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“It’s fucking cold!” Heejin screamed as she ran back onto the beach from the ocean. Hyunjin laughed and grabbed her girlfriend’s towel- coral with a seashell print they bought at the hotel gift shop because of course they forgot to pack beach towels- and wrapped it around her.
They had made it a habit this summer to go to the beach every other weekend, it was only a couple hours drive and staying overnight at a hotel made the journey worth it. They drove Heejin’s dad’s old van that sounded like it only had a few miles of life left, but it had served them well so far. They would switch out who drives halfway through, taking turns at the wheel and the aux. When Heejin drove, Hyunjin would play a podcast, usually one about true crime cases, and the couple would react to the grisly stories and laugh at the worst times. When it was Hyunjin’s turn, Heejin would play anything from old school R&B to underrated new pop that she thought “deserves way more attention than the shit they play on the radio”. Heejin always had a hand on Hyunjin’s thigh and Hyunjin would lean over to kiss her cheek. That van was their happy place.
Hyunjin rubbed the soft towel on Heejin’s wet skin, and moved her hair out of her face. Heejin always ran into the water right away. Hyunjin preferred to read on the beach. Sometimes Heejin convinced her to get in the water, and they would take turns picking each other up to see how buoyant the salty water made them feel. Hyunjin always thought Heejin looked so beautiful by the sea, and would let her know with shy whispers in her ear, as if she wanted her adoration to be a secret. Nobody knew how much Hyunjin loved Heejin other than Heejin.
At nights they would get something easy to eat, cheap pizza or street food, and then get ice cream from the best little shop on the main street. Swapping flavors and laughing at stupid jokes they’ve made a million times. Heejin thought Hyunjin looked so beautiful under the dim streetlights, telling a story about some asshole at work, and would cut Hyunjin off to tell her so, making her blush.
Stroking each others hair at night, kisses under the cover in the soft white hotel sheets, falling asleep in each others arms. They wake up the next day and get ready to drive back to the city, looking forward to the last beach trip they’ll have before summer’s end.