Adam and Audrey stood barefoot together on Venice Beach, their toes sinking into the fine warm sand as their fingers intertwined, watching the sunset. Audrey felt exposed in this public romantic moment and glanced around to survey any possible onlookers, but Adam raised his hand to grab her chin and hold her face towards him.
"Stop worrying," he chided.
"I know," she replied, "it's just that the most important thing is preserving the good publicity of your campaign."
"No," he argued, "the most important thing is enjoying this moment. We've waited for this."
What does he mean, Audrey thought. Does he mean we've been waiting for the past couple of weeks since we planned this trip? Or something else?
Adam and Audrey had known each other for years, long before they'd worked together. They had grown up in the same town and always circled around one another but never truly connected. She had worked for his dad for a while and there had been a closeness from that, but nothing had ever crossed a line. So what was he saying?
Adam was always guarded and cautious. He could be flirty and silly but there were always boundaries, always walls. She had never heard him confess real vulnerabilities or talk about his feelings, even when she'd gently probed. Sure, she had wondered if he had any feelings for her but she'd given up on that long ago, figuring that if he did he would have acted by now.
And yet, here they were, at sunset on Venice Beach, caught up in the sound of crashing waves and distant music, skateboards dropping into concrete bowls and the smell of cigarette smoke wafting. So different from their normal city lives. A separate universe, time stopping for them.
She was wearing a pastel bikini with swirls of rainbow colors just barely covering her breasts, braided ropes pulling up and around the back of her neck, jean cutoffs riding low on her hips and stopping just below her ass, which Adam's hand wouldn't stop grazing. He wore tropical swim shorts and his pink linen shirt unbuttoned across his chest, billowing in the evening breeze. Those sexy aviator shades reflected her own image back at her and her smile grew wider at the sight of her own happiness.
"I brought something for you," he smiled, and reached into his pocket to pull out a pack of Newport cigarettes, "is this your brand?"
"I don't have a brand!" she laughed, and reached around to pull him tightly to her in a fit of joy. She never smoked but loved to, and here she didn't have to worry about being seen by anyone who would judge her. So she let Adam pull one out and light it masterfully in his cupped hands, grinning as she took a deep drag. When she let him take a turn her knees weakened at the sight of how sexy he looked -- his skin golden in the late evening sun, bright blue eyes staring into hers, a swirl of smoke encircling his perfect face. Damn.
They took a few steps towards the water and let the remnants of a small wave touch their toes. "Let's save the smoking for later," she suggested, but it was only because she wanted their hands free to touch.
He put away the cigarettes and she reached out for his fingers, which grasped hers with surprising intensity. His intensity was always surprising. She looked up at him in questioning wonder, and let the haze of a head rush, the sunset, and post-coital bliss wash away her normal caution. She could just look at him - without hesitation, deep into his eyes. She waited for him to look away, but he didn't. He held her gaze.
They stood there, alone on the planet, his sky blue eyes meeting her hazel ones. Her hair waving in the breeze, his sunglasses reflecting the setting sun. They were missing it, the sunset. They didn't notice.
She felt his eyes saying something to hers, but she had to be wrong. She knew Adam, she knew everything about him, but she didn't know this.
"I'm in love with you," he spoke.
She stared at him, stunned.
"I feel like I've loved you my whole life," he intoned.
She looked at him dumbly, frozen. "But... you always said... "
