i pestered him daily after that.

"when will you take me to the ocean?" i would ask.

he'd smile and say, "why do you want to go to the beach so bad?"

i shrugged. "it's just important to me."

if i were to say that to anybody that wasn't luke, i'd be laughed at.

luke never judged me. he never had a bad thing to say about me.

sometimes, i wish he would say something slightly bad. was he blind? could he see no flaws?

"if you don't mind me asking, why is it important to you?"

i thought for a moment. "well the sea reminds me of my favorite things. the color of the water, the waves, the beach house from when i was in middle school, and your eyes."

he smiled confidently. "then to the ocean i will take you."