Free Me...

Face in the sand.

"Hey Em! Are you coming tonight?"

"For sure! I wouldn't miss it! I'm thinking 8pm should be good?"

"Yup. Sounds like a plan. Shall I pick you up at yours?"

"Thanks, that'd be good."

"Cool. See ya in a bit!"

"See ya!"

Sophie smiled as she hung up the phone. "I love Em," she thought to herself. Even though she was 23, and not exactly living with her parents - ok she was in a flat on their property - but still that wasn't living with them - she knew they would worry if she went to the bonfire without her friend at least.

She picked up her blow dryer as she thought about her friend. Em had been her besty since highschool. They were in the same class together, shared a love of the beach and all things boys together. They were both outgoing girls. Sophia was the brunette. Em was the blonde. Sophia had long hair, which thankfully would bend to her command. Straight or curly, she could do both, although the humidity of the Eastern Cape coast line certainly played havoc with her hair some days, she thought as she tugged her brush through it. Em had very curly hair. She chuckled as she thought how Em would rant some days about her hair.

"Do you see this? I look like I have a rats nest on my head. And I didn't even just wake up!! Aaarrgh!" she would scream as she threw her hands up in the air!

Em lived with her mom in a small house about 2km's away. They were inseparable in high school, and had walked some rough road together. When Em's dad left her and her mom, Sophia was there for her. A literal shoulder to cry on. When Sophia's grandma had passed, it was Em's turn to be said shoulder. They had stood by each other as friends, through thick and thin.

Their friendship even lasted through university even though they didn't go to the same university. Em wasn't fortunate enough to go away to university. Her mom's income couldn't fully support a college education. Em had attended the local university on a partial bursary along with a student loan. Sophia was able to go away to Rhodes Grahamstown to study music.

The department wasn't huge, but that's what attracted her to it. Everyone knew everyone there. One on one attention from the lecturers and professors basically. The only down side was that you couldn't miss lectures...EVER! The lecturers were sure to know. The up side was that by second year, the students were able to arrange with the lecturers to avoid dawnies! Who wanted to be in class at 7:45 in the morning? Yuk! The poor commerce students she thought. They were lucky to get a say in their schedules by third year. Music students had it good she thought.

Sophie checked her watch as soon as she was done with her hair. "Pretty good tonight Soph!" she congratulated herself in the mirror. She'd managed to get it into loose, bouncy curls which beautifully framed her face, even if she thought so herself. She'd chosen a red floral dress for the beach with hotpants underneath. She knew she would be sitting on the ground. But when she was standing nobody would know she actually had pants on underneath. She paired it with her favourite red flats and a warm jersey in black. It got cold on the beach later in the night. And of course, she had to wear her favourite, silver spiral earrings.

She shouted cheers to her folks on her way to the garage, and hopped in her car. She loved her little 'chorrie' as she called it. Her silver Toyota Yaris was one of her joys in life. Small it may be, but it had spunk, she would always say. She texted Em to say she was outside her house and in not too long they were pulling into the car park down by the lifesavers shack.

Now that dark had settled over the beach, everything looked different. A calm quiet had settled, despite the few groups gathered here and there around the car park. As the girls walked arm in arm towards the fire, the coziness radiating from it flickered in the fire light. The laughing and general banter grew louder as they came closer. The silhouettes of some of the people standing nearby hovered in the light. It was an intimate scene against the backdrop of the moonlight shining off the water in the bay.

"Soooo, are you hoping to see you know who?" Em asked with a grin.

Soph could feel the heat rising as she blushed. Trying to stay cool, she shrugged, "Maybe." After a moment, "I saw him at the beach today."

"Uh-huh. And?"

"Oh nothing much. He just said hi," she smiled through her lashes at Em.

"Na-uh! You don't get off that easy missy! I want to know every detail! Word for word, what did he say?"

"Seriously Em, he just said hi. And... then he asked if I was coming to the bonfire."

Em squealed with delight. "I bet he's just dying to see you tonight. I can't wait to start naming your children!" Em clapped her hands with glee.

"Oh don't be so dramatic Em. Really! Just take a chill pill." But Soph couldn't help smiling.

Suddenly, one of the silhouettes turned around, a big grin on the boyishly handsome face. "Hey Soph! Glad you made it!" Jason grinned as he bear hugged her and she could just see Em looking at her with an I told you so face. Soph pulled away, even though his big arms around her, even briefly, did feel good.

"Yup. We made it," she said pointedly darting her eyes towards Em.

"Hey Em." Jase recovered, clearing his throat. "How ya doing?"

"Yeah fine thanks. Hey listen, I need to catch up with Luke on the other side of the fire over there. You two have fun!" she smirked toodling her fingers at them. Awkward!

"So I saw you were riding a new bike," Jase said.

"Did you have a good day at the beach?" Soph said at the same time.

Laughing, Soph dipped her head and Jase rubbed the back of his neck again, both a little embarrassed.

"Yeah I did get a new bike. I'm loving it! Have you been cycling much lately?" Soph recovered first.

"Um, not really. With the Christmas season started already, the beaches are getting busy. They need all the qualified volunteers they can get. We just finished training up a new batch of volunteer lifeguards this past week actually."

"Yeah, of course." Please save me now from own stupid questions, Soph said to herself.

"Hey, do you want to walk a bit?" Jase asked.

"Sure," Soph smiled, her heart skipping a beat. Jase wanted to walk with her!

They started heading along the waters edge. Rambling about random stuff. She noticed how Jase walked really close to her, brushing her arm with his every now and then.

Suddenly Soph stopped. "Hey, what is that?" she asked peering forward into the darkness ahead of them.

"I'm not sure. Something between a seal and ... and.. I don't know actually," Jase said curiously.

They walked a step or two closer, Jase without thought grabbing Sophia's hand and pushing her behind him a bit. Her heart started to hammer in her chest. He kept her close behind him. Jase looked around them to be sure there was no chance of an ambush or anything. People had to be careful on the beaches at night. The drunks usually weren't too much trouble, but there were other more nefarious characters who lurked around too. They might have more in mind than just stealing from them. Jase had to be aware of everything around them if he was to have a chance of protecting Sophia.

As they walked closer, they could see a piece of material flapping a little in the soft breeze. It was the shirt tails of a work shirt. The works shirt belonged to a big man, lying with half his face in the sand, passed out. As they got a better angle and Jase's tense stance relaxed a little when he realised there was not immediate danger, Sophia peeped around him. She gasped when she saw the moonlight shining on the face of the stranger.

It was the man she felt so drawn to earlier that evening.

***