The train screeched to a halt, a long sigh of brakes and steel.
People rose around them, gathering bags, voices overlapping with excitement.
Noel stood, tugging his hoodie over his head to settle it right.
Luca caught the hem before he could move away.
"Wait," he said, smoothing a wrinkle at Noel's shoulder like it mattered. His grin gave him away. "Okay, now we can go."
Noel shook his head, but there was warmth in his eyes. "You're ridiculous."
Outside the station, the air was different—saltier, lighter, laced with the faint cry of gulls.
The town stretched ahead, pastel shops and narrow streets leading straight to the horizon where the sea glimmered.
They walked side by side, not in a hurry, the bag swinging from Luca's hand.
Children darted past with dripping ice creams, couples strolled with sandals dangling from their fingers.
The closer they got, the louder the tide's pulse became, steady and insistent.
Then the beach opened up before them.
