[Complete]
Chloe's world is shattered when her parents' long-standing marriage comes to an abrupt end. Determined to shield herself from the pain of love, she vows to never allow her heart to be entangled, even if it means severing ties with Henry...
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I gaze at the relentless, crashing waves in the ocean, while my feet sink into the soft white sand beneath me. The beach is surprisingly empty for this time of year. The red flag hoisted by the lifeguards has deterred people from venturing into the water today, but I don't mind the peace and quiet. It gives me a chance to think and clear my head.
After the events of last night and this morning, combined with Chloe's plans to leave, I find myself growing weary of getting involved with her any longer. I had hoped she might have had a change of heart the last couple of weeks, but it's painfully clear to me now that she hasn't. I'm tired of playing these games, of being pulled back and forth. And to top it off, Leah and Sophie had no idea that I was here; Chloe never bothered to tell them. I don't know what to make of that, honestly.
Suddenly, I hear their voices. I turn my head to the left and spot Sophie with her flowing brown hair, making her way towards Chloe's side of the beach chairs and umbrella. Our eyes meet, and in that instant, Sophie freezes in her tracks, causing Leah to accidentally bump into her.
"Ouch! Soph!" Leah exclaims, giving her a gentle nudge forward. However, instead of continuing forward, Sophie turns around, directing her gaze towards Chloe, who is walking just a few steps behind them.
I can sense the smile on Sophie's face, even though she's not facing me. "You share beach chairs with Henry?" Sophie asks softly as Chloe approaches them.
Chloe glances at me, sitting in my chair, and then back at Sophie and Leah. Her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. With an exaggerated sigh, she responds, "I tried getting them to move me to a different chair, but they didn't have any available," her voice barely audible to me over the sounds of the crashing waves.
Leah snorts out a laugh. "Uh-huh. I'm sure that's exactly what happened."
Finally, Sophie turns back around, placing her belongings down. "Henry, fancy seeing you here," she greets me with a grin.
"Soph, Leah. It's good to see y'all again," I reply, a smile forming on my face as I stand up to greet them.
"Hi, Henry," Leah says, smiling at me and then glancing back at Chloe with a knowing smile. Chloe walks around the two of them, playfully rolling her eyes at them and setting her things down by her chair in front of me.
"Hi, Lewis," Chloe says softly, looking up at me, and I can't help but feel a surge of emotions. I offer her the smallest of smiles, quickly averting my gaze away from her, not wanting to dwell on the tension between us.
Trying to regain my composure, I quickly shift my attention back to Sophie and Leah, hoping to distract myself from Chloe's presence. "Can I get y'all some beach chairs?" I offer.
"Oh, thanks Hen! That would be great!" Sophie says with a grateful smile, and I nod, making my way towards the beach rental chair employee.
As I interact with the employee, I can't help but steal glances at the girls from the corner of my eye. It's clear that Chloe is somewhat embarrassed, her cheeks flushed even more than before, as Sophie and Leah tease her playfully. Though I can't hear their conversation from here, I can easily imagine how the banter is unfolding. Sophie and Leah never hold back on expressing their opinions, especially when it comes to each other.
