"So, you're a writer?" Remi asked, his hands grasping his knees.

An hour and a half had gone by since their last dispute, and they both sat in comfortable silence. Ezra ceased the rhythm of his index finger, tapping against his lips and nodded.

"Yes," he replied. Remi leaned towards the screen and squinted his eyes.

"What are you writing?" The boy asked, curiosity on the tip of his tongue.

"A poem." Ezra allowed his fingers to dance across the keyboard as he pursed his lips and his forehead creased.

"So, you're a poet?" Remi queried, and Ezra nodded once again.

"Can I see it when you're done?"

Ezra's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and he shrugged. Setting his lips in a thin line at the man's response, Remi threw his chin at the leaves hovering above him, the sunlight melting on his porcelain skin. His nose wrinkled in thought, and a sigh left his nostrils. Ezra stared at him from the corners of his eyes and paused.

"How old are you?" He inquired as he observed the boy. His hair became streaks of caramel from the sunlight, and his sienna brown orbs glimmered.

"Sixteen," Remi replied softly. Sadness clouded Ezra's features, and he nodded, turning his attention to the screen.

So young, he thought.

Remi gazed at the breathing ocean, awing at her surface rising and falling with rhythmic ease. Without looking at Ezra, he asked, "Can I go in?"

"Where?" Ezra questioned.

"In the ocean," the boy replied, and Ezra turned his head towards him. Sensing the man's fret, Remi shook his head.

"No, not like that. I only want to go in. It's been a while since I've gone to the beach," Remi admitted softly.

Glancing back at his work, Ezra said, "You were there yesterday."

Remi pouted and looked up at him. "That doesn't count."

A bubble of air leaves Ezra's lips. "Tell me, should I trust a boy who recently tried to commit suicide in an ocean by himself? Especially if the said ocean is the same one he tried to kill himself in?"

Remi hung his head in humiliation, and his cheeks stained pink. He wouldn't trust himself, either.

"You can come with me." He suggested, hope lacing with his words.

Instantly, Ezra replied, "No."

A scowl appeared on Remi's face as he stood up and slammed his fist against the table. "Why not?!"

"I know what you're doing," Ezra told him, ignoring how childish the boy acted.

"Wh-What am I doing?" Remi asked, his anger slipping away for a second. When he got no response, he impatiently began tapping his foot against the sand.

"Tell me!" He glared at the man, who narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not going to allow you to befriend me. You're only staying one night. Tomorrow, you will call your brother or any other family member, and you will leave," Ezra said sternly, provoked at how easily the boy could upset him.

Remi remained silent, the corners of his lips drooping. After a moment of silence, he rose from his seat and tramped towards the ocean. Ezra lifted his gaze and watched how the boy removed his clothes. He was as fragile as Ezra thought he would be. His slender yet tall figure gleamed beneath the sun, and Ezra gulped. Tearing his eyes away from the boy, he began typing again. His mind lingered away from his poem not too long after that, and he found himself eyeing Remi, who was now on the dock. Ezra scanned the ocean. His eyes suddenly widened when he remembered the rock below it.

"Wait, don't jump!" He yelled, but Remi had already gone in.

Swearing beneath his breath, Ezra shot from his seat and hastened towards the water, removing his shirt and pants. Right away, he rushed in and searched for the boy, praying to whatever God he could remember at that time that the boy wasn't injured.

"Um . . . "

Ezra halted at the slightly high-pitched voice. He spun around and met the sheepish gaze of the boy a few feet away from him. Heat rushed to Remi's face, and Ezra gritted his teeth in anger.

"Didn't you hear me when I said — Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" He yelled, glaring daggers at the clueless boy.

"Wh-What?" Remi blinked in astonishment. Ezra proceeded to point at the rock inches away from him, and Remi moved towards it, confusion etched on his face. When his eyes landed on the rock that was large enough to breathe the air above, his face became pale.

"Fucking shit! I missed that?! I could have died!" Panic rose within the boy as he thought of the possible ways he could have injured himself. Ezra stared as he rambled on about how he could have died, mirth tickling his chest.

"Pfft." Ezra covered his mouth with his hand, and Remi froze.

"Don't laugh! You would have witnessed a murder!" The boy yelled, reminding Ezra of his words. Ezra burst into a fit of laughter, his head falling back as Remi stared at him blankly. Seconds later, Remi found himself chuckling as well.

"Idiot," Ezra managed to say in between laughter. Remi laughed, and his eyes fell upon the water. Then an idea came to him.

Cupping his hands, he pooled water within his palms and flung it at the laughing man. Ezra froze as the water slapped his face, and he blinked at Remi. A smirk formed on the boy's lips, and he proceeded to repeat his actions, but Ezra ducked and stepped towards him. Remi backed away, giggling until he found himself running with Ezra chasing after him, the man constantly flying water at him. Their chase soon came to a halt when Remi tripped over his own foot when he reached the shore. Out of instinct, Ezra reached out for him, and they both tumbled to the ground.

Their eyes met, and Remi's breath hitched as he drowned in Ezra's gunmetal blue eyes. Ezra used his hand to hold up his upper body, his eyes enlarging as he realized the position they were in. Before any of them could utter a word, a wave came crashing in on them, tearing their bodies apart.

Remi's laughter coated the air when their bodies drifted further up the shore. Ezra turned his head to look at the boy, his hands sprawled out at his sides. A chuckle rumbled in his throat, and soon, he, too, began laughing.

"Thank you," Remi spoke when their laughter died down.

"For what?" Ezra asked.

"For allowing me to stay," the boy replied. Ezra's smile slipped, and he gazed up at the sky.

"For tonight."

Remi frowned at that, and he stood up. "Yeah . . . For tonight."

Walking deeper into the ocean, Remi ducked down before allowing himself to float on his back when he arose from the water. Ezra held himself up with his arms and looked at the boy, his jaw clenching. With a heavy sigh, he dropped himself back onto the sand, folded his arms beneath his head, and closed his eyes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Are you loving Ezra so far?

What about Remi?