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Rachel was perched at a table she and Eddie had chosen, the closest one to the beach itself. Pushing her sunglasses up so that stray hairs were no longer an issue, Rachel watched on as Eddie made an attempt to speak Spanish. She had studied it alongside French at school, which seemed an awfully long time ago now. Previously to Eddie's current antics, Rachel had offered to order their food, she was sure remnants of the language were present in her brain. Eddie though, had been determined, said it couldn't be 'that hard.' Now witnessing this the baffled expression play across the waiter's features, Rachel giggled to herself and considered that she most definitely would have had a better chance.
After several more moments of misunderstood conversation between the two men, and countless attempts on Rachel's behalf to not break out into a fit of laughter, Eddie returned from his stance by the bar.
"How would you rate your Spanish on a scale of one to ten?" Rachel teased, finding the situation even more amusing after seeing a faint blush creep up Eddie's neck, and hearing an embarrassed huff escape his lips.
"Very funny Mason, would have liked to have seen you do a better job," he quipped back, banter bouncing to and from the couple now enjoying their refreshing drinks.
"Hmm well I did offer. How about I order the ice creams later? Make it a fair judgement."
"Can't wait for you to prove yourself wrong," Eddie grinned in delight, maintaining eye contact with Rachel throughout their whole exchange.
Somehow, Eddie only just noticed the way the sun caused Rachel's eyes to glisten tremendously, or how she was already radiantly glowing from the effects of it. Once he did observe it however, it was hard to break away from her features. Eddie was mesmerised by Rachel, and only when she spoke did he realise just how long he'd been staring for.
"Did I not rub my sun cream in or something?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side slightly as a way of indicating her teasing.
"Something like that. You do look amazing though."
Now it was Rachel's turn to blush, both her neck and cheeks transforming into a deep crimson at Eddie's words.
Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, Rachel stretched her hand across the table to meet his. Rachel was more than grateful for moments like this, she reckoned that's what would make this holiday so special.
Simultaneous to their contact, a different waiter came over with their food. Despite the miscommunication, and to Rachel's surprise, the orders were completely right. The couple prolonged their hand holding just a little longer, before hunger took over. They broke apart in reluctance, taking comfort in the fact that contact would be resumed later.
...
An hour or so afterwards, Rachel and Eddie were sprawled out on towels near the water's edge, both adults soaking up the afternoon sun. Putting her book to one side, Rachel draped an arm across Eddie's stomach to help shift herself closer to him. Immediately Eddie responded, wrapping an arm securely around her waist.
"This is nice," Rachel murmured against Eddie's neck.
"Mhmm," he agreed, content and relaxation evident in his tone.
"It's rather warm though," she stated, sitting up slightly. Unbeknown to Rachel, Eddie responded with a nod, so she continued, "oh I've got the perfect solution."
Eddie opened one eye, recognising the glint of mischief in Rachel's voice.
"And what would that be?" He queried, now sitting up to be level with his other half.
"Well, earlier, you did say you'd hold me to a swim. Now seems like the perfect opportunity."
"I have to say, the sea does look inviting," Eddie remarked, stealing a glance at the shimmering turquoise waters.
With one last smile exchanged, the pair stood and began to make their way to the water. A brief thought had crossed Rachel's mind about leaving the bag unoccupied; but the beach was far quieter now, and their belongings could still be seen from the water. Hand in hand with one another, they reached wetter sand, and it proved a refreshing contrast from the heated grains further up the bay.
Rachel ran ahead slightly, turning around once the waves were gently splashing against her ankles.
Before following in her footsteps, Eddie took a moment to appreciate how beautiful Rachel looked in her choice of swimming attire. The two piece costume accentuated all of his much loved features perfectly.
Sensing an opportunity as Rachel turned her back once more, Eddie made his way into the sea. Satisfied that she was unaware of his presence, Eddie reached out to tickle Rachel's waist; a spot he knew to be particularly sensitive. She let out a squeal, but before long it was made clear he wasn't the only one with a trick up his sleeve.
Just as Eddie was about to proceed with his form of torture, Rachel spun around, splashing a vast amount of water in his direction.
"Oh really? A water fight? In the sea, how convenient," Eddie chuckled, about to retaliate but unable to draw his gaze away from her lips.
It seemed that once again, they shared the same thought process. Eddie watched as Rachel's own stare shifted from his eyes to his lips, and back. Unable to resist having noticed this, Eddie placed his hand on her waist, immediately feeling the effects of her warm skin in his palm.
Rachel beat Eddie to his next movement, leaning forward slightly to put into practice what had been crossing both their minds in recent seconds. The location made their kiss all the more magical, and Rachel couldn't help but make parallels between this exchange and their first ever kiss at the bowling alley. Upon pulling away, Rachel was delighted to see that Eddie's grin matched her own perfectly.
"I love you Rach," Eddie commented, in turn bringing a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I love you too. Now come on, are we going for this swim?"
...
Having effectively cooled down following their dip in the water, Rachel and Eddie emerged from the sea. As they were rolling up their towels, Rachel remembered an earlier suggestion made by herself.
"Fancy getting an ice cream on the way back up?"
"Ice cream yes, although I'm not too sure about your Spanish speaking skills."
Rachel couldn't help but giggle at how quickly he made the association.
"Don't underestimate me. You do remember that night bowling don't you? Told me I would need the help, when it was you who was in fact rubbish," bouts of laughter emanated from her lips once more, upon watching Eddie's mouth gape open into the perfect O.
"Your foot was definitely over that line though."
"You'd better not be calling me a liar, again."
"I guess it's just a night that I want to remember."
Giggles having subsided, Rachel settled for a tender kiss on Eddie's cheek. It seemed that the promise of ice cream was just enough to stop them from going further.
Having reached a nearby kiosk, Rachel began to open the rucksack in search of her purse, which was met by a puzzled look from Eddie.
"My treat Eddie, you paid for lunch."
He was about to protest in response, but Rachel had already approached the server. Eddie kind of decided that he would just have to make it up to her later.
Taking his place next to Rachel, he readied himself to compare her Spanish to his own. Eddie had sort of already gathered that it was going to be word for word perfect, everything about Rachel generally followed that gist. Despite this though, it still came as a shock when the young woman behind the checkout understood her word for word.
Euros handed over, the pair made their way to a bench located on the path running adjacent to the beach. Of course on the way, Rachel expressed her victory.
"Didn't need any fouls for that one," she joked, placing a hand on his chest.
"Ohhh so now you're admitting that bowling foul."
"I said nothing of the sort Lawson."
Once sat down, Eddie decided to broach a different subject.
"How about we go out for a meal tonight?"
Rachel grinned and stole a lick of his ice cream before responding, "I'd love to."
"What are you doing nicking my ice cream anyway, you've got your own!" Eddie chuckled, allowing both his happiness at Rachel's agreement and her gesture to wash over him.
"Think I prefer yours," Rachel replied, pulling Eddie's neck forward into a contented kiss.
All remnants of ice cream on lips forgotten, the pair broke apart and returned their attention to their remaining cones. As Eddie draped an arm across Rachel's shoulders; both parties allowed their minds to fill with thoughts of the evening ahead and what it would bring.