A Part of My Memory

Zara

We finally arrived at our destination, Pearl Shore Beach.

We had come through the back, through a tunnel of sorts, and when we emerged, the scenery was nothing short of stunning. Even though the buildings blocked most of the view of the sea, I was still in awe. We were surrounded by greenery and hills. The destination itself seemed to be surrounded by hills, forming a large semi-circle of sorts around the destination. I could see hills on all sides in the distance other than where the sea met land.

Most, if not all of the buildings brought out an aspect of nature. They were made with different types of wood and brought out a variety of different shades of brown. They were simple yet gorgeous and I had no doubt this destination made lots of money a year, though I wondered why I had never heard of or seen it until now.

I assumed that this was where we would part with the guys, that they would go to their hotel and we would go to ours, but fate had it that they were not only spending the weekend here like we were, but they had booked the same all-inclusive package as us. This meant we would not only be staying in the same hotel, but we would be doing the same activities too, and who knew what else.

Serena was elated to hear this, but I wasn't. Probably not as elated as I would have been if, say, the guy I found attractive wasn't engaged.

Faizah pulled up in the car park of the hotel and the guys parked beside us. The hotel, like most of the buildings here, was made of wood, but unlike most of the buildings, it was huge. It was large enough to obscure the sight of the sea and I wondered what exactly was in there. It definitely wasn't just the usual bedrooms and restaurants, there had to be much, much more in that building. I wondered how I afforded the trip even with the discount.

"Whoever can afford a trip like this with no need for a discount must be loaded," Serena breathed, mirroring my earlier thought.

"So what, like your friends in the convertible?" Ally asked soft enough for only us to hear. "Your friends are attractive and rich? Would it be so bad if you got to know them a little bit more?"

"Just because they're probably rich?" I asked.

"Because they're rich and hot," Ally emphasised.

"Well, Serena does nothing more than flirt," I pointed out. "And the other guy is kinda engaged."

"There's nothing wrong if you go after him," Ally said softly as I handed her her suitcase. "He hasn't said his vows yet."

"Ally, are you mad?" I questioned.

"I think we've all established that yes, she is mad," Faizah chimed in beside her.

"But if I were you," Ally continued, "I would so go after him."

"Then please, go ahead and do the honours."

"Nah, he's cute but he's not my type personality-wise."

"Why? Cause he doesn't seem toxic?" Serena remarked, jumping out of the rear of the truck and onto the ground before grabbing her suitcase.

She had obviously meant it as a joke, but Ally being Ally responded, "Precisely," and then walked off with her suitcase.

"That child needs help," Faizah sighed.

"Nah, Faiz, she needs a lot more than just help," I said as I made to grab her suitcase from the rear of the pickup truck, but I failed to lift it high enough for Faizah to grab it.

"Oh come on, it can't be that heavy," Faizah said.

"With what you packed, I wouldn't be surprised if it's heavy," Serena observed.