Chapter 18

"Come on, Hope, get up, or we're going to miss our bus!" I smacked her with a pillow causing her to jump up and smack her head off the bottom of the top bunk.

"Ow, you asshole." She said while rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry, but come on. I'll apologize profusely and maybe even grovel on the bus ride. Now let's go." She just huffed and rolled out of bed. When she looked at me, I made a concerned/horrified face. Damn, it's swollen already.

"What? Is it bleeding?" She asked frantically. I just shook my head in disbelief, so swollen.

"No, it's just very swollen." She hurriedly got ready and stopped by the mirror to inspect her forehead and gasped.

"Damn it, that is huge." She then turned to me with a fury in her eyes. She marched up to me and put her finger into my chest.

"You pull something like that again; I'm going to hurt you." I know what she said wasn't a threat but a promise. I just shook it off and grabbed her hand, dragging her along with our luggage downstairs. We grabbed a couple of muffins from the complimentary food line and made our way to the tram stop. Soon we were on the bus and off to Belgium.

It took us around three and a half hours to get to our destination within Belgium. We were headed to spend a day at Bredene beach. It was a nude beach along the coast of the North Sea. It wasn't a huge beach, but it would help cross off another thing on our bucket list.

"You ready?" I look over to Hope, asking if she's ready to strip. She just nervously nodded her head and started lifting her shirt to take it off. I followed her lead. Soon we were both naked along with everyone else on the beach. I looked over to Hope.

"This feels liberating. I feel free." She said with a smile that I returned as well. I closed my eyes and let the salty, moist air fill my lungs. I felt free and at peace. I spread out my arms, letting the breeze flow around my body, gliding across my skin.

I opened my eyes to observe the quaint beach around me, hearing laughter and smiles surrounding me. The sun's rays warmed my skin, but the cool breeze kept me from overheating. This place was breathtaking. Hope laced our fingers together.

"Let's go look for seashells." I smiled and let her lead me to the edge of the shore. We looked for seashells for the next hour finding a nice variety.

We spent all day at that beach soaking in the sun, laughing at each other and other people, and just surrendering any care we had in the world, just focusing on being at this moment. We had taken a break to get a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, just like everywhere we've been to so far, it was delicious. We went back to the beach and laid out our small blanket once again. We spent the rest of the day watching the sunset, watching pink and orange dance together beautifully. Once nightfall came, we pulled each other closer, battling the cool breeze with our shared warmth; taking in the beautiful full moon and stars. I was experiencing one of the rare moments I felt at peace.