Girls Who Play Guitars

•i choose the sunset•

The next evening, as the surf pounded across the top of the rocks, sending a spray of salty water close to her feet, Ellie pulled her green cardigan tighter as she scratched away in her notebook, the words of songs falling out of her like the stars falling from the sky.

The whitewashed lighthouse with its perky red cap sat on the point to her right, its bulb a faint amber glow in the evening light, not dark enough to see just yet. The sun had started to set over the sea, sending orange and yellow swipes of paint across the heaving purple water. Ellie lifted her chin and breathed in fresh, salty air.

This was what she loved about Port Lagan. There were no people. She could come out onto this rocky outcrop, right out the front of her house and sit and watch the waves and not see a single soul for hours. She'd spent many hours here, with her notebook, writing songs, gazing across the water, thinking about anything and everything. Clearing her head. Resetting her thoughts.

"Your mum said you'd be here."

Ellie turned.

Daniel clambered over the rocks towards her, awkwardly finding footholds for his city trainers, avoiding racks of slippery seaweed that hung raggedly from the boulders.

Ellie smiled and patted the flat rock next to her where she always sat.

"You're rather close to the water, Devine," Daniel breathed, peering over the edge as he settled himself beside her, pulling the sleeves of his baggy grey sweater over his hands. "Is this safe? Do we need to take out insurance?"

Ellie pointed to where she'd carved her initials into the rock back in high school: 'E.D. 1988'. "I'm still alive and I've been out here a lot."

Daniel ran his fingers over the chiselled letters. "James and Kim flew back to Melbourne this morning. Meg and your sister have gone AWOL, and Gav's playing Scrabble with your olds with the goal to drink his way through their red wine selection and smoke a ton more of your dad's evil weed before we leave. They wanted to know if I wanted to play."

Ellie chuckled. "Meg and Coral will be in the bungalow." That was where Coral always used to spend time alone when she needed it. Although this time, she wasn't alone. Ellie and Daniel had come home from the lighthouse at four a.m. to find them pashing on the front porch, a halo of oblivious love shrouding them from Daniel and Ellie, who slipped past with sly giggles. "As for Scrabble, my dad's a ferocious competitor. He knows dumb two-letter words that don't even exist. I recommend you stay away from that game."

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "I shall choose you and the sunset then."

Ellie rested her elbow on his knees and leaned in to him, staring across the water as Daniel shifted his arm around her waist and nudged in close.

"I reckon you like it here," Daniel muttered into her hair as he kissed her head. "You're different. More relaxed."

"I'm very relaxed, thanks to you." Ellie smelled cigarettes and mint and pressed herself into him more, his smell like an aphrodisiac to her.

"My pleasure," Daniel sighed, brushing his fingers along the back of her hand. "Was it worth the wait, Devine?"

Ellie's skin flared as she remembered last night in the cosy candlelight of the lighthouse. "You did okay for an old bloke."

Daniel chuckled. "Always have to work harder to impress you, don't I Devine?"

Ellie nuzzled her nose into his neck. "It was amazing."

Daniel squeezed her tight. "I hope you had a good birthday."

"I did."

Daniel kissed her head again. "Is it about time we talked about the future?"