Wind blew her hair back as she beat a hasty retreat. Away from Aubrey, away from the mistrust, and into something that she could handle. Just like that she was left without a part of herself. It was ripped away and replaced with whatever or whoever she could find to fill the schism.
Then she stumbled into Beca, someone that made her smile without effort. Aubrey was still there by her side reminding her of what they almost had but it didn't matter when she had someone who actually admitted to liking her. It made her repudiate the mess that had come before.
That's what she was forgetting, leaving it where it belonged: behind them. She breathed a deep sigh, glad to take in the deceptively soft smell of Beca's skin. It was Friday night, their first night on vacation. Aubrey and Chloe always flew down to the Posen family beach house for a week during the summer and this time they had invited the Bella's.
High off their victory at the ICCA, they were they very definitions of rowdy and ruckus. During the flight Chloe swore she saw regret on Aubrey's face but it could have just been the bad airplane food. Indigestion was a far more likely culprit for her discomfort, not the sight of Chloe draped around someone else.
Even hours later it was all still running laps around her mind and taking her concentration with it. Memories and present feelings were competing for ruling spots. It was all in her head. She had crossed a new bridge and burned up the path to the other side.
Sand fell through her fingers as she raised her hand, full of it's slight weight. Maybe they were like sand, just particles falling away from each other forever waiting to be washed away. Lost in the moment, she didn't notice anything else, even the girl sitting right beside her.
"What are you thinking?" Beca's fingers traipsed across her chin, redirecting her gaze. "You're never quiet for this long."
Chloe snorted, raising her fingers to wrap around Beca's palm. "Says you." She flashed a smile and then let it fall. "If I talk more around you it's only because you're the most monosyllabic person I've ever dated." She kissed the sides of Beca's fingers, going from one to the next, as she pulled the hand they were attached to away from her face. "I'm just filling in the gaps."
One more kiss punctuated her sentence and she finally lowered their clasped hands to her lap. "Besides, I'm a brilliant conversationalist."
"Oh, I see." Beca drew the words out to vowels of disbelief. "That's right, I forgot that I'm supposed to bow down to your superior verbal skills."
"Well, I did get a 800 verbal score on the SAT. Chloe nodded once and drew Beca in closer. "But verbal isn't the most fun thing I can do with my mouth." Their noses were almost touching and their eyes locked.
The sunset behind them bathed the beach in a pink glow and waves lapped at their toes, the sound urging them toward each other. Their lips met, finding perfect cadence with each other. Sweet kisses developed into needful gasps. That was what broke them apart in the end because they really didn't mind the encroachment of the water.
Too much more and they would be undressing each other in a very public place. Not venturing far, only inches remained between them, Chloe swallowed. She was here, only in this moment. Living for this was her new quest.
"Are you two done?"
They jumped, Chloe falling back and away from Beca's arms. Aubrey stared down at them, her face betraying nothing but annoyance.
"The food is getting cold." Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest to defend against the breeze coming off the water. "I didn't cook it all so it would go to waste." Her lips formed a strict line and she looked off to the horizon.
Beca sighed, mystified by Aubrey's ever changing moods. They had started to become friends, after a fashion, but as soon as she and Chloe hooked up they were back to the beginning. The chill was starting to piss her off a little. It wasn't as if she monopolized Chloe's time or threatened their friendship in anyway.
One glance at Chloe told her that it was a useless battle. A part of her girlfriend would always follow Aubrey's direction. "We're coming." She stood and held out a hand to Chloe. "M'lady."
With a giggle, Chloe accepted. "Thanks." She ignored Aubrey and grabbed Beca's hand, pulling her along. "Come on, Aubrey may be rude but she knows how to cook."
Aubrey watched them pass, the irritation crystallizing in her mind and turning to hard rock, just another layer of cold stone to protect her. She turned to the ocean, grateful for it's lack of humanity. The wind, the salt smell, the beautiful sky, they all filled her with a sense of wonder but unlike love, they would never render her heart into individual bleeding fragments.