05-20-2025, 04:30 AM
Morad was still scanning the darker line of the shore, a confident smirk playing on his lips, when Amila’s voice – bright, unmistakably triumphant, and full of laughter – echoed across the quiet cove. It came from the boat, the one place he wasn’t currently looking.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are terrible at hide and seek?"
He stopped treading water, turning in a slow circle. And there she was, on the swim platform, water sleek on her skin in the starlight, every line of her radiating a joyous victory after her dramatic bow. Her laughter, so free and genuine, was infectious; it washed over him, and he almost forgot he was supposed to be conducting a 'serious' search. A grin he couldn't suppress spread across his face.
She actually circled back. Outmaneuvered me while I was playing the part of the determined hunter. Terrible at this game? Perhaps. Or perhaps the thought of finding her, the anticipation of it, was a pleasure I wasn't in any real hurry to conclude...
"Terrible, you say?" he called back, his voice laced with an amusement that was impossible to hide, as he began swimming towards the boat with easy, powerful strokes. "I'll have you know, Amila," he said, the name a warm current in the cool night, "I was employing a highly sophisticated, multi-vector search pattern. You merely… anticipated my advanced tactical thinking with uncanny skill."
He reached the platform, his hands finding the edge, and with a smooth pull, he was out of the water, droplets streaming from him. He stood for a moment, the coolness of the night air sharp on his skin, though the sight of her, beaming and vibrant, was a warmth all its own.
"Alright, alright, you win," he conceded, shaking his head, sending a spray of water into the night. He reached out, his fingers lightly closing over her arm, the contact sending that familiar, pleasant spark through him despite the cool dampness of their skin. "My compliments on a brilliantly executed maneuver. I confess, I’ve never been so thoroughly, or so… delightfully, outplayed."
The playful energy between them seemed to soften, to deepen, as he stepped a little closer on the small platform. The ancient stars above felt impossibly bright, enclosing them in their own secluded universe. He held her gaze, letting his own dip to her lips for a fleeting moment before returning, unwavering. That kiss on the dock, the first real confirmation of this incredible current between them, felt like both a lifetime ago and just a heartbeat past.
He lifted his other hand, his palm cool as he gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray droplet of water from her jade skin.
"So, victor," he murmured, his voice now a low, intimate rumble meant only for her ears. "What is the prize for such a clever escape? Or perhaps," his lips curved into a soft smile, "the... terrible seeker gets a consolation?"
== Tag ==
"Has anyone ever told you that you are terrible at hide and seek?"
He stopped treading water, turning in a slow circle. And there she was, on the swim platform, water sleek on her skin in the starlight, every line of her radiating a joyous victory after her dramatic bow. Her laughter, so free and genuine, was infectious; it washed over him, and he almost forgot he was supposed to be conducting a 'serious' search. A grin he couldn't suppress spread across his face.
She actually circled back. Outmaneuvered me while I was playing the part of the determined hunter. Terrible at this game? Perhaps. Or perhaps the thought of finding her, the anticipation of it, was a pleasure I wasn't in any real hurry to conclude...
"Terrible, you say?" he called back, his voice laced with an amusement that was impossible to hide, as he began swimming towards the boat with easy, powerful strokes. "I'll have you know, Amila," he said, the name a warm current in the cool night, "I was employing a highly sophisticated, multi-vector search pattern. You merely… anticipated my advanced tactical thinking with uncanny skill."
He reached the platform, his hands finding the edge, and with a smooth pull, he was out of the water, droplets streaming from him. He stood for a moment, the coolness of the night air sharp on his skin, though the sight of her, beaming and vibrant, was a warmth all its own.
"Alright, alright, you win," he conceded, shaking his head, sending a spray of water into the night. He reached out, his fingers lightly closing over her arm, the contact sending that familiar, pleasant spark through him despite the cool dampness of their skin. "My compliments on a brilliantly executed maneuver. I confess, I’ve never been so thoroughly, or so… delightfully, outplayed."
The playful energy between them seemed to soften, to deepen, as he stepped a little closer on the small platform. The ancient stars above felt impossibly bright, enclosing them in their own secluded universe. He held her gaze, letting his own dip to her lips for a fleeting moment before returning, unwavering. That kiss on the dock, the first real confirmation of this incredible current between them, felt like both a lifetime ago and just a heartbeat past.
He lifted his other hand, his palm cool as he gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray droplet of water from her jade skin.
"So, victor," he murmured, his voice now a low, intimate rumble meant only for her ears. "What is the prize for such a clever escape? Or perhaps," his lips curved into a soft smile, "the... terrible seeker gets a consolation?"
== Tag ==