To start over.
That's what Alex Rose needed, after that night.
That's what drove her out of her home in London, to New York, halfway across the world, to start her second year of college in North Regal University.
A whole new world greets her, ne...
"I'll try to keep you in my head but if not, We'll just keep running from tomorrow, With our lips locked." Please Don't Go - Mike Posner
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"What do you mean you only have one bikini?" Nessa drawls, a confused look on her face.
I smile sheepishly, rubbing my cheek. "I only brought one here."
Nessa shoots to her feet, shaking her head vigorously. "We're going shopping."
"Uh what?"
"You're not going to parade around on a beach for three-ish days with one swimsuit!" My eyes follow Nessa as she walks around, grabbing her things. "Come on."
"I'm literally in sweatpants." I argue, to which she rolls her eyes.
"We're not going to walk a runway, doofus. Let's go!"
And that's how I find myself in a swimsuit store with Nessa at the nearest mall, trailing after her as she looks through rows and rows of bathing suits.
"This one?" Nessa holds up a bright neon pink bikini that barely covers... anything.
"Um," I wring my hands. "Not really what I'm comfortable with wearing."
"Oh, that's totally cool," Nessa puts it right back and continues surfing through the displays. I'm relieved that she doesn't pressure me, she never has and I'm grateful for it.
I sift through some bikinis myself, when I come across a dark maroon coloured two piece. At first glance, it looks as basic as a normal bikini, but there's something about it that urges me to try it on.
Signalling to Nessa that I'm heading to the fitting room, I slip into a stall, and change into the bikini. For a moment, I'm mesmerised by how gorgeous it is.
The top is a little revealing, exposing a bit of underboob, but not too much. There's a string underneath the top piece, for me to tie around my abdomen. The bottom has a similar string attached to it that ties around my stomach. It fits snugly, and I find myself liking it.
I open the door of the stall an inch, poking my head out to find Nessa. Luckily, she's lingering just a few feet away. I call her name and usher her over, opening the door fully to show her, and Nessa doesn't bother to hide her approval.
"Girl!" She fans herself, as extra as always. "I might be gay for you."
I chuckle in response, doing a little twirl, looking at my reflection again. Finding confidence in my skin, in my body again, after what happened has been a long, tiring journey. There were times that I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. Finally feeling wholly confident in my own skin, in a bikini, feels like an accomplishment.
Maybe it actually is one.
✢ ✢ ✢
"What the hell—" Kye pants, lugging the giant coral coloured suitcase behind him. "— is in this thing? We're going for two fucking days. Not a year."
