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You’ve always been fond of dusk, the warm weather cools from the lasting heat of the afternoon and beautiful colors mix in the sky, giving everything an almost ethereal glow. However, as you look on at Elliott, you’re quick to realize no sunset could compare to the sight before you.
(And Elliott is supposed to be the poetic sappy one, you muse to yourself.)
You’re both sitting on the warm sand of the beach. Your legs are pulled up against your chest, with your arms crossed and settled atop your knees. Elliott seems to be lost in thought, gazing down at the semi filled in pages of his notebooks, tapping the end of his pen rhythmically against his lips. Some of his hair is tucked behind one ear, while the rest sweeps past his shoulders in thick waves. You can’t help but stare as a breeze rolls in from the ocean, gently jostling his hair about. The sun is slowly setting in the sky, casting gentle beams of light across the beach. Elliott’s face is soft in this lighting, pale yellows and pinks bouncing off the ocean and reflecting onto his features. His eyes positively sparkle, shining bright despite the slowly fading light.
Elliott presses his pen to his lips one last time before carefully setting his pen down in between the pages of his notebook, and reaches up to retuck some hair behind his ear. Your eyes follow the movement, mesmerized by how his hair flows in waves, cascading down his back and across one shoulder.
You return your gaze back to Elliott’s face, and are quite startled when you find him looking right back at you. How long has he been looking at you? Did he notice how long you’ve been staring at him? You avert your gaze as quickly as possible, turning your attention to the ocean in front of you, feeling heat rush to your face. You can almost feel his gaze still settled on you, and you bite your lower lip, trying to quench down your embarrassment.
To your side, Elliott hums a quiet inquiry, a silent question. Hesitantly, you look back at him over your shoulder, and find him with a curious look across his features.
“It’s nothing.” You shake your head for emphasis, however Elliott doesn’t seem to buy it. His eyebrows knit together and he reaches up to skim his fingers across his jawline.
“Perhaps, is there something on my face?” He asks, and you almost reply with Yeah, gorgeous is on your face. However you bite your tongue and shake your head back and forth once more.
“Nope! Promise.”
His face scrunches up slightly, but he drops the question and turns back to his writings. Cute, you think. You let out a sigh and rest your head against your crossed arms, and resume looking towards him. You study his features, the slight tilt of his nose, the sharpness of his jawline and the curve of his lips. His eyelashes are surprisingly long, they curl up and cast small shadows across his eyes. You watch him pick back up his pen and quickly jot down another sentence before recapping it and tapping it against the paper.
You take a deep breath and silently try to gain some courage. You look back towards the ocean, watch as the sunlight catches and reflects on the water.
“It’s just…” You start up, and he turns his attention back towards you with a tilt of his head, “I think you’re… very beautiful.” Your words are hesitant and quiet, and you squeeze your hands down on your forearms, heart already picking up pace in your chest; embarrassment settling heavily over you. You hazard a glance at Elliott, and something catches in your throat at the expression on his face.
Elliott’s face have turned a dusty rose, his eyebrows pressing up into his hairline. His lips are parted in a silent gasp, and one of his hands hang loosely in the air, his pen dropped and settled on the sand between the two of you, while the other grips tightly onto his notebook. If you weren’t immediately freaking out that you actually said that to him, you would take a moment to appreciate how nice a blush looks on him.
You cover your burning face with your hands and squeeze your eyes shut, heart thundering against your rib cage.
“A-ah! I mean, well- you see-”
Elliott makes a noise beside you, a cross between choking and coughing, interrupting your stammering. You take a peek at him from between your fingers. He has his own hand pressed up against his mouth, his eyes turned away from you, darting around your surroundings. The fact that he looks so utterly cute flustered is currently outweighing the regret and embarrassment you feel. You lower your hands from your face and watch the water come in to the shore, leaving the sand darker and wet from its wake. The evening air is cool against your burning face.
“S-sorry, I shouldn’t have, um..” Your hands fidget in your lap, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, sorry, Elliott.”
“No, no!” Elliott starts up, his hand reaches out and delicately touches your shoulder for a brief moment before quickly retreating. Goosebumps trail down your arm.
“My apologies, I was caught rather off guard.. I, ah..” He clears his throat, his eyes finally meeting yours once again, “Thank you. For the compliment.”
“N-no problem.”
Both of you stare out at the large body of water ahead of you, ignoring the awkwardness that begins to settle on top of you. You sigh, chest tight, and press your hands against the sand of the beach.
Elliott clears his throat once more and you feel the sand shift against your hand, as though he placed his hand down next to yours.
“I think you’re... quite breathtaking yourself.” He mutters, the words almost swept away by the ocean breeze. It feels as though the air has been stolen from your lungs, your face is set aflame for what feels like the hundredth time that evening. Elliott isn’t looking at you, his head turned away and toward the side of the beach, but you can spot the flush that’s spread across his face and ears. His hand shifts closer to yours and sparks ignite where his pinkie presses and curls around yours. You can’t help the smile that graces your lips.
Yeah, you think, dazed, He’s much better than a sunset.