I shake my head. “I don’t need convincing of anything. I know it’s going to be perfect. I’m so happy.”
He kisses my temple and I take a slow breath, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
“How about we have a little evening on the beach? We can make a fire, cook some food, and have a few drinks. Celebrate,” JJ suggests, and I twist in his hold, nodding with enthusiasm.
“Yes,” I say excitedly.
Thirty minutes later, we head down to the beach, which is completely empty. It’s like our own private space. The sun is about to set soon, and JJ gathers some wood together to start a fire as I sit on a log and crack two bottles of cider.
Once the fire is roaring, JJ walks to his bag and removes his camera. I smile. “Are you documenting this?”
He looks at me with a soft smile. “Duh. This is an important memory.”
“True.” I smile before taking a swig of my drink. He sets up the camera on a tripod and aims it behind me and the fire. It’ll be an amazing shot of the sunset.
Since leaving university, JJ didn’t want to continue with engineering like his father wanted; he loved the idea of making his own art in the form of video production. Now he is a freelance filmmaker with a wide portfolio.
I adore his work. He has an eye for things some people just don’t have.
He’s talented, and sometimes I don’t think he even sees it. He blows me away every time.
And even though it wasn’t what his dad wanted for him, once he saw what JJ could do, he realised his son was super talented and to do what he loves most.
JJ slides onto the log beside me and takes the cider from my hands. I frown.
“I’ve got something better,” he says before removing a bottle of sambuca from his bag.
I release a laugh as he takes two shot glasses and pours us both a generous amount. “You don’t like sambuca,” I say, remembering the first night we met.
“I do, because it reminds me of you.”
My cheeks burn from how bright my smile is. “I don’t think I’ve drunk sambuca since the night we met,” I confess.
JJ shakes his head. “Me neither. Cheers, princess. From the beginning to the end, this is us.”
“Cheers,” I say before knocking back the shot at the same time.
The liquid burns my throat, and I definitely can’t drink like I used to at university, but this is a core memory that will stay with me forever.
“We did it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder.
I grin wider. “We sure did.”
He nuzzles his head into mine and then grabs a speaker from his bag to play music. I watch as he stands from the seat and holds his hand out to me. “Dance with me.”
I chuckle awkwardly. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “Come dance with me.”
I physically cannot say no to this man. I roll my eyes playfully. “Fine.”
He tugs me up onto my feet as we stand in front of the fire. His fingers lace through mine, and we move to the soft music. Behind me, I can hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and it’s one of my favourite sounds—that and JJ’s voice.
Our arms wrap around one another, and he stares at me like I’m the only person in the world—even after four years, and I still have his complete devotion.
JJ raises our hands above our heads, and I spin before stumbling into him as my bare feet sink into the sand. I press a hand to his chest and grin up at him, the fire illuminating our faces as the sun starts to set.
The sky’s the perfect shade of blue and yellow. My favourite kind of sunset.
