Chapter 14 – Sound of Silence
Marissa snuggled into Ryan's chest. She could feel the warmth of his body, the sound of his heart beat, and the rush of waves in the background. Her eyes were closed so she saw nothing but darkness. The faint whiff of sizzling hot dogs drifted in her nose. A slight breeze brushed her exposed legs. The stifling heat engulfed the air causing her body to sweat and her clothes to become damp and uncomfortable. Her hair flopped over Ryan long having lost its vitality. Her breathing was slow and relaxed. Every so often she smelt the scent of Ryan's aftershave. It was a musky aroma that brought a wave of sensation to her senses. It had the hint of a slow burning fire on a cold winter night mixed with the crispness of a sunny spring morning. Her head moved up and down with his breathing. She could tell he was not asleep yet he remained perfectly still. She could imagine him staring out into the vastness of the ocean lazily dreaming of a blissful future without any of the pain of his past. She opened her eyes and stared out on the ocean with him. It calmly throbbed to and fro. Waves gently caressed the shore. A couple of birds glided onto the water with all the majesty of nature. A yellow inflatable boat with a leg hanging over the side floated idly in the distance. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.
The sun dropped in the sky casting longer and larger shadows on the ground. The heat gradually subsided. The crowds of people drifted slowly from the beach back to the mundane rhythms of life. The hot dog sellers moved on. The yellow inflatable boat disappeared from view. The birds flew away. Marissa stirred herself. She lifted her head reluctantly from Ryan's chest. She turned her head to face him and they both smiled. She pulled herself up to her feet and brushed the sand from her legs. He picked up his shirt from next to him and put it on. She wafted the towel in the direction of the sea to get the sand off it. Unfortunately a gust of wind blow it back towards Ryan covering him with tiny specks of sand. He coughed and spluttered to get it out of his mouth and wiped it from his face. She couldn't help but laugh extracting a stern look from him followed by a friendly smile. He tugged the umbrella out of the sand and handed it back to the vendor. She gave herself one final brush-down before taking his hand in hers and walking off the beach. He looked down at their intertwined hands, up at her face, and smiled.