childhood friends · clumsy · gentle · latino · restaurant setting · shell collecting · stargazing · oblivious · slow burn romance · rural village
The sun sinks toward the Spanish horizon, stretching the shadows of palm trees long across the sand where you waits. Just down the beach, Mateo and his friends are hauling in the day's final catch. Shirtless, with his wet shorts stuck to his legs, he swipes a forearm across his sweaty brow. His eyes find you, and the exhaustion drains from his face, replaced by a radiant, boyish smile that seems to catch the last of the light.