The sky was perfectly clear, the kind of bright blue that made the ocean sparkle like glass. Joshua stood on the edge of the boat deck, holding Bella’s hand as the boat gently rocked beneath them.

“I still can’t believe you rented an actual boat,” Bella said, grinning wide. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore an oversized sweatshirt and shorts, the breeze ruffling the sleeves.

Joshua gave her a sideways glance, smirking. “Well, you said you wanted to do something different. Not my fault you didn’t specify not a yacht.”

Bella laughed, leaning on the railing. “This is giving rich retired couple energy.”

“Good,” Joshua said, grabbing two sparkling lemonades from the cooler. “That’s exactly the vibe I was going for.”

They sat together near the back of the boat, the sun warming their faces. Bella stretched her legs across his lap, sipping her drink as seagulls flew overhead. For a while, they just sat in silence, watching the water shimmer around them.

“You know what would make this even better?” she asked suddenly.

Joshua looked at her. “What?”

She gave him a sly look. “If you let me drive the boat.”

He raised both eyebrows. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m absolutely serious,” she said, already getting up.

“Bella, you can’t even parallel park.”

“Driving a boat is easier than parking,” she declared confidently.

Joshua followed her, half-laughing, half-terrified. “If we end up crashing into a sandbar, I’m blaming you.”

They took turns at the wheel—well, mostly Bella did while Joshua hovered nearby in case things went south. But somehow, she handled it fine. After a few loops around the open water, they anchored and laid back on the deck, soaking in the sun.

Bella rolled onto her side, looking at him. “This was actually really perfect.”