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Sand finds its way into Tzuyu’s sandals as easily as her hand slots into Dahyun’s.
The sun shies away, goes into retreat past the horizon and lingers somewhere behind the somber build up of clouds.
“You’re tensing, is everything alright?” Dahyun rubs circles on the back of Tzuyu’s hand, the latter sinks deeper into the sand and makes a Tzuyu-shaped hole in it.
“Yes I… I just need to prepare myself.” Tzuyu swallows thick and heavy.
Dahyun frowns as she faces the shrinking woman. “You didn’t have to do this, wasn’t it you who was deathly afraid of diving?”
“Well I wanted to do something special for you, and then I remembered you saying in passing that you wanted to see some fishes.”
The tides ebb and flow, inching closer to the couple’s feet. Dahyun repositions herself, snakes one arm across Tzuyu’s waist without letting go of the latter’s hand.
“Honey, we could have gone to the aquarium a few blocks away from my workplace, and that is not to sound ungrateful, no, I love that you set all of this up but I want you to enjoy it too.” Dahyun looks up to Tzuyu and offers a meek smile.
“Well, who is to say I can’t enjoy and be scared at the same time?” Tzuyu pouts, eyes trailing the waves.
“You can’t.”
“But why?”
“You’re with me, I’ll make sure to keep you safe so you can focus on enjoying.” Dahyun kisses the pout away.
It works. It always does. Tzuyu trades the pout for a smile. One that Dahyun mirrors on her own visage.
Tzuyu laughs. “I thought I was the one trying to get you to enjoy, how did the tables turn?”
“It’s okay, I’ll enjoy it too since it’s with you.”
“Shut it.”
“You know I’m serious. I’ll beat up sharks like I’m fighting Chaeyoung for the last piece of Mina’s brownies.”
“So you’d lose to the sharks? That’s comforting.”
“Hey!”
“Alright, you’d put up a fight at least.”
Now it’s Dahyun’s turn to pout—and by extension it’s Tzuyu’s turn to kiss it away.
It works. It always does.
Tzuyu pulls Dahyun in even closer, her limbs end where Dahyun’s starts and vice versa. Sand rough against the valleys of their legs, Tzuyu pats them down. “Thank you though. I feel better now, maybe I can even get a good hit or two against a… turtle?”
The waves crash against rocks, foam and suds evaporate and emerge in an endless cycle.
“The turtles are already having a hard time in their battle against plastic, they’re basically down a fin.” Dahyun pauses, her mouth hangs open. “Wait, maybe they are the ones who need helping, what if we go searching for turtles when we dive. Are there even turt— why are you smiling like that, what’s going on?”
“You’re cute. I could listen to you rambling for days.”
“Shut up.”
“Make me.” Tzuyu smirks, then bursts into laughter. Wind chimes of airy giggles harmonize as Dahyun joins in.
In the midst of the laughing and cuddling, the faint sizzle of the tides grow loud in combination with the droplets of rain starting to trickle and tickle the sand.
Tzuyu shields Dahyun’s head from the sudden shower. “Shoot, we’re going to get wet.”
Dahyun stands, tugs Tzuyu upward and shifts her weight from one leg to another in an awkward dance as they try to avoid stumbling.
The smaller woman tucks Tzuyu’s hair behind her ear. “We’re going diving anyway, we’d get wet too so what’s the difference? Let’s just enjoy the rain while it’s here.”
Mist rises from the warm sand when it meets the cold rain. The ocean breeze and the scent of petrichor invades Tzuyu’s senses in a dizzying manner. Although Tzuyu thinks that Dahyun is the one making her feel that way. She always does.
The sudden appearance of fog makes it feel like they’re dancing on clouds. Every step they take padding softly on the coastline feels like cotton. Their feet sink and rise, they sway along the grooves of the clouds on land. Tzuyu follows the footprints Dahyun leaves behind and Dahyun trails on Tzuyu's.
Rivulets of rain tread slowly on the silky expanse of Dahyun’s face, hair swept by the wind sticking to her cheeks. She smiles, with all the radiance she can muster. It sends a wave of warmth along Tzuyu’s body. Filling the Dahyun-shaped hole in the shore of Tzuyu’s heart with solace.
Ah. So the sun was here after all. Tzuyu supposes—concludes when she drinks in the sight of Dahyun wobbling a bit and laughing, sunshine emitting from the surface of her lithe frame.
If Tzuyu tunes out the pitter-patter of rain and the washing and crashing of the ocean, she can make out Dahyun humming the tune of the Carpenters’ Close to You . She hears the sounds of birds singing, the ocean echoes it back, the gust of wind howling in tune.
“I love you.” Tzuyu says. It comes out easily. It isn’t hard when it’s towards Dahyun.
(Just like me,)
Dahyun smiles, and it seems that the skies are clearing because it gets a little brighter. Tzuyu resigns it to Dahyun’s being.
(they long to be)
“I love you too.” And she means it. They mean it. They always do.
(Close to you)
The Tzuyu-shaped hole on the sand is filled to the brim with a concoction of rain, saltwater, and conches that parrot the couple’s I love yous to each other.
The skies continue to pour.
The two continue to dance.
The sharks that need punching and the turtles that deserve saving can wait.