We meet at the sea

I wanna be the one.

Aaliyah lay in the late morning sun as she snacked on frozen grapes. They were the perfect choice in snack, the cool feeling they left down through her chest was refreshing.

The storm on Monday had left behind puddles of water everywhere which only meant that now they were evaporating. Aaliyah found it difficult to believe that the summer was only getting hotter and more humid.

Small puffy clouds drifted above her, carried by the wind. Aaliyah pictured herself bouncing from cloud to cloud effortlessly. If only life could be as easy as she imagined jumping on clouds to be.

Aaliyah's vibrated on the outdoor coffee table, pulling her attention from the sky. She reached over to see who was calling her, she pressed her thumb to answer it.

"Hey Mia." Aaliyah smiled as she sat up.

"Hello, let's video call. I miss you." Mia spoke.

"Okay, one second. I just need to pull the umbrella over me for some shade so I can actually see the screen." Aaliyah put her phone down on the daybed then slid the large outdoor umbrella over so its shadow casted over the bed.

"Okay, ready." Aaliyah requested FaceTime and Mia accepted.

"Holy crap! How is it possible that your skin has gotten more golden? I can't tan, I just burn." Mia complained.

"I've been spending too much time on the beach." Aaliyah smiled, thinking of watching Cruz surfing every afternoon this week.

"Is that so?" Mia raised her brow.

"Yeah, reading with waves crashing in the background makes for a relaxing atmosphere." Aaliyah shrugged.

"Totally nothing to do with watching a hot surfer surfer." Mia spoke sarcastically.

"Okay, maybe some of that too." Aaliyah scoffed.

"I thought she was annoying and like the bane of your existence?" Mia asked, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"Me too. She's a lot more than annoying, so I've found out. She's still annoying though." Aaliya admitted.

"A lot more than just annoying, okay!? Tell me more." Mia shifted her position to a more comfortable one in preparation for Aaliyah to explain herself.

Aaliyah paused, how could she begin to explain what had been happening between her and Cruz?

"Uh, don't be mad because I haven't told you this yet. On Sunday Cruz took me out on her boat and we spent the whole day just having fun and enjoying each other's company. We may have almost kissed." Aaliyah squeaked the last part as Mia's jaw dropped.

"Aaliyah, it's Friday. Why the fuck has it taken you five whole days to tell me this?!" Mia shouted with excitement.

"Because on Monday some drama happened on the beach. Some guy broke his leg really badly and Cruz had to help him. Consequently she had some flashbacks from her last deployment and ended up telling me a horrific story. She broke down in my arms, Mia." Aaliyah breathed, recalling Cruz's pain.

"Shit, was it that bad?" Mia asked.

"Bad enough to give her PTSD and bad enough to get her discharged from the Marines." Aaliyah shook her head.

"Right, I see what you mean now. That is a lot more than just annoying." Mia gave Aaliyah a sympathetic look.

"Have you seen her since then?" Mia asked almost immediately, needing to know more.

"Yeah, we sort of have this unspoken routine now. I go to the beach and watch her surf and then we just watch the waves crash for a bit. Sometimes we talk and sometimes we don't. I'm not sure what to make of it, Mia." Aaliyah rested her gaze on the horizon in thought.