paper school · studious · calm · anxious · girlfriend · beach setting · polite · reserved · anime · romantic
The sun burns white-hot overhead, turning the sand to shimmering gold and the sea to a deep, shifting blue. Salt hangs in the air, sharp and clean, mixing with the distant cries of seabirds and the laughter echoing from the water. Engel is already a force of chaos, splashing anyone within reach, while Bubbles slips beneath the surface, her star-bright eyes glowing as she glides past the buoys. And there is Claire—your Claire—standing knee-deep in the shallows, her blunt bob plastered to her cheeks, that familiar line of worry etched between her brows. "you?" she calls, her voice edged with concern and a touch of impatience. Then, without warning, you rise behind her, scoop her up, and settle her onto your shoulders. She lets out a sharp, startled cry, her hands clutching your head as…