"What is that?"

"This is a flower crown," the tanned boy raised up a chain of blue, almost indigo, and pink flowers. His green eyes sparkled in the sunset, "you wanna try it on?"

The black-eyed boy stared at the flower crown for a moment. His eyes scanned it to take in every little details, every single knot tied together by the bent sprigs. He then moved his gaze up to the boy sitting next to him. The boy's face was almost like begging him to wear the flower crown, which was too colorful for him. But, at the same time, the pleading expression took away all his resistance. His black hair flew a little as he nodded slightly, only for the other person to see his reaction.

The tanned boy's face lightened up a bit more, as if it was not bright enough. He stood on the tips of his toes trying to reach the other's head. The black-haired boy lowered his head a little so that it would be easier for his friend to put the flower crown on. They smiled at each other, the tanned boy had a nice curve on his lips, and the much paler one had the two corners of his mouth slightly raised, the closest he could get to a smile so far. The tanned boy suddenly grabbed his friend's hand, making both their hearts skipped a beat.

"I.. want to show you a place," he murmured timidly, then pulled the other boy with him. He ran into the forest, with his friend following, hands refusing to let go for a reason neither of them knew. The more they walked, the more the jungle closed in. Soon, they were surrounded by tall trees, and the creepers hung across, lacing into each other with no definite patterns, not allowing the light to pierce through. The earth there was softer than near the beach, and they felt like they were stepping on a sponge. The tanned boy wormed himself into the space behind the creeper mat, and the other followed.

They found themselves in a closed bowl of heat and light. The black-haired boy put one arm in front of his eyes to block the light. It was too bright for him. The tanned boy scratched his head of thick hazel-colored hair, and sat down. His friend picked a place with the most shade and sat. They were both silent, listening to the cry of the cicadas near there and the sound of the waves gently coming into the shore. The black-haired boy looked around, scrutinizing the closed area, then glanced down to dirt-covered feet and saw a chameleon crawling just a few centimeters next to him. His hand reached down to the chameleon. He grabbed its in the neck with thumb and index finger, then pressed those two fingers together. The chameleon made an unpleasant choking sound as he squeezed it even tighter.

"Hey, don't choke it like that," the hazel-haired boy spoke up. His begging expression, again, gave the other boy no chances of resisting. He lowered his hand to the ground and let the reptile go. The brown-haired boy smiled gently, and that made an unfamiliar wave of heat hit the other boy's cheeks. It was silent again, but the silence was not a little more peaceful than awkward.

The black-haired boy, again, scanned the place, and his glance stopped at a wild indigo-colored flower just next to the other boy's head. He stood up and walked to the brown-haired boy in the other one's astonishment. He pinched off the flower, then lowered his head to the other boy's eye level. There noses almost touched, and the brown-haired boy felt a rush of heat running to his cheeks. He felt the other boy carefully lacing the flower's sprig into his sweaty brown strands of hair. Feeling satisfied with his work, the boy with black hair took a small step back while staring at the other's face. The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly, then a little more, finally forming a nice curve on the bottom half of his face.

"You look nice," he decided to break the silence, "and cute."

His words did not come out as he expected. He blushed, hoping the weirdness would fade away. The brown-haired boy blushed, too, though it was not that visible due to his dark skin. Their gazes locked into each other, and the constant beats of their hearts echoed in their ears, along with the cry of the cicadas and the waves' song that they sung when they crashed into the shore.

"Keep this place a secret, okay?" The brown-haired boy said, his voice was quiet, almost like a whisper, one that could not be heard if the listener did not pay enough attention.

The boy with black hair nodded, then, with a quick motion, he lowered his head to lightly peck the other's cheek. The brown-haired boy was taken by surprise. His heart skipped a beat, and his pupils slightly dilated. The black-haired boy wormed his way through the creepers, and before he was completely out, he turned his head back.

"I'll keep this place a secret if you keep that as one," he smiled, "deal?"