She flexed her toes in the sand. It was winter but it didn’t fell that way in this foreign land. It was cloudy out so the purples, blues, and yellows ran together like a bad watercolor painting. But it was still beautiful to her. She couldn’t have asked for a better first sunset on the beach. Sure some people want the crystal clear sky with the whole mess of beautiful colors, but not her. Not in this moment, in this moment she was just thinking: “I can’t believe I’m here, here with him.”

So there they were, sitting side by side on towels as they watched the waves roll in and the sun succumb to the fog. The chill set in, but she was fine in her shorts and t-shirt on this beautiful December night. She got up to walk towards the water, aware that he was still sitting digging a small hole with his feet. He was so cute when he was really concentrating on something. It made her think of when he would read a book he was really into and his lips would move ever so slightly as he read. She smiled to herself at the memory. The water was coming to her toes and sent icicles up her bones when they touched. She stood there for a few minutes, marveling at the cold of the water in contrast to the warmth of the day.

Her toes became numb, and she reluctantly headed back to the towels. They sat and talked, and laughed about nothing and everything as the last of the color faded into night. They gathered their stuff and walked up the stairs to the car. As they reached the top they stopped to wipe off their feet so they wouldn’t get sand everywhere, she kept her shoes off but he had to put his on his for driving. They threw the towels, damp with sand and the last few rays of absorbed sun, into the back and headed home.

The drive was quiet. Not the quiet because there was nothing more to say to one another, but quite because they were fine in the silence. It was as if the others presence alone was enough to satisfy. She looked over to him and studied his profile in the flashing lights of other cars and the street. He noticed.

“What?” He asked.

She smiled and shook her head. “Nothing.” She said, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as he drove.

They were almost home now, driving down the now familiar hill side she’d become accustom to lately. Her thoughts turned a little sad as she realized their journey here would have to come to an end soon, and they would eventually return home. As they pulled into the apartment complex, she got out to punch in the code and raced back to the car. He pulled the car into the parking spot and they got out. They decided to leave the towels for now, but before they walked in the house she thanked him. Thanked him for giving her her first West Coast sunset and that she couldn’t of had anything better. He smiled and told her anything for her and kissed her.

As they walked into the house she felt pure bliss. She was happy she’d come here with him, she was happy he’d invited her, she was happy to be dating him, but above all she was happy to have met him. She was happy he’d come into her life and changed her forever, whether they stayed together that long was irrelevant. He was the one to open her eyes to the world, so whether they ended up together or in total heart break she would always love him for that.