The late afternoon sun spilled golden across the beach, turning every wave into liquid fire and every breeze into the kind that curled into your chest and made you want to stay a little longer.
Ruby Jane was trying not to drool.
Across from her, Sam Walker was lounging on the beach mat like a summer goddess sent to test Ruby's willpower. Her legs stretched out, toned from all the basketball training. Her skin was sun-kissed and glowing with just a hint of pink. A pair of retro sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose, and her messy bun had come undone into waves that curled wildly in the sea breeze.
Ruby might've been staring. A little.
Or a lot.
Okay, she was definitely staring.
The way Sam's tank top clung to her frame, the way her laugh came out low and scratchy after too much sun and sea salt—Ruby had officially entered the "crushing hard" stage. And her brain had absolutely no chill about it.
"She's too pretty," Ruby mumbled under her breath, shoving a handful of sand for no reason.
"Hm?" Sam tilted her head, the sunlight catching in her lashes. "You say something?"
Ruby nearly choked. "No. Just… sand. In my mouth. Ew."
Sam snorted and tossed a small shell at her. "Try not to eat the beach."
Ruby didn't even look this time. She was too focused on how Sam's shoulder brushed hers when she sat up. How Sam didn't move away.
How it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Ruby sat beside her, knees hugged to her chest, watching the tide roll in and out like it had all the time in the world.
"Your freckles are multiplying," Ruby said softly, poking Sam's arm.
"They come out when I'm happy," Sam murmured, half-smiling.
Ruby tilted her head. "That a real thing?"
"Nope. Just sounds poetic."
Sam turned to look at her, and Ruby suddenly became way too aware of how close they were sitting.
The warmth spreading across her cheeks had nothing to do with the sun.
A few meters away, Becky and Felix were having their annual debate over sandcastle architecture. It had started civil, like most of their battles did, before escalating into near-shouting.
"You can't just build towers, Felix! A good castle needs defensive structure!"
"Who's attacking us? Crabs?"
"You're missing the point—"
"No, you missed the point when you flattened my moat with your knee."
Sam and Ruby looked over just in time to see Becky throw a handful of sand at Felix's chest. He gasped dramatically, clutching his heart like she'd just betrayed his soul.
"I'm wounded."
"You'll live."
Ruby chuckled. "Should we stop them?"
Sam shrugged. "Nah. Let them flirt in peace."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You think they're flirting?"
Sam looked amused. "Come on. That's not fighting. That's just foreplay with more yelling."
Ruby turned pink, flustered at the word foreplay, and quickly looked away.
Sam smirked.
They played frisbee after lunch, which turned into a chaotic free-for-all when Felix insisted on diving into the shallow water to catch one… and belly-flopped so hard that even the lifeguard laughed.
Ruby, surprisingly competitive, got real serious during a beach volleyball game. Sam couldn't take her eyes off her—especially when Ruby's hair flew around her face and her eyes lit up every time she spiked the ball.
"She's glowing," Becky whispered to Felix between serves.
Felix grinned. "You think she even realizes?"
"Nope. Not even close."
Sam had noticed.
She noticed everything.
By late afternoon, the sun had taken its toll. Felix was red as a tomato and pretending it was "just his natural sun-kissed glow," while Becky forced him to reapply aloe gel every five minutes.
"I look like a boiled shrimp," he complained, lying under the umbrella with a cold soda pressed to his cheek.
"Correction: You look like a shrimp who tried to be a dragon and failed miserably," Becky said, holding back a laugh.
Ruby handed Felix another water bottle. "You might be dramatic, but at least you're hydrated."
"Hydrated and humiliated. My autobiography," Felix declared.
As the evening breeze cooled the beach, Sam and Ruby wandered a bit away from the group. They didn't plan to. It just happened—two feet leading the other, caught in a rhythm only they knew.
They reached a quieter corner of the beach where the waves whispered secrets no one else could hear.
"You okay?" Ruby asked. Sam had been unusually quiet the past few minutes.
"I am now," Sam said softly, gaze lingering on the horizon. "This day… it's more than I ever thought I'd have."
Ruby frowned slightly. "You've never done a beach trip with friends?"
Sam shook her head. "I've done beachside photoshoots. Fundraisers. Corporate picnics. The kind with folded napkins and menu cards."
"Ah. The fun kind," Ruby joked.
Sam smiled faintly. "Today felt different. Like… I'm not performing. I'm just… being."
Ruby watched her for a moment, then reached out and gently brushed a grain of sand off her shoulder.
"Well. I'm glad you're here. The real you."
Sam looked up, startled.
No one had ever said that to her before.
Meanwhile, Felix and Becky had taken over the food truck like they were royalty demanding attention. Becky tried to order a banana smoothie but ended up in an argument with the cashier over the difference between "blended banana milk" and "banana-flavored dairy beverage."
Felix, ever the peacemaker (or the instigator), offered to "taste test" both.
Ten minutes later, he was slouched against the table with two empty cups and a stomachache.
Becky sat beside him, still sulking over the smoothie confusion.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Why did I like you again?" she grumbled.
"You like me?" Felix grinned wide.
"No."
"Too late. You said it."
"I hate you."
"I'll take that as a 'yes, I do find your sunburn attractive'."
Becky shoved a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth before he could speak again.
Back at the beach mats, Ruby pulled out her sketchbook.
Sam leaned over. "Drawing?"
Ruby nodded. "Trying to capture this day."
"What part?"
Ruby hesitated… then slowly began sketching a pair of sunglasses resting on the sand. A snack box beside them. A shadow of two people—one leaning into the other.
Sam recognized the scene instantly.
"That's me."
"And me," Ruby added, not meeting her eyes.
Sam didn't say anything.
But she gently bumped her shoulder against Ruby's, letting it linger this time.
As the sun dipped below the waves, turning the sky into streaks of lavender and peach, the four of them sat side by side, wrapped in shared towels and silly stories.
Felix tried to convince them to come night-swimming. Becky threatened to dunk him if he didn't stop suggesting dumb ideas. Ruby leaned into Sam's side, not realizing Sam had shifted her arm to wrap around her back.
And Sam… just held her there.
No words needed.
Just warmth.
Just safe.
Just them.
As the group returned from their volleyball chaos and snack runs, Ruby pulled open the lunch bag her parents had packed. Sam was already slouched on the mat, sandy feet, hair messy from the wind, looking like summer personified. She looked up, nose twitching slightly.
"Smells good," she mumbled. "What's in it?"
Ruby opened the box and smiled. "My mom made you your favorite—the grilled veggie sandwich with mint chutney. And the potato wedges you liked from the last time."
Sam blinked. "She remembered?"
Ruby nodded like it wasn't a big deal. "Of course. She also made sure not to pack anything with seafood." She paused, brushing a loose strand behind her ear. "She triple-checked."
Sam went still.
"Wait," she said slowly. "You told her?"
Ruby hesitated, then nodded again. "You said you're allergic. I remembered. I always remember."
Sam stared at her for a long second. Something tugged tight in her chest.
It wasn't a grand gesture. It wasn't fireworks or confessions.
But it hit harder.
Stronger.
Because even her own parents never remembered. Not without being reminded. Not without sighing, not without her reading labels herself.
"I…" she started, but her voice cracked. She cleared her throat quickly and turned her head away, blinking a little too fast. "Sorry. Just... something got in my eye."
Ruby panicked a little, leaning in close—way too close—and started blowing gentle air toward her face. "Where? Left or right?"
Sam froze.
She could smell the faint scent of coconut oil from Ruby's sunscreen, could feel her breath ghosting her cheek.
"I—it's fine," she said, laughing weakly. "False alarm."
Right then, Felix, holding his phone like a proud paparazzi, snapped a photo.
"You two," he declared, "are disgusting. But also adorable. I hate it."
Becky leaned over to peek at the screen and gasped. "Oh my god, send that to me. Ruby's face looks like she's about to cry for her!"
Ruby groaned, hiding her face in her hands. Sam, still stunned, just smiled softly at her plate.
Maybe she didn't need her old world, or the cold perfection of her house.
Maybe this... was more than enough.