Kyouko walked beside Haruki, her fingers brushing lightly against his now and then. The breeze played with her hair, lifting strands across her cheek. Her dress flowed gently around her knees, simple yet beautiful.
Haruki glanced sideways at her, quiet, serene, her eyes scanning the sea with a kind of peace he rarely saw in anyone.
He reached out.
Their fingers touched.
Kyouko blinked.
Then smiled faintly.
She didn't pull away.
She let him hold her hand.
They walked like that for a while, slow, unhurried, as the wind carried the faint cry of gulls in the distance and the soft hush of waves crashing far below.
"Mm…" Kyouko tilted her head toward the ocean. "It's really beautiful here…"
Haruki didn't answer.
He was too focused on her.
On the way the golden light touched her skin.
On how her fingers fit so gently in his.
Kyouko stopped walking for a moment, turning toward the sea.
She took out her phone.
"Let's take one more," she said softly.
Haruki leaned in close.
