Ghostly Love

A name

I wake up to the sun shining in through my windowless curtains.

I stretch and climb out of bed to check my clock in the other side of the room.

6:49?!

This is a new record for the earliest I've ever woken up.

I know that it's pointless going back to sleep, once I'm up I'm up.

Instead, I slip on a hoodie and some shoes and creep out of the house.

I start walking down the path to the beach.

I don't expect to see anyone out this time of day especially as the weather isn't even that nice out.

But when I step into the black I see a lone figure standing in the water.

I can't tell much about them from the distance but they are wearing all black and have a good over their head.

I decide to ignore them and to stand in the sea slightly away from them.

But when I'm about 5 feet from the figure it turns around and smiles at me.

The boy.

"Hey Service Station girl." He grins.

I try not to roll my eyes out loud.

"Service station girl?" I laugh. "Okay, Station Boy."

"Hmm station boy. I've been called worse."

"I bet you have." I mutter.

"Oi! I heard that."

He walks over to me and start licking water about.

"How? You must have ears like a bat or something."

His eyes immediately drop to the ground as if embarrassed for just a split second and then he peeks up again. "Yer must have. Anyway what are you doing on the beach so early?"

I shiver and wrap myself tighter in my hoodie. "Couldn't sleep" I shrug, "what about you?"

"Needed some space."

I understand that. In a place where no one else is you can feel like you're the only one in the world. It's a nice feeling while it lasts.

When I look up I see the boy smiling at me in a way I haven't seen before.

"I realise I didn't even get your name before." I say without taking my eyes off him.

He shifts about awkwardly like his name means more than just a name.

"Oh it's um Axel" He start to look around as if expecting someone to appear.

Axel. Unique. I like it.

"Thanks" He says then immediately clamps his mouth shut and begins to turn red.

I smile at him awkwardly not quite knowing what to say. Until eventually I come out with "you're welcome?"

I realise I must of said it out loud by mistake. The thought makes me blush he wouldn't think I was flirting with him would he?

Out of the blue Axel kicks his leg up completely drenching me with water.

"Haha bet you weren't expecting that hey Alexis!"

To be fair, I wasn't.

"I'm am SO going to get you back for that!"

He starts to run through the water deeper and deeper and I follow him splashing whenever possible.

Soon, it becomes too deep to even stand and we start swimming after each other.

Axel stops and turns around to face me. "How was your talk with Nate yesterday?"

"Who's Nate?"

"Oh right, his grandma owns the library. Blonde, tall?"

I gawp at him. "Ohhh him. You know Axel, I'm starting to think that you're my own private stalker."

"Oh you would love that."

I laugh and splash his entire face with sea water and then start frantically swimming back to shore before he can get me.

He's a surprisingly quick swimmer and soon catches up with me and grabs my wrist pulling me to face him.

I gasp at his touch. It's icy cold, and seems to almost imprint on my skin.

He immediately removes his hand and apologises. "The seas made my hands cold I'm sorry."

I don't say anything but I can't seem to stop looking at his eyes.

In this light, they seem to appear piercing blue but I certain they were green before?

"Hey Axel. What colour are your eyes? They seem blue right now but i swear they were green in the house yesterday."

He looks panicked and starts to pull me out of the water.

"It's probably just the lighting. Don't think about it too deeply."

He's still swimming to shore when I feel a hand on my back.

It feels just as cold as Axel's but it feels dark? It feels like pain if it was a hand.

I turn around as fast as possible but can't see anyone that could have done it.

"Alexis! You alright?"

"Yer...yer...I'm fine."

He clenches his teeth and his jaw hardens.

When the sea is shallow enough to stand up in he speaks quickly, I've just remembered that I need to go home and help my mother I'm so sorry."

He doesn't even wait for a reply just turns and runs.

I stand by the sea for a few moments longer, then turn and head inside.