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Friends
I watched the slow ebb and flow of the waves as they composed themselves after the high noon tides. Hugging my bent knees to my chest, I listened to the refreshing sound of the waves while the wind tousled my hair.
John slumped beside me and handed me a popsicle, “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He lay down with closed eyes and a red nose. I chuckled, “Sunscreen would’ve been a good idea.”
He scrunched up his nose and squinted his eyes as an attempt to look at me through the sun. “Oh please, you totally forgot it on purpose so I’d look like a shrimp at the wedding!”
I opened my mouth in disbelief at such an accusation yet my smile still shone through, “I did not!”
He mumbled, “Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
I held back my smile in one corner of the mouth, picked up my camera and walked a few feet further from where he rested. Since we had arrived, I snapped some shots of John running towards the shore, some more of him playing camera shy and also of some dogs playing catch with each other—and then John running after them. My cheeks still hurt from all the laughter that had occurred in between takes.
“Hey John,” I mindlessly stared at him while my fingers fidgeted with the camera’s strap, “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead!”
“Why did you offer to help me out?”
“I don’t know.” He threw his arms behind his head and hesitated, “I guess you seemed nice and troubled and since I didn’t have much to do all weekend, I thought I could help out and get busy.”
I nodded to myself, trying to believe it. The world was filled with nice people who did nice things to other people, but I had a hard time believing that some guy I met on the plane would want to be this involved in my life for a weekend. How could someone be bored in Rhode Island?
He grew tired of my silence and sat up to look at me. “Did that answer your question?”
“I don’t have to be honest with you anymore,” I half smiled and captured his reaction on film.
He simply smirked and slowly shook his head in disapproval. “And here I thought we were friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged with a boyish smile, “Friends.”
His words took me by surprise. John was a stranger. I knew nothing about him. I didn’t even know his surname, nevertheless if he was from Seattle.
“Friends know each other and I don’t know you.”
He threw his head back and laughed to shake off my seriousness with the whole topic. “What, do you want to quiz me now or something?”
“I’d be nice to know that I’m not hanging out in a nearly deserted beach with a psychopath!”
He threw his hands up gesturing surrender, “Alright, fine! You can be my biographer.”
I kicked the sand towards his direction and it sprayed all over his head. He turned his torso sideways as a means of protection and we laughed at each other’s silliness.
When the laughter died, he spoke up. “There isn’t much to know about me, really. I’m not a very interesting person.”
I nodded and tried to give him a smile in order to conceal my disappointment. This was a pattern. Whenever I tried to get to know him more, he’d be vague or evasive. And this mysterious side of him wasn't charming like his smirks.
“I think we should go.” I began walking towards the car before he could say anything else.
I heard him sigh and jump up, “Georgia, wait.”
“No, it’s fine!” I shouted through the noisy wind that had picked up its pace, much like my heartbeat.
But it wasn’t fine. I had woken up today determined to make a change and I knew it was going to take a whole lot longer than a day for me to do all of the things I’ve wanted to do but never summed up the courage to. I thought I could start off with John by calling off our silly bet and hopefully get to know him, even become friends with him. But he sure made it difficult to be his friend.
As I opened the driver’s door, John closed the door shut with a hand and remained still, blocking my exit. I stared at my reflection on the window, not wanting to look up at him.
“I like hanging out with you, I really do,” I paused, wondering how things went from wonderful to bad in a blink of an eye. “And it’s fine if you don’t want to get personal,” I looked up at him, “but you’re making it really difficult to be your friend.”
I didn’t need anything to leave his mouth for me to know the truth behind my words—his eyes agreed with me. So I smiled weakly and handed him the car keys, “I’ll get a cab. Good luck at the wedding.”
I left and didn’t look back. John didn’t attempt to stop me from leaving either. Sunset was almost finished when my cab arrived and John was long gone with the Jeep. I hopped in and dosed off, physical and mental tiredness creeping in.
By the time I got to the hotel, night had fallen. As soon as I got to my room, I checked my phone for messages or missed calls since I had left it behind. Despite Margie’s usual five missed calls, I had three messages and two missed calls from Scott.
I sat down by the fireplace and braced myself for the worst. Why would Scott have messaged and called me so many times? I unlocked the phone in lightning speed and proceeded to read the messages first.
-------- Scott @ 1:22pm
-------- Hey! I thought we could continue last night’s conversation over coffee. Are you free?
I put the phone down before I read any more of it. Was this happening? Had I really read that? My heart bubbled with thrill. I beamed and breathed in to read the next message.
-------- Scott @ 3:57
-------- I swear I’m not clingy. I’m just worried about you, hence the phone calls. Is everything alright?
-------- You’ve been M.I.A
-------- Scott @ 4:41
-------- Dinner maybe?
I ran a hand through my face, unable to shake the beam off of it. I laughed at his humour and checked the clock to see if I still had any time left. 5:30pm. Had John’s stunt last night worked like magic? I stood up and dialled his number.
He picked up on the third ring, “And she’s alive!”
I chuckled, “Indeed! Sorry about that, I ran some errands and forgot to bring my phone along.”
“Now that’s a better scenario than the ones I’ve been considering in my head,” he laughed.
“Is that so?”
“It was either you were ignoring me or you were abducted by aliens. I strongly believed on the latter,” he teased.
“Ha ha, don’t flatter yourself! Are we still up for dinner?”
“Yeah! I’ll be over at eight, how does that sound?”
I smiled, “Perfect!”
“See you at eight!”
I beamed, “See you at eight.”
John slumped beside me and handed me a popsicle, “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He lay down with closed eyes and a red nose. I chuckled, “Sunscreen would’ve been a good idea.”
He scrunched up his nose and squinted his eyes as an attempt to look at me through the sun. “Oh please, you totally forgot it on purpose so I’d look like a shrimp at the wedding!”
I opened my mouth in disbelief at such an accusation yet my smile still shone through, “I did not!”
He mumbled, “Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
I held back my smile in one corner of the mouth, picked up my camera and walked a few feet further from where he rested. Since we had arrived, I snapped some shots of John running towards the shore, some more of him playing camera shy and also of some dogs playing catch with each other—and then John running after them. My cheeks still hurt from all the laughter that had occurred in between takes.
“Hey John,” I mindlessly stared at him while my fingers fidgeted with the camera’s strap, “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead!”
“Why did you offer to help me out?”
“I don’t know.” He threw his arms behind his head and hesitated, “I guess you seemed nice and troubled and since I didn’t have much to do all weekend, I thought I could help out and get busy.”
I nodded to myself, trying to believe it. The world was filled with nice people who did nice things to other people, but I had a hard time believing that some guy I met on the plane would want to be this involved in my life for a weekend. How could someone be bored in Rhode Island?
He grew tired of my silence and sat up to look at me. “Did that answer your question?”
“I don’t have to be honest with you anymore,” I half smiled and captured his reaction on film.
He simply smirked and slowly shook his head in disapproval. “And here I thought we were friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged with a boyish smile, “Friends.”
His words took me by surprise. John was a stranger. I knew nothing about him. I didn’t even know his surname, nevertheless if he was from Seattle.
“Friends know each other and I don’t know you.”
He threw his head back and laughed to shake off my seriousness with the whole topic. “What, do you want to quiz me now or something?”
“I’d be nice to know that I’m not hanging out in a nearly deserted beach with a psychopath!”
He threw his hands up gesturing surrender, “Alright, fine! You can be my biographer.”
I kicked the sand towards his direction and it sprayed all over his head. He turned his torso sideways as a means of protection and we laughed at each other’s silliness.
When the laughter died, he spoke up. “There isn’t much to know about me, really. I’m not a very interesting person.”
I nodded and tried to give him a smile in order to conceal my disappointment. This was a pattern. Whenever I tried to get to know him more, he’d be vague or evasive. And this mysterious side of him wasn't charming like his smirks.
“I think we should go.” I began walking towards the car before he could say anything else.
I heard him sigh and jump up, “Georgia, wait.”
“No, it’s fine!” I shouted through the noisy wind that had picked up its pace, much like my heartbeat.
But it wasn’t fine. I had woken up today determined to make a change and I knew it was going to take a whole lot longer than a day for me to do all of the things I’ve wanted to do but never summed up the courage to. I thought I could start off with John by calling off our silly bet and hopefully get to know him, even become friends with him. But he sure made it difficult to be his friend.
As I opened the driver’s door, John closed the door shut with a hand and remained still, blocking my exit. I stared at my reflection on the window, not wanting to look up at him.
“I like hanging out with you, I really do,” I paused, wondering how things went from wonderful to bad in a blink of an eye. “And it’s fine if you don’t want to get personal,” I looked up at him, “but you’re making it really difficult to be your friend.”
I didn’t need anything to leave his mouth for me to know the truth behind my words—his eyes agreed with me. So I smiled weakly and handed him the car keys, “I’ll get a cab. Good luck at the wedding.”
I left and didn’t look back. John didn’t attempt to stop me from leaving either. Sunset was almost finished when my cab arrived and John was long gone with the Jeep. I hopped in and dosed off, physical and mental tiredness creeping in.
By the time I got to the hotel, night had fallen. As soon as I got to my room, I checked my phone for messages or missed calls since I had left it behind. Despite Margie’s usual five missed calls, I had three messages and two missed calls from Scott.
I sat down by the fireplace and braced myself for the worst. Why would Scott have messaged and called me so many times? I unlocked the phone in lightning speed and proceeded to read the messages first.
-------- Scott @ 1:22pm
-------- Hey! I thought we could continue last night’s conversation over coffee. Are you free?
I put the phone down before I read any more of it. Was this happening? Had I really read that? My heart bubbled with thrill. I beamed and breathed in to read the next message.
-------- Scott @ 3:57
-------- I swear I’m not clingy. I’m just worried about you, hence the phone calls. Is everything alright?
-------- You’ve been M.I.A
-------- Scott @ 4:41
-------- Dinner maybe?
I ran a hand through my face, unable to shake the beam off of it. I laughed at his humour and checked the clock to see if I still had any time left. 5:30pm. Had John’s stunt last night worked like magic? I stood up and dialled his number.
He picked up on the third ring, “And she’s alive!”
I chuckled, “Indeed! Sorry about that, I ran some errands and forgot to bring my phone along.”
“Now that’s a better scenario than the ones I’ve been considering in my head,” he laughed.
“Is that so?”
“It was either you were ignoring me or you were abducted by aliens. I strongly believed on the latter,” he teased.
“Ha ha, don’t flatter yourself! Are we still up for dinner?”
“Yeah! I’ll be over at eight, how does that sound?”
I smiled, “Perfect!”
“See you at eight!”
I beamed, “See you at eight.”
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hi lovelies! just wanted to let you know that from here onwards, i'll be posting twice a week! every tuesday and friday you can expect an update. thank you so much for your constant feedback and support! each and every one of your comments make my day. thank you for loving this story as much as i do! :) xx