I got a trail backpack out of my closet and put in all of the necessary items I required. This consisted of a couple of filled water bottles, my wallet, a sweater, a pair of shades, and my iPhone. Once I finished packing said items, I returned to the hall that I had last left Armin and my Dad in. They weren't there. Where could they have gone? I ran upstairs to the kitchen and, sure enough, Armin was awkwardly sitting at the kitchen table being questioned by my Dad. He looked anxious. Every time he opened his mouth to answer a question he'd get interrupted with another one. I giggled, "Dad, I said don't scare him off."

"I'm not. We're having a nice conversation, right?" He looked at Armin. "U-Uh, s-sure..." Armin stuttered. "Okay, well we're going now, by the way," I said. "What, already?" My Dad was in disbelief. I'd just reunited with my family for the first time in over a year and I was already abandoning them again. I felt bad, but I knew I couldn't stay there. I figured we'd stay a little longer, maybe for dinner. Maybe that would make Dad happier. "Chill, we'll be back around dinner," I told him, "we're going out in this time for his birthday."

"Oh, okay. Well happy birthday, Armin. Have fun. Make sure not to leave without saying goodbye, this time." I nodded. Armin got up and stumbled over beside me, eager to escape my Dad's hurricane of questions. Once both of us got light jackets and some shoes on, we left. I planned to take a cab, that day.

About 50 minutes later, we arrived at our destination. I handed the taxi driver his payment and we got out of the car. I could already hear the waves crashing on the shore. Armin got out and stood beside you. The taxi man drove away. I walked Armin down a sidewalk with many beach houses lining the sides of the street. We made a right turn and there, the beach. It was beautiful, as always, but deserted. It wasn't beach weather. It was cold, and it would be colder by and in the water. The second Armin saw the water, his face lit up with joy and he began acting like a child on Christmas Day.

"Is that it!? Is that the ocean!?"

He yelled while jumping and shaking your shoulder.

"Yes! Yes!"

Armin took hold of your hand and yanked you towards the said location. You pulled back, jolting him to a sudden stop. He turned back to look at you; a worried expression held onto his perfect little face.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No, no. You just go on. I'm walking. Go enjoy yourself."

Relieved, a smile lit his face up again.

"Okay!"

He nodded and began running towards the beach again. The wind ran through Armin's hair causing it to cover up his eyes, which made it feel as if it was trying to prevent him from moving forward. Nothing was stopping him now. He was getting to accomplish one of his once seemingly impossible dreams. It was an amazing feeling. Armin ran all the way up to the waterline, getting sprayed by a booming wave crashing ashore. I giggled, finally stepping into the sand. Armin opened his hands and closed his eyes. He could smell the saltiness of the ocean water. I came up behind him and hugged his waist. Armin held my hands and I rest my chin on his shoulder.

"Sorry, it's not as amazing as you thought it'd be. I'd really rather take you during the summer. It's a lot prettier when the weather's nice. We could even go swimming, then," I told him. Armin turned around, big-eyed. "No, Y/N! I can't even begin to comprehend how profound this is. I can't believe I'm actually at the ocean. I'm beyond grateful right now. I don't even know how I can thank you enough for this. It's more than enough for me." He smiled and I responded with a smile in return. "Y/N, can I go in?" he asked. 

"Are you crazy? It's freezing, you know..."

"I'd only be going in up to my knees. Please?"

I sighed, "Just take off your socks and shoes. Also, pull up your pant legs. Oh, and please don't fall. I don't want you getting drenched in that freezing cold water," I lectured. "I won't, I won't. Besides, I'm not going in that deep. I don't even know how to swim!"

I laughed, "Really?" "Don't make fun of me. I never got to do fun things like swimming as a kid! You know I didn't grow up with the most amazing family ever. They didn't think it was important enough to teach me, I guess. Or maybe it was that I wasn't worth teaching. Who knows? To be fair, most people I know don't know how to swim or aren't very good at it."

"Hey, I'll take you here this summer and you can learn. I'll teach you myself. I mean, we'll probably start in a pool because I don't want you to have to deal with waves and whatnot, but we can still swim here after that."

"Fine."

Once Armin finished removing his socks and shoes he ran into the ocean. His speed drastically slowed, due to the density of the water. He stopped about two and a half meters in. "Can I drink the water? I wanna see if it's salty!" he screamed. It was hard to hear him through the sound of waves crashing on the shore. "No, you'll get sick!" I said. 

"I won't swallow it, I promise! I'm just gonna try!"

Regardless of my warning, Armin bent down and dipped his hand in the water. He grabbed a palm-full of water and diligently poured it through his lips and into his mouth. Armin squeezed his eyes shut, wrinkled his nose, and shook his head with displeasure. "Hmm, how was that?" I snickered. 

"Not good!"

"Still wanna taste more?"

"No way!"

Armin began to make his way back to shore. His calves were bright red because of how cold the temperature of the water was. He told me he was freezing. "Didn't I tell you it was cold?" I pushed. "Whatever." Armin dusted off his feet and put his socks and shoes back on. "Wanna stay longer or are we heading other places?" I asked. Armin replied, "Let's go to other places. We should come back here when it gets dark. I want to see the reflection of the moon and stars on the water. I definitely want to come back, during the summer."

"Good idea. Where to next?"

"I don't know, it's your time and I thought you were the one making the plans." Armin ran up to me, latching onto my arm. "Well..." I began.