claudia | embry call

one : movie night

The best thing about living directly on the beach, Claudia had decided, was the sunset. Every evening, all she had to do was open her curtains, and her whole world would be bathed in shades of red, pink, orange, and purple. It was by far her favorite time of day, the most relaxing-in her mind. This nights sunset was particularly enjoyable. A light, warm breeze was moving down the beach, the waves lazily lapping at the sand. Down the beach a ways, Quil and Jake were busy wrestling, their laughs and yells echoing around the small area. Embry and Claudia, on the other hand, were sitting on a rock near the seawall. Claudia was lost in her mind somewhere, and Embry was lost in her eyes. A typical Thursday night.

"What are you thinking about?" He mumbled.

"The stars." She lifted a finger, and he followed it, noticing the few twinkling lights already in the sky, as well as the crescent moon. "Don't you find it fascinating that we look at dead stars every night? Their light takes so long to reach us that by the time they're visible, the star has long burnt out." She looked away from the sky, leaning her face on her knees as she looked at Embry. "It's almost sad."

"I don't think it's sad." He shook his head, looking back at her. "I think it's cool." They looked at each other for a few moments before Claudia moved her head, looking back out at the water.

"Wouldn't you like to visit space?" She asked.

"I've never thought about it before, but I guess." He shrugged.

"I'd die for a chance." This made him frown, though she didn't see it. "No matter what, no matter how bad, if I could just go, if I could just see it all for myself." She sighed wistfully. "If only."

"Well I don't want you to die, but you could always become an astronaut." He said. "That way, you could see it."

"No, that's not the point." She looked back at him. "Also, I'm no where near smart enough for that."

"Then what is the point?" He asked, though he had a good feeling about the answer.

"To dream." She looked back out, and he nodded lightly. "To want for something you can never have." They were silent until the sun had been more than halfway under the horizon line.

"C'mon, let's go make sure those two haven't killed each other yet." He said as he stood up. He saw a small smile on her face for a moment before she took his outstretched hand and let him pull her up. A cooler breeze had set in now, leading to Claudia pulling her flannel tighter as she hugged herself. Jake and Quil were sitting against a log near the unlit fire pit, laughing about something when the pair walked up.

"Hey, you guys ready?" Claudia asked.

"Hell yeah, we were just waiting for you two." Jake nodded, and the boys quickly stood up. "My pick tonight, right?" Jake had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yes." Claudia sighed. "Let's get this over with."

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