after a morning of travel, you're asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, before you can even think about unpacking or getting changed. it's a deep sleep, dreamless but restorative, and when your eyes finally flutter open it's undeniable that you feel better.

it helps too that you take just a bit more time for yourself. first you stretch, working out the remaining tightness from the plane and then shower, allowing your hair to dry naturally, a bit wavy, a little curly. with nothing but a little moisturizer and chapstick, you feel so much more like yourself.

a part of you hates the fact that it's already getting dark and you feel a little embarrassed that you've wasted some of your precious time here, even if it was necessary. but you know your friend hardly ever sleeps and must be out and about, so you set out, determined to find him.

since you can't imagine that he's cooped himself up in his room, you start from the top and work your way out, poking your head out onto the roof deck pool and into the restaurant before heading out to the beach. really, you should have started there because it's no surprise to you at all that he's found a hammock set up on the beach between two trees, giving the best view of the ocean and the setting sun, swaying just slightly thanks to the breeze.

it's a peaceful setting and honestly the perfect scene. if you hadn't left your phone in your room you would snap a picture for yourself, even though you know he probably wouldn't appreciate that. instead you simply take a deep breath and commit the moment to memory, the salt air and the sound of rolling waves. as if he can tell you're there, or at least can feel someone watching him, he turns, the whole hammock shifting with him, and smiles when he sees it's you. the feeling warms you more than the balmy air.

do you...

join him on the hammock?

you're comfortable, that's the feeling that settles over you as deep blues and purple streak across the sky. not simply in your seat, though the sand under you is soft and cool as you dig your toes into the ground as you talk. just as it's always been, it's nice to have this time together in person, to witness the grins that at one time you might have thought were out of character. you laugh as freely as ever and ask the questions you've been saving for in person, stealing glances and the occasional soft touch. there's a charge between you, but it's not unmanageable. at least for tonight, this is enough.