Her Safe Haven

Chapter 32 - Beach Day

Previously on Her Safe Haven: Winter bled after she found a cutter knife hidden in her sponge painting set, and the next week she fainted after a possible attack in the changing room. Seth and Winter worried about the state of their friendship group in midst of the Love Polygon (see Chapter 28).

It was mid June, the start of Summer, and in Lakeside Town Park that Saturday afternoon, the sun shone high, bright, and hot above the laughters and chatters of the Lake-goers — as if mocking Winter and her brooding mood.

She really was not in the mood to swim that morning when Tria, Riley, and Jonah came chirping into her house in their tank tops and shorts — Dr Switzgerald was on leave that weekend so she had no therapy and was actually looking forward to sleep the entire day away — when long story short after much persuasion from the three and even Gray, the rag tag team of highschoolers marched into the swimming-allowed part of the Cove of Two Lovers, lead by an overenthusiastic Kai, Jonah, and Tria, followed by the ever supportive Rose, Riley, and Helena, the somewhat reluctant but since-they-had-nothing-better-to-do-anyway Dylan and Gray, and finally, Seth and Winter who obviously did not want to be there but were dragged and half-kidnapped into Jonah and Tria's car by the other members of their group.

Next to her, Seth kept muttering complains under his breath and she had to say that she shared his sentiment — in between the "situation" of their clique with the Love Polygon, the student council election, and what had been going on at school with her being the target of some unknown attacks, this was a really bad idea. She was in no mood to socialise and deal with any dramas; and even though she liked the sun, ninety-five degrees* was not the optimal temperature to go outside, as Kai, who came from Hawaii, had so suggested. She was now sweaty, moody, miserable, and definitely not happy.

It was about midday by the time they finished gathering the rest of their group and reached the town park, and it was so crowded that she was surprised they could still find a space for all ten of them to sit together in a big circle a bit further from the water. In perfect synergy that she had to admit she was a bit impressed, all of them set out to work laying out the beach blankets and umbrellas and changing to their colourful swimsuits, still talking amongst each other. Seth and her had wordlessly chosen a quiet space at the edge of their circle to try and maybe still have a quiet afternoon.

'Help me tie this up, will you?' Winter tried to sign as she held the bikini straps behind her neck to Seth, hoping he would understand what she was asking him to do.

Seth yawned as he helped her tie the light blue strings together, tapping her shoulder as he finished.

Used to her parents putting on a two-piece swimsuits on her when she was a kid, Winter didn't really have reserves to wear such revealing swimwear. Though she noticed Helena wearing a more modest black one-piece and it got her to think whether it had anything to do with Helen's more traditional Korean family upbringing.

Such a weird thing to be thinking of in a day and situation like this, she realised, but luckily she was cut short on her zoning off when Jonah approached her in his black surfer bermudas and unbuttoned orange shirt.

+++

Tria approached him as Seth was just getting comfortable on his fold beach chair, ready to drown the hot day away in one of his books.

"You looked really indifferent helping Winter with her swimsuit there. Hard to imagine you used to like her— do you, still, actually?"

Seth rolled his eyes and put on his shades to try and block Tria away. "I've let her go a long time ago, Tria," he said lazily. He then frowned as he observed Winter smiling at whatever Jonah just said to her. "Jonah should do the same too, if you ask me."