Eliot was a man of few words. He preferred to show how he felt, so he knelt down and drew a heart in the wet sand.
He watched his lover walk toward him laughing as he tossed crumbs to the hovering sea gulls.
The sight made Eliot smile. It was a rare thing to hear Nate Ford laugh.
"What are you smiling at?" Nate asked when he got closer.
"You."
"Oh?"
"It's been awhile since I heard you laugh."
"Is that why you drew that dopey heart in the sand?"
"Maybe." Eliot pulled Nate close and kissed him. "Maybe not."