The First Time I Saw You

The beach

I set my alarm every morning for 6:30. When it goes off I know it's time, time for my favorite part of the day. Running. I run along the beach as the sun rises. It's beautiful! Cool mist blows in my hair and it like living in paradise. In fact it is living in paradise. Oh, I forgot to say who I am; I'm Ellie. Ellie Bishop. A bubbly 19 year old girl with an addiction to keeping fit. So yes I'm a fitness freak....but who cares! My long blonde hair is tied up in a scruffy ponytail as it is every time I go running. My friends Jess and Ryan say I have amazing eyes, but I say there just your average light blue. Although I can't help noticing sometimes that they turn a few heads. I'm sorta special in my own way.

I put on my free runs and close the door behind me, my parents are used to it now so when the door shuts they know I'm heading to the beach. Walking to the beach every morning makes me aware of how grateful I am for living here in Bournemouth. Although it does rain occasionally the sun will batter down its heavy rays and give us all happy days...

The long stretch of golden sand gives me a 35 minute run. Starting at the light house and finishing up by the rock pools and back again. By now the street lights are dimming and the seagulls are flying their wings across the pale blue sky! And then I start. A slow jog. Keeping my pace is one thing I have learnt about all this. Ryan thinks I'm forcing myself to do this but I know he's wrong. He says I have a mental block in my mind that let's me think I am hated and can only find my flaws and imperfections. I do have imperfections but I don't escape them. Jess isn't into running but she does come down some morning to draw.

Her drawing skills are unbelievable. Just last year she got excepted to the highest art school in London. So every weekend she travels to see us and her family.

I'm nearly at the rock pools, I'm breathing calmly but my legs ache. But I can't stop now...

I'm normally the only one who runs this early on a Wednesday morning along the sands,however not today. In the distance I could make out a tall male running towards me. As we came closer I see that he wasn't much older than me.

He had brown hair that was standing high in a messy sorta way. Then I saw his arms...

They were like, well, beautiful. His skin was a tanned colour. Like he had been in America for 2 months! I smiled as he ran past and he didn't really acknowledge me. I turned around again ( still jogging ). He had stopped and so did I...

He was coming towards me...

" hey, sorry I'm James " James put out his hand motioning to me to shake it.

" hi, I'm Ellie" the words kinda fell out of my mouth.

Then there was this awkward silence, during that few seconds I couldn't help but think i had seen him before...

" so you come running a lot? I haven't seen you before" James's words softly spoken!

" yeah" I said " I'm sorry I know I've seen you before but I can't think were"

He laughed, turned around and carried on jogging towards the sand dunes........