Apex [h.s]

chapter eighteen

Frankie Doyle

April

The slightly cooler April sun warmed me as I sat in the back of my open-topped car. The salty air filled my nostrils, easing my mind with every breath. Looking at the ocean in front of me, I found myself laughing at the fact that our planet was called Earth, when it was clearly dominated by the sea.

I couldn't help but find solace in the ocean. No matter how many times it kissed the sand on the shore, it got pushed away, sent back to where it came from. But that never stopped it from coming back every time. Watching the waves roll in held promise and calm. I think that's why I always felt so at home amongst the foam of the waves.

"Frank... Frankie... Earth to Francesca..." Brooklyn called, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Look, I love you, but we came out here to catch up, not for you to get hypnotised by the sea."

"Sorry," I laughed. "I can't help it."

"Trust me, I know," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I genuinely think you could write a book about how much you love the sea. It's the only place you spend more time at than the race track."

"I mean, you're not wrong," I shrugged, reaching for a bag of unopened chips. 

"This is nice though, I feel like we've both been so busy. I swear I've seen you like five time since your birthday and that was like a month and a half ago," Brooklyn's eyes widen in realisation.

"Shit, has it already been that long since my birthday? I feel like I've done nothing but work and see Harry since then," I sigh. "How's your boy toy? You've been seeing him for a while now haven't you?"

"Yeah, since the end of January. Louis is great, but things have become a lot more physical rather than emotional with us. He says it's because he's so busy with uni and I get that. I remember what it was like," she sighed.

"Are you actually okay with that though? Only physical? I know you Brooks and you thrive in emotional relationships," I say with concern for my best friend.

"I mean, he's a stunning person, both physically and mentally. I think I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him on a more deeper level than just looks. But I think I can deal with it being purely physical. He's good, really good, if you know what I mean," she says dreamily.

"As long as you don't let yourself get hurt. Hoping that he'll change his mind is a dangerous route to take," I advise.

"Yeah, I know. I think I'm just going to focus on the physical side. Enjoy it and have fun. If I get too deep, I'll talk to him," she decides.

"That's a good idea, that way at least you'll know and there'll be nothing up in the air," I smile.

Brooklyn was definitely more adventurous in the boy department than me. I'm not say that I wasn't opposed to a little fun, well, before Cole at least. But Brooklyn was a lot more willing to show a guy that she liked what he was missing. I really admired that about her. She always knows what she wants.

I always found that I preferred the security of a relationship. I've been with guys both in and out of a relationship, but I found it always left me feeling great when there was more than just physicality.

"But what about you and Mr. Race Car Driver? Is everything going good with you two? How long have you been official now?" She asked.

"We're good, really good," I smiled at the thought of Harry. "We started dating like mid December, but made it official in mid January, so we've been together three months now," I told her.

"Shit, has it been that long already?"

"I know, it kind of blows me away looking back. I find it funny thinking about how much I used to despise him," I chuckled.