Oreo Ice Cream

Chapter 25| You've got this

Despite its strangeness and penchant for the seagulls, the beach at the end of our town was the last place I wanted to go and sit on and count the reasons behind my misery. I pulled up at the parking lot before taking my bag and climbing out of the car.

The sand felt surprisingly warm beneath my feet, even at noon, as I kicked off my shoes and stepped barefoot. A couple of tourists were laughing and gossiping around - a few clicking pictures of the flying seagulls near the shore while children squealed as they ran in glee.

The sun was high in the azure, cloudless sky. It still felt quiet here, except for the odd chirping of the seagulls and the gentle crashing of the waves on the rough rocks. I sat there with my legs stretched, letting the wave tickle my ankles.

This place was the file holder of my golden memories with Dad. The last time I was here was when he left our house. But today, it didn't give off any weird vibes. Rather an overwhelming sense of serenity gloved my heart as I took in a lungful of the salty air.

This was the thing that I hated the most. I wanted to cry out loud, throw my arms and scream at the top of my lungs, or even drown in the dark blue sea - but I was too tired for anything else. I hated slow, aching pain more than the ripping your head off pain. The latter could at least calm the burning flame, unlike this ache. It was something else, like stabbing your heart with a pocket knife and turning and twisting the muscles 'til they could no longer scream but bleed. It's no burn, no sting, no blood - but a constant twisting and tightening of your numb muscles 'til you could feel nothing.

"Daddy." Tears stung my eyes as my chest tightened. I missed him today; I wish I could hug and tell him I would fight for him and his love forever. If only we could trap time than memories.

I stayed there for some more time (even I didn't know for how long). The white-capped waves drenched my ankles as the warm sand started turning ridiculously rough. I felt sorry for Mum this time; of course, she could date anyone she liked - after all, it was her life. But that was what I hated more than anything. She was a pure shit-munching playgirl, breaking every men's heart - the only way I saw her worsen herself all these years.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, startling me. I took a fistful of the butter sand and crushed them harder. Mum's wrong; Mum's breaking everything and everyone; she's in the worst state of her mind. Something screamed in my mind.

Never have I ever yelled at my Mum 'til today. As much as I wanted to call Lee and cry on his shoulder, my mind wasn't ready to face myself. Because once I started crying, I knew I wouldn't stop.

And then, Tristan. Suddenly, my lips felt like burning embers from Tris's kiss. I haven't had enough time to think about that, but it made me feel warm again. Something about it was explosively sweet yet safe. Subconsciously, my hands went up to my lips. Tris's scent, his touch, and each of his words lingered here. Maybe, we would get over this shit soon. And suddenly, another thought clicked in my mind - maybe kissing Tristan that night wasn't a mistake. We wanted to safeguard ourselves and keep each other safe, away from the shit - sometimes, we just have to risk ourselves a little to save the other things from slipping away.

"Whoa." A click followed by a male voice. My head snapped back only to find an astonishingly familiar face of the twenty-something boy with a camera in front of me. Sure, he clicked my picture. Before I could say anything, something caught me off-guard. He looked too familiar just for my mind to recognize his clean-shaven face. I saw this face somewhere a long time ago.

The guy approached me before clicking another picture of the gentle foamy waves crashing on the shore. He looked like some professional; his grey eyes were so sharp, his long artistic fingers around the lens, and obviously, the thin line of his lips showed his keenness.