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//Jongdae//

So. Ayers rock may have been beautiful, but it is nothing compared to the miles of stretches of sand that cover Australia's coastline.
We only spent a couple of days in Alice Springs, seeing as there wasn't much else to see or do in the quiet town. Then we hopped on a plane down to the coast to enjoy a few days of sunbathing. 
I still can't get over the sweltering heat. My pasty skin that's so used to the rain of England is only just about holding up against the Australian sun. I feel like I'm constantly wiping the sweat off of my forehead. 
At least this hotel has better air conditioning, anyway.
I lie spread-eagled on the floor, my new favoured way to cool down, with the fan whizzing round on the ceiling. Minseok laughs at me, sitting shirtless on the bed. 
"You look like a right idiot, you know." Minseok says, rolling onto his stomach and looking down at me.
"I can see up your nose from this angle." I retort.
Minseok flares his nostrils. "Aren't you blessed," he smirks. "Anyway, you should get up. We're going to the beach today, right?" 
I groan, and sit up, nodding. 
Mum had insisted we all meet in the lobby by ten, ready to go to the beach for the day. 
Minseok throws an inflatable ring at me. "Come on~" he sings. "I'm ready."
I take one look at him. He's still shirtless, the little . His flat, tanned stomach is distracting and in a moment of possessiveness, I want to tell him that I only am allowed to be distracted by it. "You're not going anywhere like that. Put some clothes on."
Minseok rolls his eyes. "Sorry, Mother." he says sarcastically, but reaching for a vest nonetheless. When I deem him suitably dressed, I put my sunglasses on and we leave the room.
Minseok sniggers. "You look like a right idiot."
"Nothing new there then." I say, knowing it's true. I've got my sunglasses on - that seems normal, until you realise that they're neon pink and in the shape of pineapples. Come on, they're classy, right? 
I've also got that inflatable ring hung round my waist, because Minseok refused to carry it. He instead is carrying his bucket and spade, and has a towel hung around his neck. We find my parents in the lobby waiting with several bags, full of food and sun cream. I go poking in the food bag, managing to steal a couple of chocolate bars out of the ice box before Mum notices and jabs me in the side.
"Cheeky!" she exclaims. "I was saving those." 
"Whoops." I say, grinning as I take a bite out of mine and hand the other to Minseok. He eats it, shaking his head at me in disbelief. 
We wander down to the beach slowly, basking in the only mildly humid sunshine. I skip ahead of my parents, as Minseok trails behind with his bucket and spade clattering against his leg loudly. 
"We're going to the beach, we're going to the beach!" I sing breathlessly as the distant chatter of families on the beach gets louder and louder. A palm tree looms over the steps that lead down to the beach. As we pass by the beach-side restaurant, which already has a profitable queue of hungry tourists, I wave happily to the guy serving ice cream. He toasts his ice cream cone back in return, and laughs.
"Come on, Minseok!" I yell, leaping down the steps in delight. He runs to catch up with me, bounding down the steps. Momentary worry washes over me at his carefree approach on how to run down stairs safely, but as soon as he reaches the beach and tumbles onto soft sand, I relax. 
Crowds of families are sat in happy groups all along the beach. I thought it was going to be way busier, but I like it better this way. I wiggle my toes in the warm sand. It feels smooth, not like the rough sand we have in England that rips apart the soles of your feet.
As usual, Mum and Dad make us leave our stuff as far away from the entrance to the beach as possible. We walk along the beach, scuffing our feet through the sand, until my parents have decided that all the key factors have aligned to create the perfect spot to sit in. 
"Here seems good." Dad comments, and Mum nods in agreement. 
"Yes, I think so too. Put the umbrella up over there," she says, pointing. "We can always turn it round when the sun moves." 
Dad complies, grinding the umbrella into the sand and securing it safely. Mum takes and cracks open a bottle of suncream and starts applying it to her stomach and legs. "Come on boys, you too. I don't want you burning to a crisp when it's almost the last day." 
Minseok chuckles and takes the bottle from her whilst stripping off his vest top. I subtly watch him as he rubs it over his chest and arms and legs. "I'll do your back if you do mine?" he suddenly offers, so I nod, wide eyed. 
It's a little cold when his fingers first tentatively dab it onto my back, and I inhale at the shock of it. Minseok giggles, apologising. He rubs it in firmly, his tiny elegant fingers making sure he doesn't miss a spot. After all, I'd look rather stupid with one patch of skin more tanned than the rest. 
"There we go. Done." Minseok says, so I turn round to do his back. His skin is awfully soft and smooth, and covered in the smallest clusters of freckles, that while I'm applying the suncream I find myself comparing it to the stars in the night sky. I smile to myself, rolling my eyes at the thought. How cringey and cliche I have become since dating Minseok. It's disgusting, really.
"All done." I announce, throwing the bottle back to Mum. She shrieks but catches it anyway, swatting me with a towel. 
"Clear off." she grimaces, and I take Minseok's hand and pull him down to the sea. I dip my toes in slowly, relaxing at the warmth of the water. It's a slightly less intense version of the heat of the sun, and Minseok and I wade in until it's up to our waist. I flick some water at him, giggling. 
"Hey! No! Jongdae!" Minseok yells, holding his arms up in front of his face to shield himself from my attacks. 
"Minseok, Minseok, Minseok!" I call him, splashing water at him relentlessly. 
"God, you're like a ing hose, stop spraying water at me!" Minseok grumbles, lowering his arms only to throw water at me in a counter attack. I run at him - well, attempt to, anyway - and leap on him, wrapping my arms and legs around his waist. Minseok topples over, shrieking as we fall backwards together into the clear blue sea. The water slaps his back loudly, and I get a mouthful of salty water as we go under. I can feel Minseok's fingers scrabbling at my sides, and I wrap my arms around him tighter, finding my feet sink into the hurricane of sand that's whirling around at the bottom of the sea. I pull him upright, and he bursts out of the water, eyes wide and taking a huge, choking gulp of air. "Oh my god," he breathes. "Don't do that to me, man! I need to be prepared for that kind of thing." he says, but doesn't look too annoyed, thankfully. I kiss his lips cheekily, tasting the sting of salt on him, and he rolls his eyes and drags me out of the sea by the hand. "That's enough sea for me today, thanks." he comments, grabbing a towel and rubbing at his hair to dry it off a little when we reach the adults. The water droplets on his stomach glisten in the sun, and I reach out and touch each one so it falls in a trail down his stomach to rest at the band of his swimming shorts. Minseok catches my hand and pulls me closer, wrapping an arm round my waist. We stand in comfortable silence, watching families around us play in the sea and build sand castles that won't stay up because the sand is too dry. The sun beats down on our backs, and soon enough I'm completely dry.
After lunch, when Mum and Dad have settled themselves on their towels for an afternoon nap, I take Minseok by the hand and we wander down the beach. We walk along the seashore, as the waves wash up the beach and over our feet. Minseok bends down occasionally and picks up little shells, holding onto the prettiest ones. Soon enough he's got a collection of sand coloured shells dusted with pink spots. I spot a cluster of small trees over in a secluded part of the beach, and we wander over, settling ourselves behind a fallen tree. It seems peaceful here, a world away from the happy holiday-goers, and the crash of the waves is distant. 
Minseok sighs contentedly, lying down on the soft sand beneath us. He puts his little collection of shells in a neat pile next to him, tucking them altogether neatly. I won't admit it, but my heart softened a little at the action. 
The trees provide shade, and the sun only darts through momentarily before being blocked again. I lie down next to him, throwing a leg over his and cuddling into his side. My head rests on his shou