Ocean Fantasy

The Beach

Hot sun kissed her skin as she laid on a soft blanket, the strong breeze hitting her face. The sound of waves relaxed her, the beach always did wonders to her mind. Whenever she had a lot going on, she came to the beach and admired its peace. The ocean, despite all the wars and misfortunes the world held, always kept the same pattern of waves crashing against the shore and giving life to other creatures.

All of that kept a smile on her face despite her own problems. Her life was a mess, she had to admit. It was like the universe was against her.

But the sea always held the answers to all of her questions.

That's why she laid there for hours, falling asleep when her mind was beyond tired.

When she woke up, it was already dark. The sky was clear and the stars were brighter than the sun.

The stars, another element of relief for her forever going troubles.

She sighed, she was hungry and broke.

She decided to go home, the only place where she could have instant ramen without people telling her it was unhealthy.

The sidewalk seemed longer, the traffic lights and neon signs giving her that sense of nostalgia she didn't know the origin of. It was probably because she loved the city at night, how it captured the essence of a busy night and a million of colorful lights.

Yes, she loved lights.

Finally, she entered her small but comforting apartment and made herself some instant ramen. She sat on the worn out leather couch and turned the TV on, Tom & Jerry was playing.

She smiled, she loved that show. It was better than reality shows.

The night was spent watching TV and eating three instant ramen cups. She knew it was unhealthy, but she didn't care.

She was going to die someday anyway, why not enjoy some ramen before she leaves?

-

It was seven in the morning, and the first thing she thought of was surfing.

Yeah, she loved surfing. She loved being wrapped inside waves and feeling the ocean's power on her body. Good thing she was a good swimmer.

She grabbed her surfboard, locked her apartment door and walked to the beach. The city looked different in daylight, she didn't like it that much. There were no bright lights and the air was hot. The cars were too loud and people spoke way too fast.

She kicked off her shoes and felt the sand beneath her feet, the greatest feeling. She took off her top and ran towards the shore, the water crystal clear.

The waves were perfect, so she quickly swam deeper with her surfboard underneath. She felt the familiar pull of the current and stood up carefully on the surfboard. She balanced and breathed so she could ride the wave perfectly.

Once the wave began to grow, she felt how it pushed her forward strongly. She laughed, happiness blooming inside her chest like the garden she never had.

As the wave began closing in, she saw the flawless wing of water, the sun shining right through it, making it look like some magic trick. Her eyes shone like stars on a clear night sky.

She jumped off her surfboard, the majestic wave coming to its end. She wasn't sad though, another one just like that would grow again.

She kept riding waves and enjoying its majestic glow when she felt hungry again. She checked her phone, it was 11:35 a.m.

She had five bucks with her. This can work, she thought.

She went to her apartment to take a shower and change. Black shorts, white tank top, hair on a ponytail. Her typical summer look.

She was walking, looking for any interesting restaurants. None of them caught her attention, she was relatively new in this city. Her hunger was increasing by the second and she didn't care; she went inside a random restaurant without even looking at its name.

"Welcome to Bleu, today's specials are—"

"Table for one, please," Seulgi said irritated, her hunger was controlling her at this point.

"Follow me," the waitress sensed her discomfort and quickly gave her a small table my the window.

"Irene will be here shortly, she'll be your waitress for today, enjoy."

"Thanks," Seulgi sipped on her water and massaged her temple. She was so hungry she felt like she was going to lose her mind. Can they hurry the fuck up—

"Hello, my name is Irene and I'll be your waitress for today. Would you like to start with the appetizers?"

Seulgi looked at her and thought she was beautiful.

"Uh, are you ready to order?" Irene waved her hand in front of her face.

Seulgi was staring.

For way too long.

"Uh, I-I'll get a chicken sandwich," it was the only thing Seulgi saw on the menu that was below five bucks. Irene nodded, writing it on her notepad.

"I'll be with you shortly," Irene grabbed her menu and left.

Seulgi's cheeks reddened, embarrassed. What was she thinking? She started staring like a maniac and didn't even notice. What a freak.

But Irene was beautiful. It was the first time she actually saw somebody's face properly. Everyone in this city was faceless to her, she didn't care about anyone but herself. She didn't have friends, nobody in her university talked to her.

She liked being alone though. She didn't have to deal with petty stuff and parties and heartbreak. She didn't have to please anybody, and that's something she often did. She felt like she had to please everybody.

But not anymore.

"Here you go," Irene placed the dish in front of her carefully. "What would you like to drink?"

"Um, water," Seulgi replied. Irene nodded. Seulgi looked at her once more when she came back.

She was so pretty. Before she could control herself, she said something in the most sincere way possible.

"Hey, has anyone told you how beautiful you are?" Seulgi said, her cheeks getting hot the moment she noticed what she did.

"Thank you, that's very nice," Irene smiled and left to another table.

Seulgi stared blankly at her chicken sandwich. Right, she was here to eat.

When she finished, she gave Irene the biggest tip and left in a hurry. Seulgi didn't know why, but she just had the sudden urge to get out of there. It felt too much for her, looking at Irene and feeling things she never thought she could feel. That weird sensation in her stomach, the urge to look at her for longer than intended, the way her heart skipped a beat whenever she smiled.

Seulgi never thought she could have those feelings in a hectic city.

She walked inside her apartment and threw herself on her bed. There was a mess of sheets and clothes but she didn't care. She just had to breathe for a moment.

What was that? Irene was beautiful, so beautiful she'd never notice someone like Seulgi. Maybe Seulgi was just confused. She's been single since middle school, so maybe that's why her 21 year self couldn't tell the difference between admiring something beautiful or falling in love with it. It was surely two different things, but why was she so anxious?

It wasn't that hard to just ask her to go out with her sometime, right? If she said no, then she wouldn't die or anything? Right?

Right.

It was easier said than done, Seulgi thought. Maybe she did need friends to gossip about things.

With hundreds of thoughts running through her head, she fell asleep. She wondered, she asked, she doubted. Love was the most uncertain thing in the world. Still, she wanted to know. Her heart was beating fast in her sleep, curious about what the future might be.