Boardwalk Afternoon

The second the two of you leave the café, warm ocean air wraps around you again.

The afternoon sun hangs lower now, casting soft golden light across the boardwalk while distant music drifts between the shops lining the street. People wander lazily past carrying shopping bags, iced drinks, towels, and sunscreen while seagulls circle overhead near the beach.

Jane immediately slips her hand back into yours once you step onto the sidewalk.

The oversized hoodie still hangs loosely over her bikini, the sleeves partially covering her hands while strands of windblown hair keep brushing across her face.

For a while, neither of you really says anything.

Not because the silence feels awkward.

Just comfortable.

The kind that naturally settles in after spending an entire day together already.

Then Jane suddenly squeezes your hand.

“Oh my god,” she says while pointing ahead excitedly. “Look.”

You glance up toward a small tourist shop near the corner absolutely overflowing with beach-themed nonsense.

Bright hoodies hanging outside.

Shell necklaces.

Postcards.

Snow globes.

Cheap sunglasses.

A six-foot-tall inflatable shark for some reason.

You immediately start laughing.

“That place looks insane.”

“It looks perfect,” Jane corrects.

Before you can respond, she’s already pulling you toward the entrance.

The second you walk inside, cool air conditioning hits both of you again while some old pop song plays quietly overhead. The entire store smells faintly like sunscreen, saltwater, and cheap candles.

Jane is immediately distracted.

Like instantly.

She wanders toward a spinning sunglasses rack with the exact same level of focus she had looking at the ocean earlier.

“You are unbelievably easy to entertain,” you tell her while watching her pick up a pair of oversized white sunglasses.

“They’re fun,” she argues.

“You said that about the inflatable shark.”

“Because he has personality.”

You laugh quietly while she slips the sunglasses onto her face dramatically before turning toward one of the mirrors hanging nearby.

For a second she studies herself seriously.

Then she places one hand on her hip.

“Be honest,” Jane says. “Do I look hot or divorced?”

You burst out laughing immediately.

“How are those the only two options?”

“They’re very different energies.”

You look her up and down thoughtfully.

“The answer is somehow both.”

That makes her laugh hard enough that she nearly drops the sunglasses.

“Oh my god,” she says through another laugh. “You’re so annoying.”

“And yet you’re still obsessed with me.”

“Unfortunately,” she sighs dramatically, “that’s true.”

She eventually puts the sunglasses back before immediately getting distracted again by a shelf filled with tiny beach-town souvenirs.

“Oh my god,” Jane says while holding up a terrible magnet shaped like a dolphin. “We need this.”

“No we absolutely do not.”

“It says ‘Seas the Day.’”

“That somehow made it worse.”

She laughs softly before putting it back down.

A few moments later, you find her standing near a rack of oversized hoodies running her fingers across the sleeves absentmindedly.

The sunlight pouring through the front windows catches softly against her hair while the ocean breeze drifts through the open doorway nearby. Combined with the hoodie hanging loosely over her bikini and the relaxed smile on her face, the entire moment feels weirdly domestic somehow.

Like this version of her fits naturally into your life already.

You walk over beside her.

“Cold again?” you ask teasingly.

“No,” Jane says. “I just like hoodies.”

“You specifically like stealing mine.”

“That too.”

She grins before pulling one of the hoodies off the rack and holding it against herself thoughtfully.

“Oh wait,” she says. “This one’s actually cute.”

The hoodie is light blue with a small sunset logo stitched over the front pocket.

“You’d wear that once and then steal mine again anyway.”

“That’s because yours smell like you.”

The answer comes out so casually that it catches you slightly off guard.

Apparently realizing what she just admitted, Jane immediately hides her face halfway inside the sleeve of your hoodie.

“Okay,” she mumbles. “That sounded more insane out loud.”

You laugh softly.

“A little.”

“Shut up.”

Still smiling, she wanders farther through the store while you follow behind her more slowly.

At one point she gasps dramatically over a candle display.

“Oh my god,” Jane says while grabbing one immediately. “Smell this.”

You lean closer while she holds it toward you.

It smells vaguely like vanilla and coconut.

“That smells like every candle.”

“No,” she says seriously. “This smells like emotional stability.”

You stare at her for a second.

“You say genuinely insane things sometimes.”

“And yet I’m still the funniest person you know.”

Unfortunately, she’s right again.

A few minutes later, the two of you end up near the checkout counter where small baskets filled with random cheap accessories sit beside the register.

Bracelets.

Keychains.

Tiny stuffed animals.

Postcards.

Jane crouches slightly to look through one of the baskets before pulling out a tiny plush sea turtle barely bigger than her hand.

Its face is objectively stupid.

She immediately smiles.

“Oh no,” you murmur.

“What?”

“You like it.”

“He’s cute,” Jane says defensively while holding it against her chest.

“He looks confused.”

“He’s trying his best.”

You laugh quietly while watching her continue staring down at the tiny plush.

Then she glances up toward you with a small teasing smile.

“You know what would be really cute?” Jane asks innocently.

“That tone makes me nervous.”

“He could live at our apartment someday.”

“Our hypothetical apartment already has a resident turtle?”

“Mhm.”

“You move fast.”

“I’m efficient.”

She laughs softly afterward before setting the plush back into the basket again despite the way she lingered on it slightly too long.

Your eyes drift between her and the shelf for another second. Then back toward her again. She’s still pretending not to look at the tiny turtle. Pretending badly. A small smile pulls at your face.