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Ty nods when he’s done, then pulls himself into his chair

"There’s a path forht, but there’s still a little chill in the air

We take the path down to the guardhouse, but stop at the sand

"You have beaches in Louisiana, right?" I ask

He looks out over the water, al the patterns of the waves "Yeah, but…not like this," he says, hisinto the most content smile "Not like this"

We stay here, under the shade of the guardhouse for a while, people-watching and listening to the sound of the waves I used to love taking naps here, falling asleep to the sound I’ve paid for it with sunburns et you in the sand?" I ask, looking at the wheels of his chair, contrasting them with the softness of the sand ahead

"I don’t know Maybe?" he says, looking at his wheels, and rocking theh Are you…strong enough for that?"

"Psssshaw," I say, hand on my hip "Have you h

Ty pushes hie, but before he rolls froer "I have an idea," I say

I reach into ht and unfurl the hard on the et us sixteen feet at a ti at the corner as he looks at the brightly colored path ahead

When I grip the handles behind him, I pause Ty doesn’t let others push him often, and it isn’t lost ons a hand up to caress ht notthat," he says, and I sainst his skin

The first push coood ten feet before I feel the sand building around the tires and working against htly, nodding for rab the towels each ti our distance until we’re a good forty or fifty feet away froood," he says "You won’t have the energy to getout of irl’s on steroids," I say, and he smiles in response, but holds his hand over mine and pulls me to his lap to stop me anyway

"Yeah, about that," he starts, and I suddenly feel trapped

"Ty, don’t I don’t want to talk about it, not now," I say, and he takes a deep breath

"I know Just hearout on that pile of sand right there" His words make me blush "You don’t have to do this You’ve proven a lot, to yourself, to everyone Just, your parents, they ive up onwith anxiety He can’t back out on h with hih his nose, his eyes washing over rabs mine He pulls it to his mouth and kisses my knuckles, then pushes the sleeve up on my hoodie until his watch shows He twists it around so the face is on the inside of raze over the thin skin underneath

"Always I’m always on your side I just didn’t want you to think you had to prove anything to htly and kiss him hard When I pull back and look at his face,I’ll ever need in et me…down there?"

I bitehis ar Ty count dohen he’s ready

His body is heavier than I expected, and I can’t support hiht in front of us, and I lay back and let hi me in while the waves cascade in and out a hundred feet away The way he looks athis lips to h school, the --it all washes aith every kiss, every pass of his nose againstmy neck, the whispers in my ear