Even though I owe
@aot some public embarrassment, there were many directions I could go with this and I went with wholesome
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"Steph and Andre" by FG
"Right there. Starbucks." Steph reached her arm from the back seat to point out her destination for the Uber driver.
She got out her wallet and stared at it.
Am I supposed to tip? she thought.
What were the American rules on tipping again? She shrugged and handed over a 5-dollar bill just in case and hopped out. There would be time to ask about this for next time but, for now, she wasn't going to worry about it.
It had been a long flight from London and it felt good to be outside again. She stretched quickly and inhaled deeply, noticing a hint of salt in the air. The beach couldn't be very far.
She looked around. There were somehow even more palm trees than she expected: not only the classic tall, lanky trees with fronds blowing back erratically just like in the background of many Hollywood movies she had seen, but young, short, spikey ones, too. She wondered if they felt as prickly as they looked.
"Steph?"
She turned around. A young man with wavy brown hair and an inviting smile was seated outside with two mochas, both equally heavy on the whipped cream and art direction. He waved.
Steph smiled back and headed towards him.
"I still want to call you aot." She laughed. Taking a seat next to him. "You don't look like an Andre."
He pushed her drink towards her. "It's my father's name."
"You're a
junior, then?" She teased. Taking her drink with one hand and pushing the windblown hair out of her face with the other.
"The third, actually." He laughed. "Just drink your drink."
She propped her feet up on the bench. He made her feel comfortable and she liked to sit as casually as she felt.
"So..." she said. "You promised me an adventure. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, there is a reason I chose this particular Starbucks." Andre waited for her to react and when the corners of her lips turned up, he continued. "Let's walk to the beach. I want to show you something."
Steph offered her hand so Andre could help her up and the pair set off walking the few blocks of sun-bleached houses with Spanish style roofs on their way to the Gulf of Mexico. Even in the dark, the grass lawns caught Steph's eye. They were so lush and thick that you couldn't even see any of the dirt underneath. She took her shoes off to feel the soft blades between her toes.
Andre smiled knowingly "I was going to suggest that. At least when we got to the sand."
Steph felt the last of her travel weariness fade as the ocean breeze danced around her in the warm air. By the time they got to the wooden bridge connecting the road to the beach, she was practically skipping. Andre admired that about her, her lightness. Even in the dusk, it made everything seem just a bit brighter. Of course, she wasn't like that with everyone, he just didn't realize that yet.
They could hear the waves gently crashing in front of them as they made their way across the dune but couldn't see them yet.
He turned to her "Wait here for a second." And, then after a brief pause, he pointed to the beach below them. "Look."
Steph looked down to see dozens of tiny sea turtles emerge from their eggs and scurry through the white sand towards the moonlight. She put her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened with excitement.
"Oh my God, this is so cool! Thank you!" she said, putting her arm around his shoulder for a quick hug.
"You're welcome, Steph... You know, you are quieter than I thought you'd be."
"And you are much less quiet that I thought you'd be."
They both laughed, Andre first.
"Ready for the next adventure?" He said.
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