I breathed in the welcoming, west-coast air as I stepped off of the domestic airplane and onto the ramp that would take me into the airport. My heels clicked against the floor, and I longed to take them off, preferably to sink my toes in into the thick, golden sand that awaited me.

But first, I had to greet my best friend.

Maisie hadn't changed much in four years.

Well, superficially, she certainly had. What was once long, platinum hair was now an edgy pixie cut, which she rocked with a cute orange dress that reminded me of sunshine. Living in the city, she'd insisted on picking me up from the airport. And of course, who could do a better job at welcoming me than the woman I'd spent my life with?

"Oh, Val, I still struggle to look at you in your businesswoman get-up."

I rolled my eyes as we parted from the embrace we'd fallen into. "Sorry I left my meeting until the last minute. Not everyone is an expert at wardrobe changes, Maiz."

I'd seen Maisie each summer since we'd both left Sandy Cove. I'd watched as she fully embraced her artistic side at graphic design school, and she'd seen me find the confidence and charisma I never knew I could project in a business setting.

And after graduating last month, I was returning home. To run my first business.

But that wasn't the only thing happening in Sandy Cove.

"I visited last weekend," Maisie said as she flipped on a large pair of sunglasses and wheeled one of my suitcases behind her. We were in the middle of trying to find her convertible in the carpark. "It's only the start of summer but it's swarming. The redevelopment on the esplanade is finished, and you should see the land they've cleared for the resort. They finally bulldozed the old building that used to have the doctor's clinic on the foreshore, they're conducting geotechnical surveys, there's huge drills and everything."

"Geotechnical surveys?" I asked. Geotechnical surveys were undertaken by geotechnical engineers, likely consulting with structural engineers. I happened to know of a newly qualified structural engineer.

"Yes. Geotechnical surveys. You know exactly what that means," she raised an eyebrow cockily, it popped up from beneath the bright coloured rim of her sunglasses.

"He's there already."

"Zoe said he landed last Tuesday."

I hadn't spoken to Alastair much in the last few months. I'd been busy with graduation, and he'd been busy with drafting the first resort in Sandy Cove. We'd known the development was due to start years ago, and finally, it was starting to come to life this summer.

It was strange to think that the last time I'd seen him in person, I'd only been eighteen.

I wasn't stupid. Time changes a lot of things, and so does being physically separated. Chemistry dissipates, as does affection. Our tiny summer together seemed like a tiny blip in our lives, and sometimes I began to think that maybe reflecting on it made it a lot more significant than it actually was.

Though it did have a large effect on my time in university, I'd admit that. It helped me meet Sabrina, and Mitchell, two of the friends I'd made in my course, and it even encouraged me to agree to go on a date with Jackson Renny in second year. It helped me grow attached to people without feeling the need to question my trust in them, or become scared of what could go wrong.

Maisie's chatter filled the car, particularly centred around Chad Crowe, her fiancé.

If anyone could find their soul mate in the first year of graphic design school, it was Maisie. I'd heard the story a billion times. He was her barista, she was immediately drawn in by his cheery attitude and hypnotic mind. But, it took a lot of time before she dated him. Daniel was still fresh in her mind, and for a while I was worried that she'd never let her walls down. But she did.

"We're getting together tonight," Maisie continued, oblivious to the fact that I'd zoned out, my gaze following the horizon of bushland to my left. It wouldn't be long before I'd be able to see the ocean.

"Hmm?"

"All of us, at Noah's. It's supposed to be his housewarming, but he just said it would be a good chance for us to get together."

I smiled, it would be nice to see everyone. It had been a long year. "When are you going back to Perth?"

She shrugged, her fingers tapping to the pop song on the radio. "Probably tomorrow. I have a show to prepare on the weekend, and Chad isn't going to be able to cook for himself for too long, or I'll return to a burnt down kitchen. Ironic isn't it? He makes a living from making coffee but he can't boil damn pasta."

I chuckled. "I'll make sure to visit sometime soon."

"You definitely should. You'll be sick of Sandy Cove in no time."

I wasn't sure about that, but I laughed anyway. My whole body ached - especially my toes, which were squished at an awkward angle in my heels - for the feel of the soft grains between my toes and the cascading cool of the salty sea over my ankles. Sydney beaches were miles away from Sandy Cove in terms of serenity.

And although I'd visited each summer, it wasn't the same. Three months were never enough to absorb the beauty of my hometown. But luckily, this time, I'd be a little longer.

My cheeks began to ache at the intensity of the smile that was generated when we passed the welcome sign, and my heart took a nose dive when we saw the horizon of the ocean as we passed over a crest. My excitement wasn't just for the beach, but for the people as well. Somehow, everyone happened to be in Sandy Cove this week, whether to reunite with family before Christmas or to return for the full season. Or to construct a hotel.

The thought of that made my knees weak. 

I'll be seeing him in person, for the first time in four years.

"Valerie?" Maisie asked when she undoubtedly noticed the flush arising on my cheeks.

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Just excited."

"Short hair makes you look younger," Maisie laughed as she reached over to bob at the ends of my hair, which hung just below my shoulders in lazy curls.

"Oh shut up, I'm not the one who still gets asked for ID," I reminded her. Maisie's cute dimpled face still looked as it did when we were thirteen. The few times we'd gone out clubbing in Perth, I'd picked up on the frequency of security guards questioning her age.

"Whatever. Do you want to see the shop first?"

I nodded briskly. The shop. My shop.

Maisie parked her car besides the ice-creamery, placing a sun shield over her windscreen and pressing a button to erect the roof. The heat bit at my skin the moment I stepped out of the door and I immediately shed my blazer and tossed it back onto my seat. I breathed heavily, my eyes even pricking a little with moisture at the realisation that I was home.

I fished the keys from my purse that I'd received a few months ago, after Susan's funeral.

"It will be so sad visiting here for ice-cream without hearing her chuckle. Or her advice," Maisie said as we approached the darkened shop. It wasn't right. Summer had just began, and by now the shop should be booming with tourists, not all closed up.

My voice croaked a little as I sighed. "But she wanted it to live on. It shouldn't be all shut up like this."

"It won't be. You're here now," Maisie said. "And you're going to run it brilliantly. Could you imagine a better first business?"

I chuckled at that. "Not at all. Come on, let's have a look."

I had been both surprised, yet understanding of Susan leaving her ice-cream shop to me after she started getting sick. It was logical, I was graduating from business school and wanted to come back to Sandy Cove for at least a few years, which was long enough to keep the shop running until someone else wanted to buy it. But the shop was more than that to me, I'd worked at it for countless summers, and Susan had been my second mother as I grew through my late teenage years. 

And now, I was in charge. I'd be back to spend another handful of summers at its reigns. I'd also be here to witness the uprising of the latest Sullivan resort on the other side of the esplanade.

Noah had bought his first house on the seaside, nearby the beach he usually surfed each morning. It was small, but cosy, probably large enough for two people when he settled down. But Noah was far from settling down. As Maisie and I entered the lounge room we were greeted with a clutter of surf boards, fishing gear and assorted boxes, half unpacked. If any of us were still living as teenagers, it was Noah.

I greeted him with a tight hug. His once short brown hair was now braided into dreadlocks, and his skin was a little more weathered. "You're looking fancy, Valerie."

"Thanks, Noah," I said, I was beginning to regret not changing before I got on the plane. "You look great yourself."

He shot me a wink and passed me a glass of champagne. 

"Get settled ladies. The rest of our guests will join us soon. Come on, I'll show you 'round."

My stomach did a little flip again, because I was left to momentarily think about Alastair again as we wandered around the little shack. I wondered if he knew I was here already. It burned my chest to know he was so close, closer than we'd been in years, and we still weren't together.

It was a little silly. It had been over a year since we'd spoken in any kind of romantic context. And I knew he'd dated other girls, just as I had dated one other guy. After half a year of separation we'd decided it would be unhealthy for us to isolate ourselves. 

I just selfishly hoped he hadn't met anyone who could take away his feelings for me.

Half of me thought I'd learnt more about him in these past four years than I did that summer. But the other half felt disjointed, almost like our every interaction lacked the chemistry that we'd had in person. One year, we'd tried to plan a holiday. We were going to meet in France and travel back to London over a summer, but coincidentally, and rather spontaneously, Dad and Penny had decided to get married before taking off on a yearlong road-trip around Australia. So our plans were on hold for now.

And, my father's house was left deserted, and would be my temporary home again until they returned.

We were settled in Noah's kitchen when the doorbell chimed and he rushed off to answer it excitedly. He was probably ecstatic to have everyone back here for at least a little while. Maybe I could join him on his morning surfs these days.

When Noah returned with the next person who'd come to visit for a piece of this summer, I could understand his enthusiasm. Logan Mathews stood in the doorway, a bottle of wine in one hand. I'd actually seen him rather frequently, with both of us studying on the east coast. He'd grown taller, and larger, and from what I understood he'd been compensating for his surfing absence with more time at the gym.

He greeted Maisie with a hug, before doing the same to me. 

"Looking proper, Vally," he said, eyeing off my blouse.

"You look pretty pro yourself, Mathews." He was wearing a buttoned up dress shirt and slacks, and I wondered if he'd come from something important, like myself.

"It's nice to see someone local taking over the ice-cream shop. Quite a few foreigners buying businesses around here lately," he said. 

I narrowed my eyes to match his cunning blue ones. He was referring to the opening of the resort on the esplanade, though I knew he was joking. "At least we have a good lawyer on hand to keep them out of trouble."

He laughed at that, and it reminded me how much he'd aged. His face was a little slimmer, and the lines beneath his eyes a little more creased when he smiled. He'd also aged emotionally too, and I'd seen him become a little more mature over the years each time we met.

Shortly after Logan's arrival was Zoe's, followed by Dan's and the others'. Dan hadn't changed much, his hair was strung in a messy ponytail and his skin was a little pale. Medicine school was tough, he'd said. But when he smiled, it was a lot more genuine than what it had been when I'd seen him last. All the drama between him, Mallory and Maisie seemed like centuries ago now.

When Noah served a meal of kebabs and steaks from his barbecue, my hopes diminished that Alastair was coming at all. We sat at the dark wooden table that Noah had carved himself as a carpenter, and we spoke about how much things had changed. We reminisced on summers, gossiped about high school and commented on all of the changes that had been occurring around Sandy Cove. 

A phone opposite me buzzed on the table as it rang, and I didn't miss Logan's hand sliding out to retrieve it. I swear I caught a flash of the golden hair of a girl light up with the ringer, but it didn't remain long enough for me to tell. He met my eyes and raised an eyebrow. I did the same back.

And then my phone rang.

The name across the screen had me fumbling to get out of my seat. "Sorry, I have to take this."

I darted into the empty lounge room and answered the call a little breathlessly. "Hello?"

"Valerie."

"Hi Alastair."

There was a pause, and I swear I heard him let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad you're here," I said. "There's so much I want to ask about, I-"

"I couldn't make it to Noah's. I had a meeting and just got out an hour ago, and I didn't want to see you there. I mean, I wanted to go but I thought, you know, we could meet in private first and-"

"That sounds good. Where are you?"

"I'm at my apartment."

"You have an apartment?"

"We haven't spoken in a while, I wasn't sure if you'd care-"

"Alastair, of course I do. I just know that you've been busy, and I didn't even know you were here yet until Maisie mentioned it, let alone-"

"Well I'm here, and I need to see you."

I let out a breath, it was as if our conversation was flying at a trillion miles an hour. "I need to see you too."

"I'll text you the address. Can you come?"

I looked towards the kitchen, wondering if Maisie would let me borrow her car. "I'll be there."

It was a small, three story apartment building on the flashy end of town, nearby his family's holiday home. I bounded out of the car, finally deciding to ditch the heels. If I didn't, I swear I'd collapse in anticipation. My finger pressed the buzzer to the third floor and I was let up immediately.

We were so close.

When the elevator door opened, I felt like my world was saturated in beautiful, summery colour again. I hadn't even noticed it dim, but now suddenly everything was in perfect detail, and slowed down to a minuscule pace.

He hadn't changed much. He'd grown stubble along his jawbone, his hair was a little curly at the ends, and his clothing was much more professional than his lazy beach attire. But he was Alastair. And I fell in his arms before I knew anything better.

"God I missed this," he said into my hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, so much," I said. 

No, nothing would ever substitute being with him in person. We had a lot of catching up to do.

But, before we could do it, he kissed me, or maybe I kissed him. But we kissed, and then he poured me another glass of wine and he brought me out to the balcony of his fancy apartment and told me about the resort, and his graduation, and the way Lottie was bossing around his colleagues. His parents had left this branch of the hotel to them, and he was eager to impress, while they were eager to criticise.

And he asked me about my graduation, and my plans for the ice-cream parlour, and the ridiculous date I'd gone on with Jackson Renny.

And then we kissed some more.

And just like that one summer many years ago, we made a deal.

We'd make us happy this summer. This summer would be different, it would be about trying a relationship, and balancing our careers. 

It would be about finding love where it began.

At the time, I'd believed it wasn't another summer love story. But essentially, that was all it was. A prequel to the love story between him and I, and the prequel to the rest of my life.