It was a beautiful day. - Challenge

Heya Everyone, sorry today's post is another small drabble. I was issued a challenge to use the same sentence at both the start and the end of a story, but they had to have two very different tones. I knew the second I read it that I wanted the sentence ‘It was a beautiful day.’

See ya next week.

It was a beautiful day. You had been awake to watch the sunrise, curled in your lover's arms as you sat on the black sand beach, an old, well loved picnic blanket wrapped around you both. An empty bottle leant against the picnic basket that held the remains of last nights date. The food from your favourite restaurant had been consumed, dirty plates and wine glasses safely tucked away in the basket, ready to be taken home and washed. Your stomach aching from both too much good food and the laughter you had both offered and received.

Neither of you had been ready to leave, not when the temperatures at the beach had dropped below the warm evening weather you’d both dressed for. Not when the chilling ocean wind knotted itself through your hair. Not even when the stars came out and twinkled down at you, offering their little light in place of the moon’s glow. Everything seemed so serene like you were blocked off from the world in your own little bubble. Safe, untouchable.

It had been perfect, alternating between allowing gentle whispers to fall from your lips to just sitting in comfortable silence, listening to the waves caress the sandy shore as tides came and went. Constellations being pointed out until no more were known, and instead, you switched to making shapes come to life amongst the stars, those that swam your eyes becoming more and more unrealistic as your imagination started to stretch itself to its limits. Fingers raised to the sky to trace them out to one another, before falling as laughter once more swarmed you.

It was perfect, everything you’d ever dreamed of and more. So much so, that you hated the moment you spotted the first hints of light blue creeping over the ocean towards you. You hadn’t moved, and neither had your partner. Eyes locked on the sky as it transformed between your very eyes, long brush streaks of orange, gold, purple, pink and grey making the horizon come to life, and once again, you found yourself transfixed by the beauty of it all.

It wasn’t often that you found a moment to simply sit and enjoy the little things. The slight tinge of hunger starting to grow. The curves of your lover's body pressing against your own as you shared both body heat and the scratchy blanket that still seemed to itch in all the wrong places.

But it was perfect, you wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Yes, on the last day you had with your partner. It was a beautiful day.