Sam & April: A Collection of Short Stories

The Perfect Day

It was the perfect day. The leaves in the trees billowed like the summer dress she wore. April's skin glistened as the sun made its journey to it's golden hour.

As she lay down, she began to drift away into a nap. She began falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing into each other, not unlike the mosh pit she was in the other day. Her spirit was light. When was the last time she was so content?

"Hey."

Her eyes fluttered open. She looked up and the corners of her lips lifted slowly. The voice she loved. She sat up and looked up at the love of her life.

"I got us drinks," Sam said. Her sandy hair shone in the bright sun, and she looked into her dark brown eyes that were filled with softness. Sam smoothly sat down next to her, and passed her her favorite drink: an apple cider straight from the cooler.

"Thank you." She took it, her fingers colliding with the cold, smooth surface of the glass. As April took the first sip, the cider flooded her insides like a stream of sweetness. She let out a satisfied sigh.

She turned her head to the left and saw Sam lying down on the fluffy towel they had laid out to protect their belongings. Every time they went to the beach, sand would always find it's way into every nook and cranny of their bags somehow. Even if they were closed.

Unrelenting and dreadfully annoying, just like a man who doesn't understand what 'I'm not interested in you' means.

April set her drink down beside her, and lay down with Sam. Their bodies pressed against each other, their sweat mingling with one another's. It reminded April of being in the train at rush hour, except that this was consensual, so she didn't feel disgusted or cranky. And, Sam smelled good. Like a guy she had dated, except she didn't come with a gross sense of self-entitlement and male arrogance. That's why she loved her.

Time passed slowly, but they didn't mind. They had almost fallen into a deep sleep before April felt something wet drop onto her cheek. She twitched and groggily got back up.

"Sam. Sam, get up."

Sam murmured something unintelligible, as her eyes were glued together from drowsiness.

"Sam," April's voice was tinged with urgency. Sam pushed herself up. It was a tough journey. But suddenly, she felt it too. One drop. Two drops.

"It's starting to drizzle, babe," April said. Coupled with the post-nap crankiness, she hated it when it rained. For some reason, whenever it rained, it reflected her mood. When she was younger, she had almost thought she controlled the weather, because whenever she cried, it would start raining.

"Yeah, we need to pack up..."

Just as they put their phones back into April's backpack, the drizzle that started off with two drops became a waterfall that burst from the sky and onto the whole beach.

"Oh my God!" April screeched, trying to cover her hair. She had just gotten it done the day before! Sam started laughing, but she didn't have time to appreciate the moment before the rain started getting heavier and heavier. People were running to shelter, yelling and shielding themselves against the sudden torrential downpour.

The pair hurriedly scooped everything into their arms, and began sprinting towards a pavilion. Their progress was slow because the rain turned the sand to some sort of Slurpee-like consistency, but it wasn't as enjoyable and sweet.

By the time they reached the pavilion, their chests were heaving, almost as if they had spent an hour in Sam's bed. Sam's palms rested on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She looked over at April, whose lips stretched into an uncharacteristic frown as she dried her hands and began examining her hair in the reflection of her iPhone.

She's adorable, Sam thought. She set her eyes on April in a dreamlike state. Out of the corner of her eye, April saw Sam gazing at her. With the frown stuck on her face, she turned to meet her eyes. Sam started to chuckle and she grabbed April's arm and drew her into a tight hug. Suddenly, everything was illogically hilarious. They started laughing at the way each other laughed, and it quickly escalated to people wondering why there were hyenas on the beach.

Their sudden outburst left them with hurting sides, and watery eyes. As they sat there holding each other, the rain clouds began to draw back like the waves before a tsunami. The sky was a watercolor of pink and purple.

It was the perfect day.