Golden Girl

6. Life's a Beach

Rain violently pours down, slamming against the glass of the window as thunder echoes across the city. Lightning cuts across the sky and the only barrier between the deafening wind and and I is the thin piece of glass. I enjoy stormy weather. Gloomy and dreary weather, that makes you want to seek the warmth of a blanket and a good book with an interesting crime plot.

"You know how I like storms?" I call out to Sienna who is currently in the process of following a recipe to make brownies but miserably failing.

"Yes. You're crazy for enjoying storms but carry on," she answers.

"Now I absolutely hate them now."

"Why so?"

"Are you really going to ask that question?" I ask rhetorically.

"You are absolutely right," she says, carrying the pan of a lumpy chocolate mixture to the oven.

"Since I already know the answer, can you please come help me with these brownies?"

"God made you an actress for a reason Sienna, your attempt at baking has failed," I say with a laugh. Sienna puts down the bowl with the left over batter, walks over to pick up a throw pillow to smother me with. As I cover my face with with a gold and silver stitched pillow a there is a knock on the door. I stand up to open it. As the door swings open Logan appears leaning against the door frame.

"I'm not even going to ask how you got inside. Come on in," I say leading him into the kitchen.

"Uh I'll leave you guys alone. Keep an eye on the brownies," Sienna says, creeping into her room. I raise my eyebrows in her direction, before proceeding. I stir the mixture of chocolate nervously.

"I see that you're upset," Logan breaks the silence.

"What? Just because of a cancelled date? So what? We could take a rain check. Pardon the pun," I say licking the wooden spoon.

"I guess we could spend this tome together,"

"Not today. I prefer to be alone," I snap.

"But you would have gone with me if the weather was not stormy?"

"Logan, I'm not interested in a fight right now."

After a moment of silence I take the spoon and smear chocolate on the side of his face. I laugh licking the rest of the chocolate on the spoon. Without a word he turns around, scoops some chocolate on another spoon and splatters it all over my shirt and face.

"Gee, this is what I get? One smear on the face and then I get my shirt dripping with chocolate?" I laugh as I flick the spoon covered with chocolate towards Logan, but he ducks and it lands on the crimson walls of the kitchen.

"What the hell are you guys doing? I tell you to do one thing and you choose to do the exact opposite," Sienna yells, peering into the oven.

"Damn. Angry bitch," I say as I giggle. I grab Logan by the arm and lead him out of the apartment.

"Where are we going?"

"You're taking me shopping," I say getting in the passenger seat of his car.

-

"Do you like this?" I say holding up a white sundress.

"Too plain," he replies as if he were my personal fashion designer.

"Yeah you have a point," I toss the dress aside and pick up another chiffon dress that was black at the chest area and a purple, magenta, and black pattern descending towards the bottom.

"That one I like," Logan says.

"I do to. I think I'm going to take it, I say turning it around to look at the price. I go into the dressing room and easily slide in. I look at myself confidently in the mirror, proud of the body I have. All it really takes is some self esteem. I emerge as Logan stares at me up and down.

"It fits wonderfully. Let's buy it," he says standing up.

For the first time in a long time I felt happy. Genuinely happy.