Like Bees to Honey | gxg

38. Heads California, Tails Newfoundland

On Riley's last day in High Valley, Sabina bought them each a cup of Valley Girl Ice Cream and they ate it walking barefoot through the sand at the public beach in town. The place swarmed with families all eager to enjoy one last beach day before autumn found them, so they walked slow, dodging frisbees and kids building sandcastles.

"Are you all packed?" Sabina asked, licking lavender lemonade ice cream from her spoon while they waited for a toddler in water wings to waddle across their path.

"Just about. I didn't have enough room in my suitcases, so I'll probably have to leave a couple of my shirts behind," they said, plucking morosely at the hem of today's shirt. It was a good one, bright green with hot pink watermelon slices printed all over. "People are gonna think I have no taste."

Sabina laughed. "You can always buy more. I'm sure there's better shopping in Vancouver."

"Totally. I can ask Mel to show me the best stores." Seeing her face, they asked, "Oh, no. Is it against the rules for me to keep in touch with Mel?"

"Of course not." She kicked her toes through the sand. "We're grown adults and you can be friends with whoever you want to be friends with."

"Even if she's your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, even then." Sabina swallowed and jabbed the spoon into her ice cream. "But she might not be my ex-girlfriend."

Riley gave her a sideways look. "You're talking about doing long distance?"

Sabina shook her head. "I'm gonna ask her to stay."

"Stay in High Valley?" To her relief, Riley didn't look at her like she was insane.

"Yeah. I know it's ridiculous. I know she might say no. I mean, she'll probably say no. It's probably gonna be Alice at prom all over again and I'm gonna feel like an idiot after."

Riley smiled. "You're crazy about her, aren't you?"

"She just... makes me really happy." Sabina couldn't help the goofy smile that took over her face. She still felt a little weird about asking Mel to stay in High Valley for reasons she couldn't quite explain, but she had to try something. "I want to be with her. And I'll never forgive myself if I don't try to make it happen."

"Look at us, all grown up and chasing our dreams."

"What about you and Otis? Is your summer fling over? He's going to school in Calgary, right?"

Sucking on their spoon, they shook their head. "I told him I can't do long distance. Like, I like him, but I know we're both gonna meet so many new people and I don't want us to hurt each other by accident. But I guess he's like, in love or something." They laughed fondly. "So we're gonna try a sort of, non-exclusive thing. Be open to other people, but stay in touch, and reconnect when we come home for the holidays. See how it goes."

"You know, that actually sounds like something you might be great at. I'll be rooting for you."

Riley put their arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close. "I'll be rooting for you, too. I hope Mel says yes."

"Yeah." She squeezed them back and pressed her face into their shoulder, breathing in their familiar scent, a smell too deeply a part of her psyche to even try to name. "Don't forget about me when you're famous."

"Forget about you? Impossible. You know I'm gonna be calling you with all the good gossip."

Sabina laughed and pulled away, her eyes a little watery. "Yeah. And I'll definitely call if my parents start going rogue or your grandma gets in a fight with her neighbour again."