As the sun sets, I take a picture of the group sitting around the fire with the sea and the sunset in the background. Lea pulls Marco to her and asks me to take a picture of them. Making sure that the background looks great, I try to get the perfect shot and show it to her. The others around us seem to like the picture as well but before any of them can ask me to take a picture, I take a few steps away from them, sit down and take another picture of the sunset. The sky is slowly getting darker but with the light of the fire, the sea still looks great in the picture.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Ayden asks unexpectedly, standing right next to me. I look up at him and then at his friends. They probably wouldn't even notice if I leave now, there are so many of them anyway. 

"But not too far, I don't want Nadja to think that I ditched her," I reply, trying to somehow sound a bit funny but actually getting nervous again. Ayden smiles and holds out his hand to help me up. As soon as our hands touch, I feel the sparks between us again. This time, I’m not surprised anymore and stare directly at his blue eyes. He keeps eye contact until I let go of his hand. Yes, the world just got a bit brighter again but his eyes also seemed to get brighter. 

When he starts walking away from the others, my mind starts racing. I silently walk next to him, hoping that he'll say something soon before my thoughts take over my mind. What is this feeling every time I touch him? I barely know him, this can't be anything serious, right? Then why does my world light up every time he touches me as if we’re in some sappy romance novel? I just broke up with my cheating boyfriend, I can't jump right into the next adventure, can I? 

"Why are you here?" Ayden asks, finally pulling me out of my mess of thoughts. I try to explain to him that I needed a break from my regular life, repeating some of the things I’ve already told him on the plane. We keep walking while I tell him about my job, my parents and my ex. He listens to everything without cutting me off once, making me spill everything that has been weighing down on me lately without overthinking.

When I’m done ranting, he stops walking and looks back at his friends who are quite far away now. "That sounds really exhausting. It’s understandable that you needed a holiday to get away from everything but why did you choose this place?" he asks while looking back at me. 

I try to remember how I came up with the idea to stay here, "I think I saw an ad for the hotel somewhere. Maybe I've also heard about the beach on TV, I'm not sure." Ayden just nods. 

It's only now that I notice how dark it has become. Looking back at the others, I see them sitting in the sand around the fire, chatting, laughing and passing around food. The girls all sit as close as possible to their boyfriends, making it seem like they’re trying to protect them. They probably see Nadja as a competitor. It makes me smile a bit, knowing that Nadja would be more interested in the girls than in any of the boys.

When I look at Ayden again, he seems to stand closer than he was before. His blue eyes are focused on me, somehow calming my nervousness. His hand reaches for mine and the now familiar feeling rushes through my veins again. It’s a more intense feeling this time, maybe because he actually holds my hand instead of touching it by accident or just to help me up. Something makes me feel as if I got lost in his eyes instead of my thoughts, time and place don't seem to matter anymore. I’m not sure for how long we are just standing there, it could have been just a few seconds or an hour, but, even though it's dark, the beach seems to get lit up with each moment that passes. He's so close now. If I move my head just a little bit I could kiss him. I can’t hold back a smile anymore. This feeling, whatever it is, is the best feeling I’ve ever had.

As if he was just waiting for some kind of sign, he comes closer again. Without thinking too much about it, I close the gap between us. When our lips touch and I close my eyes, the sparkling feeling multiplies. Although my eyes are closed, everything seems so bright. My heart seems to beat so strongly, Ayden must feel it too. The kiss is addictive, just like this feeling of pure happiness that rushes through me. I’ve never felt like this before and I don't want it to end.

Ayden slightly breaks the kiss to give me a moment to breathe again. He's still close, I can feel his breath on my skin. With my eyes still closed, I notice that he placed his hand on my neck, now holding me gently while I calm down. However, as I open my eyes, the world still seems too bright for this time of the day. I take a few deep breaths while Ayden smiles at me. His eyes seem to be even bluer and glow softly. I don’t mean this in a metaphorical way, his eyes really glow. The part of my brain that’s not too freaked out by kissing the guy I met on a holiday makes me realise that the brightness I see can’t be normal.

At that moment, I look down to see why the beach is so lit up. I barely trust my eyes when I see that the light comes from Ayden. More specifically, it comes from his tattoos. Yes, his mandala tattoos. The mandalas shine in a bright white colour. Startled and confused, I let go of him and take a step back. Ayden chuckles, "I guess I have some explaining to do."