This Is How I'll Remember You

Scarlet fixed her brunette hair in the window of the bar before pushing the door open. Her heart dropped when she saw the amount of people standing around, drinks in hands as she knew she wouldn’t have much time to talk tonight. She pushed her way through to the bar and threw her bag from her shoulder, wincing when she heard what would have been her phone violently crashing on the floor.

She didn’t have time to check it as she pushed towards the bar, “Time is money.” Her boss, Sam, tapped his watch walking past her and moved into the crowd of people.

“Whisky, please.” Scarlet nodded her head and turned to make it mumbling under her breath how she’d like to see Sam do some work around here. That’s when she heard his laugh which caused a smile to fall onto her face.

“Can’t be that bad, Scar.” He took the bar stool in front of her. She smiled at him and took the money for the drink and turned round, the smile still on her lips. Brian couldn’t help but stare at her; he loved how her hair fell down her back in curls, how she wasn’t that tall but disguised it well with heels and how her eyes shined at him.

She turned and leant over the bar grinning at him, “So what can I get you?” Brian moved closer to her and smirked back, “Something strong, and one for yourself.” She broke their eye contact and fixed him a drink.

The night became a blur, Scarlet felt like she was a broken record. Thankfully the clock read that she only had ten minutes left of her shift. She smiled over at Brian who was still sat in the same seat; an empty glass lay in front of him. He waved at her and placed his head on the bar in front of him, the constant supply of Whisky and Coke taking its toll.
Scarlet almost jumped from happiness when the clock hand struck midnight, she quickly turned and pulled up her bag from the floor and skipped to where Brian was sat with a bemused look on his face. “You done?” She nodded her head, rounded the bar and pushed herself through the crowd and out into the fresh air.

She fell against the wall, exhausted and turned her head to the door opening beside her. His tattooed arms the first thing she noticed as she moved her eyes up his body to his dark eyes, smiling as he moved closer to her. He extended his hand to her, which she took. His hand was considerably bigger than hers, but it was warm and comforting, although his scratched skin felt strange against hers.

“Come on, we’re going to the beach!” Scarlet laughed as he pulled her in what she assumed to be the direction of the beach. She pulled him back and stopped with his eyebrows raised, “We can’t go to the beach at midnight!” Her sides hurt from laughing, “You’re mad!”

“You’re mad!” He mimicked her British accent and pulled her along again, receiving a glare from Scarlet. She decided to go along with him, for no other reason than that she wanted to spend time with him. She’d hoped she would have seen more of him that night but the bar had been so busy she could barely say two words to him.

Brian slowed down when he knew that she was letting him take her to the beach and pulled her closer to him. She stumbled and fell into him, hitting him on the shoulder she smiled and took her hand from his as she noticed the beach in front of her.
She had to admit she much preferred the beach like this, when the sun couldn’t attack her and turn every piece of skin on show and unattractive red. She ran for the sand pulling her shoes off and laughing at herself, she hadn’t had this much fun since she came here. It wasn’t much fun on her own.

She hadn’t run far before she tripped over her own feet, landing on her side. Brian’s laughter filled the otherwise silent beach as he fell down beside her. She pouted at him and hit him with her shoe, laughing at his face and sitting up staring out onto the ocean. Brian pulled himself up from the sand and stared at her face.

“You hit me with your shoe?” He tickled her sides, “uncalled for.”

“You laughed!”

“You fell,” Brian wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, “It was pretty funny.”

“Touché.” She moved her body closer to him, the sea breeze making her skin tingle, or it could have been that she was sat so close to him. He kissed the top of her head, unsure of what had come over him. He had never been like this with a girl, she was different. She was a risk, and that’s what he loved about what was happening with her.

“How long are you here?” He mumbled against her hair.

“Three months,” she sighed against him, “Not too long.”
Brian instantly sobered up at the limited amount of time he had with her, it made him happy and sad at the same time. Happy because he could spend his summer with her before the band took off again; sad because he didn’t want her to leave and even though he hadn’t known her long at all he felt this invisible string was connecting them and he knew that when she left it would hurt.

“Well, I’ll make sure we have a summer to remember.”