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It was a quiet, lazy day in sunset bird. While the little beach town was typically known for its bright and sunny summer days, this one, in particular, had been consumed by a steady downpour. The soft, gentle sound of rainfall echoed throughout the area, creating a comfortable atmosphere within Qiyara’s room. She and Baxter had elected to spend the day indoors and catch up on certain hobbies they’d been putting off, as the damp weather wouldn’t allow for many other activities. Qiyara sat hunched at her desk, intently sketching a commission while soft music played through her headphones. Baxter was casually lounging on her bed as he quietly perused a mystery novel, thoroughly absorbed in the latest twists and turns of the plot.
Just as he finished yet another chapter, he heard a quiet huff from his girlfriend as she removed her headphones and stretched her arms upward. Qiyara turned in her seat so that her legs hung over the side and her head and torso faced him, resting her arms on the back of her chair to gaze at Baxter directly. “Hey, I think I’m done for now. I finished the line art and started a little on coloring; I can do the rest later. How’s your book coming along?” “I think I will stop here as well; I just finished a particularly eventful chapter and shall revisit it another day.” He punctuated this by slipping the book ribbon between the pages before closing the book and sitting upright.
Qiyara got up from her chair and went to sit next to Baxter, idly resting her head on his shoulder and letting out a soft sigh. Despite not being physically active in a while, working on art projects could be quite mentally draining, and the soothing sounds of rainfall had made her relaxed and sleepy. Her boyfriend chuckled affectionately and gently rested an arm around her shoulders, resting his cheek on the top of her head and closing his eyes contentedly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other’s presence as they listened to the previously heavy rainfall peter out into a drizzle.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Qiyara broke the comfortable silence and asked, “Hey Baxter, do you like sea turtles?” He opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow curiously. “They’re certainly idyllic creatures, in their way. Why do you ask?” She raised her head to look directly up at him, scooting back a little so she didn’t have to strain her neck, and her mouth quirked into a cheeky smile. “Well, you know that ocean conservation thing I volunteer for, ORCA?” he nodded. “Welllll, one of the super important things they do is find sea turtle nests, mark them off, and monitor them to protect them from predators and careless people. And every year, when it’s time for the baby sea turtles to hatch, they’ll open the beaches to the public so people can watch!” Baxter listened intently, watching how her eyes lit up and her speech became more animated; he always found it endearing how she spoke so passionately of things she loved, especially her volunteer work.
Willing himself not to become distracted, he responded, “Is that so? Please, tell me more.” Qiyara nodded, pleased at his interest. “Mhm! What ORCA will do is set a sort of boundary around the nest, have volunteers there to keep an eye on the hatchlings as they make their way to the ocean, and educate whoever shows up about sea turtles and how important they are to the environment, and what people can do to help with conservation efforts.” Qiyara got up from where she was sitting to walk over to her calendar hanging on the wall and checked some marked-down dates. “There’s supposed to be a nest hatching this Tuesday ‘cause it’s a full moon. Cove and I will be there to volunteer and help keep an eye on things, and I was wondering if you’d wanna come?”
She looked at Baxter pleadingly and insisted it’d be a “once-in-a-lifetime experience you don’t wanna miss!” After all, how many other opportunities would he have to see baby turtles come into the world? He rose from his seat and walked across the room to her, signature blase smirk ever-present. “A once-in-a-lifetime experience, you say? In that case, I will gladly accept your lovely invitation, Qiyara.” Qiyara let out a happy squee as she hopped up and down two or three times, ecstatic that he’d accepted. “Awesome! Thank you so much; I promise you won’t be disappointed!” He couldn’t help but laugh warmly at her enthusiasm, finding her more and more adorable each moment.
His smile turned gentle with affection as he continued, “Honestly, I’m honored you want me to be a part of the experience, as I can tell it is highly important to you. Thank you.” Qiyara beamed at him and then took a glance out the window. “Oh hey, looks like the rain stopped! You don’t have to go home yet, though. It’s almost dinnertime; why don’t you join me and my family since you’re here?” “Ah, that’s very kind of you to offer, but I would not wish to impose.” “You’re not, I promise! I know my moms would love to get to know you more; you know how much they’ve been interrogating me about you already,” Qiyara giggled sweetly, willing Baxter to accept. He considered it for a moment before ultimately relenting. “Very well, I will happily accept your family’s hospitality and spare you from further inquisition.”
A few days later
Qiyara, Cove, and a few other volunteers were milling about, doing last-minute checks to see everything was in order. The sea turtle nest looked relatively undisturbed, save for the entrance, where it was clear some hatchlings were beginning to make headway. The nest had a temporary perimeter meant to mark a firm boundary and keep out nosy tourists, just as Qiyara said it would be. Everything looked in order as the sun continued to set, and various tourists and beachgoers began to trickle onto the beach. Qiyara approached her best friend and said, “Looks like it’s almost showtime! These little ones are gettin’ antsy, I can tell. I can’t wait to see them go to their new home!”
Cove nodded, wearing a bright grin as he shared her enthusiasm. “Yeah! I’m so glad we could people around here to keep their porch lights off tonight, so we don’t have to worry about the hatchlings getting lost.” Qiyara just nodded in response, suddenly looking distracted as her eyes scanned the beach. “Uh… Qiyara? Everything okay?” Her friend looked at her with concern, waving his hand. “Oh! I’m good, sorry. I’m just looking to see if Baxter showed up yet; I don’t want him to miss this.” Cove nodded, unsurprised. While he and Baxter had never really clicked thus far, Cove knew how attached his best friend had grown to her new suitor and had not been surprised when he’d found out she invited Baxter to this little event.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Baxter’ll be here soon, but in the meantime, we should-” Cove was immediately interrupted by an excitable squeal from Qiyara as she saw her boyfriend’s car pull into the nearby parking area. “There he is! I’ll run over and say hi to him, and then I’ll come right back, okay? I promise I won’t be long!” And with that, she ran off before Cove could respond. He just shook his head and sighed affectionately, used to his friend’s shenanigans by now. Hopefully, she’d be back before anyone scolded her for running off again.
Just as Baxter had exited and locked his car, his girlfriend bounded right up to him and, before he could react, enveloped him in a tight embrace. He made a surprised “oof!” which morphed into bemused laughter as he returned the hug, albeit more gently. “Baxter, you’re here! Thank you so much for coming!” He looked at her with an amused bend to his smile and said, “Of course, you did invite me after all, and I was happy to come. Did you think I might not?” “Nah, I’m just super happy to see you, that’s all. Come on! I can’t stick around and talk much, but you can join everyone else on the beach. Thanks for wearing dark colors, by the way. I’m glad I can count on you to respect the wildlife!” “Of course, it was no issue. Now why don’t you lead the way, my fair Qiyara?” And with that, the two of them strolled back to the beach hand in hand before Qiyara broke off to join the other volunteers.
The sun continued its descent down the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues of crimson and gold before reaching its destination beyond the sea. The full moon soon took its place, illuminating the beach with an ethereal silver glow. Over the next hour or so, hundreds of baby sea turtles made their way out of the nest and across the beach to their final destination, the deep blue sea. The volunteers enthusiastically shared a myriad of information about the creatures, from their life cycle to their diet to the dangers they faced (both from predators and the careless actions of humans). It was a magical sight for everyone present; the turtle watchers oohed and ahhed.
If Baxter were being honest, while he was fascinated by the little creature’s migration, it wasn’t what captivated him so. His eyes kept finding their way back to Qiyara as she fluttered about, periodically stopping to hold up a turtle hatchling to show to the guests or sharing stories of past sea turtle rescues she’d been a part of. It was clear her volunteer work was not simply a fun activity for her. She genuinely loved marine wildlife and creatures who could not advocate for themselves and had a true passion for what she did. These little turtles could never truly comprehend what she and the other volunteers had done for them, nor could they repay such kindness even if they did. But that mattered little. She was the kind of person who would go above and beyond to support and help others, even if she got nothing in return.
That was only one of many reasons Baxter could feel himself fall for Qiyara even more, his heart fluttering at the sight. However, those feelings of affection and admiration were accompanied by a dull ache as he recalled the all too temporary nature of his relationship with her. “I’m in more trouble than I thought…” Baxter recalled himself saying when he’d first heard about her volunteer work. Someone as compassionate and open as she deserved better than anything he could ever hope to offer; he was sure of that. Schooling his expression, he pushed those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind as he changed his focus to the turtle watch and simply enjoyed the rest of the event. There was no point in dwelling on such things further for now.
Eventually, the event drew to a close as seemingly all of the hatchlings made it to their final destination, and another team of volunteers with flashlights showed up to search for any stragglers. The rest of the turtle watchers and volunteers began to disperse and head home, many of whom had already left. Soon only Baxter, Qiyara, and Cove remained, and the three of them met up a little ways away from where the action had just taken place, further down the beach. Luckily they had little difficulty finding one another as the full moon shone brightly above them.
Funnily enough, Cove was the first to take the initiative and greet Baxter as the three approached one another, albeit somewhat awkwardly as usual. “So, Baxter, what did you think of the turtle watch? Qiyara told me this was the first one you’ve ever seen.” Qiyara watched Baxter eagerly, clearly wondering the same thing. Baxter’s demeanor seemed as casual as ever as he raised a hand to smooth his hair, although one could pick up on a sense of awe and wonderment if they looked closely. “It was a unique and enlightening experience, and I’m grateful I could be here to witness it.” He added, chuckling, “I honestly didn’t expect to see so many hatchlings at once; mother sea turtles certainly are impressive creatures, aren’t they?”
Cove and Qiyara laughed as well, both very pleased with his response. “Oh yeah, you should have seen her when she built the nest and laid her eggs in the first place. I got to be there for that; it was so cool!” Cove replied heartily, grinning at the memory. “Mhm! She’d be so happy to know her babies got to their new home okay; I wish there were a way to tell her.” Qiyara chimed in, wearing a soft (if somewhat wistful) smile. Baxter hummed thoughtfully. “What matters most, I believe, is that your collective efforts paid off and allowed them to start their journey safely. You two should be proud of yourselves.” Cove nodded in agreement before letting out a tired yawn. While Baxter and Qiyara were night owls by nature, Cove was strictly an early bird, and it was beginning to show.
“Well, looks like the show’s over… I’m going to head back to the neighborhood now. You coming, Qiyara?” Cove asks, turning his sleepy gaze to his companion. “Oh, well…” Qiyara suddenly looked pensive, shifting from one leg to another. “I was thinking that maybe Baxter and I could hang out here for a little while, and I’ll go back home with him later. Would that be okay?” She looked between both of them hopefully. Cove looked somewhat taken aback, but Baxter took it in stride as always. “I would love to continue our little late-night excursion; it wouldn’t do to waste such a lovely moonlit night.” His gaze did not move from his girlfriend’s visage as he said this.
Cove awkwardly chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck but raised no objections. “I mean… if that’s what you really wanna do, I don’t mind. Although, you should tell your moms what you’re doing so they don’t worry.” “I will! We’ll both get home safe and sound, I promise. Thank you both so much!” Qiyara piped up cheerily and gave each of them a hug. The three of them exchanged their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Baxter offered his arm, and Qiyara gladly took it in hers as the two began their late-night stroll.
Neither Baxter nor Qiyara spoke for the first few minutes, simply enjoying the late-night ambiance as a cool breeze gently tousled their hair. “It’s hard to believe it’s finally over… feels like everything went by so fast,” Qiyara murmured before sighing melancholically. Baxter glanced down at her face, which looked a million miles away. “Are you all right?” he asked gently. “Yeah, sorry. Just kinda zoned out for a second, that’s all.” He didn’t seem convinced as he gave her a meaningful look. “I’m more than happy to listen if there is anything on your mind, Qiyara. You were kind enough to do the same for me not long ago.” She nodded quietly, recalling how Baxter had opened up to her when he was feeling down about their latest drink dates; she also couldn’t forget how attentively he’d listened when she needed to vent the night before Miranda’s party, and how sweet and supportive he’d been in reassuring her.
Despite only being together for about two months, Qiyara always felt safe and comfortable in Baxter’s presence. She could be herself and open up to him about anything; he’d never judge or push her away. Her heart fluttered as she tried to gather her thoughts and spoke up quietly. “Did you know that only 0.1% of sea turtles make it past the first year of their lives? So that means, out of all the hatchlings we saw today, only about one or two is likely to survive. If even that.” She let out another small sigh before continuing. “I like to try and hope that most of these little guys will beat the odds… like they’re somehow different, you know?” She shook her head sadly, chiding such naivete. “But I know that’s not how the world works. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try and how much you care, it’s just not going to be enough. You’re not going to be enough.”
Qiyara’s voice became increasingly frustrated as she vented, and Baxter continued to listen quietly. “You still gotta keep at it because throwing in the towel without at least trying would be so much worse, but you can’t help but wonder, ‘What’s the point of it all when I know I’ll probably just let everyone down anyway?’” She felt her boyfriend comfortingly lay his free hand on one of hers as she gripped his arm. “Do you feel as if you’ve let others down?” He asked gently, his eyebrows slightly knit in concern. “I don’t know… sort of. To be honest, I’m not just talking about sea turtles,” she admitted self-consciously and looked down at her feet. “If my college applications - somehow - get accepted, I’ll be going to art school soon enough. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it.”
“I know, I know, the big move into the adult world is hard for everyone; I get it. But there’s more to it than that. I don’t talk about it much, but I have a bunch of learning disabilities, like ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and stuff like that.” Her eyes started to become glassy as she continued. “It’s a miracle I was even able to graduate high school, and I had a ton of help from my parents and teachers that cared enough. I have no idea how I’ll keep track of and manage everything when I’m on my own, especially since I don’t even have a job or a driver’s license yet. I mean, come on, you know how poorly I planned for Miranda’s party; I had to have you swoop in and save the day because I was too stupid and lazy to try putting shit together myself till the last minute, as always! The whole thing was almost a disaster because of me…”
Tears were visibly streaming down Qiyara’s face as she tried to compose herself with deep breaths. When she spoke again, it was barely more than a whisper. “Everyone has so much faith in me, and they’ve worked so hard to support me and push me towards my goals… if I don’t have something to show for it in the end, then all of that will be wasted, and I’ll be the most pathetic and ungrateful loser on the planet.” Her monologue ended there as she tried to choke back a sob semi-successfully. Baxter and Qiyara had stopped walking a while ago, and she pulled away to bury her face in her hands. “I’m sorry; I don’t want to ruin your vacation by putting all this on you. I’m just-” She stopped as she felt two hands on her shoulders, grounding her in a firm yet gentle hold.
“Qiyara…” Baxter finally spoke after being silent for so long, his voice taking on a soothing tone. “I’m not going to pretend to fully understand the challenges you’ve had to work through, nor downplay the ones you may face later. But I promise you that you are not pathetic or a loser in any way, shape, or form.” He carefully reached for her hands that covered her face and took them in his own, giving them a tender squeeze before continuing. “I am unsure how much of an impact this will make coming from me, but please know that I am being honest and sincere when I tell you.” Qiyara lifted her obsidian-black eyes to meet his rich chocolate ones; they gazed into her visage with a look of deep compassion yet tinged with a light sadness.
“For as long as I have known you, you’ve shown yourself to be highly empathetic, passionate, and whole-hearted in all you set your mind to. I’ve never been one to keep words of praise to myself, and you deserve to know just how much of a positive and profound impact you leave on those around you. I may not have been here long, but it’s clear how much your family loves you. They support and advocate for you because they want you to be happy; they are not waiting for a return on their investment, nor will they ever consider their efforts a waste. I recognize how much your friends and loved ones mean to you, and I do not doubt they do as well.” Baxter tenderly tucked a strand of Qiyara’s hair behind her ear before carefully resting his palm against her cheek.
“Baxter…” was the only word Qiyara managed to whisper. She could only keep gazing into his dark eyes as her tears halted their flow; a light flush tinted her cheeks in response to his pure affection. Baxter’s lips upturned into a soft, warm smile as he continued. “Truthfully… words are not enough to express what I see in you. All I can say is this: You are a wonderful person with a kind and gentle heart, and you do not give yourself nearly as much credit as you deserve. I know I cannot erase your fears or struggles, but I firmly believe you are far more capable than you realize. I sincerely hope you will see what I see in you, however long it takes.” He stopped there, although it seemed he could have gone on to say so much more if he allowed himself.
Qiyara’s crying began anew, although it didn’t seem to be out of despair this time; she threw her arms around Baxter’s neck and buried her face into his shoulder. “Thank you… you’re- you’re wonderful,” was all she managed to choke out as her sweet boyfriend wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and gently rubbing her back. There was no need to say anything more as they embraced tenderly, the stars twinkling in a brilliant display above them. Sadly, all good things must end eventually, as the two released their hold on one another. Qiyara took a deep breath and smiled softly, if a bit bashful. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to get so emotional or keep you out here this late; I guess this stuff just gets to me more late at night. Please don’t worry about me. I promise I’m fine-” Baxter held up his hand as a sign to hush.
“Qiyara, please, don’t apologize. I’m more than happy to listen, and if anything I’ve said tonight has been of help to you, I’ll be happier still. It means a lot that you trust me enough to open up so.” Qiyara nodded, the embarrassment fading from her features, though her light blush did not. “Well… thank you, Baxter. Again. You helped make me feel a lot better. You always do.” Smiling shyly, she reached for her sweet boyfriend, delicately cupping his face with her palms. She drew him into a tender kiss, her soft lips caressing his ever so gently. Baxter responded in kind, gently cradling the back of her head with one hand and resting the other on the small of her back. A soft rosy hue bloomed across his face, matching the dark crimson that painted Qiyara’s.
No matter how often they’d done this, Qiyara’s sweet gestures of affection never failed to take Baxter’s breath away. He savored their kiss a few moments more before pulling back, not wishing to push her further while her emotions were still raw and vulnerable. After spending so much time with her over the summer, Baxter noticed signs of insecurities and sorrows she worked hard to keep under wraps. She was always so kind and understanding with others, and it broke his heart that she would not -or perhaps could not- extend that same grace to herself. He brushed off the sense of deja-vu in his mind, not wishing to unpack or reflect on such feelings. All that mattered was that he could comfort her tonight, although he planned on encouraging her to open up to her family more when the time came.
“You’re more than welcome, Qiyara. I certainly do my best,” he responded sweetly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as the temperature began to drop and the wind picked up. “I believe it may be time to bring this night to a close. You deserve a good night’s rest after working so hard today.” Qiyara didn’t argue, merely yawning in response and giving a nod. She hooked an arm around his waist, and they made the returning trek across the beach, admiring the dazzling constellations above them.