Chapter 19: Changing Clothes
The sun hung lazily in the sky, its warm rays casting a golden shimmer over the ocean. Lucas and Nina waded through the water, laughing as they splashed at each other.
The tension from earlier had melted away, replaced by an easy, playful energy.
"Alright, alright — I surrender!" Lucas raised his hands in mock defeat as Nina sent another wave of water his way.
She smirked. "Too late. You started this."
Lucas grinned. "True, but I didn't expect you to fight back so fiercely."
"Then that's your mistake." Nina flipped her wet hair back, sending droplets flying in the air. "Never go easy on your opponent."
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "Indeed."
The two finally made their way back to shore, their bodies dripping with seawater. Lucas ran a hand through his soaked hair before grabbing the hem of his shirt and peeling it off.
The fabric clung to his skin, heavy with water, and he had to squeeze it out. Droplets splattered onto the sand as he laid it over a large rock to dry.
Nina, who had been shaking the water from her hands, glanced at him — and immediately looked away.
Her face felt warm despite the cool ocean breeze.