Just like he said, Ayden sits down and starts building something that looks like a little hill made of sand. Still slightly shaken, I sit down next to him and just watch his hands trying to form the sand into a castle. He waits until the others are too focused on whoever's on the water right now before speaking up again, "Does this help or do you need something else?" I look into his blue eyes which appear slightly worried. My confusion makes him smile a little bit while he looks back at the sand, "I noticed that you didn't feel comfortable."

"Was it that obvious?" I ask, a bit angry at myself for not being able to hide this.

"Don't worry, I don't think the others noticed. You could have just told me that you're not into this type of sport. Your holiday shouldn't be filled with anxiety and stress." I don't know what to reply, so I just attempt to help him with the sandcastle. He pulls his hands away shortly, as if he's scared of touching my hands, but then quickly gets back to forming his side of the sandcastle. He repeats his first question and a feeling of being cared for comes over me for a short moment. "I often need some comfort food when I'm trapped in my mind," he adds, an attempt at making me feel like I'm not alone with this.

"Most of the time, a distraction helps me more than anything else," I mumble.

"Sounds like we need to build a sand-palace." Ayden winks at me, just like he did at the airport. I'm not sure if he knows what that does to me. However, as soon as I feel my cheeks heat up and see the slight smile on his face, I know he noticed the effect he has on me. Hopefully, he doesn't think too much of it. 

Changing the topic, Ayden asks, “Did you bring your camera?” I just point at Nadja’s bag as a reply. “I could show you that spot I mentioned yesterday. It’s a bit of a walk but we often have a campfire there in the evening.” He sounds almost nervous but his blue eyes show excitement.

“I’d love that, but I’m not sure if Nadja will be up for more action after this,” I reply while looking at Nadja who just fell into the water.

Ayden looks at his friends and then back at me, “She’s your friend, I don’t think she’d refuse to do something you enjoy after you came here just for her.” Watching Nadja come back to the shore, I have to hold back a giggle. Ayden doesn’t need to know that he’s also part of the reason why I’m here.

***

Half an hour later, we have an almost finished sandcastle. What we didn’t notice is the water getting closer to us thanks to big waves coming from the ships. When the water lightly hits the sandcastle for the first time, Ayden stops his work. We haven’t talked for the last ten minutes but it’s not an uncomfortable silence. I continue working on the sandcastle, ignoring the water. However, as soon as the next wave comes, Ayden slaps the water with his hand, effectively splashing water on me and the sandcastle. When he notices that, he can barely hold back a laugh. I wait for the next wave and do the same, splashing water on him as well. He chuckles, earning the same reaction from me. This slightly silly side of him is quite cute, especially because it provides such a contrast to his tattooed appearance.

The next wave drowns our sandcastle. For a moment, we both just stare at it in silence before bursting into laughter. “Sounds like you two are having lots of fun without us,” Nadja says behind me, startling me because I didn’t see her coming closer. Ayden remarks that she probably had just as much fun while she sits down next to me. “Yes! There are so many things to do here, we should stay forever!” she exclaims.

“Nadja, you have a job to get back to,” I remind her but she shakes her head vehemently.

“I’d quit my job for a life here if I found a way to make money.”

Ayden looks at us, probably amused by how mesmerised Nadja is by this place. She’s right, it’s amazing here but moving so far away from my family and everything else I’m used to seems a bit dangerous. Additionally, if Nadja plans on doing this kind of activity every day, I’ll probably bury myself in the sand.

Before I can get lost in my thoughts again, Ayden jumps up and holds his hand out to me. As soon as I grab it, he pulls me up quickly. While Nadja gets up on her own, my stomach seems to do somersaults again. Please, this can’t be my anxiety coming back. I look up at Ayden’s blue eyes that are just staring at me. Maybe it’s just my blood leaving my head because I stood up so quickly? Ayden lets go of my hand as soon as I’m standing on my feet but he keeps looking directly at my eyes. I was so distracted by the feeling inside of me that I only notice that the world got slightly brighter when it’s already over again. “Let us show you our favourite spot,” Ayden mumbles, a slight smile on his face. What happens to me every time this guy touches me?