Lavender | Wakatoshi Ushijima

21 | Spring Sunburns

Before I know it, I'm living the day I kept on dreaming of. It's not as I expect though. Rather than sitting in silence next to Mother far from the sand, I'm bombarded by screams and lots of conversation and sandy volleyball games. Rather than coming with a full stomach to avoid city food, we eat right on the shore. Rather than a gloomy feeling, there's happiness, for the first time in a while.

"Happy birthday!" The team are all in beachwear standing below the high wooden area. What are they doing? They're also screaming in unison.

I stand up there for a good three minutes in silence, admiring the sun, the waters that seem to never end, and the boats far away that sit on the surface. I could write a thousand stories and a million poems and a never ending chain of stories, right here and right now. The air's sticking to my skin as it makes its way past me, it's giving me a humid hug. The salty smell makes my lungs feel more alive than they'd ever felt.

They're screaming with joy with every moving breath. I put my hands up and cover the sun, what a bright sphere. It looks like a marble I can hold in my palm, warm and loving. It's warming my hands already, even though it's a world away. My hands move across my vision, stroking the coming waves and assuring me this is real, I'm real. This view is right here.

My hands then point to my friends who are still down there, waiting for me. I run down there, my dress ruffling against the wind. Wakatoshi is right behind me.

I almost tackle Kiyo when I get down and feel the hot beach sand on my feet. The sand makes its way between my toes and it feels ticklish. I almost burst into laughter and tears at the same time. The boys continue setting up.

"Surprise, surprise!" She laughs and hugs me.

"Thank you." I whisper and pull away.

She pushes a ball of light fabric in my hands.

"You can't swim in a dress." She whispers back.

I look down and see my swimsuit. It was the floral one-piece I haven't gotten to wear yet.

"How'd you get this?" I ask.

"I have my ways. Come on, the bathroom's over there." She smirks, dragging me away.

~

I decide to keep my hair loose after I put on the swimsuit that fit me just right, hugging my curves perfectly. I want the breeze to play around with my hair and make it fly high up. I enjoyed the wind.

"It's so cold!" I shriek as the little waves stroke my feet. The wet sand was hard and compressed. It still feels peculiar.

"Wait, wait!" Semi shouts on an inflated ring.

That's when the flock of short boys, some tall, come running straight into the water. Some jump too, clearly the underclassmen. Echoes of their laughter and I'm frozen in place. I catch a glimpse of their faces as time takes a stop, wrinkling eyes and toothy smiles. Warm blooded faces and bodies full of joy, running to the waters and living their youth. Living their teenage years with me.

I'm horrified at the freezing cold of the water that splashed me. Every drop is pulled down to meet my knees. I bite back a scream.

I see some of them sunbathing. Wakatoshi steps in beside me. He's in his dark swimming trunks, bare-chested. I notice his unbelievable physique but look away.

"Do you need any help?" He asks, quite intrigued at my frozen figure that won't go in.

"No, I'm okay. Thanks for offering." I step forward to start the process.

The water roars up to my knees. I'm startled at the speed of it. My eyes fly wide, since when was water this cold?

He looks at me, slightly red from the sun. He wears a funny look, half-smiling and half-'are you sure?'.