I can feel it wash over me. The salty ocean breeze. The sun shining brightly overhead. The waves crashing gently against my paws. This is one of my favorite places in the world. I used to go here all the time growing up, and whenever summer came I would always run off on my own, exploring the sand and water until it got dark. Something about watching the waves roll in always brought me peace. Being able to escape from reality for a few minutes just felt nice… And this place always managed to get me in that state. Today is no different, except there’s a special someone who happens to be present with me today. My lover, my muse, my best friend, my everything: Mia.
We walk hand in hand along the shoreline, our bare paws sinking comfortably into the wet sand. The waves lick lazily against the shore in front of us, their gentle caresses sending shivers down my spine. I've never enjoyed anything quite like this. It's relaxing, and makes me feel like nothing else matters. Just us, together. No one else. For the most part. Of course there's always going to be people at the beach no matter what time of day it is, that's just life. But today we don't seem to notice the rest of the world around us. We're so absorbed in each other, in our little bubble. My eyes are glued to her butt as I trail after her, unable to stop smiling. A couple of times she glances behind herself with a playful smirk, clearly having noticed my love struck expression. Mia is wearing a white halter top today, as well denim shorts that accentuate her curves perfeclty.
"Enjoying the view?" she asks amusedly, giving me a cheeky wink.
"I am." I answer honestly, my cheeks reddening slightly. "I really love you, Mia. I'm glad we can finally be together like this."
"I love you too, dork." she replies, wrapping an arm around me possessively. "So much..."
This whole situation makes my heart race in the best way possible. Such public displays of affection make me all giddy inside. She's all mine, and I'm all hers. Our hands are intertwined as we stroll along, enjoying this perfect moment between us, without any worries or responsibilities whatsoever. We take the wooden steps up onto the boardwalk, walking leisurely through the crowds of tourists enjoying the beautiful day. I'm sure we don't look out of place among all the other couples here; at first glance it might even appear that our relationship isn't illegal in 48 states. We look pretty damn normal right now, if that makes sense.
"You know, this one song has been stuck in my head all day." I comment, glancing over at Mia. "I think it kinda reminds me of us."
"Yeah?" Mia replies, tilting her head curiously. "Well now I have to hear it."
“Paradise, yeah… It’s somewhere that I’ve never been before…” I sing. “I just wanna be there when I wake up… Like you better with no makeup…”
Mia chuckles, ruffling my fur. "God, you're adorable. Please never change."
I giggle softly, letting myself smile. We wander aimlessly along the boardwalk, passing by various shops and attractions. There is a large Ferris wheel looming high above us. We spend a good amount of time gazing at it, admiring the sheer size of this metal contraption. People from other cities often come to gawk at it, and I have to admit it is pretty cool. I guess it kind of loses its magic when you've seen it hundreds of times over the course of your life. But hey, whatever works for them.
This day is going great. I know this is one of those days that I'm gonna remember years later, and I want to cherish every minute of it. The warmth radiating from my chest, the sound of the gentle ocean breeze caressing my ears, and Mia by my side. I just couldn't be more grateful for these moments with her. We're not gonna get any younger, you know. Time waits for no man and all that jazz. So we'll need as much time as we possibly can get together. I turned eighteen months ago, I'll have to stop living like a hopelessly romantic kid eventually. That's okay though. When we do have enough alone time we'll use it wisely. Right now, I'm content with spending every second of every day with her.
"Hey, Mike?" Mia says suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Hmm?" I hum in response, turning my attention towards her.
"What do you say about getting someone to take a couple pics of us?" she suggests, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
"As long as you don't upload them," I reply playfully.
Mia rolls her eyes, and we set out to find a suitable passerby. My eyes scan the area, searching for an acceptable candidate. Someone who's not busy, not too young, and not too old. Not a lot of people match that description here. It's mostly just families with their kids, some teenagers and older adults looking for entertainment, and a few joggers here and there. Finally I see someone. It's a middle-aged lady with blonde hair wearing sunglasses and walking around with a handbag. No kids or friends in sight. Perfect. I nudge my sister excitedly and point to the random stranger, signaling Mia that I spotted someone up for the job. She turns away from me and walks over to her, smiling and waving enthusiastically.
"Excuse me, ma'am!" Mia calls out.
The woman looks up from her phone, blinking twice in surprise. She quickly lowers her phone, returning Mia's smile.
"Hi, I was wondering if you'd be willing to take a couple pics of me with my boyfriend." she explains. "I'll give you my phone, and we'll just gonna pose and stuff. Sorry if we're bothering you." 
"Of course, sweetheart!" the woman replies cheerfully, taking Mia's phone. "Y'all stand right here, okay? You two are the cutest little pups I’ve ever seen!”
Me and Mia  up position beside each other next to the railing, our arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Her eyes are half-lidded, a smug smile spread across her face while I give her my signature cocky smirk. I lean in for a taste of home, my lips crashing against hers. 
"Mikeyyy…" she giggles against my mouth, pulling away briefly. "Stop playing.”
I chuckle. "Alright, alright."
We look back at the woman taking our pictures, watching as she lowers the phone and gives us a smile and a thumbs-up. Mia walks over to her and gets her phone back, but not before thanking the lady profusely.
“Thank you so much, ma’am!” she exclaims sincerely. “You won’t regret it.”
"No problem, sweetie. By the way, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between you two. You look exactly alike!” the woman responds cheerfully. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d have mistaken you two for twins.”
“Haha, yeah.” Mia chuckles. “Weird, right? People get that impression all the time. It’s just a really silly coincidence. I’m an only child, so is he. We’re gonna go now, though. Thanks again.”
The blonde smiles and waves goodbye to us, and I yelp as Mia yanks me by the paw and drags me away. After we've disappeared from the woman's line of sight, I turn round to face Mia, laughing at how fast she's taken off running.
"You think people are starting to catch on?“ I giggle.
“Oh, shut up.” she scoffs, playfully bumping her shoulder into mine. “I just wanted to get the hell out of there before it got too awkward. Imagine if she was someone Mom knows from work.”
“I’d rather not think about that possibility.” I say, taking the wooden steps down to the beach. “Wanna head home now?”
“Yeah, I think it’s time.” Mia agrees, smiling. “Race you there!”
Before I can even react, she takes off sprinting ahead of me, her strides far faster than mine. I holler for her to slow down, but to no avail. She’s already out of reach. Typical Mia.