ObicanDecko

@Summerabbacat is correct, it's never stated where the story is set. I left it vague on purpose because 1) it's not really relevant to know the exact town, and 2) I wanted readers to fill the gaps with their imagination. So it can be set wherever you think it is 😊

We swam in the ocean that afternoon as the sun began to set. The water was beginning to cool down, but it was still warm enough that we didn’t want to leave. A stray dog appeared, a little black mutt we’ve seen many times around the neighborhood. It didn’t seem to be scared of anyone, always stopping by for food from whoever would offer it some. We gave him some of our fries, which the mongrel eagerly gobbled up. We then chased it across the sand, throwing stones for it to fetch. When it g

“Where to?” “To the Nightingale restaurant, please,” dad said as he slid into the car, taking the back seat beside mom. I took the passenger seat. Since all of us were most likely going to be drinking, no one wanted to be the designated driver, so we ended up calling a taxi. I couldn't stop squirming in my seat as we drove through town. The suit mom bought me was definitely not made to be worn while sitting in a car… or while doing anything else. It was best left for being looked at i

It's funny how things can change in just one day. It was even funnier how, on the surface, everything seemed the same. I sat on my bed, watching the sun rise above the hills to the east, observing the early risers in the streets below. I resented them, going about their way as if everything was still alright, because nothing was. My mind kept drifting back to yesterday. Leo's voice as he told me he was done, the look in his eyes… I'd never seen him that angry, that disappointed, at least n

As soon as I heard a car pull up in front of the house, I knew what was coming. The reckoning. I steeled myself and got up off the couch, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. My steps felt heavy as I headed towards the door, dreading the encounter. I was already in a lousy mood that day. Aside from a few texts, Leo hasn't really been keen on talking to me ever since that day we went to the escape room. He was mad even though he said he wasn't, that much was obvious. Or maybe—and

If you asked me, Kingsize was the perfect place to take Leo out. It was small and intimate, on the other side of town, and the food was amazing. I didn’t go there often because it wasn’t exactly close to my place, but whenever I did, I would stuff myself full. Leo didn’t seem too thrilled, however. I could see the hesitant look on his face as he inspected the menu. “I’m telling you, everything’s great. You can’t go wrong with whatever you get.” “Alright, if you say so.” He didn’t seem

It was one of those days when you feel like you've made one small decision and suddenly your whole world has flipped upside down. When you want to turn back time before that moment and do things differently so everything could go back the way it was. Just a week ago, this would’ve been another ordinary day. A hot afternoon at the beach after my shift at the shop, surfing with Jay, then grabbing some food. But now? All I could think about was Leo. His face was stuck in my brain, his voice lo

I’ve kissed a lot of girls in my life. A lot. But never a guy. Still, kissing Leo… it didn’t seem weird at all. It felt good. Great even. Like I couldn’t get enough of it. My eyes were closed, my lips touching his, my hand somehow finding its way to the back of his neck, gently caressing his skin. There was this warm, tingling sensation wherever he touched me—my arms, my shoulders... In all the years that we’ve known each other, we’ve never been this close before. His smell was everywhere—

Up Noah's ***

There is a tradition in our town that we’ve had for as long as I’ve lived here. Every July, the town would hold a sandcastle building contest at the beach, right next to Danny’s Cove. It was a fun little event for the locals, especially kids, but since it happened in the middle of summer, we’d always have a lot of tourists participating too. I wasn’t competing this year, though. My plan was to stuff myself with street food, judge other people’s work, and have fun with the guys. “Dude,

Today was a little windy, but still pleasant. The perfect weather for being outdoors. I had a constant stream of customers for a few hours, but now there was finally a lull so I decided to do some cleaning up. I cleared out some of the stuff lying around, then grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor. When you’re so close to the beach, sand always finds it way in. In the middle of all that, I barely heard my phone buzz. Good thing I did, because it was Leo. “Hey, what’s up?” I pu

I didn't specify it on purpose, it's up to your imagination

I woke up that morning to the sound of my phone. It wasn’t my usual morning alarm, but my ringtone instead. It took me a few seconds to process it, and I reached out to grab it from the nightstand. The noise was already getting annoying. Who could be calling me this early anyway? My first thought was my boss. Maybe she had an emergency and wanted me to go to the shop and cover for her. It turned out it was even worse than that. “Hi, mom,” I replied with all the enthusiasm I could muste

You knew summer was starting for real when you’d see tourists start to arrive in droves. Most of them came in July and August, but in recent years they’ve been showing up all through the year, especially June. I guess some of them didn’t mind the water being a few degrees colder so long as they got to avoid the crowds in peak summer. There were a lot of fresh faces at the shop today. I liked it, it meant business was doing well. Small trinkets like fridge magnets and figurines sold the

Noah likes to take things day by day, splitting his time between working at a souvenir shop and hanging with friends at the beach. When his girlfriend breaks up with him and tells him she is moving away, he is left utterly confused. Luckily, he has his best friend Leo to help him get through it - whether it’s by taking him out for dinner, listening to his complaints, or giving him some tough love. Why is Leo always so good to him anyway?