The Beach
Sydney was so upset, she could hardly contain herself. She had broken up (something she wanted to avoid at all costs) with the man she loved. She couldn't believe she had even suggested it.
She drove to the closest beach and got out of the car. She took a blanket from one of her bags and wrapped it around her shoulders as she walked over to sit on the sand. She kicked off her shoes and walked down close to the water. She stood for a moment, looking for a partially dry spot where she could sit and still have the waves gently lap at her feet.
It didn't take her long, and after a couple of minutes, she was comfortably seated on the sand, the blanket wrapped tightly around her, helping to control her shivers. A voice inside her head told her that the shivers weren't necessarily coming from the cold night air or the cold water.
She sighed. A small wave crashed on the shore and rolled towards her bare feet. There was something strangely comforting about the waves lapping at her feet. Even though the water was cold, it only took brief contact several times for her feet to numb.
She sighed deeply and thought of the mistakes she had made. The first being breaking up with Will, the second being spending way too much time with Michael. True, they were friends—good friends—but there was such a thing as spending too much time together. Will was completely right: she had been ignoring him when she had time off, taking their relationship for granted. And now she regretted it. She considered calling Will, but decided that maybe it was too soon. She figured it might be better to wait a little while and see if both of them realized the break-up was stupid and that they still loved each other.
Sydney also decided that if and when they got back together that she would spend less time with Michael. The casual friends idea suggested by Will was actually fine. She could be with Will and still be friends with Michael. The thought was comforting and she smiled a little.
She leaned back on the sand and laid the blanket over the length of her body. The waves continued to brush against her feet. She folded her arms behind her head and stared up at the sky. She wished Will was there with her. It was such a beautiful night. She sighed and let the tears roll freely down her cheeks.
Without thinking, she began to hum Truly Madly Deeply. She continued to stare up at the cerulean sky and at the small, twinkling stars. Her eyes were glassy from the tears and the ends of the stars seemed go past her field of vision. She blinked and wiped the tears away.
She sat up and returned the blanket to its previous spot around her shoulders. She stared at the horizon and squinted to see a small boat in the distance. She wondered what it would be like to do that. Just grab a small boat and sail out as far as possible and relax, without a care in the world.
And with Will, a voice inside her head told her.
She nodded in agreement as if the voice was in fact a real person and she could communicate with it. She stood up and walked back to her car, leaving her shoes in the sand. She dug through the bags of her stuff and found a bikini, a one-piece, and a towel. Since it was cold, she decided the one-piece was a better choice. The more rayon, the better, she thought to herself. She changed quickly and headed back down to the beach with both the towel and blanket in tow.
She tossed the blanket and towel down next to her shoes and made her way to the water. I wonder how many people would think I was nuts for swimming in the Pacific Ocean at night. She managed a giggle and dove in. She swam about fifteen feet away from the shore then turned and swam sideways along the length of the beach.
Sydney wasn't sure how long she had been swimming before she started growing tired, but once she had, she turned and swam for the shore. Upon reaching it, she got out of the water and walked along the sand to get back to her towel and blanket.
She exhaled sharply upon reaching her destination and snatched up her towel. She dried herself off and and slipped her shoes back on, then wrapped the towel around herself. She folded the blanket and tucked it under her arm as she walked back to the car.
After stuffing the blanket back into one of the bags, she grabbed the clothes she had worn before she changed into the swimsuit and quickly dressed. She used the towel to dry her hair and hopped into the car. She decided she had waited long enough and that it was time to reconcile with Will. She swallowed hard and drove back to his house.
Note: Truly Madly Deeply is a song written and performed by Savage Garden.