The Last Good Day

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OFF-WHITE SEAFOAM BRUSHED up against the golden shores of the beach. They raced each bubble, crawling up almost too desperately before being pulled back by the constantly shifting azure tides. When they drew back, the rustling rush of the waves sounded like music to my ears. It rippled with calm serenity, nature undisturbed by the hustle and bustle birthed by mankind.

In the skies, the sun was tangerine gold. The rays it sent down were harsh, bright, brilliant, and so radiant that I had to squint to look ahead at the horizon. It had been a few hours since we had arrived, which meant that the sun was already starting its journey of descent. The line where the sky met the sea was soon accompanied by the round ball of light, scrawling gold atop of cerulean waves, darkening the depths into a deep purple that was colored by the magenta skies and marigold clouds.

Despite loathing the water and sand, Jules readily sat by the shore, her eyes fixated on the waters that ran towards and away from her every alternate second. By her side sat Xavier, equally tired out by the volleyball match we just had, a match that Harr and I had won by a slim margin. The ball rested in the dry sand a few feet behind them, untouched by the seawater. The conversation between them couldn't be heard, masked by the waves and their lips were shielded by the shadows cast on their faces by the sunlight.

Although not much could be inferred about their private conversation, I could still tell that meaningful words were exchanged. She looked over at Xavier way too often, and he at her. That was how I knew it was impossible for silence to envelope them.

"What a day!" To my right, Harr sighed, stretching his arms high over his head before locking his fingers behind his head. He laid down on the sand, basking in the remnants of the evening sun right just as it threatened to disappear. "I wish it could be like this forever."

The sun dipped under at his words, the last glow of orange light disappearing to make way for the silver moon. Luminous gray replaced radiant gold, turning the world above us into a star-filled diamond night sky. There were hundreds, thousands of glittering dots above our heads and it reminded me of the scene back at camp. That felt like forever ago.

"Nothing lasts forever," I whispered back in reply. "Things change, tides turn, people leave. It's the memories left behind that I wish would remain untainted."

"Not all memories." Harr shifted a little. "Some are bad, some are embarrassing. But I guess I do wish that precious moments in time could remain just as perfect as they were when in action."

I bit my bottom lip, tugging at the skin a little with my own teeth before blowing out a sigh. The night was cool, a stark contrast to the unrelenting heat from the sun mere minutes ago. All lingering warmth of the summer day had dissipated, leaving nothing but the evening breeze against our skin.

"Aiko."

I turned to face Harr when he called out my name, waiting silently for him to finish his sentence. Yet, he stayed quiet, satisfied with my name lingering upon his lips. We stayed that way for a few seconds, his eyes on the starry heavens and my eyes on him.

"Aiko," he repeated.

"Yes?"

He pursed his lips. "Aiko, what if today was the last good day?"

"What do you mean by that? How can today possibly be the last good day? Even if there are bad days in the future, there'll still be good days around the corner following after." I laughed, chuckling at how silly Harr's question sounded at that moment.

"No, I meant for the summer, maybe longer. With certain people, between people. What if something happens before the day ends and everything, this peace and equilibrium that we've fought so hard to build, falls apart because of this?"

Harr's question no longer sounded silly.

His words made my heart skip a beat. At first, I couldn't imagine what it was that implored him to ask such a thing. Yet, a part of me dared to think. There was something that Harr was implying with those words, something that he definitely wanted to say but couldn't quite find the right words for. Selfishly, I prayed he wouldn't say it. I didn't want this peace to end.

Of course, it wasn't just that inkling that nagged behind my ear. It was also the thought of what if Jules and Xavier left this little getaway a little differently than before.

Would Xavier succeed?

His odds seemed rather high as of the moment.

I smiled, purposely shifting the focus of that topic away to another possible prompt. For now, Xavier and Jules were the perfect scapegoats.

My eyes left Harr to glance over at the couple that sat by the shore, head slanted slightly to the side in mock thought.

"Did you mean Xavier? I think he'll ask Jules out, actually. Maybe before the summer ends, though. He still seems rather cowardly," I joked.

Harr said nothing. When I turned back to look at him, his lips were sealed shut, so were his eyes. If I hadn't heard him speak just moments prior, I would've thought he had already turned into a victim of sleep. He looked so serene, like a marble statue with its beauty frozen in time.

Unknowingly, I had reached out, my fingers itching to comb back a section of his fringe that had run wayward. His fire-red hair clung onto his forehead, still damp from perspiration not yet dried.

However, before I made contact, Harr had reached out. His fingers wrapped themselves tightly over my wrist, sand flying with how sudden his movements were. In an instant, his eyes snapped open, green eyes laced with flecks of gold suddenly glowing in the dark with hidden intentions that I couldn't quite make out. His grip tightened around my wrist, almost squeezing the blood right out of me as my skin started to turn white. Yet, I couldn't look away nor could I utter a word of protest.

There was nothing in this world other than Harr laying on the sand and my face hovering inches above his, hand still gripped between his fingers like a lifeline he couldn't let go. When his gaze searched mine, my heart thundered, unable to look away. I could feel warmth racing to the tips of my ears, suddenly painfully aware of the position we were in, our bodies almost overlapping sensually.

I was then reminded that this wasn't the first time he had looked like that. I just didn't want to remember it, didn't want to think too much into it. Now that I did, I saw a flash of Xavier's jubilant smile slowly melting onto Harr's features. That made Harr's touch scorch for all the wrong reasons.

"Harr?" I tried to pull back my hand only to find his grip tightening even further. "Harr, you're hurting me."

The color of Harr's eyes remained unchanged but there was something else that shifted. His eyes widened a little, the curious light within morphing into conscious surprise before he quickly let go, fingers releasing my wrist as if he was holding onto a rod of scalding hot iron.

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up.

I backed away a little to give him some space. "No, it's alright."

"I bet I seemed a little weird, didn't I?" He let out a low chuckle, a little frosty, a little insecure. I pretended that it was just his usual laughter.

Clenching my fingers into a fist, I lightly punched at his shoulder. "You're always a little weird, Harr. That's what I like best about you."

"Oh!" Eyes bursting wide, I could see the faint creeping of scarlet on Harr's cheek despite being shrouded by the dark of the night. He had yelled out in surprise, a short gasp that proved he hadn't expected the words that left my lips. Then, he shrank like a mimosa that was touched, scratching at his cheek. "You shouldn't say things like that so casually, Aiko. People might misunderstand you."

"Duly noted!" Climbing onto my feet, I stretched out a hand for Harr to grab. He clutched on rather hesitantly, before standing up shortly after. "But there was nothing to misunderstand with what I just said. You're an amazing person and I'm just reiterating that."

"You!" Exasperated, he pinched my nose, leaving me squealing like a pig in protest. Once he had enough of his fun, he let go. The grin he wore was now much more relaxed, filled with the child-like wonder he always had on, unperturbed by whatever troubles that were just on his mind. "What will I ever do with you?" He pondered out loud with a shake of his head. "Come on, let's go prepare dinner. It's getting late and those two are hopeless in the kitchen. We're better off without their help."

"Should we tell them?" I questioned, gesturing a thumb over my shoulder back at Jules and Xavier.

"Nah." Harr waved flippantly. "We'll get them when dinner is almost done. They're no help, anyway. It's better to just give them some more time alone before we call them back in."

With those words, Harr turned on his heel and left for the villa.

I watched as his figure turned smaller and smaller before finally disappearing through the front doors, the light to the kitchen on the first floor switching on shortly after. Harr's tall figure could be seen through the ceiling-to-floor windows of the kitchen. The windows could be opened to form a makeshift door, his broad shoulders highly visible as he walked around to prepare the ingredients for our dinner.

Slowly, I turned my head back to the waters, now navy in the night. Its waves were calmer than before, the stars reflected in the calm ocean, only disturbed by the occasional ripple of short waves that lost its might before even reaching the shoreline. Xavier and Jules sat closer to each other than before, their bare shoulders almost touching.

Under the silver of the moon, an image of memory flashed in my mind. Indeed, even weeks after the camp, their image hadn't changed. Jules and Xavier still looked like star-crossed lovers. Only, their fates seemed to be more tightly-bound together now. Their happy endings appeared much more feasible, much more possible than before. With all that happened between both of them, they came out stronger, their relationship better.

My heart was filled with warmth at the thought of Jules finally reaching her happily-ever-after. She looked so long for a prince charming before eventually giving up. Now, out of nowhere, a knight on a white stallion had arrived before her, ready to offer her his hand. My task was almost at its end. My success, their success was almost within reach.

However, there was still an ugly churn deep within me. It was not jealousy nor was it anger. Rather, an emotion more alike disappointment than others. Whatever fleeting, superficial emotion I held for Xavier was, in the end, stronger than I had hoped it would be. I was disappointed in myself for being so weak-willed, for succumbing to something that was forbidden.

With one last look, I forced myself to turn away, to suppress the sinister feelings that brewed within me. A part of me prayed that they would come to terms with their feelings sooner so that I could finally have a proper solid excuse for myself to abandon such sinful thoughts. The other part of me was a side I refused to acknowledge even in thoughts.

In the light of the kitchen, Harr still busied himself with a knife in hand and a carrot in another. He was hard at work, diligently chopping up the vegetables while waiting for me. There was someone perfectly faultless there and I knew that when I looked back, I would loathe myself for not being able to see that sooner.

However, for now, still a clueless child in my teenage years, I ditched all thoughts that ran along those lines for the future me. For now, I wanted to live in the moment.

Harr was right.

If only moments in time could remain as beautiful and unscathed as when they happened. If they couldn't, then I could only live in the moment as they pass, relishing in their glory before they transform into a tainted memory.

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