Chapter 46
Super moon
"Whoa!"Graygasped.Asthey exited the tree line, he stopped short, staring in awe.The moon was enormous, hanging low in the sky, so close it felt like he could reach out and brush his fingers against its glowing surface.
"Riley, have we travelled to another world?"He turned to her, eyes wide as he grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest.
"How has the moon landed in the ocean?"It was true; it seemed to sit on the very edge of the horizon.Where the sky met the ocean, its reflection rippled across the water in a shimmering silver path.
"It's a super-moon," Riley explained, smiling at his wonder."They happen only a few times a year, and because they cause higher tides, this is one of the few beaches that the tide won't completely cover tonight."
She had known this would be perfect.Usually, she spent these moonlit nights with Bear, enjoying the quiet magic of the moment.But tonight, Bear was with Auntie Marta so she could focus entirely on Gray and watching him take it all in.He looked at the moon as if it were the most incredible thing he'd ever seen.They'd spent the day in bed and a leisurely afternoon wandering the Square, but now was the best part.
Gray turned to her, still captivated by the scene, and bent down to kiss her gently.Murmuring into her lips, he whispered, "Thank you."
She pressed into him, smiling against his mouth before pulling back."Come on, I'll show you something else amazing."Taking his hand, she led him to the water's edge.
"Look."She pointed to their feet, now just under the surface."Stand still, and you'll see them."
Gray squinted, trying to see what she meant, when suddenly, everything snapped into focus.Tiny fish and crabs moved around them, completely unbothered by their feet.Schools of silvery fish darted through the water, shimmering in the moonlight.He sucked in a breath.
"I can't believe we can see them so easily!There must be hundreds or thousands of them.How?"
"Dr.Gray, are you sure you're a researcher?"she teased, playfully slapping his arm.She knew most people missed the small wonders like this.When you spent your time in a lab thousands of miles away, working with an entirely different ecosystem, how could you ever experience something this?
"The super-moon attracts all these sea creatures to its light.It creates the perfect conditions for fish to spawn and feed.All the little creatures come to the surface, and we get to watch them without even having to dive."She nudged him with her shoulder."We should do a night dive sometime.No lights, only moonlight.Pure magic."
Gray glanced up at the moon, now just above the horizon, painting the ocean in soft silver light.He had spent so much of his life buried in research papers and data, studying the ocean in theory, but never like this.Never existing in it, soaking in its beauty.Riley showed him things that he had not realized he was missing while he was in university labs, classrooms, and indoor facilities.
"Who else knows about this beach?"They wandered back to the blankets she'd packed.
"Why, Gray, are you still thinking I'm going to seduce you out here?Hoping no locals will catch us?"
"Riley, I will secretly hope that you seduce me, but maybe not on a public beach."He smirked."Also, you really packed a lot.Are we staying all night?"
"Like I said, I don't like sand in places it shouldn't be.Plus, I brought dinner; get the cooler.Let's eat!"
After their meal, with the moon high in the sky, glowing even brighter.It looked almost normal now, except for the way it lit up everything around them.
"Back home, I'd never taken the time to find a beach like this.And now that I'm here with you, I'm wondering why."He looked at her, considering his own question.
"I think sometimes we don't do things because we don't know what we're missing.And sometimes it's because we don't want to experience it alone."Riley's voice was thoughtful.
Gray frowned."What do you mean?You could just tell someone about it later."
But even as he said it, he understood.
"It's not the same, is it?"she asked softly.
"No, it's not.If you came to me tomorrow and told me about this crazy big moon, and all these tiny sea creatures.A perfect beach, and a meal you made while lying in a blanket fort—I wouldn't get it."He gestured around them."I wouldn't be able to picture this."
She smiled, nudging him before curling into his chest."Exactly."
Gray rested his chin on top of her head, inhaling the faint scent of salt and coconut that clung to her hair.He had never met anyone like Riley.Someone who didn't just study the world but lived in it.Someone who made him feel things he hadn't even realized were missing from his life.
Leaning back, he tilted her face up to his."Gray?"
"Yes, Riley?"
