The next day, the beach was their world again. They walked the length of it, barefoot, skipping stones and laughing about nothing.
They reached a secluded cove Malik called the Whispering Bay. Hidden by tall rock walls and framed by coral, it was like stepping into a secret world.
"I come here when I need to think," Malik said. "Or hide."
Elias set his sketchbook down. "What do you hide from?"
Malik took a while to answer. "Expectations. People. myself, sometimes."
They sat on the sand, and Elias drew Malik quietly—his eyes, thoughtful; his mouth, curved in a half-smile.
"Can I tell you something?" Elias asked.
Malik nodded.
"I used to think love wasn't made for people like me. I don't fit the mold. I'm not loud. I'm not confident. I'm just... me."
Malik reached over and touched his hand.
"Then love's been missing out."
Elias' eyes burned, and he blinked it away. But Malik saw. He always saw.
Before they left the cove, they carved their initials into the driftwood log near the waterline.
It felt like something sacred.