𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙉
—𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩—

     𝘽𝙍𝙔𝘾𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙔 walk hand-in-hand down the long sidewalk to her temporary home, the woman's heels clicking against the pavement. The breeze of the pier blows by the two of them, along with it coming the sound of the water crashing on the land in the near distance. Since Bryce had arrived here, she hadn't gotten the chance to visit the beach, nor did she have the chance to swim.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Danny asks, stopping the brunette to place his hands on her hips. A wide grin spreads across his lips, as well as a twinkle appearing in his eyes. "We should study at the beach, and go swimming afterwards."

"Don't you think you'll get a little distracted while we're there?" She raises an eyebrow. "It'd be hard to focus with groups of people running around and having fun. Wouldn't you be tempted to ditch it all to have fun?"

"I'm always distracted when you're around, but in a good way. And there's no way I'd ditch you for anyone else. So I think I'll be fine," he replies. "Are you down for it? It'll be so much fun, I promise."

Bryce looks over his excited face, sighing as she rolls her eyes teasingly. "I guess we could go for a bit. But you'll have to work extra hard."

Danny pulls her into a tight embrace, laughing in joy. "You won't regret this, I know it. Now go get your bathing suit on, and I'll meet you back here in ten minutes."

"You expect me to be out in ten minutes?" She hesitates, a smile on her lips. "Danny! You know you can't rush perfection. It takes me a while to pick something out, let alone try it on and see if it actually works. I'll need two hours at least."

For a moment, Danny seems taken aback. But, nonetheless, he nods, clearing his throat as he agrees with her. "Uh‒ yeah! Of course, I'm sorry. I can wait a couple hours, if that's what you need."

"Danny, I'm just teasing," she bursts into giggles, shaking her head as his cheeks turn red. "I'll definitely meet you back here in ten minutes. Maybe even eight. But make sure you bring some books and notebooks."

Danny can't help but chuckle as she turns away, waving as she disappears into the house. A smile grows on his face, his heart warming at the thought of spending the rest of day with her. Maybe‒ just maybe‒ things were beginning to fall into place after all for the pilot.

As Bryce rushes up the stairs, she passes by an open door. The brunette stops for a moment, stepping back and peeking into Evelyn's room. Evelyn is perched on a seat in front of her desk, solely focused on the paper in front of her. She writes with care, undoubtedly putting work into her cursive letter.

"Are you writing a letter to Rafe?" Bryce asks, leaning against the door frame. "I thought you only wrote to him on Tuesdays."

"Sometimes I miss him in between," Evelyn shrugs in response, her eyes not lifting from the page. "It's easier to put it all into words instead of holding it in. I'm in love with him, and I never got to tell him before he left."

"It's a matter of whether or not he knows it," the woman says softly. "You and I both know how he feels towards you, and how you feel towards him. He understands that, or else he wouldn't write you nearly every day. Maybe you should get out today and have a little fun to get your mind off of things."

"What would you suggest?"

"The beach. Danny and I decided to study there, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind some company. You can get Candice, too. Whatever makes you happy, Evelyn."

"Thank you," Evelyn stands up with a chuckle, finally placing down her pen. "Maybe I do need a little distraction for a while."

---

There was only one time before that Bryce Dylan had ever stepped foot on the beach, and that was a time ago. Her parents had taken her when she was a child, all dressed up in her light pink, one-piece swimsuit. At the time, she was only six, and didn't get too much of an experience in the water since she wasn't a good swimmer. But now that Bryce was here at Hawaii, she wasn't sure what she wanted more than to go swimming with the man sitting across from her.

The sun was beating down from overhead, but wasn't any match for the large umbrella Danny had brought along with him. However, Bryce enforced that the two of them still wear sunscreen, seeing as how her skin was sensitive to the sun. Danny didn't argue as she handed over the bottle, nor did he make a comment on how hot it was outside. Instead, he complied, and sat down on his beach towel, prepared for the work ahead. But every now and then, his gaze would catch on Bryce, and he'd completely blank out as she tried to explain something.

"Are you paying attention?" Bryce asks him, waving her hand in front of his face. "It doesn't seem like you're interested."

"You're beautiful," he replies randomly, tilting his head to the side. "Have I ever told you that, Bryce?"

"You need to focus," Bryce rolls her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips, nonetheless. "We have work to do if you want to be prepared for tomorrow. Just a little bit longer, okay? And then you can go swimming without a care in the world."

Danny huffs, flipping onto his stomach and placing his chin on his propped hands. He closes his eyes for a short moment before grabbing his book again, laying it flat on the towel and flipping to a random page. "Fine."

"What's the first thing you do when finding someone unresponsive?" Bryce asks, ignoring his childish antics as she looks to him expectantly.

"Check their pulse," he intones. "And if they have no heartbeat, immediately appoint a specific person to call for an ambulance. If possible, have someone else find an AED."

"Okay, and what does that stand for?"

"Automated external defibrillator. If one isn't available, chest compressions need to be started as soon as possible to restore chest circulation. A tempo of at least one-hundred compressions a minute is needed. And when switching turns with someone, speed is vital."

"Now," Bryce closes the book in front of her. "Was that so hard?"

"Nursing isn't my thing," Danny scrunches up his nose, handing his book over to her. "I became a pilot for a reason‒ I'm good at it. It's obvious you're amazing at this kind of stuff."

"What can I say?" She shrugs, standing up to dust the sand off of her feet. "I enjoy helping people. Now come on, let's go for a swim. You've been whining since we got here."

"I thought I could handle the studying, but it's easier said than done." He chuckles, pulling his shirt over his head.

As he does so, Bryce can't help but look over his well-defined chest. But when he finally gets the shirt off and throws it to the ground, her gaze falls away. The brunette was sure he would tease her for days if he caught her glance. Bryce wastes no time in removing her high-waisted shorts to reveal the red bottoms of her bikini. She cautiously pulls her loose top off, trying hard to not ruin the bun her hair was in.

Danny had tried not to stare, and decided to turn his back to her and busy himself with a bit more sunscreen on his arms. He didn't want to invade her privacy, nor to seem disrespectful. When turning around, though, his cheeks still flush.

"You ready?" She asks Danny, folding her clothes and sitting them neatly on her towel.

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this all day," he notes, running his fingers through his soft brown hair.

Ditching their shoes, the two make their way closer to the waves that crash upon the shoreline. Evelyn already stands with her feet in the water, her eyes cast off far into the distance. Bryce groans at the hot sand beneath her feet, sinking into it and grabbing Danny's arm to stabilize herself.

"Woah, are you okay?" Danny laughs a bit, scanning over her state.

"This sand is deep," she stresses, yanking her foot up. "You're lucky you're tall."

"I can carry you," he offers, rubbing the back of his neck. "But only if you want me to‒ I mean, I just figure it would be a lot easier if you didn't get stuck like this every time you take another step."

"No, I'll be fine. I'm a lot to carry," she shakes her head in protest. But Danny had other plans as he sweeps her off of her feet, and into his arms. She yells out in surprise, latching onto his neck.

"My goodness, I almost had a heart attack!" She swats his chest. "Now put me down before you drop me!"

"You're as light as a feather," Danny rolls his eyes, continuing on through the sand as if it were nothing. "So don't even start with me, Bryce."

Bryce opens her mouth to interject again, but gets distracted as he gently lets her down, his hands still resting on her waist as her feet touch the water. She shivers a bit, holding onto his forearms as she looks out to the ocean beyond them. A wave washes in, splashing against their legs as the woman sighs in content.

"This," she smiles, her hands falling into his as their eyes meet, "is perfect."

_______