the laugh, it just erupted from my chest, a physical heave that happened before my brain even registered Cosmo tearing into the waves again, like a small, salty missile, and for a fractional moment, before the thought could even form, before the awareness could catch up, my ribcage just unlocked itself and the sound came out, pure and unadulterated, the kind of sound that used to feel like a foreign object lodged in my throat, something i'd have to force or fake, but this was different, it was an autonomic response, like my body finally understands the language of this place, the way the ocean pulls at everything, even the muscles that lift the corners of my mouth into that unexpected shape, and it makes me wonder what other involuntary truths are waiting there, just beneath the surface, ready to break through when i'm least expecting them, like a hidden current pulling me further out into this incredibly specific, vibrant NOW.