The morning breeze drifted through the curtains while the sun slowly peeked over the horizon. Along with it came the chirping of birds, the scent of fresh air, and the gentle sound of waves in the distance.

When Rosalind woke up, she found Rowan lying in front of her with his eyes fixed on hers while he played with the locks of her hair, lazily twisting the strands around his fingers. A smile immediately appeared on her lips.

"I thought you’d wake up later," he mused. "Considering how exhausted you were last night."

"I’m stronger than you think," Rosalind replied as she stretched her arms across the bed and kicked her feet lightly against the sheets, enjoying their coolness.

At that moment, she felt as though she was in heaven.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, while placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Rosalind bobbed her head.

A blush appeared on her cheeks, "Would you let me do it again?" she asked, recalling how she had managed to leave Rowan completely undone the night before.

It still amused her that she had been able to affect him like that when he was usually the one in control.

Rowan hesitated and as the silence lingered for a brief moment, Rosalind blinked.

She asked in disbelief. "Did you not like it?"

"I did," he answered almost immediately. "But..."

Rosalind slowly studied his face and she came to the conclusion, "Let me guess... You don’t like me seeing that side of you?" she asked.

When he didn’t respond and merely stared at her, Rosalind clicked her tongue.

"There’s nothing bad about it... In fact, seeing you that way turns me on more," she admitted with a honest look.

Rowan observed her for a while, "Understood, Wife," he replied with a nod.

Rosalind chuckled at that. Then she leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his forehead.

Rowan’s gaze drifted over her face before he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back into his embrace. Rosalind then settled against his chest while they watched the sun continue its climb into the sky.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Instead, they remained tangled together beneath the sheets, quietly teasing each other with wandering hands and lazy touches. "We should go out," Rosalind finally said.

"We should," Rowan agreed.

Yet neither of them moved.

Rosalind breathed out slowly as she felt his hand drift across her side before pulling her closer. She sighed inwardly. Were they ever going to leave this bed? It was simply too warm, too comfortable, and far too tempting.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Rowan asked.

Rosalind turned her face toward him until they were almost brushing lips. "Now?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Okay" she answered, her voice trailing off "... give me a few minutes."

Rowan agreed, and after slipping from the bed Rosalind hurried off to wash up.

By the time she returned, Rowan was standing out on the balcony with his gaze fixed on the endless sea. The waves crashed against the shore while the morning light painted everything gold.

Hearing her footsteps, he turned around and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Rosalind had tied her hair back, and with her heart-shaped face fully visible she looked even more beautiful.

Without a word, he took her hand and led her outside.

Together they walked along the shoreline while the water brushed against their feet and the wind moved gently around them. Their footprints stretched behind them in the sand.

"It looks so peaceful," Rosalind murmured as she looked around. Everything still felt unreal to her. There had been a time when she could never have imagined a life like this, and now she was living the very dream she once thought impossible.

As they continued walking hand in hand, Rosalind suddenly brightened. "I have an idea..."

Rowan glanced at her.

"Let’s collect seashells." Rosalind said before adding, "We can collect them in a jar and clean them... It’ll serve as a remembrance."

As she said it, Rowan could slowly see the vision she had in mind. "You always have a way of making things playful" He muttered under his breath.

When he agreed to it, Rosalind immediately beamed.

Without wasting another second, she began searching through the sand while Rowan watched her for a moment before deciding to join in.

Soon both of them were collecting shells.

Eventually Rosalind stopped and straightened her back. Looking over, she found Rowan completely focused on the task as he searched through the sand for more.

A smile crossed her face. "You seem to have found more than me," she said as she walked over.

She showed him the shells she had collected, and he showed her his. They came in different colors and interesting shapes, making Rosalind unexpectedly excited.

After rinsing them in the seawater, they wrapped everything carefully inside a cloth. Then they sat down together on the sand, watching the waves roll in and out as peace and quiet lingered around them.

****

Rowan slowly glanced around the beach for a moment until his gaze eventually landed on a patch of flowers growing among the bushes nearby and an idea immediately crossed his mind. Rising to his feet, he headed toward them.

Rosalind turned to watch him, curious about what he was doing, but it became clear when she saw him picking the small pink flowers before making his way back toward her.

Rosalind chuckled as he approached.

"What are you doing?" she asked just as he sat down behind her.

"Beautifying you," he replied.

She felt Rowan’s fingers slipping into her hair, removing the tie she had used, and her hair immediately spilled down her back while the breeze played with the loose strands.

Then he became completely focused on the task as though nothing else existed around them. He parted her hair into two sections before awkwardly attempting to lock them together.

Rosalind laughed. "That’s not even how to braid," she pointed out.

"You criticize my work without seeing the final result," Rowan replied.

He continued anyway, carefully tucking flowers into her hair before loosely braiding another section and adding more flowers there as well.

After a while, he leaned back to admire his work. "Look at me." His voice rolled through her ears, deep and serious.

Rosalind turned toward him, and the moment their eyes met Rowan seemed to forget what he had been about to say.

Her hair was divided into two loose braids woven with flowers, while soft tendrils framed her face. The breeze played with the remaining strands and made the flowers sway gently.

Rowan simply stared. "You always manage to take my breath away," he said sincerely.

Rosalind tried hard not to blush.

"It can’t possibly be that good" she mused, just as he continued staring at her.

"You can go check it." She heard him suggest.

Rosalind saw that Rowan seemed really satisfied with what he had done. To confirm it for herself, she stood up and walked toward the water’s edge to inspect her reflection. She tilted her head from side to side before nodding slowly.

Then she turned back toward him. "It isn’t that bad," she admitted.

"It’s great," Rowan corrected.

Rosalind rolled her eyes playfully. Her gaze drifted past him toward the shoreline, where the tide had drawn back and left scattered stones half-buried in the wet sand.

A little farther ahead, the familiar shape of a larger boulder stood near the water’s edge, just as it had earlier when they walked past it.

She lingered on it for a moment, her expression shifting as something playful slowly formed in her mind, "Would you like to race? "

Rowan looked at her with interest and heard her say, "I think I can beat you in a race."

For a moment, everything seemed to quieten around them before he chuckled and Rosalind narrowed her eyes at him,

His response came after. "Such bold claims"

"How about we find out?" she challenged.

Rowan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he studied the smug expression on her face before slowly rising to his feet."I’ll give you a race to remember," he said.