Unrequited

Chapter 15

The salty breeze tickled my nose, a welcome change from the city's stale air. I sank deeper into my beach chair, soaking up the sun's warmth. It had been ages since I felt this relaxed, this utterly content. Laughter and chatter filled the air, a symphony of joy. Couples strolled hand-in-hand, children chased the waves with gleeful shrieks, and surfers danced on the water's surface. Everyone seemed lost in their own little pockets of happiness, their smiles reflecting the golden light of the sun. Even amidst the crowd, I could pick them out - the sparkling eyes, the carefree laughter. They were like beacons of joy, drawing me in.

Then, a sigh escaped my lips. My gaze drifted along the shimmering shoreline, landing on a familiar face. Cade, his face contorted in a goofy grin, was launching a chunk of sand at Megan, who shrieked and swatted him playfully. They were like two kids, lost in their world of laughter and sunshine. A pang of something shot through me, a mixture of longing and envy. Why couldn't I be like them, brimming with that infectious happiness?

Instead, here I was, alone with my thoughts and a yearning for something more. But as I watched them, a flicker of hope ignited within me. Maybe that happiness wasn't out of reach. Maybe, I could find my slice of joy in this sun-drenched paradise. With a renewed sense of purpose, I shifted in my chair, ready to embrace the day, the beach, and whatever adventures awaited.

I couldn't swim or surf like the other kahunas riding the waves no less than the ruler of waves, declaring their reign over them, creating sheer envy in my heart, my love for sea and the salty breeze was a household term in my close friends and family. I had always loved to take a good deep dive in the water to feel the life underneath the surface of the water we could see through our naked eyes, but ever since my departure from Canada and their life a lot of things changed, and along with them changed my hobbies and likes. Kev had tried to keep a lot of things just as they were when I was here in Port Colborne but the harm was already done, I had already started to drift away from everything and everyone here. 

out of the blue, a sudden soft voice broke  "Hey!" I turned around to find a lady as beautiful as an angel. she looked my age. "hey." I replied meekly to her cheerful greeting. her bright brown eyes had me captured in them so that I couldn't even comprehend the next line she spoke, she had that perfect tanned skin with that shiny chestnut hair, but it was her mole just beneath her lower lip that captivated me to her beauty. "uhh... excuse me?" and my friends the hottest yet prettiest girl was talking me, how did I feel? 

Euphoric!! 

she held the beauty of an angel which for once made me nervously shift in my seat. I looked at her trying my best to keep eye contact maintained between us as I replied to her, "Yes!" my voice came out squeaky and sharp. flinching over my voice, I moved my eyes back to my friends and then returned them to look at this beauty. "can I sit with you?" She asked, positioning herself to stand on her right leg.  I smiled out of nervousness and nodded, shifting to my left as she stepped out and took the space beside me. 

"Isn't it amazing?" I heard  her voice as I turned again to look at the people I called my friends, giving her my attention back I frowned and questioned her "What?" she chuckled a little, her eyes focused on my friends before she looked back at me and answered my question "having feelings for someone you can't have." I was stunned by this sudden confrontation she threw in my direction her eyes held an intensity I hated to accept reciprocated mine. I tried to break the eye contact but my eyes froze at those hazel eyes which hypnotized me to answer the question i was so ready to avoid just a few seconds ago, "yeah!" the shaking voice that originated in my throat and travelled out of my lips was a sound i didn't recognize it wasn't mine but at the same time it was me who sounded similar. it was mere whisper stirring my insides out and then another sound resonated to my ears.

laughter! 

The lady next to me shrieked with laughter. Not a happy giggle, but a wild, crazy cackle that made everyone turn and stare. Her lips were cracked white, her eyes red and puffy, but she kept laughing, clutching fistfuls of sand like it could hold her together. It wasn't a real question, I knew. It was something else, something buried deep that she couldn't say out loud. And for some reason, there I was, sitting next to her silent scream on a sunny beach.

The welling in her eyes, a storm threatening to break, wasn't because of me. Thank goodness. A knot of worry loosened in my stomach, replaced by a prickle of unwelcome curiosity I shoved down. Whatever brewed within her, it was a story I didn't want a part in.

With a sigh, I navigated the labyrinth of my purse, searching for a comforting touch. My fingers brushed against the familiar crinkle of tissues, a silent relief. Turning back, I found her gaze still distant, lost in the fog of her own emotions.

"Here," I said softly, my voice laced with a hesitant concern, extending the pack of tissues towards her.