Intrepid Hearts

32: Zira's birthday Jubilee 2

SANTA MONICA PIERE,
LOS ANGELES,
CALIFORNIA.

Their last stop was the beach. The only activity the ended up doing was canoeing which went terribly wrong and crazy. Each of them wanted to take control of the saddles.

"Give it to me!" Zayn struggled to get ahold of it as she was too stubborn to let go.

She violently pulled it towards her, "No, I can handle it myself!"

"You don't have to always handle things yourself!"

"Yes, I do." They kept on going on and on, arguing to a point that people on other canoes had already gone back to the sandy part of the beach leaving the two. Most of them mistook them for couples.

If only they knew.....

They managed to move out of the deeper part of the water, almost near the sandy part. "Why do you have to be like this?" He exclaimed, collecting the saddles for the umpteenth time.

She snorted irritably through flared nostrils. "You know what,"

He deepened the glare he had pinned on her, "You tell me,"

"Since you so much love the canoe, then you can have it all to yourself!" by now, she had jumped off from the canoe landing in the water. If Zayn thought that was all, then heck was he kidding because she flipped the canoe along with the only inhabitant of the vehicle.

She used the strength she had to push Zayn more into the water and farther away, before she swam back to the beach as she watched him in glee, struggling to swim his way out. Her pants and the lower part of her top was completely drenched while the upper part of her body was untouched. Unfortunately for Zayn, he was soaking wet from head to toe.

Instead of trying to swim out of the water, he attempted to turn the canoe but he only dived back into the water hard.

Zayn managed to reach the beach, barely standing on his two feet.

Watching this blissful scene from afar, Zira couldn't
hold herself. It was something she hadn't
experienced ever since her family's passing.
Something so bizarre, coming from the now twenty
four year old.

Zira laughed.

A true and genuine laughter that made her lips
stretch out wide, her eyes squinting slightly, and her
stoic dimples that were now visible, the gap tooth
too had made an appearance.

Her laughter was so free and pure, so childish
despite her adult years. Could you blame her
though? The last time she laughed sincerely was
before her family's demise. So it sounded so foreign
and strange to her ears. It came to Zayn's ears as a
tickle and bounce--It was as if her sound lifted a veil
from his eyes and allowed him to see the world more
clearly.

He would be damned if he allowed the moment to
pass by. He got ahold of his iPhone 14 plus before he
clicked the camera button numerously, video taping
the scene as she was still laughing uncontrollably.

The dying sun bled its light onto the horizon.

The breathtaking sunset, where the sky becomes a
canvas of pink and purple hues. The sun gracefully
dips below the horizon, casting a warm glow that
dances across the clouds. It's like a masterpiece,
blending shades of pink and purple, creating a
magical atmosphere. The colors intertwine, creating
a sense of tranquility and awe. It's a moment where
time stands still, and nature's beauty takes center
stage.

"Your laugh is even more beautiful than you. The
sunset makes it more bewitching," he gazed at her,
as the words left his lips.

That was when she realised she had just laughed. She didn't stop him from taking the pictures because she knew it would only turn into another argument. Deep down, she wanted to have a glimpse of what she looks like laughing—as an adult, and not an eight year old.