Love Unspoken

Quinn's eyes widened, momentarily forgetting to react.

His kiss was gentle and lingering, different from before.

It was just a simple kiss, no sexual desire.

Water on Quinn's face slid into her mouth, salty and slightly bitter.

The waves hit her again, snapping her back to reality. She pushed him away abruptly.

She staggered, almost falling again.

Alexander quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back.

"You..."

"The sun's coming up," Alexander interrupted.

Quinn turned her head. The horizon was turning orange-red, with magnificent clouds spreading out, tinting the sea.

The sun peeked out, golden light piercing through the clouds.

In Quinn's eyes, the golden sun grew from a crescent to a larger shape.

The sea calmed down, light shimmering on the surface.

Quinn stood dazed in the water. The tide receded, the water only reaching her knees.

She kept her eyes open, not blinking, not missing a moment of the sunrise.

A flock of black seagulls flew by, welcoming the sunrise. Everything looked like a painting. Quinn had never seen such a beautiful scene.

She quickly took out her phone to take pictures, but it had gotten wet and shut down. Quinn sighed in frustration and turned to find Alexander watching her.

He hadn't looked at the sunrise at all; his attention was on her face.

Quinn clutched her phone, turning away. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Is the sunrise beautiful?" Alexander gave an irrelevant answer.

"It's okay," Quinn replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

Alexander smiled. "Since you can talk, you've become quite the liar."

Quinn glared. "We froze out here all night for these two minutes. What's so great about it!"

Alexander said slowly, "All the beauty in the world is fleeting. The wait is long, but as long as you know it will appear, everyone is willing to wait."

Quinn rebutted, "Waiting so long for just a few fleeting minutes isn't worth it."

Alexander said, "It's because it's fleeting that the wait is meaningful. If it were easy to get, no one would cherish it, and no one would think it's beautiful."

Quinn was taken aback, feeling his words had another meaning.

Not wanting to discuss philosophical issues, she rubbed her arms and urged, "I'm so cold, let's go."

She turned and walked towards the shore.

Kyle had appeared on the beach, holding a phone and taking pictures. He had secretly taken many photos earlier to show Alexander when he sobered up, so he wouldn't be upset about being seen drunk and out of control last night. "Mrs. Kennedy, Mr. Kennedy, heading back?" Kyle asked with an awkward smile.

Quinn ignored him and walked on.

Alexander stopped in front of him and held out his hand.

Kyle was puzzled. "What do you want?"

"The phone," Alexander replied bluntly.

Kyle quickly handed it over.

Alexander flipped through the photos. Kyle had taken many, including ones of Alexander and Quinn kissing.

Due to poor light, all the photos were silhouettes, but the background of the sea and morning glow was clear. The photos looked artistic.

Alexander handed the phone back. "Print them out."

"All of them?" Kyle instinctively asked, then quickly nodded, "Got it, will do!"

A gust of wind blew, and Alexander coughed twice.

"Mr. Kennedy, are you okay?" Kyle asked worriedly.

Alexander waved his hand, indicating he was fine. "Let's go."

Quinn took a long detour to return to the grassy cliff. By now, the sun was high in the sky, glaring.