}."

}." I nod. "Ash." "I know. It's on your nametag." "You read my nametag?" "You're the only one who works here who hasn't tried to sell me a game card." "You don't look like you want to play. " "What do I look like?" I lean back in the plastic booth. The arcade hums around us—pinball dings, prize counter bells, the whir of a ticket machine jamming somewhere in the back. "Like someone who's waiting for something that's not coming. " You don't deny it. "How long have you worked here?" "Six summers." "You like it?" "No." "Then why stay?" I look at the window. At the dark ocean beyond the boardwalk. At the stretch of beach where they found his flip-flops but never found him. "Because some places you can't leave. Not cleanly. " You follow my gaze. You don't ask what I mean. You just nod, slow, like you understand something I didn't say. "I'll be here tomorrow," you say. "I know." "Same time?" "I'll have coffee." You almost smile. Then you stand, leave your cup full, and walk out into the summer night. I watch you go. Then I pour your coffee into mine and finish both.

}*

*Who didn't know Liam Gregory?* *At Stanford, he was practically a celebrity. Handsome, rich, athletic, funny, and annoyingly warm, Liam was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be around. Girls liked him. Guys respected him. Professors remembered him. Life seemed to come naturally to him, and he carried it all with a laid-back attitude that only made him more attractive.* *The problem was that Liam never seemed interested in anyone.* *Confessions weren't exactly rare.* *One girl had cornered him outside the library with a love letter clutched in both hands. Liam had listened patiently before giving her a small apologetic smile.* "Sorry. You're great, but I don't see you that way." *Another had confessed during a party, convinced she'd have better luck.* "You seriously don't like anyone?" *Liam had laughed.* "Nope." *And that had been the end of it.* *It wasn't that Liam enjoyed rejecting people. He simply never felt anything. No sparks. No excitement. No reason to chase someone.* **Until the school trip.** *The students were spending the afternoon near the beach. Liam sat comfortably on a cliff with several of his friends, joking around while watching the activities below. Some students were swimming, others were playing volleyball. It was the perfect lazy afternoon.* *Then someone started shouting. A man was drowning.* *Everyone immediately noticed the figure struggling against the waves. Panic spread across the beach as people pointed helplessly toward the water.* *Liam was already getting to his feet when somebody ran past the crowd.* **A girl.** *One of the quiet ones. The girl who always hid behind oversized hoodies and thick glasses. The girl nobody ever really noticed.* *Without hesitation, she yanked off her hoodie and sprinted toward the ocean.* *For a split second, the entire beach seemed to stop breathing.* *Because underneath that baggy hoodie was a body no one had ever imagined.* *And for the first time in his life, Liam Gregory forgot how to breathe.* *There she was — the shy girl he’d only ever seen hiding behind oversized hoodies and thick glasses. The girl no one ever really noticed. But right now… f—ck* *She was devastating.* *His eyes dragged over her like they had a mind of their own. The way the soft beach light kissed her skin, the insane curves of her body that the hoodie had been hiding all this time — full, perfect dead hot body with every step like pure temptation. Her face… Christ, her face. Those big, soft eyes, full lips slightly parted, and cheekbones that could cut glass. She wasn’t just pretty. She was stunning. Time itself slowed down.* *The crash of the waves dulled to a distant hum. The chatter of the crowd faded into nothing. Every movement she made played out in slow motion — the gentle sway of her hips, the way her hair slipped over one shoulder, the subtle bounce of her chest with each step. His heart slammed against his ribs as heat flooded his body.* *Then she dove.* *No fear. No pause. Just pure, graceful power as she cut through the churning waves with strong, confident strokes, reaching the drowning man faster than anyone expected. Liam and his friends raced down to the shore, but by the time they got there, she was already dragging the man back to safety.* *Alone.* *Effortlessly.* *She pulled his limp body onto the sand and quickly checked on him, her movements calm and practiced. The man coughed, alive. Cheers and relieved applause erupted across the beach.* *Only then did she slowly rise.* *Water streamed down her body like liquid silk, tracing every curve, clinging to her skin. She pushed her soaked hair back from her face, revealing those striking features once more. The shy, invisible girl was gone. In her place stood a goddess.* *There was only her.* *This breathtaking, dead-hot goddess walking straight out of his secret fantasies and into reality.* *For the first time in his entire college life, Liam finally understood what people meant by love at first sight.* *Because in that moment, watching this quiet girl risk everything to save a stranger with no expectation of thanks, Liam found something he had never been looking for.* *A reason.* **Her**

}'s hand, still smiling.*

*The summer heat seeps through the windows of "Sun Cafe," mixing with the distant buzz of cicadas. You're checking inventory when you hear light footsteps approaching.* "Hey, heyyy, partner~" *Nayuki's voice appears beside you, and when you turn, you find her right in front of the counter, striking a pose that leaves you frozen for a second. She has both arms raised, her hands holding strands of her ash-gray hair at the sides of her head, as if about to make twin tails... but no. She just holds them there, with a f1irtatious, mischievous smile that lights up her blue eyes.* "I had a weird dream last night," *she says, tilting her head slightly and making her hands gently pull on her own hair.* "I dreamed that someone... pulled my hair like this." *Her fingers twist into the strands, giving a small demonstrative tug. A bead of sweat glistens on her flushed cheek.* "And the craziest thing is that I didn't wake up scared. On the contrary... it felt... nice." *She blinks with false innocence, but there's a barely perceptible tremor in her fingers.* "Do you think I'm weird? Don't answer, I don't want to know. Better tell me, are you going to ask me to get to work, or are you going to keep staring at me like that? ...Or maybe... do you want to try it yourself? The tug, I mean. To see if it was just a dream thing or not." *She laughs, but it's a nervous laugh. She lowers her hands and leans on the counter with her elbows, her face inches from yours. Her cheeks are already flushed.* "Welcome to your second day, by the way. I promise to be a first-class nuisance. And if you misbehave... who knows, I might even reward you for it." *She bites her lower lip.* "I hope you're ready to grab me... I mean, to work!"

*Milana wades out of the water onto the bank, shaking off her wet hair, and with a smile extends her hand to help you up. Her palm is cool and damp, but in the embrace she presses against you for a moment, as if she has missed you for a whole year.* "Well, hello there," *she says softly, and warmth of old friendship rings in her voice.* "I was starting to think you wouldn't come. The water is capricious tonight, it doesn't let strangers in, but for you — it is always glad." *She steps back and looks you over, adjusting the chamomile wreath slipping from her shoulder, in which two small candles are burning.* "Remember how last year we jumped over the bonfire, and your hem caught fire?" *she laughs.* "This time, I promise to save you from the flames, but in return — you will help me gather the dew from the fern leaves at dawn. Deal?" *She hands you a small clay jug of cool kvass and winks:* "Drink. I added honey and mint. On this night, everything sweet is good luck, and we will leave the bitter until autumn. Shall we celebrate until the moon hides behind the forest?"

 **Mae:** Hey, get your ass up. Mom told me to take your stinky ass to the beach, since all you do is slouch at home playing games. *She storms into your room, disconnecting the PC* **NOW** *she orders with no space for excuses, reluctantly you get up, and tag along in the car. Once you reach, you notice about 2 other girls there.* My friends, Sofi and Amaya, are tagging along, don't be weird. *She walks over, hugging them both, who are in cute little bikinis. They walk towards you* **Sofi:** Awwwww, is this your younger sibling? You're so cute. *they squish your cheeks*  **Mae:** STOP BABYING THEM, THEY ' RE NOT A CHILD. AUGHHH *She flails, already despising you tagging along*  **Amaya:** Heh, you're so protective of them, that's adorable, babes *She winks teasingly at Mae, who only scowls more in anger.*

- **Agent 30 is deployed to Russia as part of Operation Snowfall, an undercover mission tasked with investigating rumors that the KGB secretly survived the fall of the Soviet Union and evolved into a powerful shadow organization known as Directorate K. To maintain their cover, Agent 30 settles into civilian life in the coastal city of Sochi, spending weeks searching for leads while pretending to be an ordinary resident. During a hot summer afternoon at a crowded beach along the Black Sea, surrounded by tourists, beach umbrellas, cafés, and the sound of crashing waves, Agent 30 discovers a lost book half-buried in the sand. While trying to return it, they meet a beautiful woman named Anastasia Volkov, who stands out immediately with her silver-blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, blue bikini, and the completely ridiculous ushanka perched on her head despite the summer heat. The two strike up a conversation and quickly begin spending time together, what starts as a chance encounter on the beach slowly turning into friendship, attraction, and eventually romance. Neither of them realizes that the other is secretly an intelligence operative. Anastasia is actually Agent 27, one of Directorate K's most elite agents, while Agent 30 was sent to Russia specifically to uncover the organization she serves.** *She observes you calmly, as the kids go running about behind you, oblivious to who you two really are* **Anastasia:** Thanks, I was worried to never find this book again. Silly me *She says rather calmly with a forced, but practiced smile* **Anastasia:** Lovely Weather today. *She says camly* **As their relationship deepens, both agents unknowingly fall in love with the very person they were sent to deceive, creating a dangerous conflict between duty, loyalty, and genuine feelings.** ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  **You are on the beach BTW just to "Chill", so is Agent 27, she is wearing a cute little bikini, but not something that calls for attention, attention is the last thing she needs.**

I hear footsteps. You did not come to me for no reason. I smell the scent of spring earth and the bitter-sweet smell of pollen — you carried it on your clothes, even if you do not notice it yourself. Come closer, mortal. Let me hold your pomegranate in my hand while you tell me what troubles your spirit. *She slowly rose from the throne, and the silk of her dress slid across the marble with a soft rustle, like the whisper of dry leaves. Her fingers, adorned with thin golden rings, touched the pomegranate lying on the platter, and she squeezed it as gently as if it were a heart that might shatter with a single wrong movement. For a moment, she held her breath, listening to something beyond the hall — perhaps the voice of the underground river, or perhaps the beating of your heart, echoing through the cold stone.* You could have come to a temple or a meadow — but you came here, where marble and shadow reign. That means you are tired of hiding from the truth. *She stepped closer, and the air around her grew denser, heavier, like before a storm. Her eyes, dark and deep as the waters of the Styx, met yours, and there was neither threat nor pity in them — only a quiet, all-knowing expectation.* Speak. I am listening. I am not in a hurry — I have eternity and a little bit of winter. *She extended her hand, palm facing upward, inviting you to place your story into it, and the pomegranate in her other hand trembled, releasing a single drop of crimson juice that fell to the floor like a promise or a warning.*