The moon bathed the boundless ocean in silver light. The tide rolled in until the cold water brushed against their bare feet before quietly retreating, only to return a few seconds later. The wind carried the scent of salt through the darkness, sweeping loose strands of Elizabeth's hair across her face. Somewhere in the distance, a lonely buoy bell rang, its sound swallowed almost immediately by the relentless crash of the waves.

The ocean was nothing more than a black silhouette beneath the moonlight—endless and impossible to read.

"Why did you drink?" the boy asked.

The wind brushed through his dark hair, making a few strands fall across his sleepy eyes. He sat with his arms loosely wrapped around his bent knees, his gaze never leaving the sea.

The girl rested her head against the boy's shoulder, which made him flinch. He glanced at her for a brief second before looking back at the sea. Whatever had been weighing on him tonight, he wasn’t ready to face it.

The question disappeared into the night. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Liz..." he whispered, his eyes never leaving the horizon.

"Why can't you just say it?" he murmured, the words were barely more than a breath. She let out a heavy sigh before lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Will you stop asking questions?" She looked straight into his eyes, her unfocused eyes searching his face. Then she pushed herself to her feet. Her legs gave way almost immediately, but she caught herself with one hand against the damp sand.

“if I want to drink than it’s none of your business” She brushed the sand from her hand and began walking along the shoreline, her steps uneven as the waves chased her feet. A crooked smile spread across her face. "You know..." she murmured.

 "You're really annoying."

He stood up and took a step toward her until only a few inches separated them.

"Then can you explain it to me?" She let out a slow breath, warm against his face. "Explain what?" she genuinely looked as though she'd forgotten what he was talking about.

The wind swept between them, tangling their hair together before they both instinctively stepped back. "What you did at the party earlier." His voice was firm and serious maybe angry too.

Elizabeth had never seen him gaze at her like that before.

For a long moment, she stood there in the middle of the sand, her head lowered as she absentmindedly picked at the hem of her shorts. The wind tugged at her hair, lifting a few loose strands across her face, but she made no effort to brush them away.

The boy waited following her gaze.

Slowly, she looked up.

A faint smile found its way onto her lips, though it never reached her eyes. She turned toward the endless sea, watching the waves disappear into the darkness one after another, as though they were carrying pieces of the night away.

"I wish I could remember."