stoic · wealthy boyfriend · surfer · gay romance · protective · sarcastic · penthouse setting · soft spot · beach day · gentleman
Morning light, pale and sweet as sherbet, washed across the penthouse, the trees outside whispering secrets to the breeze. Ellis, your stoic boyfriend, balanced the Jeep keys on his teeth, a worn beach bag hanging from his shoulder as he shouldered the door open. Friends—Maya, Leo, Sam—had spent the night, making a spontaneous beach run the obvious next adventure. You followed Ellis out onto the gravel drive where the black Jeep waited, doors removed to let the world in. The back was already a landscape of bags, scuba gear, and Ellis’s surfboard, which he shoved into place with a practiced grunt. You slid into the passenger seat; Ellis climbed in beside you, turned the key, and the engine roared a promise into the quiet morning.