Colors of the Sunset

I had always enjoyed watching the sunset, for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little girl, my mother would bring me to this beach just to watch the colors dance on the horizon as the sun disappeared yet again until the only light that remained was the reflection of the moon above the vast ocean. These were some of my favorite memories with my mother. Even now, as I sit here feeling the sand between my toes, I can’t help but look out onto that beautiful, peaceful ocean and watch the colors of the sunset dance one last time.

It was a gorgeous evening tonight. I could feel a nice cool summer breeze flow through my long auburn hair. I loved evenings at the beach. There was hardly anyone here. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as the daytime. Night and day looked completely different here. Night was much more peaceful. The deep oranges, vibrant yellows, and soft pinks that the sunset brought with it also allowed for an ambience of deep reflection and relaxation. However, this particular sunset had somewhat of a melancholy feel to it. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to watch the sunset again for a really long time, if ever, and that was a very depressing thought.

“Hannah!” Behind me, my name echoed faintly among the cawing of the seagulls. A familiar voice. I whipped my head around to find Chase jogging towards me, waving frantically. “Hannah, I thought I’d find you here.” Even all sweaty and out of breath, Chase still managed to look as handsome as ever.

“Did you just run a marathon or something?” I asked, clearly referencing the fact that he looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion.

“Ha ha, very funny,” he said, sarcastically as he flipped his blonde bangs to one side and rolled his eyes. I couldn’t help but stare into his deep blue magnetic eyes, which matched the ocean perfectly. What made them even more perfect this time was that they were filled with the radiant reflection of the sunset. “Listen, we don’t have much time,” he gestured for me to get up.

The sense of urgency in his voice snapped me back to reality. “Don’t you think I know that, Chase.” I patted the sand next to me, gesturing for him to sit down. “Just stay here with me a while and watch the sunset.”

“Have you completely lost your mind, Hannah?” The expression on his face contorted to one of confusion and disbelief. As he towered over me like a statue, arms crossed across his chest, I couldn’t help but wonder if he really would miss me. “Get up! You need to go now! I can help you. We need to go.”

I could feel the urgency in his voice, but I continued to stare at the sunset. “It’s too late,” I said, calmly with a kind of certainty that no one would think to question.

“I know you may think that, but it’s not too late.” Chase held his hand out for me to grab so that we could run off into the sunset together like some sort of cliché.

I grabbed hold of his hand and stood up, shaking the sand off of my jeans. Staring into his big blue, reassuring eyes, I could see that he had full confidence in this plan of his working out. This is why it pained me to disappoint him when I announced, “They found it.”

His face dropped, “What do you mean they found it? There’s no way.” He let go of my hand and began pacing back and forth while scratching his chin, deep in thought.

I could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to revise his plan, given this new information. “Yep. They found the knife. It’s over,” I whispered, bowing my head in defeat.

“Don’t say that. We can’t give up now. There are still ways around this,” Chase insisted with that determined twinkle in his eye that I’ve grown accustomed to.

“What ‘we’? There is no ‘we’ in this scenario. This is all on me. I did this. You don’t need to involve yourself,” I grabbed his arms to stop him from pacing. The feel of his toned biceps took my breath away for a moment. It’s been a while since we last embraced each other. With everything that’s been going on, I’ve been a little preoccupied. That’s an understatement.

He put his arms around my waist, “Look. I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I want to help. That’s not on you. That’s on me,” he assured me.

“If you really want to help, you’ll let me turn myself in.” I pushed him away. “Now, either watch what’s left of this gorgeous sunset with me or leave me alone. Please,” I begged and hoped that he would see things from my perspective for once.

“But if you turn yourself in, then you’ll spend the rest of your life locked up. I’m not prepared to be visiting you behind bars,” he pouted.

“Oh, come on, Chase. You know those big puppy dog eyes no longer work on me,” I smirked.

“Not even a little bit?” The corners of his lips curled into that awkward, but irresistible smile of his.

His smile was so contagious that it automatically forced my lips into a smile, like a reflex. “Okay, fine,” I sighed. “You win. This plan of yours had better be good, or we could be in even bigger trouble down the road.” I was fully expecting to get caught later on anyway, but damn it. Chase was just so convincing. I always struggled to say no to him.

“I figured you’d see things my way soon enough,” his smile grew into a full-blown grin.

I rolled my eyes, “Okay, okay. I know you feel pretty proud of yourself right about now,” I sat back down on the soft, golden sand. “But first, I need you to sit here and watch the rest of the sunset with me before it’s too late.” Again, I patted the sandy spot next to me. He stared at me, puzzled. “Please. At least just for a moment,” I insisted.

“Well, okay. If it’s that important to you,” he conceded and sat down. We both stared out at the vast cerulean ocean and watched that golden fiery ball of light touch down beyond the horizon until we were fully enveloped by darkness. The only source of light came from the full moon, which illuminated the night sky above our heads. As I rested my head on Chase’s shoulder only for a brief moment, we were abruptly brought back to reality by the faint sound of a police siren in the distance. “I think that’s our cue to leave.” Just like that, we both stood up and hand-in-hand, we began running.