They Don't Know About Us (BWWM)

Chapter 15

One year later.

Ava woke up to the sound of rolling waves every morning, the soft caw of seagulls accompanying the deep gush and swell. She stretched in bed, her eyes slowly opening to be greeted by the gentle rays of the sun pouring in through the window of her bedroom. She sat up and yawned, a smile already growing on her face as she prepared herself for a new day. Every day staring a year ago had been an adventure in their own, starting from fleeing from the scene and hitting the road again. Gavin received a package from a friend that contained more money than Ava had ever seen in her life. Some of that was used to create more fake papers for them, some to get them to a small island that Gavin had rented a beach house on, and the rest was still waiting to be spent on whatever they needed. It had been a chaotically fun year, and Ava wouldn't trade it for the world. It was ten times better than the life she used to live.

After taking a few moments to wake herself up, Ava coaxed herself out of bed, grabbing a shell bracelet on her nightstand that Gavin had made for her and slipping it on her wrist. Next to where the shell bracelet was placed was a stack of letters between her and Stephanie and Jackie. They managed to get back into contact, but they had to be careful, using fake names, code words, and cryptic phrases. They wished that she had confided in them about Gavin and everything that had been happening in her life, but they were happy that she was safe and enjoying her life. That was all they wanted for her.

Ava slipped on her black sandals and headed through the beach house and out the door to walk down the stairs to the sand. She gazed out toward the water, seeing Gavin sitting near the shore like he usually was at. She smiled brightly, watching him for just a moment to admire him as he sat there shirtless with black shorts on. They had gotten even closer throughout the year, telling each other more and more stories and experiences from their past lives and developing plans and dreams for the future. They were so in sync, and Ava quickly found herself falling in love with him. He made her stronger, encouraged her to learn, showed her new things. He was exactly what she needed in her life.

Ava walked across the beach toward him, her hand reaching out to caress his back as she sat beside him. "Good morning," she murmured, looking out beyond the water at the orange and pink hues of dawn. She felt so at peace with him, but she also had so much fun with him. Every day was so different from the past one. They went swimming, hiked, explored cliffs, built things, went to the local market in town, and so many other things.

"Hello there," Gavin greeted her warmly, leaning over to press a soft kiss against her lips, his hand winding around her back to hold her waist. He dragged his free hand through his hair, which had grown out a little into thick waves that Ava loved to comb her fingers through.

"What are we doing today?" Ava asked him, leaning her head against his shoulder as they stared out at the waves together. She couldn't wait to have another eventful day with him, living her life to the absolute fullest. She didn't want a minute to go to waste, and in the past year, none of them had been wasted at all. She spent the minutes doing things that interested her, that pushed at her boundaries, that made her question her original stance in life. It had all been quite psychological to her amusement. She missed the interesting lectures and assignments sometimes, but she still learned so much from him.

"Hm, I might have an idea," Gavin murmured, his expression playful as he reached into the pocket of his black shorts and handed her a black booklet.

Narrowing her eyes out of confusion, Ava opened the black booklet to see a fake passport with her picture on it, her eyes then lifting to his. "What are you up to, Gavin?" She asked, an excited expression immediately growing on her face as she realized that he had planned something for them. They had taken a few trips off of the island, but they hadn't gone very far at all to still keep on the down low. They hadn't encountered any trouble from his father, and they were desperately trying to keep it that way. They had finally found paradise, and they just weren't ready to give it up anytime soon or ever if possible.