Seaside Entries - 3. Something to fix that

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 muster, which was not a lot.

“Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that, honey. I lost track of time.” Was that supposed to be an excuse? “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” I replied, trying to find any detail about my life she might find interesting. I couldn’t think of any. “...I’m good,” I repeated.

“How’s work at the shop?”

“Not bad. It’s getting busier now that we have more tourists coming, so… can’t complain there. It’s fun.”

“Oh, that’s good. So, you’re still working there. I suppose when an actual job opportunity comes up, you can easily quit.”

“Yeah. Of course.” I didn’t bother elaborating.

“And how’s Gina?”

I winced at the mention of that name. Of course mom had to ask about her, but I couldn’t really blame her, could I? It’s not like she knew we were over. I never told her.

“Ahh, we… we broke up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” I said, which was half-true. I can’t say I was heartbroken, just tired of feeling like a dumped loser whenever I thought of Gina. I needed to do something to fix that. I needed to get laid. “She had to move away, so there was no point in continuing anyway.”

“Where did she move? Maybe you could’ve gone with her?”

“I’m not sure,” I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. I wanted to say Antarctica, but I wasn’t sure mom would’ve appreciated me making a joke.

“I have some good news that will cheer you right up, honey. Dad and I are coming over this summer!”

“Oh, you are? ...That’s great,” I said in a voice that convinced no one. “When are you guys coming?”

“Second week of August. We can’t wait to see you,” mom replied cheerily. If she sensed the lack of enthusiasm in my voice, she ignored it as usual.

“Awesome, me neither.”

I can’t wait to have every aspect of my life put under a microscope, followed by a two-hour presentation of why I should move to London with you and change everything about myself. Just can’t wait.

~~

I went straight home after work that evening. Ever since I got the idea that morning, I’d been waiting to put it into action. I showered, brushed my teeth and fixed my hair up. Leo told me it looked good when I style it that way, and I trusted him. He’s got an eye for those things.

I spent a few minutes going through my wardrobe, mostly just throwing stuff around. I don’t know what I was expecting to find. Anything that needed ironing was out.

In the end, I put on my dark jeans and a simple white t-shirt that was tight enough to show off my body. As I reached to take my wallet, I stood in front of a mirror and looked at myself. Was I really going to do this? It felt like my reflection was gazing into my soul, trying to uncover something hidden. What was it trying to find?

I shook my head and looked away. It was silly. I was already all dressed up, no point in backing down now. I checked to make sure I had condoms (half a pack), then grabbed my phone and headed out.

Essential was my destination that night. It was one of the biggest clubs downtown, very popular with tourists. If I was going to find someone to bring home, it would be there. Almost as soon as I walked in, one of my favorite songs started playing, which I took as a good sign. I was in the right place.

The place was packed by the time I arrived, but not so packed that I couldn’t find a seat at the bar and get myself a drink. From what I could tell at first glance, there was a good mix of locals and tourists, which was usually the case. I looked around, trying to scope any girls I could buy a drink for. Everyone seemed to be in pairs or groups, so a change of strategy was needed. I figured my best chance was to get close to someone on the dancefloor, so I finished my drink and got up, moving to the center of the room.

It was a hot night outside, but the club felt like a furnace with all those bodies dancing and sweating around me. I could still feel the burn of the drink down my throat, and the loud music pumping through me didn’t help either. I thought about taking my shirt off, but that would have been too much.

Unfortunately, I didn’t seem to be having much luck with what I came there to do. Other than some flirty eye contact, it seemed I was getting nowhere.

That is, until I spotted a pair of girls dancing by the wall. I was pretty sure one of them was giving me the eye, an undeniable smirk on her face. I danced a little closer and sure enough, I caught her looking at me a few times. It felt like the perfect time to make my move.

She was cute enough, tanned, with long blond hair. Total opposite of Gina, but maybe that’s what attracted me to her in the first place. Maybe I just needed something different for a change.

I started walking towards her when I felt a hand clapping me on the shoulder.

“Man, look who it is!”

I turned around at the sound of the guy’s deep voice, loud even with the music pumping through the speakers all over the club. It was Fabian, with Jay close behind him.

“Noah, didn’t know you’d be here tonight,” Jay stepped closer when he noticed me. “You alone?”

“Yeah,” I tried not to let my disappointment show. I was really hoping not to run into anyone I know. The plan was to fly solo for the night and find a girl to take home. Not to party with my friends. “When did you guys get here?” I asked, quickly turning around to see if the girl was still there. She was in the same place, chatting with her friend.

“We just got here,” Fabian shouted in my ear. “Have you had something to drink?”

“Yeah.”

“Want to get another one?”

“Come on, it’s Fabian’s treat,” Jay grabbed me by the arm, pulling me with them.

“Nah, you guys go ahead. I don’t wanna have too many too fast,” I shook my head.

“Come with us, you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to.”

“Uh… I’ll join you later, ok?” I hesitated. They had really shown up at the worst time, and I felt bad about blowing them off.

“Alright, who have you got your eye on?” Fabian gave me that knowing look, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I turned around, finding the girl in the crowd. Our eyes locked once again.

“Cute. Alright, we’ll leave you to it then.”

“Good luck, dude,” Jay elbowed me. “See if her friend’s single, ok?”

“Come on, man,” Fabian dragged him away, leaving me on my own.

I chuckled to myself, my mood lifted a little. There was no reason to hesitate, so I made my way over to the girl, putting on my most charming smile.

“Would you like to dance?”

She gave me a quick once-over, but the look in her eyes told me she’d say yes before she even spoke.

“Sure,” she nodded, joining me.

In a blink of an eye we were dancing together, my hands on her slim waist. Turned out her name was Cassie—she was from the USA, and she’d come here with her sister.

“So, did your friends put you up to this?”

“Ah, no,” I replied, amused by the question. She must’ve seen me with Fabian and Jay. “But they did wish me luck.”

“How nice of them.”

“What about you, have you been enjoying yourself here?” I asked. I tried to keep eye contact throughout the dance, but my gaze kept slipping down to her lips.

“Yeah, I’ve been having a good time.” I could barely hear her over the music. “I didn’t expect the nightlife to be this good.”

“It’s one of our well-kept secrets.” I winked, holding her tightly. “I’m a local, so if you need a tour guide, I’d be happy to show you around.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

“You should. I don’t disappoint.”

If I had any doubts about whether this night would go anywhere, they all disappeared when Cassie wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into her. Minutes later and we were kissing right there on the dancefloor. It didn’t take long for us to take it outside, the fresh night air a welcome change from the heat of the club. But instead of sobering us up, it only seemed to spur us on even further.

After a quick walk to my house, I was all too eager to show her the first destination on my itinerary - my bedroom. We climbed the stairs clumsily, kissing and groping each other. I pushed the bedroom door open with my leg, and in a matter of minutes we were in my bed, our clothes on the floor. I was drunk, but not too drunk that I didn’t know what I was doing. Just the perfect amount to make me not question it. Tangled up in the sheets, we were soon lost in our little world, all my senses focused only on the pleasure we were giving each other. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

~~

I woke up early, my eyes bleary and my mind hazy. As soon as I started stretching in my bed, my left hand hit something. There was someone lying next to me! I jerked in surprise, but then the memories began flooding back. One by one, I started recalling the events of last night.

Rubbing my eyes, I took a glance at Cassie sleeping next to me. Looking at her, this stranger who I barely knew anything about, I realized something—I felt nothing for Gina anymore. Sure, I still remembered fondly some of the good times we had, but was I yearning for her, wishing we were back together? Not at all. Why was it so easy to suddenly get over her and replace her with someone this… random? It almost felt anticlimactic to what I expected it would feel like. Whatever the reason, I was too sleepy and hungry to give it any more thought.

What time was it anyway? I reached for my phone and immediately saw a missed call and several texts. It was Leo. Suddenly feeling much more awake, I opened the texts.

“Hey, u still asleep?”

“Fabian and Jay want to hang out at the beach tonight. Jay’s buying beer”

“U in? I already told them ur coming too ;)”

I found myself chuckling quietly. Of course I was coming.

“Sorry, was asleep. I’m def coming! We can go together, just text me when.” I quickly typed out a reply before getting up and stretching, my muscles sore from last night.

The room was quiet now, as if I were all alone. I moved to stand by the open window, breathing in the morning air. I looked down at the street, the sea, the small section of the beach visible from where I stood. Today felt like it was going to be a great day after all.

When I turned around to find my shorts, I spotted Cassie’s earring glinting on the nightstand. It must’ve fallen out at some point. I picked it up and turned it between my fingers. It was light, almost weightless. I set it back down and put on my shorts, ignoring the brief, hollow ache in my chest.

I cast a quick glance up at the clock on the wall. It was already nine—quite late for me. My stomach was about to start growling at me, and I desperately needed some coffee.

But first, I had to wake Cassie up and send her on her way.