Lo'ak was always caught off guard by how good being around Tsireya felt, despite seeing her almost every day. The way she saw the world was so different from what Lo'ak thought was typical. Everything was beautiful in her eyes. She collected each shell they found, even the most chipped and plain ones that Lo'ak would have tossed out in search of something better. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he found himself jealous of her ability to see the value in the broken things that were considered less than. Maybe that was why she liked him. Lo'ak held onto this thought as they walked up and down the sand as far as the eye could see, searching for shells. She had filled his pockets to the point of overflowing, so Lo'ak was using his t-shirt as a basket. Tsireya looked for shells. Lo'ak looked at her. She seemed to be in her own world. Very few words were spoken between the two of them at this point. She was a little ahead of him, turning back to smile at him when she found a shell she wanted to keep. He liked how her hair swished when she would turn, how it would blow in the wind as she held up her hand to show him what she had found. Tsireya moved lightly through the world, never leaving something worse than how she found it. Lo'ak loved her more than words. More than he should at this point. He didn't care. A question rang through his head while they walked; 'why me?'. His train of thought was interrupted by Reya stopping abruptly in her tracks. Lo'ak bumped into her, feeling her sun-warmed hair against his stomach. "Sorry," he said, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from falling. She smiled and looked up at him, resting the top of her head on his chest, right over his heart. Lo'ak awkwardly let go of her shoulders, stepping back. The t-shirt net of shells spilled onto the sand. "Sorry," Lo'ak mumbled again, dropping to his knees to pick them back up. "It's okay," she whispered softly, crouching down to help. "Did you know," she began, picking up a large, flat shell. "One time, I got eight skips out of a shell like this." Lo'ak blinked. "Skips?" he asked, watching her pupils dilate as their eyes met. "Mhm. See, watch." She got to her feet, sending a soft spray of sand dusting across Lo'ak's knees. He grinned as she ran to the water's edge, quickly tying the corners of his shirt together. He dusted his legs off and chased after her. She stood waiting for him, with her hair blowing in the wind. "Watch," she repeated, eyes sparkling. Tsireya paused, waiting for a moment of stillness in the waves. When she deemed it good enough, she flicked the rock into the water. Lo'ak's eyes widened as it jumped across the surface, four, five, six times before sinking beneath the waves. He smiled as she clapped her hands together in excitement, turning to him to see if he had seen. He cheered in excitement, watching her smile grow as she watched him.
"Teach me," he whispered, scanning the sand around them for a flat enough shell. "Really?" she exclaimed, voice higher pitched than usual. Lo'ak laughed softly. "Yes," he said, bending and picking up a shell. "Does this work?" he asked, holding it out for inspection. She took it in her hands, examining it carefully. "I think so, yes," she said, handing it back to him with a nod. He tried to mimic how he had seen her throw her shell. She grabbed his wrist before he could throw it, turning him to face the sand. "Practice throwing on the beach, so we don't have to look for new shells each time," she advised, putting her hands on her hips. Lo'ak felt his face flush as his eyes subconsciously followed the path of her hands. He nodded, looking away into the distant treeline. She turned her head, following his line of sight. "What did you see?" she asked, looking at him with bright eyes. "Oh, nothing," he said, trying to wave his hand dismissively. Instead, he ended up dropping his shell onto the sand. He sighed to himself and bent to pick it up. Tsireya was gazing at him when he stood, a mischievous half smile on her lips.
Neteyam and Ao'nung were, unfortunately, on time to pick them up. Lo'ak still hadn't managed to get more than two skips with his shell, despite Tsireya's patient advice. Ao'nung pulled in with his windows down, blasting Hit 'Em Up as loud as possible. Lo'ak knew he must have modified the sound system in his truck, because his bass was so loud Lo'ak could feel it from where he stood on the beach. Neteyam's Subaru was silent, much to his relief. Tsireya gasped in disgust and covered her mouth with her hands. "AO'NUNG!" she shouted, sprinting to his truck. She paused briefly next to her bag, pulling out one of her converse. She ran the rest of the way, shoe grasped in her fist. Lo'ak jogged after her. He heard Neteyam laughing as she threw open her brother's driver's side door and began hitting him on the shoulders with her shoe. "TURN. THAT. OFF," she shouted in between hits. Ao'nung yelped in pain, trying to shove her off. She grabbed his bun in her fist and smacked him once on the face. "Turn it off," she hissed, face red. "Dammit, Reya, fine," he shouted, pushing her backwards. She laughed as she dodged his push, hiding her shoe behind her back. Lo'ak laughed as he saw Ao'nung's face, red with anger and with a dusty shoe print on one cheek. Neteyam had gotten out of his car and stood beside Ao'nung's truck, arms folded across his chest. Lo'ak knew he was trying his best not to laugh. "You, uh, got a little something..." he grinned, reaching for Ao'nung's cheek. Lo'ak expected Ao'nung to slap his hand back, but, contrary to Lo'ak's beliefs, he actually sighed and closed his eyes, letting Neteyam brush off his cheek. Tsireya grabbed Lo'ak's right hand in both of hers, leading him back to get their stuff. The floaty he had found on the ground remained unused. He ran over to where they had left his shirt, full of shells. He grabbed it, digging around inside for a flat shell. "Reya, watch!" he shouted, flicking it towards the water, exactly how she had taught him to. He held his breath as it skipped a total of six times before disappearing into the water. She shouted in excitement, dropping her bag back onto the sand and instantly running towards him. "You did it!" she shouted, grabbing his shoulders excitedly. "I know! Did you see?" She nodded, a proud smile on her face. He had grabbed her waist to catch her when she had ran to him, without fully realizing it. He fully realized it now, feeling her torso move slightly with each breath she took. His vision refocused on her eyes, so bright blue that he could see his own reflection in them. "What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "What do you mean, what?" he asked, feeling himself start to smile. "HEY!" Shouted Ao'nung from his car. "THAT'S ENO-" "Oh, shut up," Neteyam interrupted, punching Ao'nung lightly on the shoulder. Tsireya grinned in embarrassment, shaking her head slowly. "We should probably-" She nodded, cutting him off. "Yeah, we should-" "Mhm," Lo'ak agreed, letting go of her waist at the same moment that she let go of his shoulders. He hated Ao'nung very much at that moment.
He carried her bag for her, letting her carry his shell-filled shirt. Lo'ak hoped if just didn't say anything, Tsireya would keep his t-shirt. And, when he got it back, maybe it would smell like vanilla, like she did. He grinned to himself at the thought of his entire room smelling like a pretty girl, like she did. He gave her an awkward side-hug before entering Neteyam's car, ignoring the glare from Ao'nung he got for doing so. He let the door slam behind him, folding his arms across his chest in disappointment. "So you didn't get to kiss her, did you?" Neteyam asked, giving him a side-ways look. "Shut up. No, I didn't. Shut up," he muttered, staring determinedly at the stitching on the center console. Neteyam scoffed, starting his car. Lo'ak jumped as someone tapped loudly on his window. He turned to see Tsireya, gesturing at him to roll down his window. Before it was even fully down, he felt her fingertips on his cheek. It all happened so fast, Lo'ak didn't even process what was happening until he felt her lips on his. Her hands were cradling his face on both sides, partially pulling him out of the window. He pushed off of the console with his left hand, using his right hand to gently touch her hair. His fingertips twisted in her curls as he heard Ao'nung gasp comically loud, followed by the sound of Neteyam getting out of his car and running to Ao'nung's to shut him up. Lo'ak knew he was supposed to shut his eyes, but he was completely and utterly transfixed on how her face looked kissing him. She pulled back, face completely flushed. She laughed breathily, with her hands still on either side of his face. He heard Ao'nung make a muffled scream, and he knew Neteyam had clamped his hand over Ao'nung's mouth. Lo'ak scrambled forward and leaned his torso halfway out the window, still holding her face. He ran his hand from the curls beside her face to the space in between her shoulder blades. He gently pulled her back in, feeling her smile widen as their lips touched for the second time.
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