The sun had dipped lower in the sky, painting broad strokes of lavender and gold across the horizon.
Waves whispered their eternal secrets to the sand below, creating a gentle symphony that seemed meant for them alone.
Felix shifted against Matteo's shoulder, letting himself sink more completely into the warmth and solid comfort of the moment.
Matteo's arm tightened subtly around him, fingers tracing lazy, absent patterns along Felix's back—the kind of touch that spoke without words. "You've been quiet," Matteo observed, his voice pitched low, more curious than concerned.
"I'm thinking," Felix replied softly, tilting his head just enough to catch Matteo's profile silhouetted against the twilight sky. "About today. About this. About us."
A soft hum of understanding rumbled in Matteo's chest, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of Felix's head. "Good thoughts, I hope," he murmured, though the warmth threading through his words suggested he already knew the answer.
