Imagine you're in the middle of a case when you let it slip to Emily that you've never been to the beach, not as a vacation. She doesn't entirely believe you at first because you seem so well-traveled and also because who hasn't been to the beach?
You shrug. "It's not like I don't know how to swim. I've just never been to the beach outside of work."
"How come?"
You press your lips together. It wasn't that the topic discomforted you, you just weren't sure if now was the right time to talk about it because the reason for it brought up a whole other piece of conversation. "I'll tell you later."
And eventually, you did. Sitting in your parked car in front of a gas station, you told her.
"I grew up in a very conservative household. My dad wouldn't let me go to the beach because he said people dressed immodestly at the beach, so I couldn't go. I couldn't go to swim parties as a kid either. If I wanted to swim I had to do it alone."
She seemed to understand, swiping her thumb across the back of your hand to express her sympathy.
"Well, for the record, not all beaches are like that. There are cold beaches, where people dress in normal clothes." You noticed her struggle at holding eye contact, looking down at her other hand, which lay in her lap. "Do you want to go to the beach?"
You nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"Great! We're going."
Your eyes shoot up at her, startled at her excitement. She quickly notices and covers her determination up by clearing her throat and saying, "Cool. Uh, I know a place we could go. It's kind of quiet, so there won't be a lot of people."
"We?"
"Yeah. It doesn't have to be just you and me though! We can take the rest of the team, too, if you want."
You shake your head. "Maybe just you and me this time."
You couldn't help but notice the teeny tiny smile that graced her lips when her mind had processed your words.
And so the day came when she finally took you to the beach. Like she said, there weren't a lot of people, and for good reason. It wasn't a blazing hot, sunny beach. It was overcast and relatively cool. You kind of liked it. As you didn't know where you were going (or what to do, really) you hooked a finger into her belt loop, following her to the spot she chose to sit and enjoy the weather. It looked a little bit like a baby elephant using its trunk to hold onto its mother's tail, but the human version. You sat on the towels set out on the sand timidly, the texture of the ground unfamiliar to you.
You sat and talked for a long time, giggling and eventually chasing each other around on the beach until she drove you towards the shoreline. You skidded to a stop, making sure your toes never got wet. You shyly admit to her once again that the beach was strange to you, and she laughs softly, understanding. Emily takes your hand, leading you into the soft waves. You stepped into the shallow water with more confidence when she moved out further in front of you. Just as you did, though, the water suddenly kicked up and lapped at your calves, making you cold and wet up to your knees.
You yelped at the sensation and leapt away from the water, stumbling back towards the safety of the land. Meanwhile, Emily was using all of her strength to paint a sympathetic look over the laugh she was stifling. You gave her a pout- it was obvious she found it hilarious.
When you two (after a long, long while) ran out of things to do, she led you up to the pier. It was getting dark now, the sun already starting to sink into its ocean bed.
You noticed Emily's arm was grazing yours as if timidly asking for physical contact.
And when I tell you the puppy-dog eyes she gave you when she noticed you noticing her doing the thing. She looked terrified, fearing she was overstepping her boundaries or making you uncomfortable. You leaned into her body, and when she understood your response, she wrapped an arm around you, taking in the warmth your body provided.
"Did you have fun?" She asked quietly.
"Mhm."
"Good."
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A/N: See this is what I mean when I say that sometimes I will write for specific groups, (like shy people/people who grew up in strict, conservative households). And I didn't even really know what I was doing, either. I just thought of the scenario and felt like sharing it.