Ethan’s motorcycle was slightly less terrifying than I expected– but only because I kept my eyes closed the entire time. I squeezed Ethan tightly every time he turned a corner and I felt like we were going to fall over. When we were on a straight stretch of road, I could slightly enjoy his warmth against my chest. Then he would rev the engine and the pleasant sensation of my hands against his toned abdomen was lost behind the fear that going faster meant worse injuries if we crashed.

The intense wash of relief when we came to a stop and my feet touched the ground again took my breath away for a moment. I took the helmet off eagerly and sucked in a deep breath of air, damp and smelling of salt, helping to calm the roiling of my stomach. The sound of waves crashing against the shore was much more pleasant than the roar of the engine, and I delighted in the peaceful silence of the beach at night.

It took a moment to collect myself before I could turn to Ethan, hanging the helmet off the handlebar of his motorcycle. “We made it here in one piece. The night is off to a good start,” I said, proud of how steady my voice was. 

He laughed, stepping away from the bike after he removed his helmet, and let down his hair. “So, no curiosity where I brought you? Just relieved I didn’t kill us getting here?” Winking he took my hand, looking at me deeply. “Thanks for trusting me.” 

I always found myself taken by his gaze, the earnestness of those light hazel eyes. “Y-yeah,” I managed the word, looking down at our joined hands. It reminded me of his first day in class, the drag of slightly rough skin against mine, and I had to smother a smile as I remembered my determination to ignore his charm. “I was expecting dinner, though, and this isn’t exactly a restaurant. What are we doing here?” 

“Well,” he cleared his throat, looking down, “I wanted to take you out someplace nice, but everywhere in town…” He sighed, holding my hand tighter. “I just didn’t want to risk someone being an idiot and ruining tonight.” He looked at me, saying quickly, “But! Don’t worry, I won’t let you starve. Promise.” 

I took a breath, fighting to ignore the familiar frustration; it would be nice to do something as simple as eat at a restaurant without some superstitious idiot trying to burn me at the stake. Not wanting that to ruin the night, I nudged him gently. “I think a picnic sounds wonderful, and I love the beach almost as much as the forest. But I hope nobody’s run off with the food,” I said, knowing he didn’t bring anything with us. 

Ethan laughed, nodding, “Yeah that would be bad, but I think I found a pretty good spot.” Taking my hand, he pulled me down a small path of sandy hills and rocky cliffs. I was half expecting him to ask me to close my eyes, but I didn’t need to. 

Behind the roots of a large willow, growing down from a cliff above, Ethan had laid out a patchwork of large, soft blankets in the sand. There was a small insulated bag and mason jars filled with strings of fairy lights holding down the edges of the blankets against the light breeze blowing off the water. The soft glow of the lamps was only matched by the moon, now large and silver in the sky, surrounded by a scattering of stars that was mirrored by the crashing waves.

“Wow,” I breathed, frozen in place as my wide eyes took it all in. My heart fluttered as I realized how much effort he must have put in, to plan this all out somewhere far past prying eyes. My hand held his tightly, extended between us because I’d stopped him in his tracks as well.

There was something breathtaking about him, standing on the quiet beach illuminated by soft moonlight. It made the blonde highlights in his dark hair stand out as the breeze blew tendrils of it across his face. His bemused smile as he watched me struggle to find my words was soft and sweet- tempting. I swallowed hard, shaking myself out of my daze to catch up the few steps of distance between us.

“This is wonderful, Ethan,” I said, stopping at the edge of the blankets, hesitant to ruin the display. 

He stepped forward, his gaze intense as he whispered, “The best part about tonight, is that you’re here.” Clearing his throat he gestured to the bag. “It’s just...uh, pizza. Sorry. It might be cold. I had to take a few trips to get it set up. Figured it was a safe bet.” 

“Th-there’s nothing wrong with something simple.” I smiled to hide the tightness of my chest; he really had thought of everything. Stepping carefully on the blankets, I took a seat next to the bag, unzipping it. He had even remembered my favorite place to get takeout. Was it a coincidence, or had he really been paying attention during our late night study sessions?

Feeling his gaze on me, I knew it had to be the latter, and my smile was more genuine as I patted the blankets next to me. “You don’t need to try so hard to impress me. Just sit down and enjoy your handiwork with me.” 

He flumped down next to me, his muscular arm brushing mine. “Oh thank god, I’m honestly starving,” he said, grabbing a slice and taking a large bite. He chewed, moaning as he nodded with approval. “This is really good. I’m glad you introduced me to this place.” He swallowed, his voice no longer sounding muffled by the mouthful. “And I do want to impress you, at least a little.” 

I laughed around a bite, shaking my head. “You definitely did. You’re quite the romantic- or did you get the idea for the moonlit picnic from a movie?” I teased, pushing against him; though I’d meant it to be a playful nudge, I didn’t pull away, leaning against him and enjoying how his warmth banished the slight chill of the ocean spray in the air. 

Ethan didn’t move either, didn’t even take another bite of food, as if he was frozen. “I just thought maybe it would be a change of pace from the forest but also… beautiful. I come here sometimes just to clear my head. I love the ocean. It reminds me of home. And the stars and this tree… I guess they remind me of you.” 

“You really have a way with words,” I muttered, bowing my head to hide the rush of heat that had probably turned my face red. Focusing on the food for a moment, I waited until the embarrassment had faded. “We should come here during the day, next time, take a couple hours away from studying.”

“That would be nice,” he said, lying on his back and folding his arms behind his head. He was looking up at the stars, his jaw tight. “Sorry I’m...kinda uncool when it comes to you.”

“What?” My voice was blank with surprise. I set my food down, putting my weight on one hand so I was leaning over him slightly, a frown on my face. “That’s not true. I think you’re pretty charming, now that we’ve established you’re not a narrow minded stalker.” 

Ethan looked up at me, a softness in his gaze. His heavy lids turned his eyes into bright half moons, his face coloured by the blue of the night and the gold from where we sat in the light. I was stricken for a moment over the exotic appeal that had so stunned the girls on campus when he arrived. As I put my hand on his arm, his deep skin making mine look pale, I was reminded how different he really was.

“You said the ocean reminds you of home,” I said softly, still gazing at my fingers against his skin. “Where’s home? And what brought you all the way out here- not that I’m complaining,” I added quickly, with a small smile. 

Though I expected him to launch into funny stories of his past, or spring to life with recollections, I could see the moment the sparkle left his eyes. He sat up, his face shadowed as he whispered, “Far away. Somewhere hot and sunny… practically the opposite of Britain.” He gulped, wringing his hands together. “I just needed a fresh start, you know? There was nothing left for me back there. It’s a small village... No one really got me, so I thought I’d try to find my own adventure.” He looked up at me, the light in his eyes returning as he smiled. “Luckily I found it.” 

I hesitated, before giving him a tentative smile. “I’m sorry it was hard for you… but I’m glad you’re here.” Laying back on the blankets, I cast my gaze up to the sky. The stars seemed prettier than normal and I couldn’t help my smile as I turned my head to look at Ethan. “There’s nobody I’d rather share this beach with than you.” 

Ethan grinned, looking for the first time shy. "Same here." He took my hand, raising it to his lips as he gently pressed a kiss to the back of it.