In Saltwater

Chapter 2

As I was finishing my last bite of dinner, my cousins Emma and Luca were discussing their plans for the rest of the evening. The nightlife on the peninsula had always been confined to the Conti Hotel nightclub and the Portsea Pub. However, a new bar had just opened at the Sorrento Hotel in which we were currently dining. The vibrations of the music and chatter of lively bar goers was heightening. As the rest of the family, the grandparents, parents and younger children, continued to chat, those of legal age went to have a sneak peak at the Salt Bar.

The Salt Bar was a trendy outdoor bar with ocean views which connected to an indoor dance floor. There was already a line starting to build at the entrance and it was only early in the evening. The crowd ranged between 18 to 25 year olds and you could tell that these partygoers took pride in their appearance. The boys were decked out in Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren whilst the ladies also stuck to their brands. I felt underdressed in my rider denim and white gypsy off-the-shoulder top but then again, I only dressed for dinner.

Soon enough Cara was dragging me towards the front entrance. "We can't go in tonight, mum and dad will be ready to leave soon and they are our ride home, and I think we're a little undressed" I stated anxiously.
"Alessia stop stressing, I'll text the rents letting them know that we are going in to have a drink and we will be ready to go in 15 minutes." I nodded in agreement. Once our IDs were checked, we headed straight for the bar. I could feel eyes on my back; probably because I was underdressed and didn't fit into the crowd of designer labels, fake eyelashes and perfectly straightened hair. I didn't let it bother me.

"What can I get you Lesi?" my cousin Luca asked. Luca was quite the good looker with his olive skin, dark brown eyes and bright smile. I could already see that he had attracted the looks of some beautiful leggy blondes. To be honest, I'm surprised a girl hadn't snapped him up already. Although Luca and I shared the same age, we did not share the same level of alcoholic experience. Sticking to the basics, I told him to order me a vodka and raspberry lemonade. But in return he handed me what looked like a half-half drink of sorts with raspberry syrup on the bottom and orange juice on top.
"It's a vodka sunrise, trust me it's good" Emma reassured me and she was right; the sunrise would be my new go to beverage.

Taking a seat on one of the lounge chairs, I continued sipping on my sunrise as my cousins raved about the bar and started discussing their plans for New Years; it was only 6 days away. In the past, I had spent my final day of the year on the beach watching the sunset and returning home for a late barbecue. It was a tradition to listen the top 100 songs of the year countdown and sometimes I even had a cup of alcoholic punch. Although I had been invited to NYE parties with my friends from school, I didn't want to hassle my parents with the task of dropping me off and picking me up in Melbourne.

Emma grabbing me by the arm and dragging me towards the source of the music came as no surprise. Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' had just started blasting through the speakers. Emma was always up for a good booty shaking and I had been taking dance classes since I was 4 years old, so I was more than confident to dance in a room full of strangers.  After a couple of songs, I realised it must have been getting late and my rents would be eager to leave soon. As I went to check the time on my phone, my hand slipped into an empty back pocket of my jeans. "Emma, I think I've misplaced my phone" I stated in distress. And the rabbit hunt began.

Scurrying around the dance floor, flipping the lounge chair that I sat on earlier and tracing back my steps led to no avail. My last option was to ask the bar staff or admit defeat that my phone had been stolen along with my ID. With hope the size of a grain of salt, I asked the bar staff in desperation if a phone had been handed in. To my relief, the bartender handed over my iPhone stating that it had just been handed minutes earlier by a boy whom the bartender was pointing out. I couldn't help but take a peak at my saviour of my iPhone.

Perfection was staring back at me. The contrast of his warm caramel skin against his white shirt, his musculature pressing against the seams of his shirt and his sparkling blue eyes that were glued to mine. A minute earlier I was considering going over to thank the kind person who handed in my lost phone, but now I didn't want to make a fool of myself. Instead I opted for a smile and mouthed a thank you whilst waving my phone in front of my face like the shy, nervous teenager I had become.

He smiled back in return and I think my insides just melted and turned to chocolate. I couldn't just stand there and keep gawking at Mr Perfection. Thank goodness my phone vibrated at that moment alerting me that my parents were in the car ready to leave. I made a hasty dash for the exit.

The car ride home was uneventful. Cara and I decided not to tell Mum and Dad that I had temporarily lost my phone at the bar; they already knew I day dreamed lot and lost track of things easily. The anxiety cloud of the lost phone had passed but now my head was stuck on Cloud 9 with a certain handsome fella staring back at me. Too bad I would probably never see or hear from him again.