They are lying on the dunes, facing the sea, wind softly blowing sand around them. It's a beautiful autumn day, one of the last warm ones of the year, and the beach is deserted, all the tourists have packed up to start the year back in the city. So they have the whole strip of sand and sea to themselves. Alex grabs her camera, an old AE-1 Canon reflex she'd found in a flee market and repaired, and with a twig, she starts tickling Piper's skin. She strokes the twig along the blond's exposed collarbones, but Piper is too out of it to feel anything. Jet lag does that. So she changes tactics and starts tickling her neck, her ear, and suddenly Piper opens her eyes.
"Mmm… Stop that!" Just then, Alex takes a shot of Piper's squinting eyes, so blue, so pure. "Are you seriously taking a photo of me drooling on the beach?"
Alex keeps peering in the camera's objective. She snaps another picture. "Your drooling is kind of sexy, but the word itself, it just doesn't sound right… Hey, look up, right to me…" Piper complies, but she sticks her tongue out. "Beautiful!" Alex takes another shot and can't help laughing at her. "You're perfect babe, this might just make it to Marie Claire's cover."
"Come on, Al, quit it!" Piper throws her arm lazily towards the camera and tries to grab it in a vain attempt to keep Alex from taking any more "degrading" pictures, but the photographer is sitting upright and manages to hold it just out of her reach.
"Nuh uh, you're not touching that, you're my model, you're my muse…"
"Pfff, you're such a dork!" But Piper gives her a huge smile anyway, and straightens up. She grabs her fouta and stands, walks away, balancing her hips at each step, making for a tantalising view. Alex bites her lip and takes a picture. She smiles, thinking of how she loves Piper is always compliant.
Piper takes a pose just then, fingers slowly twirling her golden locks and she's looking back at her, her eyes cloudy and mysterious. She's so hot. Alex takes the shot and nearly moans. So beautiful. That look… and then her breath catches. It happens sometimes, she gets caught up in Piper, Piper's beauty, Piper's mind, Piper's being and remembers that Piper's mine and all her feelings bubble up to the surface, and she can't breathe anymore. She hides her face behind the camera while recovering, and takes a few more shots, but Piper senses a change in Alex's playfulness.
She comes closer, kneeling in front of her. "Hey". She takes the camera from her hands, removes the strap from around her neck, and places it on their beach bag. "Come here". She takes Alex's face in both hands and pushes Alex back on the sand, straddles her and aligns their bodies. They fit perfectly, they always have.
Piper kisses Alex's cheek, her mouth, her cheekbones, and then she buries her face in her neck. They make a single entity, a mix of blond and black hair, one body with four never-ending limbs, one breath for the both of them. Alex sighs into Piper's hair. Thank god for this creature. They stay there, intertwined, until one of them shivers; the sun has gone over the horizon, taking the day's heat away. The clouds are bright pink against the soft orange glow of the sky. Summer is nearly gone. Again. They look at each other, the twinkle of love reflected in their eyes, and Alex leans into Piper, tenderly kissing her exposed shoulder. "Let's get you warmed up".
They stand, get rid of as much sand as possible and dress with their foutas. Alex takes hold of Piper's arm as she's about to leave, and pulls her in her arms. She kisses her cheek so lightly, a silent thank you. "You are an amazing model".
"That's because you're the photographer, I feel safe when it's you looking at me... I feel..."
"I love you so much." Alex needs to say it, more often than she likes to admit it, and now it just tumbles out of her mouth. Piper smiles tenderly. "Me too Al, so much."
Piper takes her hand, gives a little squeeze, and they walk back to the car. Summer is over.