A Walk On The Beach

Chapter 22

Boy

I CAN TOTALLY keep my cool in this situation. Whoa Jordan. What just happened in like a space of three minutes?

Well, I was helping Stephanie load her suitcases (gladly) so she can go home. I turn around and I crash right into the girl from Island. The girl I’ve been “crushing” on since the beginning of this summer holiday. Evelyn has been saying the word “crushing” a lot recently. I think it’s growing on me.

Oh. She’s much prettier than I thought she is. She actually doesn’t have black hair, I notice. It’s kind of brown-ish red-ish, like it’s been dyed recently. Her eyes are sparkly. I think she has contacts in. She’s at least a head shorter than me so she’s tilting her head up to look at me. She’s so cute.

“What’s your name?” I ask after introducing myself.

She doesn’t answer for a moment. “Ally,” she says softly.

“Just Ally?” I say without meaning to.

She laughs softly. “Some things are better off a secret.”

“Okay,” I reply. “Do you want to go somewhere?” That was bold. Maybe too bold. “I mean, to celebrate our newfound friendship. We’re friends, right?”

She smiles. Oh, she’s got a beautiful smile. It kind of lights up her face. It’s a sweet and genuine smile. Not a lip-gloss smile that Stephanie and Amber have. “I'd love to. I love making friends.”

Did she just agree to go somewhere with a complete stranger? Really? “Great!” I say. I guess I’m happy. For the first time I’ve arrived in Hong Kong, I’m actually happy – and it’s because she’s here.

“Do...you believe in fate?” she asks.

We’re walking around Hong Kong and it’s getting dark, so it’s about nine o’clock. But Hong Kong being Hong Kong, it’s never actually dark. Light is everywhere. Mum texts me to ask me where I am. I told her I’m with a friend. She doesn’t believe I have friends here in Hong Kong and demands me to go back to the holiday home immediately, but I can’t leave her now that I have her next to me. I decided to ignore my mother.

“Fate? That’s a strange question.”

She looks at me. “Is it?” she asks. She smiles. “Don’t think I didn’t see you on the Island. You were watching me.”

I laugh. “Watching you? Don’t be silly.”

“Why didn’t you say hi?” she asks.

“Don’t you think it’s really odd when a random stranger comes up to you and says hi? Just randomly?” I say.

She shakes her head. She’s adorable. “On the Island, we’re all so safe. We don’t mind strangers. We trust each other.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? Is that why you ride scooters everywhere?”

She nods. “Less pollution too. Cars are so bad for this world but people are so reliant on them,” she says.

“I think our world will be a better place if you took charge,” I say to her with a smile.

“Oh no,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to take charge of something so big. Earth has a mind of its own, you know. She’s kind enough to just let us borrow her body to survive. I really think we should look after it. But being in charge of it is such a big responsibility.”

“You’re so cute,” I whisper. Then I realise what I just said. “I’m sorry.”

She’s blushing ever so lightly. She looks away so I can’t see her face.

“Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward,” I say.

She turns her face back but she doesn’t realise that I’ve moved closer so now our noses are almost touching. That moment there. Freeze-frame please. It seems to go on forever, and I want it to last forever. She’s stopped breathing and I’m also holding my breath. She looks at me and murmurs, “I quite like it actually.”

And even though I’ve only spoken to her today, I want to kiss her.

Now.