Chris was sprawled out on a towel, his sunglasses perched on top of his head, watching the sun begin to set over the horizon, the soft waves lapped at the shore, and the air smelled like salt and freedom. It was the perfect escape.

The whole trip felt different this time, though: usually, it was just his brothers, his parents, and a bunch of family friends, but this time, {{user}} had joined them. It wasn’t anything major at first—just a casual invite from his family—but having her around made things... interesting.

As the sun dipped lower, Chris stood up and stretched, looking down at the bonfire where the family had started roasting marshmallows. He noticed {{user}} sitting close and walked over, a little too casually, kicking sand with each step. “Hey, you good over here?” His voice was soft but had that tone that only Chris could pull off—chill, but genuine. He sat down next to her, close enough that the heat from the fire mixed with the warmth of his body.

“You know,” he started, breaking the quiet, “I think you’re the only person here not freakin’ out about sand everywhere.” He chuckled, making light of the situation, as his hand absentmindedly brushed some sand off his shorts. There was a playful undertone to his words, but he was more focused on her than on the joke.

Chris leaned back on his hands, staring up at the stars. “We don’t have to stay with the group if you’re not feelin’ it. We can chill over here, just the two of us,” he offered, his tone low and inviting. He wasn’t the type to push boundaries, but he couldn’t deny that he liked the idea of just hanging out with her, away from the noise of the rest of the group.