"Got everything?" you ask as you walk down your driveway, heading in the direction of the beach. The street pavement is ripping hot, but your feet are practically leather at this point from all the days on the hot sand. There are only a few days left of summer and you are going to take advantage of every day of good weather that you get.
"Yes, ma'am. All set," Matthew confirms what you already know. The two of you go to the beach together so often that you practically have a routine at this point. Matthew carries the chairs and a backpack with your towels in them and you carry your trusty beach bag full of snacks, sunscreen, and whatever else you might need.
You grab his hand, lacing your fingers together as you make your way down the streets of your neighborhood. You've been renting your house for years now and it may not be the biggest, but you can't beat the location. Matthew practically lives with you when he's not busy filming. When he's working, it's easier for him to be close to downtown so he doesn't have to deal with the absurd Los Angeles traffic. You've talked about moving in together, but you couldn't ask him to leave his place downtown and you couldn't bear being so far away from the beach all the time. You do spend almost every night together though, switching between places depending on the season or Matthew's work schedule.
The two of you walk in silence, swinging your hands back and forth like a couple of kids. You've gone to the beach at least twice a week this summer and both of you have gotten extremely tan because of it. Because you grew up only a few blocks away from where you live now, you know how to handle the sun and the heat, hence why your tan instead of burn and you almost never wear shoes. Matthew had to get used to the no-shoe thing himself and was even a bit grumpy when he couldn't keep up with you running across the beach parking lot at the beginning of the summer. Now, he's a seasoned pro and rarely put sandals on himself.
Matthew leans over and presses a kiss to the top of your head. "I'm gonna miss this," he sighs, knowing that the summer is coming to a slow end. He's going to start shooting again soon and you have to go back to teaching in a couple weeks. You look up at him, meeting his eyes shielded by his baseball cap. You stop walking for a second and stretch up on your toes to give him a small peck on the lips.
"Me too, but you do realize we live in southern California right? It'll be hot for another couple of months. We can always go to the beach on the weekends," you rationalize. You're going to miss this, too. Both of you get so busy in the fall, you don't get to spend as much time together. When you're together in the evenings, Matthew is trying to learn lines and you're always busy grading papers.
"Whatever, smartypants," he taunts you. You let go of Matthew's hand as you walk in front of him down the narrow ramp that leads you down to the shore. The sand is somehow hotter than the pavement so you drop your bag and run straight to the water to cool off your toes. Matthew follows your lead dropping his backpack and the chairs and runs right after you. You're ankle deep in the water when he sneaks up behind you, grabbing you around the waist. He picks you up and spins you around a few times as you squeal.
"Matthew, quit it! I'm still in my clothes, come on!" He sets you down laughing as you run back towards your stuff. You pull your water bottle out of the beach bag and chug down half of it, not even realizing how thirsty you are. Matthew is not too far behind you as per usual. He sets up the two beach chairs next to each other and throws a towel over each of them.
You dig the sunscreen out of your bag and spray down your arms and legs, rubbing it in as you go. You hand the bottle to Matthew as you strip off your tank top and shorts, leaving you in your bikini. You pull your hair up into a loose ponytail and rub some more sunscreen on your face as Matthew sprays down his body. You wordlessly turn your back to your boyfriend, pulling your ponytail to the side. He knows what to do as he sprays down your back and rubs the sunscreen in. He hands you the bottle and his baseball cap so he can pull of his shirt. Damn, that never gets old.
