Cloudy with a chance of heartbreak

The problem with promises

PART ONE

Ten Years Ago

Katie's POV

"I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!"

I angrily muttered these words over and over beneath my breath, in rhythm with the sand I pounded as hard as I could with each step.

Although the crunchy ground felt like a stress ball beneath my bare feet, it was doing very little to dissipate my temper.

I marched towards our peaceful spot on the beach and plonked myself down when I reached it, spreading my towel out on the warm white sand.

Noah and I had been coming here with our families since we were kids. It felt like our own patch of paradise with our houses directly backing onto this secluded shore away from the crowds.

Hilbert Ridge was a quiet coastal town. It only really attracted tourists in the summer but we managed to avoid them at this special spot of ours.

I let my eyes drift across the powder blue sky and slowly began to calm down as I let my imagination find shapes in the clouds.

My mum and I had been doing this for as long as I could remember; it was my favourite memory of her.

After her funeral two years ago, I snuck away from the wake being held at our house and came down here to cry alone.

Noah found me and quietly lay beside me, looking up at the white puffs of cotton candy with me and not uttering a single word.

He was three years older than me but in hindsight, I could now appreciate how mature it was for him at eleven years of age to respect my right to grieve quietly and uninterrupted.

Eventually, once my sobs had subsided, he gently asked what I was doing.

"Just looking at that eagle in the sky and wishing I could fly away from here too," I sighed.

"Eagle? Where?" He asked excitedly, darting his eyes across the sky to spot the majestic bird.

I pointed him in the direction of the cloud shaped like an eagle suspended in mid flight and it only took him seconds to see it. A silence fell between us again as we both looked up hopelessly at the clouds, looking for answers they would never reveal.

"I'm scared Noah, I'm scared I won't ever stop missing her and that I'll feel this sad for the rest of my life," I confessed, another tear falling down my face as Noah snuggled into me.

"This was our special place, I can't believe we won't lay here together and daydream ever again," I sobbed.

We fell quiet again, my quiet sobs the only sound breaking the silence until suddenly Noah exclaimed he had found a unicorn, excitedly pointing it out to me.

Unicorns were a favourite of mine. My mum loved finding them and I couldn't help but wonder if it was a sign from her that she had made sure our little ritual wouldn't be lost in her absence.

For the first time since her death, I smiled and it was all because of Noah.

After that, he religiously came down here with me every weekend during summer and would relish finding unicorns. Some were dubious at best but I loved him all the more for it.

Thinking back to that day two years ago, I realised it was definitely the moment I fell head over heels in love Noah Hudson.

Today though, I was fuming that he had abandoned me so he could stick his tongue down Sophie Anderson's throat.