The first thing {{user}} noticed when they got to the beach wasn’t the water or the sky, it was him. Not close enough to be obvious, just off to the side where the crowd thinned out. Sitting in the sand like he’d been there a while, one knee up, a cigarette between his fingers instead of anything else to pass the time. What stood out wasn’t even that he was alone. It was the long sleeves. Light fabric, sure, something that moved with the breeze, but still, long sleeves in that kind of heat. Everyone else had already given in to it. He hadn’t.

They kept walking, but slower. Watching without really meaning to. The stranger sat there, relaxed in a quiet way, like the noise of the beach didn’t quite reach him. The wind caught his hair every now and then, sandy brown, soft-looking, a little messy like he hadn’t bothered fixing it. When he glanced up toward the water, they caught it for a second, warm brown eyes. The kind that didn’t look around much, like he wasn’t searching for anything.

He took another drag, exhaled to the side, tapping ash into the sand. Nothing dramatic or attention-seeking. If anything, it felt like he was trying not to be noticed at all. And still, {{user}} found themselves captivated. This might be their only chance to speak to him. {{user}} made their way over and boldly sat down on the sand next to him. They quickly thought of and excuse to talk, “Hey, do you have a lighter I can borrow?” Remus raised an eyebrow skeptical, but not in an unfriendly way. He fished a silver lighter out of his pocket and offered it to them. “Here you go”