Art Writing Contest - Moonlit Romance

Josh and Amelia made their way down the steep, rocky coastal path to the sandy cove below.

“You could have warned me it was this far down. I would have worn more sensible shoes.” Amelia stared angrily down at her new Louis Vuitton sandals.

“You don’t own any sensible shoes!” Josh laughed in reply.

She grabbed her phone from her handbag “When you said you were taking me to the seaside I thought it would be something a bit more glamorous than this. And there’s no phone reception either!”

“You know I’m a simple Cornish boy. We don’t do glamourous–or phone reception! We just do scenery.”

She placed her phone back into her bag and looked up. Even in her current mood, it was hard to disagree with him.

The moon in the cloudless sky sat over the horizon, sending light dancing across the crests of the rolling sea. Thousands of stars illuminated the night’s sky. The smell of salt water drifted off the waves with the warm summer breeze. The couple walked silently, hand in hand, past glistening rock pools towards the edge of the sea. Their feet left a perfect trail across the sand’s blank canvas.

Reaching the edge of the wash, Josh picked up a stone and expertly skimmed it out over the waves, showing off something he had done hundreds of times before.

Amelia watched him before she broke the silence “What are we doing here Josh? I could have been at the show tonight.”

Josh turned to face her. “Good question. What are we doing here?” He paused before continuing. “We’ve been together for five years now and I feel like I see less of you now than I did when we were commuting to see each other…”

“Is this the jealousy thing again? We’ve been through this before, there is nothing going on with anyone at work.”

“No. It’s not that. I trust you completely. It’s just that you’re never there anymore. If you’re not at a fashion show, you’re at a magazine shoot. And if you’re not there, you’re at another party in a nightclub. Even when you’re with me, you’re attached to your mobile phone. We pass each other like ships in the night. I had to drag you all the way down here just to spend some time with you.”

“We’ve discussed all this, Josh. You knew that my dream has always been to become a fashion editor. It’s not a nine-to-five job. I’ve got to stay on the pulse of what’s happening. If I miss the next new thing, there are plenty of people waiting to take my position.”

“And how do I fit in to this?”

At first she didn’t respond, so he pushed again. “I need to know whether I still have a place in your life? Yes or no?"

The ultimatum triggered a response from her. “Of course you do. Things are just difficult at the moment. I’m trying to build my career but I just need time. Things are so crazy at the moment but you are my rock, Josh. Once I’ve established myself, things will calm down. I promise.”

Josh turned back to the sea and stared for a few moments. He stooped to pick up another stone and then slung it out into the ocean.

“This was always my favourite place to come to when I was growing up. Dad would drive me here after school and at weekends.”

Josh paused and pointed out towards the sea. “He taught me how to surf out there. I loved spending time with him. Life seemed so simple when we were surfing together. After he died, I found it difficult to come back here.

“I’ve never brought anyone else here before. Call it selfish, but I didn’t want any of those memories tainted. I’ve always wanted to make sure that I only share this place with someone that I trust and love. Someone I can create more special memories with. Despite all that’s going on, I know that person is you.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close, resting her head against his back. “I love you Josh.”

He turned around and ran his hand through her long blonde hair. He gazed lovingly into her crystal blue eyes, and she mirrored him.

Without warning he dropped to one knee and held her hand. “Marry me?”

“What?” her eyes opened wide and her mouth gaped.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Amelia. Coming back here, knowing what happened to Dad, it’s just reminded me that life is too short to have any regrets. I know that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t ask you to spend it with me.”

She cupped a hand to her mouth and looked down to meet his eyes again. Her head slowly began to nod and tears formed in her eyes. “Yes. My answer is yes.”

He slipped his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a ring. “It’s the ring that my Dad gave to my Mum. If you don’t like it, we can shop for a new one.”

“No! I love it, Josh. It’s perfect.” A tear rolled down her moonlit cheek.

He stood and embraced her. Lifting her head to meet his, he placed a kiss on his fiancé’s lips.

She drew away from him. “I can’t wait to tell my parents.”

“Good luck with the phone reception!”

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This is my entry to @gmuxx's Art Prompt Writing Contest. Thank you for putting this contest on.

If you are a writer of poetry or short stories then great support and advise is available from the guys on The Writers Block channel on Discord. I must give special thanks to @jonknight and @jayna for their comments and critiques which helped me to finalise this piece.