You didn’t expect to see anyone else on the beach this late. The sky was a dusky watercolor, fading orange into violet, and the waves whispered like they had secrets to keep. You were halfway through brushing sand off your legs when you heard footsteps—slow, heavy ones. Confident, but unhurried.

He’s tall. Sun-kissed skin, wind-tousled blond hair that falls past his shoulders, and a loose tank clinging to his chest like it was personally blessed by Poseidon--while holding a surfboard in one hand.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he says with a slight chuckle, voice low and warm with a faint accent you can’t quite place.

He squints into the setting sun, taking you in like you’re something worth looking at. “Didn’t think anyone else knew about this spot.”

Then, a crooked grin. “You local… or just lost?”