It's a beautiful sunny morning. A new day. A new year and a new decade even. I brought my music and my coffee down to the water to greet the Pacific properly, alone and with my hands, icy cold plunging outstretched into the sea as if I could put my weight on the surface and do a handstand. My coffee sits on my favourite flat picnic rock and Ben Howard shouts folk laments into my skull, his accent pervading his words so sweetly I get briefly distracted and miss the fact that I'm no longer alone exactly.
I startle and pitch forward onto my knees from where I had been crouching on my feet. I cry out and sit back.
Going to greet the sea with a kiss, are we? Bit extreme in this weather.
Ben is home. Though his words sound like something Lochlan would say. They've rubbed off on each other to the point where they are burnished, blinding in the light. I get up and run to him, jumping into his arms and now he can be soaked with saltwater too. But at least he's home at last.
Happy New Year, Bumblebee. Or maybe I should change your nickname to wolfbait?
(Oh. He's been bored and reading.)
Happy New Year! Why didn't you tell me you were on the way?
Surprising you is more fun.
Happy New Year, Benny.
It will be, Bridget. We promise. We might be wolves but you're one of us and we look after each other.
It was a visual-
I know what it was but I also know how things are-
I hear a sound and turn to see Lochlan coming down the beach and when the sun hits his hair I forget about Ben, though I haven't seen him in days. Loch is smiling when he gets to us, hugging Ben first, hard, before turning to me.
Why didn't you wake me?
You looked peaceful.
At least you didn't come down alone. But why are you soaked?
To his credit Ben didn't even rat me out, God bless him.
I startle and pitch forward onto my knees from where I had been crouching on my feet. I cry out and sit back.
Going to greet the sea with a kiss, are we? Bit extreme in this weather.
Ben is home. Though his words sound like something Lochlan would say. They've rubbed off on each other to the point where they are burnished, blinding in the light. I get up and run to him, jumping into his arms and now he can be soaked with saltwater too. But at least he's home at last.
Happy New Year, Bumblebee. Or maybe I should change your nickname to wolfbait?
(Oh. He's been bored and reading.)
Happy New Year! Why didn't you tell me you were on the way?
Surprising you is more fun.
Happy New Year, Benny.
It will be, Bridget. We promise. We might be wolves but you're one of us and we look after each other.
It was a visual-
I know what it was but I also know how things are-
I hear a sound and turn to see Lochlan coming down the beach and when the sun hits his hair I forget about Ben, though I haven't seen him in days. Loch is smiling when he gets to us, hugging Ben first, hard, before turning to me.
Why didn't you wake me?
You looked peaceful.
At least you didn't come down alone. But why are you soaked?
To his credit Ben didn't even rat me out, God bless him.