𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 - �...

☆ﾟ.*·｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*·｡ﾟ☆

the walk to the beach was short enough that neither of them had time to settle into the awkwardness they both clearly kept expecting and quietly avoiding. which helped because the second they left her street and started down the familiar path toward the water, conversation slipped almost automatically into the version of them that had always worked best, teasing, quick, half-serious, half ridiculous.

ant walked beside her with his hands in his pockets at first, then kept taking one out every few seconds to gesture dramatically whenever he made a point he thought deserved emphasis. which, apparently, was every point.

"i still think jojo only likes you because you pretend to listen." he said.

"i do listen."

"no, you nod at the right times. that's different."

"it's better than you falling asleep in every class!"

ant gave her a look like she'd offended him personally. "that means nothing."

"and yet it's truth."

he laughed quietly, glancing down at her. "dangerous level of confidence tonight, sunshine girl."

she pretended not to notice the tonight in that sentence. because that would mean acknowledging why tonight felt different. and neither of them seemed willing to do that first. not while things still felt easier living slightly to the side of the obvious. so instead she asked, "did the guys try and interrogate you before this?"

"for twenty straight minutes." ant chuckled, throwing his head back slightly for dramatic effect.

"figures."

"he said if i made it weird he'd never forgive me."

"solid advice. don't make it weird then." sofia teased, nudging him slightly as they continued to walk.

"coming from someone who opened the door before i knocked like a psychopath."

she smiled. "you looked nervous."

"i was carrying flowers. i never carry flowers." he protested, but couldn't hide his smile.

"which was very brave of you." she mocked.

"thank you."

they kept walking, the sea already audible now, waves rolling in steady and soft against the shoreline. the evening had reached that point where the light changed completely, gold but lower now, stretched across everything so the sand looked warmer than it really was. a breeze lifted the edge of her dress as they stepped onto the final path that opened fully toward the beach.

and then she saw it. the picnic first - a blanket spread near the quieter stretch of sand just above where the tide reached, low enough to feel close to the water but far enough to stay dry. a small basket that ant had clearly nicked from his mum. takeaway containers already set neatly to one side. a bottle of wine and two plastic ups. battery candles flickering in little glass holders despite the remaining daylight.

and then movement. to the left. two figures sprinting badly across the sand like they'd been caught in the middle of committing something illegal. spider and dusty. spider was ahead by half a step, shouting over his shoulder. "i told you she'd see us!"

dusty nearly tripped trying to run uphill through the sand, pointing furiously back toward the blanket. "this is your fault!"

"how is this my fault?"

"'cos you're a lanky fuck!"

sofia stopped dead, pulling a hand to her mouth and laughed before she could help it. bright enough that both boys looked even guiltier somehow as they kept running. spider spotted her properly and raised both hands dramatically while still moving. "pretend we were never here!"

dusty shouted back without slowing, "have a nice date, sunshine girl!"

then they disappeared further down the beach, still arguing. the whole thing happened so quickly it felt almost staged. beside her, ant closed his eyes briefly like he was physically trying to survive the embarrassment. "i'm so sorry."

which only made her laugh harder. "no, don't be."

he looked at her sincerely then, still annoyed, still trying not to be. "they promised they were gone."

"i liked it."

that caught him off guard. "you liked being ambushed?"

"it was funny." another small laugh escaped her, softer now, and she shook her head. "also very on brand."

that finally cracked something in him too, the tension in his shoulders easing as they reached the blanket. up close, the whole thing looked even more carefully thought out. the blanket itself was thick enough not to sink awkwardly into the sand. a pizza box from the local italian was placed under two more boxes of sides. two little battery candles stood still against the sea breeze. 

the water beyond them moved silver-blue now under the low sun, the horizon soft and pale where evening was starting to deepen. a few distant people walked further downshore, but here it felt quiet enough that their voices stayed contained inside the little space he'd built. ant crouched first, immediately catching one knee awkwardly in the blanket as he tried to sit. his elbow clipped one of the candles. it tipped sideways instantly. "shit-"

he lunged for it, fumbling badly, nearly knocking the second one too while trying to stand it upright again. which made sofia laugh all over again. that sound, light and unguarded, cut through his panic almost immediately.

because it always did. she could actually see it happen. the way his face changed the second he heard her laughing. the nerves loosening, the stiffness dropping out of him. suddenly he was laughing too, crouched awkwardly over a battery candle like this had become a serious emergency. "this is going so well."

"you're doing amazing."

"don't patronise me."

"you brought candles. very cute." she pointed out.

"battery candles. then it's not, like, a fire hazard."

she lowered herself onto the blanket opposite him, tucking one leg beneath her and kicking her thongs off to the side, still smiling while the light caught the water behind him.

the sun sat low enough now that everything looked softer. his face. the blanket. the ridiculous plastic candle he'd nearly destroyed. and just for a second, sitting there with salt in the air and his expression finally settling back into something easy, sofia realised she wasn't nervous anymore.

for a while, the date settled into something softer than either of them had expected. once the candle was upright again and ant had stopped acting like knocking it over had personally ruined the evening, everything loosened. 

they ate the pizza first, still warm enough that steam lifted when he opened the box. then the foil containers; falafel and halloumi and hummus and any other mediterranean dishes he could think of. actual cloth napkins (probably from his mums china cabinet), folded neatly, which made sofia immediately laugh again. "you brought napkins."

"obviously." he said like it was no bother, mouth half full of food.

"who are you?"

"someone with great planning skills." sofia didn't have to speak. the look she gave him said enough. he looked offended while handing her a slice of pizza. "i can be organised."

"i've seen your locker."

he scoffed, "low blow."

the wine went quickly, cheap and cold, poured carelessly into two plastic cups he'd handed to her proudly. they clinked their cups and both took big gulps. "i thought you'd appreciate the cups, environmentally conscious and that."

"exactly. save the turtles." she giggled in response.

the sea moved steadily behind him, darker now as the sun dipped lower, gold light stretched across the water in long flickers that kept catching on the little battery candles every time the breeze shifted. ant was sat with his knees up, sofia close with her knees tucked behind her. the whole beach looked suspended in that hour where everything softened.

the edges of people further downshore blurred. the air cooler now but still comfortable. their shoes abandoned beside the blanket. pizza balanced in one hand, wine in the other. once they started eating, conversation slipped back into that easy rhythm they'd always had, teasing layered over everything, jokes landing before either of them thought too hard. at one point sofia reached for the halloumi container at exactly the same time ant did. he pulled it away first. "absolutely not."

"excuse me?"

"you've had three."

"you counted?"

"obviously. i pay attention." he held the container just out of reach while she leaned across the blanket trying to grab it.

"you are unbelievable." sofia scoffed. ant smiled, smug enough that she finally gave up and sat back. then he slid the container toward her anyway, causing sofia to cock her head at him. "i hate you."

"no you don't."

the wine warmed everything further. not enough to fully blur it, just enough that laughter came easier and pauses stretched without either rushing to fill them. at one point ant leaned back on one hand, cup balanced on his knee, watching her while she picked apart a falafel with unnecessary focus.

"you know," he said, "this is still weird."

she glanced up. "the falafel?"

"you."

"rude."

"no, i mean-" he smiled faintly, searching for words. "just... us being here. like this."

she understood immediately. because she felt versions of that too. how quickly a few days had shifted everything. how impossible it would've sounded once, the idea of her sitting on a beach with ant talking like they'd always belonged in each other's orbit. he looked out toward the water briefly before continuing. "you weren't even around before this year."

"i was around." she protested.

"not properly." she smiled a little into her cup. that was fair. for years she'd been there without really being there. same school, same halls; different life entirely. ant shrugged one shoulder. "now i can't really remember what it was like before."

the honesty of it landed deeper than she expected. he didn't seem to realise how much either. still looking outward when he added quietly, "i'm glad you came into our lives, though. into mine. i guess we have amerie to thank for putting that line between us on the map."

that sat between them for a second. gentler than the teasing and more dangerous because of it. sofia looked down at her hands, thumb circling the edge of the plastic cup. for half a breath she thought about telling him. about the wall. about why she'd really ended up there. the truth hovered; close enough to say. but she could already imagine the way ant's face would change. the questions. the anger. the way michael's presence still sharpened something in her. tonight felt too golden for that. so she swallowed it instead.

"yeah," she said softly. he looked back at her then. and because the mood had shifted too close to serious, she nudged the pizza box toward him. "also if you're about to get emotional after one plastic cup of wine, i'm leaving."

that got him laughing immediately. "i'm not emotional."

"you brought flowers."

"you liked the flowers."

"that isn't the point."

"it's exactly the point. i know what you like, sofia." he leaned forward to refill their cups, and the movement brought him closer than before. close enough that she noticed the small crease near his mouth when he smiled. close enough that when he handed her the cup back, his fingers brushed hers and neither of them moved away straight away.

the breeze lifted again. sofia tucked hair behind one ear and smiled slightly. "you know what still kills me?"

"what?"

"the night at the cemetery."

he groaned instantly, rubbing his hand over his face. "you would've gotten arrested if it wasn't for me.

"you nearly dropped me."

"you climbed onto me like a maniac."

she scoffed and protested, "you scooped me up like some sort of knight!"

"you looked terrified!"

"because i've never been chased by cops before!"

she smiled into her drink. that memory still lived oddly clear. the way ant held her as he lifted her over the wall. the almost something they had before the moment was interrupted. the fact that even then something had already began shifting and neither of them had known what to call it. the fact that maybe something was always there.

ant watched her for a second too long again. "you laugh different when it's real."

she blinked. "what does that mean?"

"i don't know." he smiled faintly. "just... sometimes you do that polite one."

"i have a polite laugh?"

"yeah." the warmth in her face had nothing to do with the wine anymore.

she looked away first, pretending interest in the water. because if she held his eyes too long right then, she already knew the air would change again. and somehow, despite everything easy between them, that tension kept finding them anyway. sitting just under the surface every time conversation dipped. every time their knees brushed when they reached for food. every time one of them smiled and forgot to look away quickly enough.

the sun had dropped lower now, turning everything gold-grey. the picnic blanket. his hands. the flickering candle between them. and the longer the evening went on, the more it stopped feeling like something either of them had to perform. it just became this. pretending the pauses weren't full of things both of them noticed. and now that everything was real, a proper date, maybe they didn't have to anymore.

by the time they were done eating, the boxes were mostly empty, lids folded back and pushed aside, only a few stray chips left forgotten in the corners and one piece of halloumi neither of them wanted enough to claim. sofia gathered the containers neatly and slid them off to one side of the blanket, tucking napkins underneath so the breeze wouldn't immediately send everything skidding across the sand. the battery candle still flickered between them, stubbornly upright now.

for a minute neither of them said much, the kind of silence that didn't need fixing. waves rolled steadily somewhere below them, soft and repetitive, water folding against shore in slow rhythm. further down the beach a dog barked once, distant laughter carried briefly on the wind, then faded again. above them the sky had turned deeper now, pale orange slipping gradually toward blue.

sofia pulled her knees up slightly, arms wrapped around them, watching the horizon. opposite her, ant leaned back on both hands, gaze fixed ahead too, close enough that their legs brushed every time either of them shifted. "shit."

she turned. ant sat upright.

"what?"

he frowned at himself like he'd genuinely offended his own brain. "i can't believe i forgot."

before she could ask again, he leaned forward and reached into the basket, moving aside the folded napkins and empty plastic cups until he found what he'd apparently been looking for. a speaker. small, black, tucked so neatly into the basket she'd missed it completely. sofia laughed instantly. "you brought a speaker too?"

he looked up, already defensive. "obviously."

"and flowers."

"stop bringing the flowers up. i'm fragile."

"i'm just impressed by the effort." she smiled.

he smiled back. then, he unlocked his phone and held it toward her. "pick something then."

"absolutely not."

"why?"

"because your playlists are terrible."

"you like my music!"

"no, i'm just polite." sofia said sarcastically.

that got a grin out of him. "rude. give me yours then."

sofia handed her phone over too, and suddenly they were both leaning closer, legs pressed properly now as they scrolled through each other's music with immediate judgment. ant made a face first. "what is this called?"

she glanced down. "'hot girl shit'"

"that's unreal."

"it's my confidence playlist." she snatched his phone in retaliation. "'late night thoughts'? what are you, forty?"

"well i can't exactly call it 'stoned thoughts', i'm on a family plan man." ant defended.

"'songs that make me stare out windows'?"

"that's normal!"

"you are so deep."

"coming from someone with 'hot girl shit'."

she laughed properly then, almost dropping his phone while he tried to take hers back. "give it back."

eventually they settled on songs neither could insult too heavily, soft enough not to fight the sea, low enough that the speaker just filled the little space around them instead of overtaking it. a track started quietly between them. ant placed the speaker down near the candle, then shifted closer when he sat back again. this time beside her, not opposite. close enough that their legs lined up naturally on the blanket. the breeze had cooled more now, and somehow sitting shoulder to shoulder made immediate sense without either acknowledging it.

for a while they just listened. talking in fragments between songs. small jokes. quiet comments. nothing urgent. at one point sofia tilted slightly, then let her head rest against his shoulder like it had happened accidentally. it wasn't accidental, but she didn't make a thing of it, and neither did he. he just adjusted a fraction so she fit there easier. then, after a second, lowered his own head gently until it rested against the top of hers. the weight of it felt absurdly soft, his shoulder warm under her cheek, his shirt smelling faintly of salt air and whatever he'd sprayed on before leaving home. the music carried quietly in front of them.

for a minute, neither spoke.

and then he moved. small at first. lifting his head abruptly enough that she felt it before she understood why. she looked up immediately, instinctive, forehead almost brushing his jaw in the movement. his face was already turned toward hers. close — closer than she'd realised. for one second neither of them smiled. no joke ready this time or teasing to soften it. just that look.

his hand lifted, slow enough she could've stopped it if she'd wanted to, fingers resting lightly against her jaw before his palm cupped her face properly. the touch alone sent something sharp through her chest. and then he kissed her. like he'd decided on it fully before moving. his thumb stayed still against her cheek while her eyes closed almost immediately, body turning toward him before she'd consciously told it to.

the speaker kept playing quietly beside them. the sea kept moving. everything else dropped away.

the kiss deepened only slightly, soft but sure, and when she leaned in properly, he smiled very faintly against her mouth before kissing her again. like her answering him had settled something. one hand stayed at her face. the other braced lightly behind him in the blanket. she could feel the warmth from his shoulder still lingering where her head had rested seconds earlier.

☆ﾟ.*·｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*·｡ﾟ☆