Conflicted

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Vanessa grabbed Ethan's wrist and tugged him toward the shoreline.

"Come on, we're not done yet," she said with a grin.

Ethan raised a brow but allowed himself to be led. 

The warm water lapped at their ankles as they strolled along the beach, the sand soft beneath their feet. 

The crowd had thinned, leaving behind only a few scattered figures in the distance — some couples, some lone wanderers, all lost in their own little moments.

For a while, neither of them spoke. 

The sound of the waves rolling in and out filled the silence, accompanied by the occasional cry of seagulls overhead. 

Ethan slipped his hands into his pockets, glancing at Vanessa from the corner of his eye.

"You've been thinking about something," he said finally. "Spit it out."

Vanessa smirked. "You always this blunt?"

"When necessary."