Hamliza - One Shots ✰

The Picture

"You're so weird," Eliza laughs as she watches her boyfriend sing along to his playlist in the driver seat. His orange hair is blowing rapidly due to the wind entering the car from the open windows. Eliza would rather have the air on since it's a hot, summer day, but Alexander always insists that they leave the windows down and feel the "real air."

"Yep, but you love me anyways," he says, winking at her before continuing to sing obnoxiously loud to the music. Eliza snorts, which makes Alex grin wide.

This early, sunny afternoon, Alex and Eliza are headed off to the beach. It's not uncommon for the two to be seen there, as they only live a few minutes away and they're bored teenagers who don't want to waste their summer break. Eliza's brought her Polaroid camera along to get some pictures to hang up on her photo hanger on her wall, and she's been gently holding it between her hands on her lap this whole ride.

"Alex, you're gonna miss the next turn," Eliza giggles, watching him close his eyes and dramatically sing, his hand balled up in a fist to mimic a microphone. "Open your eyes, you nitwit!"

Alex smartly obeys and laughs, making sure he doesn't miss the next turn he's to take to get to the beach. Up ahead, the couple can see the sand dunes and the entrance to the public beach, which makes Eliza excited. Alex smiles a little at seeing her so excited, knowing how much she loves the beach, and he parks the car in its designated spot.

Almost immediately after the car stops, Eliza quickly unbuckles herself and pushes the door open, shutting it behind her. "Eliza, wait!" Alex shouts with a laugh, and he unbuckles himself before extracting himself from the car. He locks the car doors before racing after her, with Eliza already running across the wooden deck between the large sand dunes.

After chasing after his girlfriend for a few moments, Alex finally catches up to her at the end of the deck, where she's stopped to take a picture of the beach on her phone. Her camera is dangling in front of her from the strap that's hanging on the back of her neck, and she turns to her boyfriend after she's satisfied with her pictures.

"Hi, baby!" she greets him. She notices he's out of breath, and she tsks at him. "You've really gotta come jogging with me sometime."

"Maybe don't...run next time," he tells her, panting. "Did you...bring all the extra film in case...you run out of it?"

Eliza taps her pockets on her jean shorts. "Yep. I checked like eighty times to make sure I had them and stuffed a bunch in your bag. Now come on! We've gotta get some pictures for my photo hanger!"

Eliza grasps his hand and begins to charge forward in a run, but Alex gently pulls on her hand. "Please, no running," he says, still a little out of breath.

Giving him a little smile, Eliza relents. "Fiiiinneee."

The two hold hands as they walk down the steps of the bridge at a comfortable pace, which helps Alex catch his breath. The bright sun gleams down onto their slightly tanned skin, covered in sunscreen. Eliza's long, brown hair is moving a little from the wind, but her sun hat is helping not blow her hair around as much. Once the two reach the end of the stairs, they both take their sandals off and put them into the string book bag Alex has on his back.

"Now we've just gotta find someone to take our picture," Eliza says, holding her camera up with one hand, looking around to see if she can find anyone close to their age who seems like they'd be willing to take their picture. Alex, on the other hand, tugs on Eliza's hand to get her attention, and she looks down at her hand before looking at him curiously.

"How about we worry about that later?" he suggests. "It's too nice of a day to waste."

Eliza bites her inner cheek, really wanting to take some pictures now, but then she breathes out in agreement. "You're right," she says, and she lets her camera go back to dangling in front of her before pulling it off her completely and putting it in Alex's bag. She then takes his bag and puts it on herself, and Alex takes the hint to lift her up on his back. She grins as he lifts her up, gently looping her arms around his neck for stability. Her feet dangle at his sides, and she leans her front into his back to get more comfortable.