Snow On The Beach | AruAni highschool fanfiction | Attack on Titan

19

~Armin's POV~ 

Annie's eyes look jaded and dark. Her hair perfectly falls in front of her face when her head rests on the car window. I smile at her from my seat and her lips form a gentle smile. I reach over and place my hand on hers. 

"Everything okay?" I ask. She nods, closing her eyes for just a second. 

"Just nervous." She answers. "Where are we headed?" 

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous myself. I haven't told her yet but we're nearing our destination so maybe now would be a good time to. "The beach."

"The beach?" She lifts her head to look at me. "Isn't it cold?" 

"It's fine." I now rest my head on the back of the car-seat and stare out the window. You can see the sea in the distance. "We won't actually be swimming.' 

Annie is focused on the view outside. The sky is dull and gray. It's not dark yet but it's getting there. If it was summer, it would've been all sorts of shades of pink and orange. All the blues would've been banished by the purple-pink skies. The car stops right in front of the entrance to the beach. 

"Call me when you need me to pick you up, Armin." My grandfather says from the drivers seat. 

"That wont be needed, grandpa. We'll walk home."

"Are you sure?' 

I nod and open the car door. I grab the picnic basket and rush over to Annie's door. She's already opened it but I grab it anyways and help her out. She looks up at me with a smile on her face. I take her hand and shut the door. 

"Ready for it...?" I ask. 

She nods, maintaining the smile on her face. "Yeah." Her smile is like she won a contest. 

We walk down the the beach, the icy sand cracking under our feet. There isn't much snow here but I'm hoping we get some anyways. We set up the picnic together and sit down. Annie spots the chai cookies. 

"I see what you did there." 

I laugh. "I also got donuts." She's mentioned she likes them before. 

A cold breeze passes through us. I shiver. Annie looks up at the sky. "Hey look." I look up at the cloudy gray abyss above us. "It's snowing." She says it quietly but sounds relieved and happy. Her face is red from the cold but the look in her eyes is warm. 

We both look at each other. "It's snow on the beach." 

I take out my phone, open Spotify and play it. Annie's in awe. She looks heavenly. Her red face sends a friendly aura around her. But something about her seems off. She seems upset over something. I decide not to bring it up. If she wants to talk about it, she's free to. 

I haven't been to the beach in a very long time. Since my parents passed, actually. Before today, every single part of the beach reminded me of my parents. The sun burned my heart and the sand hurt my feelings. The memories were haunting. Now, when I think of the beach I think of how enchanted Annie looks surrounded by the snowy sea. How her red face adds color to the dull sky and the white ground and how her messy hair let loose instead of pinned up in a bun behind her like she usually has it. It's a new memory. One I wanna cherish for the rest of my life. And maybe I'm starting to take steps in the direction of moving on. 

"Annie," I start. I've realized I don't know much about her interests. We've known each other for a month and she's never rambled about something she likes. "We've known each other for a while but I still barely know what your interests are. I mean, obviously Taylor. But is there anything else?"