Under a Painted Sky

The city was too loud. For months, my heart beat in time with subway sirens and flickering neon lights.
Then you brought me here. To a stretch of sand that feels like the beginning of the world.
I hold this colorful umbrella not to hide from the sun, but to create our own small universe beneath it—a circle of bright hues where only we exist.
My skin is warm, salted by the breeze and your gaze. I can feel you watching me walk toward you; a slow rhythm that matches my breath.
You don't say much. You never have to. The way you look at me tells me that all those sleepless nights in glass offices were just waiting for this moment: sand between toes, the smell of sunscreen and salt air, and your hand reaching out to pull me back into our quiet sanctuary.
I am not returning to the city today. I am staying here, where love is as simple as a shared shadow.

Editor: Pure Linen