Sand and water

She sat in awe as she listened to the waves crash on the shore. Her toes squirmed as they enjoyed the feeling of cold sand between them. She swayed to the music in her head. She smiled to herself.

Loneliness was something she'd always run away from before. But tonight, she enjoyed every second of it. She sighed in contentment as she closed her eyes and lay back on the sand.

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He panted as he ran along the shore. He'd set out later than usual for his evening jog so the beach was almost empty. He could hear the waves over the music he was listening to. His jog became a brisk walk and soon, he slowed down to a stroll. Every muscle in his body ached and his skin felt like it was on fire. He pulled the earphones out of his ears, kicked his shoes off and collapsed on the cold sand.

He just lay there for what seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly, he heard a tiny cough and jerked up. He looked around and saw someone lying just a few feet away from him, motionless.

"Umm, hello?" he said. He waited patiently for a response.

Nothing.

He got up and went to her side. Her eyes were closed and a few strands of hair blew gently across her face. She looked content, something he had probably never felt.

He sat in silent admiration for a while, just looking at her contented expression.

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She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see the starry sky. Instead, there was a face that was looking at her intently. Her expression morphed into one of fear and irritation.

"What the hell...?" She almost yelled as the face quickly looked away.

"What do you think you're doing?! Who the hell are you? Haven't you ever heard of giving people their privacy?! Are you mental??" The words all tumbled out as she brushed the sand from her clothes and got up in a hurry.

"You were just lying there! I was just making sure everything was okay! Before I could wake you up, you woke up yourself!" he said, slightly embarrassed, trying to defend himself while looking away.

As she stood there breathing heavily, she looked at the guy standing a few feet away from her. His height complemented his athletic build. She noticed he was bare feet and when she looked further, she saw his shoes lying in the sand.

She suddenly realized that he was looking at her, expecting a reply to something he had just said.

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His face was hot with embarrassment and the tips of his fingers turned cold. She had woken up when he was looking at her. He had no clue why this bothered him so much but it did.

He'd bolted a few feet away from her as she rose in indignation. He answered her annoyed questions, getting very defensive.

He stood facing away from her. He turned a little and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was standing there as mortified as him. Her expressions were a queer mixture of amusement and confusion.

He turned around to face her and looked at her expectantly.

She fumbled and turned away. She took a few steps and then hesitated. She turned around to look at him.

"We...well, just don't scare people like that again!!"

And then she turned and walked away, without waiting for a reply.

And he just stood there, trying to figure out if it was a grin he'd seen on her face as she walked away from him.