Decadence
[ saiki/teruhashi ; 300 words ; prompt: sandy ]
Sounds.
The breaking waves booming.
Driftwood twisting in the water before finally landing on shore.
Feet curling in the gold sand.
Chattering strangers. And chattering nonstrangers, best known as nuisances.
The voices...
The voices, they drowned out anything pleasant that Saiki wanted to hear. He lay on his patternless beach towel, the cotton fabric caressing his bare back. An umbrella perched nearby shaded his face, and he could not imagine a life where he could safely remove the cheap fake glasses from his face and absorb the view before him without everything tinted green.
Things weren't all bad. He could laze around, alone, as his classmates splashed in the ocean and devised ways to compete with each other. They didn't seem to notice him missing, or another who made Saiki smile as she endured the hustling crowds overbearing the boardwalk to the north—just to find a cafe that served his favorite dessert.
Teruhashi's pace slowed as she reached the beach proper and Saiki was a mere few feet away from her. She rehearsed a fake story under her breath to justify why only he was receiving such special treatment. There was a buy one get one free deal, or the staff got her order wrong and let her keep it as compensation, or...
In the end, she froze and decided it was acceptable to let her action speak for itself. Saiki appreciated the honesty, perhaps more than the coffee jelly itself. But even from the to-go container, and slightly melted from the heat, the dessert tasted as decadent as ever. Saiki delighted in every bite, his eyes closed but his mind aware of Teruhashi's unmoving gaze as she claimed the spot next to him. She cradled her knees, silent, smiling.
He reminded himself that no, things weren't all bad.