Chapter 3 – Cole-Past
Chapter Three
ANCHORED IN SAND
COLE-PAST
The wind felt good as it ruffled my hair, and the air smelled like saltwater and sunscreen. There was something nostalgic about it. Something that reminded me of long-lost summers, of bare feet and late-night bonfires. Of being young and not knowing what the hell that meant yet.
The bright blue sky is dotted with a few lazy clouds and the sun beats warm on my skin. Everything seems to be in perfect balance. Like nature itself took it easy for once.
It’s a perfect beach day. The sun’s out, the water looks good, and everything feels slow in the best way. But for me, today isn’t just perfect because of the beach, though it’s certainly a bonus.
It’s perfect because of her.
I spot Kenna from a distance, standing on the sand with a blanket spread out in front of her.
She is bent over, working fast, like she had some sort of mission.
I can’t see exactly what she’s doing yet, but I can already tell she’s focused.
Her energy, her spark, is unmistakable. It’s the same energy that makes her one of the most captivating people I’ve ever met.
Like the sun moves closer to Earth when she smiles, and the tide knows her name.
It’s not just the way she moves. It’s the intention in everything she does.
Even setting up a picnic blanket is a tiny act of magic.
She tucks the corners down into the sand like she’s anchoring something more than fabric.
Like she’s claiming a piece of the world for us to exist in, away from everything else.
As I jog closer, I can see the way her hair falls around her shoulders, the way she moves with purpose and grace.
She whips around, and when she sees me, that familiar glow takes over her face.
Her eyes, a gentle green I still can’t quite get used to, light up, it’s a look that makes my heart skip a beat every single time.
I love that about her—how she looks at me like I am the most important thing in the world. It makes me feel...something I am not used to feeling. Something good. Like I matter. Like I belong.
“Kenna!” I call out to her, my voice barely rising above the sound of the waves.
She whips around, and when she sees me, that familiar glow takes over her face—those bright eyes lighting up, the look that makes my heart skip a beat every single time. It’s like I’m the only one she sees in that moment, like everything else fades away, and it’s just us.
“Hey!” she calls out, her voice light and teasing. “You’re late. I was thinking you’d leave me here to enjoy the view by myself.”
I let out a chuckle, shaking my head, already knowing how this was going to go.
“I wouldn’t leave you stranded here. But I might need a little more convincing to enjoy all this,” I say, gesturing to the picnic set up in front of her.
The blanket is lined with snacks, drinks, and a few things that look way too good for a regular beach day.
She smiles at me, all confident and cute, like she knows exactly what she is doing. “Well, I brought us a picnic. But there’s one catch,” she says, her tone suddenly serious.
I raise an eyebrow, already suspicious. “What’s the catch?”
Her eyes sparkle like she’s got some kind of secret weapon. She points at the thermos sitting on the blanket. “I brought iced tea. And you’re going to try it.”
I make a face at the very mention of it. I’ve never been a fan of iced tea. It just tastes…wrong. “Ice tea? That stuff’s gross, Kenna.”
Kenna doesn’t even flinch. Instead, she shoots me a look—a look that makes me think she is planning something. “Oh, no. You’re going to like it. I’ll make it my mission.”
I almost laugh, but there is that playful glint in her eyes, and I know she isn’t backing down. “You can’t be serious. I’ve tried it before. Nothing is going to change the fact that it tastes like...dirty water.”
“Cole!” She swats at me, feigning offense. “You’re being dramatic. It’s refreshing! Just try it. One sip.”
“I’m serious, Kenna. It’s gross,” I say, trying to stand my ground.
But she isn’t having it. “Fine. But if you don’t try it, I’m not letting you have any of the sandwiches.”
Now she has my attention. “You’re gonna hold food hostage?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “You really think that’s gonna work?”
“Oh, I know it’ll work,” she says, smiling like she has won already. That little smirk—yeah, I’d probably do just about anything to keep seeing that.
I shake my head, half laughing. “You’re impossible.”
Kenna pours me a glass of the iced tea anyway. I look at it. The pale amber liquid swirls in the cup, and I can’t help but cringe. She is definitely enjoying herself too much.
I take the glass from her reluctantly and stare at it for a moment. She is watching me like I am about to do something heroic. Her eyes are locked on mine, like this silly sip of tea means something more than she’s letting on.
I roll my eyes, lift the glass to my lips, and take a sip.
The first thing that hits me is how cold it is—too cold, like it has been sitting in a freezer.
The second thing is the taste, which...well, isn’t as bad as I remember.
It doesn’t taste like dirt, but it isn’t something I’d choose for fun.
Still, I can tell Kenna is waiting for my reaction, like this is a test.
I sigh. “Okay, fine. It’s…it’s not awful.”
Kenna’s face lights up, like she has just won a major victory. “See? I knew you could be converted.”
“Don’t get too excited,” I mutter, setting the glass down and taking a sandwich from the spread. “I’m not saying I love it. But I guess I can live with it.”
She laughs, a bright sound that always seems to lift the air around us.
It’s a laugh that makes everything feel a little lighter, like the weight of the world disappears for a second, and all that’s left is her, in front of me.
That laugh is dangerous. It’s a sound that makes you forget you’ve been hurt before.
We fall into an easy rhythm after that, passing snacks back and forth, dipping our toes in the warm sand, pointing out strange clouds and pretending they’re something else. It’s a day where nothing extraordinary happens.
We eat, chatting casually about life, school, and everything in between.
Eventually, the conversation shifts to the upcoming school year.
It feels strange since we’ll both be going back to class soon, together this time.
We’ve known each other forever, but now.
..things are different. We’re not just friends anymore, and no one knows about us yet. No one knows we’re dating.
“I’m kind of nervous about what people are going to say when they find out,” Kenna says, her voice quieter than usual. She picks at a strawberry, avoiding my gaze.
I shrug, trying to sound casual. “I don’t care,” I say, my voice steady. “People can think whatever they want. What matters is how I feel about you.”
She looks up at me then, and I see the soft flicker of relief in her eyes.
There’s something so raw, so open about her gaze.
It makes me feel like I’m seeing her in a way no one else does, like I’m allowed to know the real Kenna, the one who doesn’t always show her insecurities. It’s a look I don’t take lightly.
I’ve seen the fearless version of her—the fighter, the dreamer, the girl who makes plans like the future is hers for the taking. But this version? The one who’s scared and quiet and still trusts me? That’s the one I’d fight for, every time.
Before I can say anything else, Kenna blinks rapidly and shakes her head, like she’s trying to push back whatever emotions are threatening to spill over. It’s a look I’m all too familiar with—the one that says she’s fighting to keep it all together.
Without thinking, I pull her close, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
She gasps softly in surprise, and then her breath steadies against me as I feel her relax into my side.
Her head rests on my chest, and I’m lost in the rhythm of her breathing.
The sound of the waves crashing in the distance is the only noise around us, and it’s the perfect quiet, the kind that feels like the world has stopped moving just for us.
“I don’t care what anyone says,” I whisper, my voice barely above a breath. “I don’t care about anything but you.”
Kenna’s breath catches in her throat, and I felt her smile against me, that soft, shaky smile that makes my heart ache.
She snuggles closer, and for a moment, I forget about everything—about school, about our friends, about all the pressures that come with being teenagers.
In this moment, it’s just me and her, and that’s all that matters.
We stay like that longer than I expect—until the breeze shifts cooler and gooseflesh rises on her arms. But she doesn’t move, and neither do I. Her hand rests over my heart almost as though she’s trying to memorize the beat.
She pulls back slightly, looking up at me with those bright, wide eyes. “My birthday’s coming up,” she says softly. “You better not get me anything. But I wanted to bring it up to ask you to come to my birthday dinner with my family.”
I blink. For a moment, I am not sure I heard her right. Her family? Kenna hasn’t invited me into that world before.
I smile, knowing that I have already figured it out. “I already got you something.”
Her brow furrows in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah,” I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small box.
“I got you an art set. You’ve been talking about wanting to experiment more with your painting.
And—” I pause, glancing at her with a smirk, “I got you a bracelet, too. With our initials on it. So you’ll always have a piece of me with you. ”
Kenna’s eyes soften, and she pulls a hand to her chest. “Cole...that’s so sweet. You really didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” I reply. There is something in her eyes when I say it. Something that tells me this moment is going to stick. I will remember the way she is looking at me forever. “Still, is there anything else you want? Anything you haven’t told me about?”
She shakes her head, clearly overwhelmed in the best way. “You’ve already done enough. Really.”
We finish packing up the blanket, and as we walk back toward her house, our fingers brush together, and I can’t help but feel the connection between us.
It’s like the pull has always been there, like it’s always been this way.
Everything feels...right. And as the sun dips lower, casting long shadows and bathing the world in golden light, I realize that this moment, with her by my side, is everything I could’ve asked for.
We pass by the local market, and something inside me clicks. I stop suddenly, making Kenna look at me with a confused expression.
“What’s up?” she asks, eyes narrowing slightly.
“I need to grab something,” I say, already walking toward the door of the market.
Kenna looks at me, confused. “What are you doing?”
“Just wait here,” I say with a grin. “I’ll be right back.”
Inside, I pick out a small bouquet of hibiscus—Kenna’s favorite flowers. The bright colors stand out against the duller shades in the store. They’re delicate but bold, like her.
When I return, her face lights up, that radiant smile spreading across her face.
“You really are something, Cole,” she says, her voice quiet, but full of gratitude.
She reaches out to take the flowers. Instead of hugging them to her chest like I expect her to, she throws her arms around me. I am momentarily surprised—but only for a second. I hold her tight, wondering how I got so lucky. How a girl like her could believe in a guy like me.
And as we walk home with the sun setting behind us, I can’t help but feel that, for once, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.
Right now, it feels like one of those days you don’t realize is perfect until it’s already behind you. A snapshot moment, frozen in time.
Later that night, after I drop her off and say goodbye, I stay parked outside her house for a few minutes. I watch her silhouette behind the curtain of her room. She’s humming. Painting. Existing. And I’m just sitting in it, the feeling of us.
I don’t know it yet, but this day on the beach is one of the last truly simple ones we’ll have. Before the distance. Before the silence. Before everything shifts.
If I could see what’s coming...maybe I’d hold her hand a little tighter. Stay a little longer. Say a little more.