Drifting Deception

Epilogue

Eight months later

HENRY

"How much longer?" my kind and slightly scary girlfriend said as she trailed behind me.

I turned to find her hunched over as she struggled to place one foot in front of the other. We were hiking up a trail by my parents' holiday house in France. They'd initially told us it would take less than twenty minutes, and we'd be rewarded with a beautiful private beach to relax on at the end of it. But it had been forty and said beach was not in sight.

"I'm really not sure," I said as I continued to walk through the tussock and other prickly vegetation. Sydney caught up to me a second later.

"I knew you couldn't be apart from me," I teased.

Sydney shook her head, shoving the picnic blanket against my chest before she stomped in front of me. I clasped onto it, while also struggling to clasp onto the heavy, full picnic basket. Note to self, don't take Sydney on walks when she's hangry. We continued for a few more metres before a dead end made us both perplexed.

"What the?" Sydney said as she analysed the tall trees and flowers that were blocking our path. She rustled with the greenery for a while longer, before pushing two large overgrown vines to the side.

Before us, a giant brown fence with a small door stood silently, covered in moss and rot.

"Can I touch that?" Sydney asked cautiously. "Or will I get a rash?"

"Maybe use your clothes to cover your hand...just in case."

Sydney did as I said, using her jumper as a shield while she pushed open the rotting wooden door.

Jackpot.

Before us, a secluded beach bathed in golden sunlight lit up every corner of my vision. Warm rays danced upon soft, white sand, casting a subtle glow that shimmered as each gentle wave caressed the surface. I took a deep breath, inhaling the salty air that was the scent of the clear ocean. The beach was small, its periphery adorned with crystal-like rocks and soft vegetation. However, a small spot stood out to both of us, a cozy nook beneath the shade of a tall palm tree.

"This place is unreal," Sydney beamed as we headed to our reserved spot. We each held an end of our picnic blanket as we lowered our bodies in sync, the red-checked fabric disturbing the sand beneath us. I placed the picnic basket in the centre, while my lover pulled out the artisan cheese and crackers and artistically laid them on the wooden board.

"This was a perfect idea," I said as I cracked open a Coke and poured it into two wine glasses. It wasn't the most romantic drink, but it was Sydney's favourite, and I insisted we had the perfect picnic experience. I looked over at my lover as she took another sip and smiled. 

I had to laugh. Before I'd met Sydney, I vowed never to go on a cheesy date like a romantic sit-down picnic.

Maurice shook his head. "You're going to need to pray that the next video that surfaces is one where you're on a wholesome picnic date with your new girlfriend."

I chuckled again. Me on a picnic date? Never.

How the times had changed.

"So," Sydney said as she held her glass in the air. The gentle breeze made her curls sway as she stared at me with loving eyes. "Cheers to us never having to do long distance again."

After we'd made it official in Singapore last year, Sydney decided she needed to go back to her studio. She had to spend more time at the business to understand what was going wrong. She couldn't quit just because she was afraid of what people would think. There was nothing physically wrong with the studio, and the numbers continued to grow as she changed her marketing tactics and hired a social media admin. But she quickly realised she had outgrown the city. That was why she had felt so lost. She had done everything she had in her hometown, and while the city wasn't a problem in itself, she was too content. She needed to do something outside of her comfort zone to grow as a person—something other than fake dating the first Formula One driver she'd met aside from her brother.