Not Another Summer Love Story

Chapter 30 - The Last Gathering

The water greeted me like an old friend as it kissed the soles of my feet. My toes buried in the sand with each step, the golden grains surrounding me as if showing their support.

Maisie's pinkie was intertwined with mine as our hands swung between us. On our walk to the jetty, she'd picked up a large budding hibiscus from someone's front yard and buried it behind her ear among the silvery strands of her blonde hair.

"I think I should have woken up to it a lot sooner," I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had been developing between us. "That I like Alastair.'

Maisie stopped walking, her finger tightening around mine. "You do like him?"

I nodded, although like seemed far too trivial to describe what I felt when I thought about him. "I think I have for a while now."

"Oh, Valerie," Maisie sighed. She dropped my finger and instead wound her arm around my waist, pulling me into a hug. "I'm sorry."

I was glad she was hiding her excitement. Excitement was the opposite of what I felt for tonight. No, I felt a hollow sadness, and a conflicting hope. I was still warring with myself internally as to whether I should tell him. I knew if I did, it would make it so much harder for him to leave.

If I didn't tell him, I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope. Not after the heaviness this revelation had lifted from me.

The weight of the object nestled in the large pocket of my sundress reminded me that I'd have to at least catch him alone once. I couldn't give him the snowglobe in front of everyone, not when it was supposed to represent something so personal between us.

"It sucks that it's happening now," Maisie said. "But I know you don't regret meeting him, do you?"

"Of course not," I said, a little uneased by the idea.

"Just keep remembering that. Remember that he came into your life for a reason."

I hesitated, before probing a topic I knew she'd prefer to avoid. "What about you, are you going to be thinking that when you see Dan tonight?"

Maisie gave me a dark look and I poked my tongue out at her, glad that we'd reached a point where she was able to be semi-comfortable talking about him.

"I think it will be okay. Provided I'm occupied by you girls, and he just sticks with his guys, I think we can be civil. I mean, I haven't seen him in a while so it will be a shock, but nothing I can't handle. Besides, I'm starting to think this could be a blessing. There's probably plenty of guys at university, and I'm sure I could find my soulmate amongst them somewhere."

I chuckled at her rosy grin. "I'm sure. Who wouldn't fall head over heels for you with that smile?"

"Absolutely nobody."

We could see our group well from our nearing position, mingling beside the jetty, some of them hauling large sticks of driftwood into the freshly dug fire pile. I noticed sleek brown hair that was shining in the sun, and realised I was yet to confront Lottie of her betrayal. Maybe it wasn't worth it anymore. In fact, it definitely wasn't, but it still felt bugged me.

As we approached, an awkwardness settled over the group. Mallory pulled her bottle to her lips where she sat with her legs crossed on a tree stump besides Ingrid. Dan, on the other side of the group, ran a hand through his hair, which was growing out onto his forehead.

Logan, of all people, was the one to end the awkwardness. "Not like you two to run late. Want a beer?"

My breath was still caught at the sight of Alastair, besides his sister as he cracked open a bottle. And for a moment, I was sure my heart was being splintered into countless pieces. This was the last time I would see him, for a very long time, or possibly ever again. I reminded myself that we were from different worlds, and although we shared this summer, it was likely the last time our lives would overlap.