The Bike Shop/Chapter 2 Beach
It only took a short while for Michael to decide that a trip to the beach would be great for the day.
After finishing his breakfast, he gathered his bike and rode down to the sea and sand.
He took a deep breath of the salty air as he arrived, and parked his bike at a nearby rack. He took his shoes and socks off and stepped on the hot sand, feeling it sink in between his toes. He put on his sunglasses to clear his vision from the sun's rays, and upon putting them on, he almost swore he saw Elizabeth with her family. He walked closer, and after several more steps, his thoughts were confirmed. It was Elizabeth. In a bikini. Elizabeth in a red bikini with yellow polka-dots.
His breathing became tested, and his heart pumped like a marching drum. He tried to keep composure as he approached her and her parents. They noticed him as he made his way to them, and they gave a friendly wave to him. When Elizabeth realized he was there, she made big waves to draw his attention to her presence.
"Hello! Didn't expect to see you here." the mother greeted. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great. How about you, Elizabeth, how are you doing?" he said with struggle to maintain looks at her face. Though his sunglasses allowed him to move his eyes downward without it being visible.
"I'm having a lot of fun here! I made a sandcastle over there!" she happily responded, pointing to the small sand building she made.
"Did you? Wow! It looks really good!" Michael commented. "You ever dream of living in a castle?"
"Sometimes." she admitted.
"Were you planning to stick around, Michael?" her father asked. "You can stay with us if you like."
"I'm going to go back to the water!" Elizabeth said shortly before making her way to the waves. Michael decided to follow her. Her parents maintained an eye on their daughter for safety.
Together, Michael and Elizabeth played in the water, did a little swimming, and built more sandcastles. With Michael's help, they built structures and details she couldn't do alone, having fun all throughout. As they continued spending time together, her parents began to trust Michael more.
Eventually, the parents got up with a towel for her and told her that it's time to go. She clearly didn't like leaving, but accepted this after a while. She turned back to Michael and they exchanged their goodbyes, and after taking a walk around the beach, Michael decided it was time for him to leave too. He unlocked his bike and rode back, satisfied, happy that he got to see her again.