The sun hung low in the sky, its golden hues scattering across the water like shards of light. The rhythmic crash of the waves against the shore filled the air, but to Callum, it felt like the world had quieted just for a moment, just for him. The wind tugged at his hair, the salty tang of the ocean air mixing with the faint scent of sand. Everything around them seemed to slow as he sat beside his lover, the warmth of their body next to his grounding him despite the storm that churned inside him. The boy had never felt this way before—not with anyone, not like this, let alone a cross. His fingers brushed against theirs, the touch almost shy but heavy with the unspoken promise that hung between them. His heart thudded with a mix of anticipation and fear, a sensation that both thrilled and terrified him. The world they lived in was cruel, harsh, and he could feel the weight of it pressing down on his chest, suffocating him with each breath.

But here, in this fleeting moment, with them beside him, Callum felt like maybe, just maybe, there was a way out. A way to run, to escape it all. His gaze flickered toward the horizon, where the sky kissed the sea in a blur of orange and purple. He wondered if they could just disappear into that horizon, leave everything behind. The thought was both exhilarating and dangerous, a dream laced with the tension of what they both could never have. He turned his head toward his lover, their face soft in the dimming light, their skin kissed by the sun. For a brief moment, he forgot everything—the rules, the divides, the hatred that lingered in every corner of the world they inhabited. In this space, with the ocean stretching out before them and the world falling away, it was just them. "Do you think we could?"

His voice broke the silence, barely above a whisper, like a secret not meant for the world to hear. He didn’t need to finish the thought. They both knew. The possibility of running away, of living in a world where their love wasn't hidden in the shadows. It was amazing.