"Hey guys, does Tara look like she's burning? I think she's burning. I should help. I don't want a burnt girlfriend," Willow said, rushing off towards her girlfriend.
"I was wondering how long it would take her," Buffy remarked, throwing the large beach ball in her hands over to Xander.
"Yeah…Will's been staring at Tara ever since she moved to lie on her back…That bikini certainly highlights her, um, attributes," Xander answered.
Buffy looked at Anya, expecting some sort of outburst and was surprised when she just smiled at her boyfriend.
"It's okay. I understand that I'm the only one he really wants, but given that he's a man, he can't help but look when breasts are presented to him in an alluring manner…or, well, any manner. I accept this," Anya nodded, catching the ball, "However, if Willow hears you saying what you just said, I would run away and cover your manhood."
"Yeah, she can really live up to those green eyes when she wants to," Buffy interjected, "Jealous Willow, not so pretty."
"Hey, it's not my fault that Tara has big breasteses," Xander replied with a 'duh' expression.
"Okay, now I'm just offended as a woman," Buffy said, giving the boy an exasperated look.
Oblivious to the conversation going on since she had left her friends, Willow made her way over to the towel her girlfriend was lying on, sunbathing and keeping an eye on everyone's stuff. She sat on the towel beside the brunette and smiled when Tara raised her sunglasses and put them over her head, looking at the redhead.
"Hey beautiful. You finished playing with the oversized ball?"
"Yeah. You looked like you might burn and I didn't want you to burn so I came over here and anyway, throwing a plastic ball around is no fun, well, it would be fun if you were playing, 'cause anything is fun when you're there, but otherwise it's just Xander shouting at Buffy not to throw it so hard, which is funny, but again, not as fun when you're not there, 'cause you had to watch the stuff, which was very sweet and very responsible, it's why I love you really and-"
"You wanted to put sun block on me?"
"If that's okay," Willow nodded eagerly, grabbing the bottle of sun block from her beach bag.
Tara bent her arms and rested her head on top of her hands, stretching her body out.
"Please, go right ahead."
"Hell yeah," Willow said under her breath, causing a smirk from the brunette.
Willow squirted some sun block onto her hands and rubbed them over Tara's stomach, making sure to rub it in completely, before scooting down and rubbing the cream into her legs, covering every inch of flesh available.
"You are aware that you look like you're rehearsing for one of those porn films I've seen stashed under Xander's bed, right?" Anya said, walking up to the couple.
"Ahn, those are…educational aids!" Xander said, jumping from foot to foot uncomfortably.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure they 'aid' you alright," Buffy said, shaking her head, before plopping down on her own towel.
"Can we please move on?" Willow asked, taking her hands away.
"I agree," Xander said, pulling Anya down to sit beside him, "New topic."
"Like how we're starting school again on Monday?" Buffy asked.
"Eugh, no. Monday, as in three days from now, as in three days I don't have to think about homework or teachers or getting up early. Please, no talk of school," Xander shuddered.
"We could tell Willow how you were talking about Tara's chest earlier…" Anya suggested, sticking her tongue out at her boyfriend.
"You were what?!" Willow shot her head around to glare at her oldest friend.
"Wow, I am really not looking like a good guy today," Xander said, running his hand through his hair, "I have no excuse other than, I am a man and…well, that's all I have. Please don't go all jealous-monster on me. I'm sorry and I won't do it again?"
Willow looked down at Tara's chest, then back at Xander and sighed.
"Well it's not like I can blame ya. They are wonderful."
"Really?" Tara asked, sitting up and pulling a t-shirt from her bag, slipping it on, "You're both really just talking about breasts right in front of me?"
"Tara, you do have a great rack," Anya interjected.
Tara opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and chuckled.
"You know what, I love you lot way too much to stay mad. So, Xander, thanks for the attention, Willow, I am more than aware that you think they're wonderful, Anya, thanks for the compliment, and Buffy, thanks for being the only sane person here."
"Hey now, Buffy's not always sane," Willow replied, "Remember when she broke up with her last boyfriend. Going on about how being with him wasn't heaven and she wouldn't be happy with anything but heaven?"
"Oh yeah," Anya nodded, "That was really annoying."
"I don't know how to react to getting complimented then insulted in the space of three seconds," Buffy responded.
"We've got a crazy bunch of friends, Buffy," Tara said, smiling at her friend, "Just nod and smile."
"Ah, okay," Buffy agreed, nodding and smiling.
The whole group burst into laughter at the entire bizarre exchange, that in reality was quite normal for them, until Xander stood up a few moments later.
"All this hilarity is making my stomach beg for food. I'm gonna go start the barbeque."
"Oh yeah, go be your manly self," Anya teased.
"I really need guy friends," Xander mumbled moving off to the side to set the barbeque up.
"Wanna go for a walk?" Willow whispered to her girlfriend, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Sure," Tara replied, smiling.
The couple jumped up and clasped hands.
"We're just going for a walk. Don't worry," Willow said, casting a glance over to where Xander was staring at the barbeque and frowning, "We'll be back way before the barbecue's even ready."
There was a small wave from the other two girls and a grunt from Xander as the couple made their way down the beach.
"I love the way sand feels when you're walking barefoot," Willow said, kicking some sand ahead of them, "It's so…grainy."
"Well they are grains of sand…"
"Tara, you know exactly what I mean, don't tease!"
"How'd you know I know what you meant?"
Willow turned and started walking backwards in front of the brunette so she could see her, entwining both their hands.
"'Cause you always know exactly what I mean."
Tara smiled a half-smile and dug her toes into the sand.
"You're right. Very grainy. Soft and small…but when they touch you it feels like silk…and warms you to your very core."
"Are we still talking about the sand?" Willow asked, shooting Tara a look of pure love.
"Was my metaphor that thinly-veiled?"
"No…it was perfectly balanced and understandable…as far as metaphors go, it was really quite good. I can see why you do so well in English."
"Easy when you have such beauty to inspire you."
"Yeah…" Willow sighed, looking around, "Beach really is pretty."
Tara grabbed the redhead around the waist and pulled her to her.
"I meant you," she said quietly, kissing the smaller girl softly.
"I know," Willow whispered back, going in for another kiss, "C'mon, there's something I wanna show you."
Tara let herself be dragged down the beach a little more and over some sand dunes to a bunch of large rocks, being lapped at the waves. The sun was hitting both the water and rocks at such an angle that they were reflecting each other perfectly, both shimmering vibrantly.
"Wow," Tara said at the sight.
"Yeah," Willow agreed, "But, um, that's not what I wanted to show you."
Tara looked at her quizzically.
"What do you wanna show me?"
Willow nodded towards the end of the rock formation and walked them both over there, sitting down in the sand and patting a space beside her for Tara to sit too. The brunette obligingly sat, joining their hands again.
"Look at that rock there. The big one with the pointy bit on top," Willow said, pointing at the rock right in front of them.
Tara looked at the rock, trying to decipher how it was different from all the others surrounding it, until a slight blur caught her eye in the side of the rock. She moved closer and widened her eyes in surprise at what she saw.
"W + T 4ever," she read aloud, "You carved us into a rock?"
"Look at the date."
Tara looked under the engraving to see some numbers engraved as well.
"09/14…September 14th?" she asked in confusion, sitting the other side of her girlfriend so she could see both the engraving and the redhead with just a tilt of her head, "But…we didn't meet 'til October. And it's only August now."
"The second week of school last year… I, um, noticed you in Gym for the first time. And you just…you blew me away. I couldn't get you out of my head, even though I hadn't spoken to you or anything…I just felt…I don't even know what I felt, 'cause I'd never felt it before. Then I spotted you in Bio and I heard you say 'yes' when Tara Maclay was called from the register…and your name…it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard…probably all seems stupid, being so infatuated when I couldn't even get the courage to say hello to you…but I was…you were holding my heart and you didn't even know it…so anyway, that weekend, me and Buffy, and Xander and Anya came to the beach. And I snuck off for a little while, just to think. And I sat pretty much in the same spot you're sitting in now…and I saw a piece of glass in the sand. So I picked it up and before I even realised I was doing it, there were our initials…and…I was telling the world I wanted you to be my always. You know, a part of the earth…forever."
Tara was struck dumb from the speech and felt a tear start to roll down her cheek. Willow caught the tear with her thumb and wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist.
"Baby, don't cry."
"Willow, I have no idea what to say."
"Then don't say anything," Willow whispered, "And kiss me."
Tara turned her head and brought their lips together passionately, trying to convey all the love she had for the smaller girl through the kiss. They stayed kissing until they both pulled away for air and Willow manoeuvred herself to sit in between her girlfriend's legs, feeling the brunette rest her chin on her head and entwining both their hands.
"Wow," Willow said after a few minutes.
"What?"
Willow turned her head around to meet Tara's eye and smiled.
"The sun is shining, I've got my girl and we've got our senior year ahead of us…it just doesn't get any better than this."