18. Ethan
Chapter eighteen
Ethan
I shouldn’t be surprised that our sandcastle draws a crowd, but the way people stop to admire it still makes me grin.
Ami and I hang back, watching strangers point out the carved windows, the perfect towers, the ridiculous moat we somehow pulled off in record time.
Even I can’t quite believe we made something this good in just a few hours.
It’s not just the best sandcastle I’ve ever built—it’s the best we’ve ever built.
But then again, when Ami and I team up, the odds don’t stand a chance.
It’s strange—how you can know someone for years and still miss the quiet ways they matter to you.
For the longest time, Ami was the stubborn, sharp-tongued girl who blew into town each summer and made it her personal mission to drive me nuts.
Now she’s... breathtaking. Inspiring. The kind of woman who makes my heart trip over itself without even trying.
Compliments keep rolling in, and Ami takes each one with a smile that could light up the whole shoreline. “Looks like we’ve peaked,” I say as we step away from the judges’ table. “No point in ever trying again. Retire now while we’re ahead.”
She snorts. “Peaked? Please. You know I carried this whole build.” I glance at her. “You carried the buckets. That’s not the same thing as carrying the team.”
“Without water, your precious moat would be a sad ditch.” She smirks, chin tipped up in mock defiance.
“And without my architectural genius, your water would’ve been puddles in the sand.”
We’re still bickering when we spot two kids glaring at each other over their lopsided castle. Ami’s laughter bursts out bright and easy, and I can’t help joining, it’s like watching our younger selves in miniature.
By the time the sun begins to sink, the crowd thins, leaving only the hush of waves and the soft cries of gulls. We walk barefoot along the waterline, the cool tide curling over our feet, until we drop down where the surf just kisses the sand.
“That was fun,” Ami says, brushing a bit of seaweed off her knee.
“It was,” I agree, watching her instead of the horizon. “Even if your moat skills are overrated.”
Her mouth falls open in fake outrage. “Overrated? You’re lucky I don’t push you into the water right now.”
I grin. “If it means you’ll jump in after me, I’ll take my chances.”
Her cheeks flush, and for a moment she just looks at me, her hair tumbling loose in the sea breeze.
That playful spark in her eyes softens into something else—something that makes my pulse trip over itself.
Somewhere along the way, she stopped being just a part of my summers and became the part I can’t imagine losing.
I’m still caught up in her when she turns and catches me staring. No point in looking away—I’m caught.
Her gaze flickers to my mouth, and my heartbeat kicks into overdrive. I want to close the distance, but I hold still. If she wants this, I want her to choose it.
And then, she does.
She leans in, slow enough to make me dizzy, and when her lips meet mine, the world falls away. Her kiss is soft, searching, almost reverent, and I let her set the pace. My hands slide into her hair, holding her like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this—because maybe I have.
When we break apart, our foreheads rest together, breaths mingling in the salt air. I’m bracing for her to call it a mistake, but instead, she says softly, “I really like you, Ethan.”
I kiss her again before she can doubt it.
When I pull back, I murmur, “Does that feel like a kiss from someone who doesn’t like you back?” Her eyes widen, and I don’t give her a chance to answer. “Ami, I think about you all the time. You make me happier than I’ve ever been, and ‘like’ doesn’t even come close. You’ve become… everything.”
“Really?” she whispers.
“Really.”
Her smile is like sunlight breaking through clouds. “Me too, Ethan. You make me so happy.” We sit there until the sun melts into the horizon, wrapped up in each other, the waves at our feet, and the kind of perfect moment you don’t realize you’ve been waiting for until it’s yours.