just to witness it. But it's very unpredictable, you have to be patient enough to chase it before you find it. But once you do... there's nothing else like it," Amaya finished with a smile, her eyes a brilliant amber as the light reflected on them.