A FIRM BREEZE ROLLED THROUGH EDEN'S BRONZE WAVES WHILE
CORPSE DROVE ALONG THE
PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY.

She had absolutely no idea where they were going, but perhaps that was the fun of the situation. A good old surprise always put a smile on her face.

A sweet symphony ran in the background under the sound of the wind. Every few minutes he would peak over at her, watching her react to things as simple as the elephant seals decorating the shore.

She liked the way he drove; one hand on the wheel, the other gripping the roof while the air hit his arm. The wheels soared smoothly, the jet-black car handling speed well.

"You ever consider just running away? Changing your identity, grabbing a suitcase, and going wherever the universe wants you?" she asked suddenly, turning to face him.

A sheepish grin plastered his face. "Why you asking? You wanna roam the world with me?"

"I didn't say that. It was a simple question, doofus."

"Sure. Think about it all the time."

Little did Eden know, the main reason he thought about it was his sudden rise to fame. Although he did like the benefit of new friends a job that had a good pay with little work, it did get overwhelming. The pressure could be compared to a ton of bricks.

"I do too. I think the first I would go would be..." her eyes paused, temporarily thinking about her options, "Switzerland."

"Why do you say that?" he teased, running his middle finger along her arm.

"Well, first off, it's lead by a woman, which is just...explainable. Next, their Christmases are just dreamy. I think I would do just fine with a cat and a little cabin."

"That is honestly a good ass argument. I feel like I'd go to Tennessee."

Her jaw dropped. "Of all the places you could..you choose Tennessee?"

"If I'm marking off the places I go, I wanna get the average ones out of the way first. Also, I don't mean living in the middle of a farm. I mean the smokey mountains and shit."

"You know, I understand that. Now will you please tell me where we are going?" she implored. He pulled onto a side street, going down a hill towards the beach.

"We are here."

She glanced out the window. It appeared he had found a little cove. Almost all of it was closed off from the ocean, except the small opening between the pool and giant body of water.

"Woah, how'd you find this place?" she questioned, hopping out of the car, grabbing her bag that contained their food for the night.

"When I moved down here I just drove along this highway for ever. Saw people partying down here and figured I'd put it in my memory," he answered, hopping out and grabbing the satchel with his own belongings.

Eden's umber eyes admired the beauty of the place, the cerulean water, a very shallow bottom to the water.

Corpse sat down a plush tarp for their belongings, to which she swiftly sat her stuff down, ripping off her large zip up sweatshirt and her shorts. Before he could even blink, she dove straight in to the salty water.

He only chuckled at her behavior, the setting sun sending rays right inbetween the rocks that separated the bay from the Pacific.

"I know you did not just do that," he mocked her, removing his own shirt and going to the man-made ladder into the water. It was usually covered by a high tide.

"It feels great! Extremely fucking cold, but great!" she cheered. There was no lie told, the water was frigid.

Only neither of them minded. It was refreshing, like it was restoring their energy.

He swam over to her, nearly being able to touch the bottom of the pool. Her face beamed at him, ignoring the harsh temperature around them.

"You are quite the surprise, Corpse Husband," she uttered, running one of her hands through his soaked curls.

"I could say the same about you, Eden Everglade."

Instead of talking, she decided to dive under, swimming to the bottom, and grabbing a rock.

When she floated atop the water, she held it up to him.

"Do you think anyone's touched this rock before?"

"I'd guess you are the first."

She nodded at his reply, pressing her lips to the chunk of minerals. Her hand held it up him, so he did the same. The action was odd, but he went with it. Nothing she did was ever truly ordinary.

The rock fell from her grasp, descending back to the depths.

Corpse swam closer to the side, and his feet finally stably stood on the bottom. She gradually met him, wrapping her legs around his torso. Blushing, he gazed at her for a moment, silently asking "what's this for?"

"My eyes are up here, champ. Also, I am doing this because there is no way this water is above seventy degrees, and you are the only thing producing heat within a 500 foot radius."

Slightly stunned, his cheeks reddened ever more, but she giggled at it. The sun was almost vanished, the sky darkening each second.

The duo had been in the water for nearly twenty minutes when they realized any longer would send them into hypothermic shock. So, they got out, wrapping themselves in the towels he brought.

Eden had prepared homemade tomato soup for them, and the warmth was still there from when they had picked it up after her shift. It was on her stove all day, after all.

"So you didn't answer my question from earlier," he muttered, sipping on the creamy liquid.

"Hm?"

"The one about your tattoo."

Eden only had one tattoo, and to notice it, you would have to be very observant. It was a melting ice cube on the back of her neck, just below her right ear.

"Oh, right. Well, I mean, I'm not a big fan of needles. Or anything medical, for that matter. But I wanted it to be meaningful. It kinda has a few meanings in one."

She put the soup down, wiping her mouth so she could explain without distractions.

"Time runs out. Our lives are short, and there is too much shit to do. It's to remind me to live every moment to the fullest, and I don't just mean going on nice vacations and seeing the most beautiful parts of the globe. I mean making sure that I'm thinking everything through, y'know? Writing down all the details of the world down in my brain.

"That's one of the meanings. The other is about our environment. I work to save it, but I know it might not be enough. The world is dying, Corpse. It's sad, and I will forever despise humanity for it. We were given the most perfect place we could ask for, and all we did was turn it into a war-torn piece of plastic."

He nodded, feeding off the passion she oh-so-clearly had for what she talked about.

"You have the most..." he hesitated, struggling to come up with the correct word, "riveting mind."

"Thank you," she mumbled, looking down to avoid revealing the rosy tint on her tan skin.

He chuckled, holding her soup up to her, motioning for her to finish her meal. Eden took it gratefully, and with a comfortable lack of talking, they finished their food, staring at the water that had darkened with nightfall.

Through the crack in the cliff, both of them watched the reflection of the moon against the rolling waves. Pleased, their ears counted every time the crash of rock and water echoed off the borders of the cove.

"I'm really happy you came through the haunted house," she thanked him, peaking over at his line of vision—it was already trained on her.

"I guess I would say the same."

"You guess?"

"I'm joking. You know I'm happy I met you, Eden."

God, she loved the way her name just pranced off his tongue. She loved a lot a things about him. Obviously, she didn't love him. It was too soon to decipher that. Though she did know the attraction she had to him wasn't like others.

His hand travelled over, wrapping around the center of her, tugging her towards him. She glided over the towel under him, her body melting when she felt his warmth. The night was cold, and still being wet was no help.

He did make it a whole lot better though. It seemed that was a talent of his.

Careful not to overstep her boundaries, she laid her head on his shoulder, his collarbone against her temple. At that moment, he could've sworn his heart skipped a few beats. She just did everything right.

Piercing into her, he watched her through the corner of his eye. Minutes and passed, the sky was completely dark, but her figure was close enough to him to where the moonlight showed her outline and the sharpest of her features.

"You're watching me," she babbled. Of course, his stare immediately darted. "Keep going, I liked it."

An idiotic smile grew on both of their faces, and she rotated so she was face to face with him, now having access to even the most minuscule details on his face.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispered, barely even audible. She could've sworn she felt herself go into cardiac arrest just at those words.

Glancing up from her eyes to her lips, he waited for an answer. Her throat caught, something that had never happened before. She struggled to answer.

"You don't even have to ask."

Granted permission, he took her face into his toned hands, connecting their lips. Their senses heightened — the ocean became louder, the wind stronger, the air saltier. The moment dilated, as did their attraction for each other.

She had never felt as content with a partner as she did with the man she had only just met. Was it wrong for her to feel like this so quickly? She didn't know what to think, but honestly, that was the least of her worries at that moment.

Her fingers interlaced to the damp waves atop his head, the dark strands still as soft as ever. Both of her legs crawled so she was now in his lap, his hands respectfully resting on her waist and back.

They separated, catching a glimpse of the sparkles waltzing in each other's eyes. A burning fire sparked in their souls, realizing that everything around them had lead to this moment. This was where the universe wanted them, and this is where they wanted the universe.

And that would have to do.

. . .

KISS SCENE!! JINKIEZ!!
notice! the! consent! i know
it is the bare minimum, but like,
asking should be normalized.

drink some water, make sure you've
eaten, and have a jazzy rest of your day.

i love you and i am proud of you<3