Sweet serendipity. Try as I may, those two words seem to be the only fitting words existing to describe this fleeting moment. The shushing sound as the waves nipped at the sand, each wave chased by another one. The fresh, calming smell of morning, pitched in with the unmistakable scent of sea air. The golden rays spilled across the horizon, tinting the clouds orange, red, and yellow, as if the whole sky was on fire. It was certain—summer knows it's time, and it had wasted no time flaunting around to make it last.
But it wasn't that—no, it was her. She was standing in front of me, not talking. Her flip flops dangled from her fingers, as her toes dug into the sand. She looked perfect, the kind of perfect that was tainted with beautiful flaws that didn't make it boring. A flawless moment. A gorgeous sunrise, and a beautiful girl standing in front of me. It almost seemed like the perfect setting for a romantic movie scene.
Only it wasn't, because the script was entirely different.
"It's time to let go, Ash." Her voice barely rose above a whisper, hinting a bit of shakiness. Her eyes were red, spilling out tears she didn't bother wiping away.
I pressed my lips into a firm line. "I know," I say briefly, with a small nod.
This was supposed to be closure for both of us, after spending the whole night by the shore, away from prying eyes, just the both of us huddled together in the sand, her head on my shoulder and my nose buried in her hair. The rising sun signified a new day... and the end of what we clearly should never have started.
It was time to end the summer of lies and deception. Summer of lies and deception. It does kind of have a nice ring to it.
Here we were, two people in love saying goodbye, greeting a lovely day in the worst possible way. An unbearable silence passes before I finally turn, my pride urging me to be the first one to walk away. The summer heat begins to settle in, and I finally feel the annoying heat starting to prickle the back of my neck.
"I love you, Ash." She tells me, her voice tinged with a bit of desperation. I can relate. It would be the last time she would be able to say it.
I turn around and give her a small smile. "Goodbye, Kate." And that was it. The end. Day 45 of 45.
I will go back to my family's summer house, call my girlfriend, and tell her I had a great time and that that I loved her and missed her and would come back for her as soon as possible. She will go back to her condo, back with her fiancé.
Both of us knew what we were going to do.
But both of us had no idea how much pain we signed up for.
