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The day was cloudy as the sky was soft painted with tones of white and light grey, colors gently interlaced just like the hands of the only figures on the beach.
Walking side by side, shoulders slightly bumping and skins attached together as if they had magnets that prevented the bodies they covered from separating were Sarawat and Tine.
A light breeze was hitting their faces, soft as the fluttering of butterfly wings, lightly shaking their hair, and as they walked with no direction, feeling the sand caressing their feet, only listening to the ocean's waves and each other's breath, they felt an indescribable sense of peace.
Tine turned his face to look at Sarawat, who was quietly observing the sea, lips slightly parted with the corners a little raised, eyelashes caressing his face as he blinked from time to time, some strands of hair hitting his face, chest rising and falling gently, and Tine couldn't contain a smile full of affection while looking at him, a figure that was once so inscrutable but now, after a year spent by his side, was so transparent that Tine could know with only a glance what the other was feeling, and he knew that the feeling that stands out in his loved one at the moment was calmness.
All around him could be seen only the infinite sea at his side and the vast sky above him, and Tine thought this was the most beautiful and simple sight he had ever seen. He watched Sarawat for a few more seconds, wanting to remember every minimum detail of the scene so that years from now he could still remember the sight of a young Sarawat, at the height of peace and being embraced by the beautiful simplicity of nature.
Sarawat turned his attention away from the vast expanse of water he had previously observed and looked at Tine. "Admiring the view?"
"If by view you mean you, then yes." Tine responded with a naughty smile.
Sarawat let out a soft laugh. "I think someone became flirty."
"I learned with the best." Tine said and both boys laughed, smiles never leaving their faces.
They walked closer to the sea until they were now walking in the wet sand, and after a moment Sarawat let go of Tine's hand, who looked at him confused. He bent down for a second and when he got up he held a stick in front of his face, showing to Tine.
"Why did you get that?"
"Have you never been to the beach before, nuisance?" Sarawat rolled his eyes with what Tine knew was a fake annoyance.
"I have?" Tine stated with a tone of confusion in his voice.
"So you should know that finding a stick on the beach means writing in the sand." Sarawat said, never stopping smiling at Tine.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. I-know-everything." Tine ironically said, throwing his hands up in a playful gesture. "What are you gonna write then?"
"Wait and see."
As Sarawat walked way a little and started to write on the sand, excited like a kid, Tine crossed his arms and kept staring at him with nothing but adoration.
When the letters in the sand started to make sense, Tine felt his heart beat a little faster and his cheeks flush, wide smile invading his face, and legs already making way close to the other man.
Sarawat looked at his boyfriend with a silly smile that is destined only for Tine and pressed a kiss on his cheek when he stood beside him. "Like what you see?"
In front of them was a drawing of a heart and inside it was three words wrote. Sarawat and Tine.
"You're such a sap." Tine smiled wanly and shyly looked away.
"Are you shy, nuisance?" Sarawat asked, petting Tine's hair.
"I'm not." Tine said, still looking away.
"You're lying" Sarawat teased.
"I'm not!"
"Your voice is high. You're."
"Stop it, saraleo." Tine looked at Sarawat and playfully pushed their shoulders. Then he took his phone from his pocket and quickly took a photo of the writing in the sand.
"I guess you like what you see then." Sarawat teased again.
"Yes, I do." Tine admitted and quickly pecked Sarawat on the lips. When the latter leaned to kiss him again, Tine took a step back. "None of this. You were teasing me, so no more kiss."
Sarawat took a step forward. "C'mon nuisance, don't do that." He said pouting, and when he tried to hug Tine, the latter gave him a teasing smile and turned back, starting running. "Tine? What are you doing? Ei Tine!"
"You can't catch me!" Tine shouted, giggling while turning his head to look at Sarawat, who was standing dumbfounded.
"Ohh, so this is how it will be? Ok then." Sarawat shouted back and started running after Tine, giggling too.
Tine slowed his steps and when Sarawat was almost catching him, he kicked the salt water when a wave wet his feet, splashing water in Sarawat, laughing when he saw the latter's shocked expression and started running again.
"Tine! You'll pay for it when I catch you!"
"It's not gonna happen because you won't catch me." Tine answered and as if the universe was mocking him, a moment later he felt a pair of arms holding his body.
"Got you." Sarawat whispered and squeezed Tine, distributing kisses nonstop on the back of his neck.
"Ai'Wat! It's tickling." Tine let out between giggles.
"Yes? What a same. I told you would pay when I catch you."
They stayed like this for a few seconds, Tine laughing as he tried to let go and Sarawat smiling in love with the scene, before the latter stopped the teasing, grabbing Tine's hand instead. "Come here." He murmured as he bent down, pulling Tine along, who instantly accepted. Sarawat sat on the sand and opened his arms, and without saying anything Tine understood the gesture and sat beside him, nestling comfortably in the body next to his as Sarawat wrapped his arms around him.
Their breaths were heavy because of the running and teasing, so they stayed in silence while resting. Tine raised his eyes to look at Sarawat, and seeing his flushed face, listening to his breath, leaning on him and feeling his body irradiating love that was embracing Tine like he was the most precious creature in the world, he couldn't help but feel blessed and grateful for having Sarawat in his life.
After a few more moments of saying anything, only enjoying each other's presence and admiring the ocean waves coming and going back, Tine wrapped an arm around Sarawat's waist and pressed a gentle kiss on his shoulder, then broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"
"Destiny. Us."
"Wat, could you be more clear?"
"I'm just thinking that we're meant to be." Sarawat mumbled. "I really feel like we're destined to be together. As if something bigger had brought us together." He looked at Tine for a second. "I'm also thinking about the picture you showed me last week. In the 2U event."
"Oh." Tine furrowed. "What are you thinking about the picture?"
"I just can't stop thinking about the fact that we were in the same place two years ago. That the boy I saw was you. I'm just thinking... what if I hadn't lost sight of you? If I had found you and talked to you that day?"
Tine took a deep breath, feeling his heart ache a little. This is something he thinks a lot; about his encounters and disagreements with Sarawat, about how their paths crossed until the day they finally met, like that's how destiny wanted things to be. "I think things happened the way they should have."
"What do you mean?" Sarawat asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"You think we're destined to be together, don't you?" Tine asked instead of answering Sarawat's ask.
"Of course I do."
"For a long while, I thought things like destiny weren't real." Tine started, looking straight at Sarawat's eyes that were looking at him with curiosity. "But then we met, and I think I started to believe in it. What I wanna say is that I think that if we had met at the Scrubb concert you saw me for the first time, or the 2U event two years ago, things could be completely different. I think everything that happened was necessary for us being where we are now."
"Could you be more especif, Tine?" Sarawat asked, frowning.
"Ok. Like, I've thought about that before. What I mean is that I think we met in the right time, you know? If you had approached me in the first two times you saw me and told me you liked me, I would probably try to ran way from you like I did to Green because back then I didn't knew yet I liked boys too. But we met at university, and things just happened. When we started to talk, I didn't know you liked me, I thought you were helping me with Green and that's all, I didn't knew about your feelings so I had no reason to run from you. But because of the fake relationship we started to get closer, I get to know you, I started to get close to you, enjoy your company. I just... I just fell in love with you naturally. You made me discover things about myself I didn't know back then and it was a natural process. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? It was the right time, Wat. If you had approached me before the day we first talked, we wouldn't have opportunity to become close. But when the right time came, things happened. I opened my heart to you without noticing. When I find out about your feelings for me I was already having feelings for you. That's how things should have been."
Tine stopped talking, feeling his face blush a little, but started again after a second. "I just think destiny knew that if we had met before things wouldn't work, so we had disagreements until it was the right time. Until we both were ready for each other. Everything just fits so perfectly and in the right time; you not talking to me in the Scrubb concert, you losing sight of me in 2U and then listening to P'Dim saying to people don't give up, like destiny was using him to make you understand you should wait more, what made you apply to same university as me; the guitarist of Ssss not being able to perform so you would have to replace him in the freshman concert and consequently become popular, which lead me to want you to be my fake boyfriend, but I only needed you to do that because Green had a fight with P'Dim, and they could only have had a fight because in the first place they met at the freshman orientation and started a relationship. Destiny was preparing our ways and connecting the pieces so that it would lead us to the other when the right time came. So when all things were finally aligned our paths could finally cross."
Tine was almost breathless when he finished talking, and looking at Sarawat he could swear there was tears threatening to fall from his eyes, but instead of crying Sarawat hugged him, sinking his face in the Tine's neck, holding him like there's no tomorrow. "I'm infinitely grateful that destiny did its work well. I'll be forever grateful that our paths crossed and you came back to me, Tine. In the right time."
"Me too, Wat." Tine murmured with a soft voice, hugging Sarawat back and pressing a gentle kiss in the other's head.
"I'm happy it only took one year for destiny got us prepared to finally meet again. But I would have waited much more if it was needed. I would wait a lifetime for you, Tine."
"I know, Wat. I would too."
The two embraced each other for a little more while before Sarawat broke the contact. "Tine?" He whispered.
"Yes?"
"Will you please, stay forever with me?" Sarawat asked with a fond look and beautiful smile that made Tine's chest ache with love.
"What happened to the 'will you marry me'?" Tine joked, trying to hide his shyness and silly smile.
"Don't worry, I'll keep asking this too until you agree to be my husband."
"Someday I'll say yes to this one. But for your last question, I can give answer now. Yes."
"Yes what?"
Tine rolled his eyes. "Yes, saraleo. I accepted be with you forever."
With that, Sarawat got up and gave the smile Tine believed was the biggest he had ever seen, then pulled Tine until the latter stood. Before Tine could say anything, Sarawat hugged him so hard that he lifted him off the ground, and started the spin them both.
"Saraleo, put me on the ground! I'm dizzy!"
Sarawat kissed Tine's cheeks and lips a few times before putting him back on the sand.
"You're crazy." Tine said between giggles.
"I'm not crazy, I'm a man in love."
"Guess we both are." And they both smiled.
A light wave hit their feet, awakening them from the small world they were in, and that made they look forward, to the sight in front of them.
Sarawat hugged Tine from behind and instantly Tine held Sarawat's hands that were resting in his belly, intertwining their fingers and lifting them at his lips, kissing their laced knuckles. Sarawat rested his head on Tine's shoulder and left a kiss there, being returned with a kiss on the temple.
If someone was passing by the place, seeing the opaque sky and clear sea, with only two people standing in the middle of the sand, they could think it was a melancholic scenario.
But if they analyzed every detail of the scene they would realize that the pastel tones of the sky were slightly being illuminated by the sun hidden behind the clouds, and that the seemingly sad light of the ocean in reality showed a contrast of a beautiful blue that together with the green algae floating on it more made the vastness of water look like a beautiful painting.
And that the two lonely figures in the middle of the beach, even being hit on the feet by the icy salt water and soft but cold sea breeze on their faces, were warm regardless of the factors around them, because from every pore of their bodies radiated pure love to the other, the feeling embracing each other. And that, in the middle of the beautiful but colorless scenery, those two bodies glued together seemed to show all the brightest colors that exist, one for each feeling they felt for the other.