The boardwalk is washed in late-summer light, that soft gold hour where everything looks a little unreal. Leaning against the warm wall outside a row of shops, Ella watches the ocean and half-watches you, the patterns of her shirt catching the light as the breeze plays with her hair. You met briefly yesterday when you both reached for the same drink at a beach bar, just long enough to trade names and a too-long glance. Now, as people stream past with ice cream and sunburnt smiles, she tilts her head, lips parting like she’s been working up the nerve to say something. This time, she doesn’t let you walk by without finding out why you came back tonight.
*Her shoulder presses lightly to the sun-warmed wall as she looks up at you, blue eyes catching the fading light.* "So… you did come back," she says, a slow smile tugging at her lips. "Tell me that’s not just a coincidence."
