( FAYE )
my car glides to a halt in front of sadies house. millie leans from the passenger seat, orchestrating an intricate symphony of horn honks.
i exhale with narrowed eyes, receiving a chuckle and a soft-spoken sorry from her.
in a matter of moments, the red-haired figure emerges from the door. she ascends into the back seat with a grin and an embrace for millie.
sadie fixes her gaze upon finn, who's peacefully dozing beside her, his head comfortably resting against a squishmallow positioned against the car window. "how is he asleep through this?"
i shrug, continuing to blast the smiths on the cars bluetooth system.
"one of his favourite bands and he doesn't even wake up for it" i roll my eyes.
"can we play taylor?" millie pouts.
with a nod, i hand my phone over to her. "i'm fine with anything"
the redhead pulls the squishmallow from beneath finn, causing his head to drop onto the window ledge as he awakens with a groan.
"what the fuck" he sighs, glaring at sadie.
a grin spreads across her face. "rise and shine!"
the car rolls along the winding path of a familiar theme park, prompting sadie, finn and i to exchange knowing looks.
millie glances around with a quizzical expression. "am i missing somehing here?"
i chuckle. "it's a long story. finn got lost here like a toddler once and scared the shit out of everyone"
finn gives a sheepish grin. "it's a really big place, trust me"
— ★ —
as the car's tires meet the soft sand, it's as if i'm reliving a past moment. the waves whisper secrets from the past, while the breeze carries echoes of laughter from a year back.
i step out of the car, my chest, a heavy seashell, burdened by the weight of recollection as old wounds are reawakened.
my eyes meet the endless shoreline, where the tides were splashed between me, the redhead and a name etched into my being like the scars left by the most turbulent waves.
"you all right?" sadies voice is soft, filled with compassion, as if she senses the turmoil in my brain.
i force a fragile smile, my eyes glistening with thoughts too complex for words. "yeah"
"can you put that down for once?"
i frown and glance down towards finn, whose eyes are fixated on his phone. i slyly snatch it from his grip with an evil laugh.
he groans, standing up from the sand. "unfair"
"guys!" sadie and millie rush over to us. "we found... well stole a frisbee"
"why do you keep stealing toys from random kids on the beach when they're not around"
"i've never played this before, but dogs do it so how hard can it be?" finn shrugs as the frisbee immediately soars high above his head.
"got it!" he jumps and misses, the frisbee landing in the sand.
i chuckle. "nice one, congratulations"
"okay, my turn" millie throws the frisbee, it spiralling away from reach.
we continue taking turns to throw it, with it spiralling far from us each time.
"this frisbee hates us!" sadie sighs, throwing her hands in the air.
"it's a conspiracy, i'm telling you" finn deadpans, shaking his head.
"how about a sandcastle competition?" millie shrugs her shoulders.
the redheaded girl immediately shouts out no! causing me to burst into laughter.
"that never goes well for me, please" she shakes her head, over-exaggerating the terror in her voice.
"those kids over there are playing volleyball, let's go traumatise them into giving us the field" finn proudly suggets.
"you mean the sand-" i begin, getting shushed by him.
"how do you even play volleyball?" i exhale. "i'm not very good with sports"
"well, you just gotta volley the ball" finn throws me a thumbs up.
i place a hand on my chest, accompanied by a dramatic gasp. "thank you! you just saved my life"
finn serves the ball, it somehow ending up hitting poor millie in the face.
the brunette steps back with a groan, rubbing her face. "okay, that's one way to start"
he suppresses a laugh. "sorry mills"
as the game progresses, we miss easy serves, collide into each other, and throw the ball in wildly unpredictable directions.
"look out, incoming!" i warn finn.
i bump into him, and we both fall into the sand while the other two laugh from afar.
"serves you right for smacking me in the face" millie manages to speak between laughs.
"why did you get this much food for yourself? atleast share" i pout, eyeing the array of sandwiches spread across the table, covered with a red and white checkered picnic cloth.
finn proudly grins. "no. now, watch me down 10 sandwiches in one go"
suddenly, he's ambushed by seagulls attempting to steal the snacks.
"alright, guys, let's talk this out. you can have a chip or two, but no more dive-bombing my food"
we watch in amusement as finn tries to reason with the birds. meanwhile, one bold seagull snatches a sandwich and flies away.
finn waves his arms. "hey! that was clearly off the negotiation table!"
"i think they might be winning, finn" i shrug.
millie emits a loud gasp, shoving her phone in my face. "look! there's a cafe with cats nearby"
i divert my gaze from google maps to sadie, exchanging a knowing glance before grinning at millie. "you wanna go there?"
"let me finish the sandwiches first" finn narrows his eyes.
i groan. "the birds already took like 90% you might as well give up and leave"
— ★ —
we step into the quaint cat cafe, the ambiance surrounding me like a comforting embrace, a silent witness to the passage of time.
in the cat filled area, i'm beckoned by a significant corner where a year ago, an argument prompted by unfounded jealousy unfolded over text messages.
"the universe really isn't on our side today" the redhead chuckles, elbowing me from the side.
sadie finds herself in a one-sided conversation with a particularly chatty feline. she listens attentively and nods, then leans over to us.
"you see" she keeps a straight face. "this cat here has strong opinions on world affairs"
millie chuckles. "that's a very political animal"
"oh, she is" the redhead nods.
"i wanna talk to a cat too" i frown.
finn guides my gaze towards a solitary gray cat perched in a distant, secluded nook, far from our current spot. "that ones lonely, go"
my attention remains locked on the fluffy cat as we sit on the floor, eye-to-eye.
"life can be so complicated, right? i mean, one minute you're napping in your cozy bed, the other you're tangled in your stupid problems, kinda like a ball of yarn"
the feline tilts his head, seemingly intrigued, causing me to chuckle at the absurdity of it.
"yeah, it's not easy. there are moments when you feel like you're soaring, and others when you're simply clawing your way through another day"
i pet him gently, grinning as he purs.
"but you've got it figured out, don't you? life for you is all about sleeping, playing, and getting pampered. no misunderstandings, no issues"
i exhale.
"i envy you sometimes. you have it all here — cozy beds, tasty treats, and even humans who adore you. i guess that's the dream, right?"
"faye, stop venting to the cat" finn shouts out. "you're depressing him"
— ★ —
"i'll miss you" i whisper, squeezing Millie tightly. her heels teeter on the edge of the pavement, as she clings to the car's doorframe to maintain balance and not knock us both over.
a chuckle escapes her lips as she reciprocates the hug. "i'll miss you too, faye"
"wish you could stay longer" i muse, a playful grin gracing my face, "but you're so famous, way too busy for me"
she furrows her brow, nodding emphatically. "oh, absolutely. mhm"
my hand rises in a wave as she takes the driver's seat, and disappears into the distance, leaving behind the memories of our three days together.
— ★ —
it's been a while since i last wrote.
perhaps i'm falling out of the habit? i hope that's not the case, this is one of the rare things i enjoy in life; losing it would be disheartening.
it's also been a while since i last spoke to sadie.
my recollections take me back to that day by the shore, the last time we interacted with one another. sands of weeks have slipped through the hourglass since that gathering.
weeks. we haven't crossed paths in weeks, with no discernible cause to draw back, atleast not at this moment.
i recognize the unease that comes with separation, as the web of our past is not easily unwoven.
it seems that her and i get along best when we're accompanied by other friends, their presence a comforting relief.
i still yearn for a conversation, for the broken link to mend, to fix this. the canvas stands before us, and yet, we remain still, our minds entirely blank as we hold the brushes.
★ authors note ,,
me when i have an ending planned