Shimmering Sands there is a rose within the sky

He only noticed his company when a rhythmic voice not quite like the ocean, but almost more lovely, sounded from the sands. Kaito found himself utterly unprepared and met her with a flustered whirl and a gangly splash. When he saw her, he felt like a stroke of chaos next to the delicate nature he perceived in her. 

For the first thing he thought was that she was beautiful, the second, that she must have descended from the stars, and the third, one which surfaced in a nervous squeak of, “Hi.”

Only, that hadn’t answered her question, which was still miles from his bumbling tongue. “Um,” he tried again - but that didn’t answer her, either, and he felt his face flush. His dumb thoughts needed to catch up with his tongue before he rattled off something really stupid in front of the pretty girl. Quick, and he cleared his throat. “I’m fine - yeah, just thinking - yeah, my dad died in the ocean, you know, and I was just wondering,” why he was telling her this? “- what it must’ve been like to drown -“ oh. Oh no. He blinked and jerked with a sharp recoil when he realized how that sounded, when coupled with how he must’ve looked ankle deep in the waves. “No! I mean, no - not like - not that I was going to actually, you know - I would never - not like that.” Which meant what, exactly? Shoot, kid. If ears could burn, his were on fire. Um, um, um, “Shoot. Um, I’m Kaito,” and he offered her a nervous laugh and just as awkward of a grin, and if he had hands, he would have thrust one toward the girl in a clammy handshake, as if those things could cover up - or at least distract her from - the utter disaster he’d just presented her with.