That Day, It Happened

Evan didn’t know where to go so he drove to the only place that seemed far enough at the moment: Portobello Beach. They had to find a place to stay and something to eat and he was sure he'd probably have to get those by himself.

Abby's eyes widened seeing the beach getting closer in sight. Her brown orbs were shining with joy, especially because she hasn't been to the beach ever since that time.

“I presume you haven’t been here in a long time.” Evan started, noticing the way she started to shift in her seat.

Abby chuckled and kept his eyes glued on the upcoming sight. It was beautiful and not because she was there necessary but because it was the first time she came to a beach and wasn't alone and crying.

Evan parked the car swiftly and looked at her.

“Go have fun. I’m going to come out in a few minutes too.”

Abby smiled widely and ran out of the car.

Evan sighed and leaned his head back. He drove the whole night so of course he was tired and wanted to sleep on a bed. He wanted to go home and forget anything ever happened but one look outside and it was diffuclt to just ignore the situation he was in.

Evan sighed and looked around the car, finding nothing of value. Abby took her phone with her once she jumped out of the car and there was nothing other than a half empty bottle of water and a few leftover snacks.

The boy pulled his phone out of his bag and searched through his contacts. He stopped on a particular name and pondered his next move. Of course, he wanted to call her and explain everything to her but what for? He didn’t want to get her involved. That person was too precious to be endangered.

With one last look at his contact list, Evan grabbed his bag and got out, a blast of wind blowing his hair slightly. A girl who was jogging nearby got distracted by the sight and almost ran into a tree.



The sight Evan faced when he got on the beach was not exactly what he expected, not that he knew what he expected. He rubbed the back of his head before he ventured into her world, which seemed to get vaguer every time they would get into a different enviornment.

“What are you doing? You’re making a fool out of yourself.” He hissed, checking if anyone was watching the peculiar girl.

Abby turned around very quickly, getting dizzy and intsantly losing her balance. She grabbed his arms in order to regain her composure, which took a few minutes sicne she has been very active earlier.

Truthfully, she didn't go around like a demented person. She was just so full of energy that she started to jump around and laugh loudly, much like in a romantic movie when the principle characters go to the beach and have an amazing time together. If only it could be like that...

Seeing him closer, Evan's face was annoying, he was such a boring guy and it was obvious he was overthinking every step he was taking in his life.

“You,” She started, grabbing his cheeks in between her hands, “Need a life.”

Evan blinked in astonishment, his face being squished by a woman that didn't look to be aware of her surroundings and how she was standing out like a sore spot.

The boy sighed, so tired and hungry and that he was ready to eat a horse and sleep for a week. He grabbed her hands and pulled them off his face with a scowl.

“I have a life. It just doesn’t have anything to do with you.” He grumbled, keeping a certain distance between them before actually walking away.

Abby scoffed and caught up to him quickly, falling into a welcomed silence.

“We should find a job. We need more money for a hotel and food.” She started, surprising him with how serious she sounded. So now she was thinking about that.

“We’ll have to use our best qualities. What are you good at?”

“Dancing and singing.” She responded quickly and for a moment, Evan actually believed her.

“Let’s see it then.”

Faster than Evan would have wanted, Abby turned on her phone and searched for the right song. She put it down on the sand and waited for the song to start.

She started by not doing much but when the chorus began, she started to move her hands like she was a robot. He furrowed his eyebrows and took a step back, just in case she'd hit him in the face. The worst part was yet to come. She started to shake her body twice to the left then do a quick shooting pose before doing the same to the right. As the chorus was moving on, she walked closer to him and started to shake her body again.

“Stop!” He shouted, pushing her away harshly, “We’re not using that!” evan added, running away from her.

“You haven’t seen it all yet!” Abby shouted after him before grabbing her phone and running after him.

Evan did not want to see that ever again.



When they got back to the car it was already dawn and Evan was growing impatient. After she caught him on the beach, she jumped on his back and used him as a carrier. His back hurt now and legs felt sore.

“I can't figure out if you are seriously foolish or you’re just messing around with my head.” He mumbled once she jumped off his back.

She smiled cutely and raised two fingers.

“Both.”

He rolled his eyes and got in the car, feeling content when he turned on the engine. The boy couldn’t wait to find a cheap hotel and sleep. Their first day in Portobello Beach was spent only on the beach and nothign productive came out of it.



Luckily, they found a cheap hotel yet unluckily, it was in a place that looked like prostitution and human traffic were at peak.

The building was divided in two: the ground level was a club for men and the upper part was probably a love hotel. Evan decided to ignore that little detail and just go with it for a night or two but Abby was having the time of her life.

“I’ve never been in this kind of hotels before.”

She took a small pause and looked at him as if she wasn’t going to judge him for getting them in there.

“Wh-No! I’ve never been in one before, either!” Screaming it so defensively did not make his point, “I’m serious. It’s my first time in a love hotel!”

Abby shrugged before walking into the bathroom. She was assuming a lot of things and most of them were wrong. Besides, who was she to judge him? She was the one dancing with a broom in the middle of a crowded store. Well, maybe it wasn’t crowded but still!

“I’m going to buy something for dinner. Don’t-and I mean it- don’t leave this room. It’s for your own safety.” He advised yet not loud enough to actually be heard.

The girl was showering while he was talking and his tone didn't reach her ears over the water. When Abby walked out in a towel that was only covering the most important parts, she looked around but couldn't see the boy.

“What’s for my own safety?” Abby asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

But Evan was already gone and Abby had to entertain herself for the time being.



Playing on the bed and trying out porn movies wasn’t exactly entertaining. She let one movie on just in case yet when Evan entered the room, he got perplexed by the loud moans and groans. He sighed in relief when he realized it was the TV.

“You scared me for a moment there.”

She was laying on her back with her eyes closed and didn’t react until he shook her leg.

“What are you doing?” He asked when she finally opened her eyes and got up.

“I was listening to music and acting like a runaway. I was thinking about every bad thing I did and reconsidering it. Just like in a music video.”

Evan rolled his eyes. He turned off the TV and threw a sandwich at her.

“You have an obsession with music videos, don’t you?” He mumbled, sitting next to her, “So? Did you reconsider anything?”

“I regret nothing.” She said and winked, returning to her music.

Later that night, they had an interesting conversation about the club downstairs.

“They can hire us. We can be dancers or something. Let’s show them and see what happens.”

Evan was petrified by that idea.

“Over my dead body.” He answered.



Evan wasn’t dead but he certainly felt like dying. Abby dragged him downstairs and asked for the manager. She told him they were dancers and had special moves. That quirked his interest mostly because he wanted something new in his club.

What she named dance was a collision of moves and bad taste. She played Beyonce’s Crazy in Love and danced on the last chorus and bridge. The manager was amazed. While Evan was doing the moves with a face that said he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it, Abby was very confident. When they finished, they posed like gangsters which had no relevance whatsoever to their dance.

“That was interesting.” The manager started, not sure how to explain what he witnessed, “But we’re not looking for that. However, if the lady wants, she can try the pole dance.”

The manager checked her out and nodded to himself. Abby looked like she could pull it off if she was desperate enough.

Evan didn’t find that idea appealing at all. The manager noticed the way Evan's eye anrrowed and quickly came with an even better idea.

“You, young man, are tall and good looking. You can work at the bar and keep an eye out for your girlfriend.”

The culprits glanced at each other, only one line echoing in their heads.

“Girlfriend?”



“You shouldn’t do it.” Evan told her seriously, standing on the bed while she was getting dressed.

“I’m an adult. I can take decisions on my own. I will dance tonight and I will be careful. You be careful too.” she answered while adding some lipstick quickly.

Evan watched in astonishment as she walked out of their room, with a lot of courage but with few clothes on.

The show was not what Evan expected but working at the bar was nice. His boss was young and liked to joke and flirt with the customers while Evan was stiff and wary.

“Relax, newbie. Make friends, drink a shot and enjoy the show. I heard there’s someone new tonight; young and fresh.”

“I know. She’s my friend.”

The bartender stared at the newbie bemusedly.

“Then you should better take a strong drink. You see these men?” He pointed at the crowd in front of the stage. “She has to taunt them, make them want her no matter what.”

At least it was Abby and not the girl he liked. Besides, she got herself into trouble and willingly agreed to the arrangements.

“Gentlemen and boys! Tonight, you will have the pleasure to watch a young talent have her debut stage! The mysterious Madame G!” The announcer shouted in the mic, the sound so loud that Evan cringed.

The public clapped enthusiastically and whistled.

“Madame G?”

Evan felt like slapping his forehead. She was an idiot and had bad taste in names too.

Shockingly, Abby was quite talented on stage. She was dressed in a latex outfit that showed her body very well. He could see the muscles on her legs and arms and the defined abs and had to recognize that her body condition was impressive.

Her pole dancing skills were even more impressive and shocked even the manager. Granted to her muscles, she could easily sway and move around the pole, jump on it and let herself fall back. She did a few more tricks before she disappeared behind the curtains.

While the public was cheering loudly, the bartender patted Evan’s back proudly.

“You got yourself a good girlfriend.”

Why was everyone thinking that they were a couple?



After she changed in normal clothes and thanked the staff, Abby went to search for her partner. Thanks to her costume and make up, no one recognized her in the club except Evan and the manager.

“You did awesome! That was a real dance!” He started, offending her choreography, “We pay well. You stay and work here and your boyfriend can work as a bartender. You attract clients and he attracts ladies. It’s perfect!”

The manager walked away happily and let the two lovebirds to talk.

“I didn’t know you had it in you.” Evan started as soon as the manager left.

She looked at her partner and chuckled.

“Me neither. I just went with the flow.”

Evan watched her with mixed feelings. She was self confident and wasn’t thinking before acting but she knew what she could do and what not; probably.

The next few days were amazing. By day, Evan and Abby were free to do whatever they wanted. She liked to go to the sea and watch it while listening to music. On the other hand, he liked to stay back and learn how to prepare drinks. The bartender, Scott was nice enough to teach him some things. Evan had an undiscovered talent and being a barista paid very well.

The manager was one of those dirty scumbags that had ulterior motives for everything. Having two new kids to exploit was good for the business and very fresh so he decided questioning them would not be necessary.

It was Friday and the club wasn’t opening until 10 pm. Abby made friends with the other dancers and they became very curious how her relationship worked. On the other side, Evan made friends with the other baristas and they were curious if they were indeed a couple. That was how they got cornered.

“Are you two really together? You don’t spend any time with each other.”

They culprits shrugged innocently.

“We have different hobbies.” Evan answered.

“But you don’t act like a couple at all. You don’t kiss, touch, flirt or even look each other in the eye. You two act like you met a few days ago by chance.”

That was kind of true. Abby tilted her head to the side, her brain working intensely to find a good lie even if her face didn't express that. For her colleagues, she looked confused and even a bit naive.

Seeing how it was taking too much for her to answer, Evan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled.

“We don’t like skin ship, that’s all.”

She smiled nervously and nodded since that was the best they could come up with. The rest weren’t happy with that answer.

“Then kiss.” Scott ordered, raising one eyebrow expectantly.

Evan froze, dropping his arm and simply standing there like a statue. Abby rose on her toes and gave him a peck on the lips, hoping that would shut the bartender up.

“Not like that! That was insignificant. Kiss for real.” A dancer pitched in.

Evan was panicking inside his mind and Abby could see it in his eyes.

“If you don’t then-” Scott stopped and smirked.

Evan had no choice but do it. He looked straight into her eyes and leaned in. It started as a simple kiss but he deepened it by grabbing her neck and pulling her closer. She was surprised he could be so blunt in his actions.

“Whooo finally. A real kiss!”

While the rest were congratulating them for finally showing their affection, Evan continued to kiss her. It became quite intense and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth.

“You can stop now and go find a room, thank you very much!” Scott interfered, the rest scattering while chuckling under their breaths.

Opening her eyes and finally fully registering what was happening, Abby pushed him away and stared at him in a daze.



Later that night, Abbigail went into her room to change for her performance. All the way towards her room, she touched her lips, still feeling a tingling sensation. It made her smile unconsciously and that was bad. She shook her head quickly and sat on the bed.

With bad timing, Evan entered the room to get a break before real work. He wanted to take a shower as well and walked past her without a problem.

After he was done, he walked back and found Abby in the same place standing in the same position. She didn’t move an inch and didn’t blink.

“Are you pretending to be in a music video again?” Evan asked her but she didn't say a word. He looked closey at her face before bending in front of her. “Are you alright?”

Abby looked down at her roommate, her brown eyes staring intensely into his. Without any of them understanding it, they started to lean closer to each other.

“Why are you leaning in?” She asked him in a blank tone. It didn’t sound like her at all.

“I’m not. Why are you leaning in?” He asked back.

“The gravitation's pushing me down.”

Abby's explanation didn't make any sense and she was aware it sounded very childish.

“Then gravitation pushed me down when I kissed you earlier today.” He mumbled, his eyes stopping on her lips.

The space between their faces was decreasing rapidly yet for them it seemed like a never ending pause. The two were such different people with different interests yet they were ready to kiss again when the door opened widely. Abby's head snapped towards it, Evan ending up kissing her cheek instead.

“Did I interrupt something?” The dancer teased, fully aware that she interruped something. “Anyway, there’s someone here who wants to talk to you two. He’s a detective.”

Their eyes widened before they turned to each other. They have been found.