Leaving her to stew for a moment I wriggle deeper into the seat of my old sedan, my heat skipping and fluttering as we pass by police cars as I worry about being pulled over without any sort of ID. I feel a her nudge me eliciting a giggle from the two of us as I finally respond.
"Fine, but I get to be your maid of honor when you and Sarah..." I giggle, blinking a little as I find the request slipping out without a second thought.
"Shut uuuuuuup" Kelly squeals, turning away as she opens the window in search of fresh air. "You'd better not be like this the whole trip."
The drive quickly becomes a long karaoke session, with Kelly struggling to find the right key for half the songs but singing enthusiastically regardless while my own sing-song voice belts out the Disney classics like one of the princesses themselves.
Between rest stops, taking short bathroom breaks and gathering snacks for the road, I find myself relishing simply laying on the pavement under the warm sun over head. Thankfully, it was easy at this point to work out roughly what time it was without needing my phone, the sun still having failed to reach its apex yet.
At one of the stops I soon found myself eyeing a cheap phone in an aging electronics display, the deeply discounted device likely barely able to do more than send messages and make calls. Grumbling at the thought of my phone sitting in my jeans on the floor of my bedroom I quickly picked up the new yet aging device and a pre-paid sim card just in case, with Kelly joking out how it matched the 'thrifty' nature of Heather.
Loaded up on salty snacks and sugary treats we quickly found ourselves racing down stretches of open road, passing by the occasional farm house and not much else. Side roads parted from the freeway, each branching out to carve it's way to some other small town or village in the countryside.
Hills rise and fall, undulating across the landscape. Kelly, try and she might, can't help but coo and chirp excitedly as we pass by all the 'sheepies' and 'horsies' grazing in the paddocks across the horizon. Her enthusiasm is infectious as I soon find myself joining in, bouncing in my seat whenever the farm animals are close to the road and look up to watch us pass.
With the constant rise and fall of the landscape I fail to notice us rising higher and higher over time, the car soon being well above sea level as we approach the coast line. Finally, as we crest one hill we both gasp as the sky seems to reach all the way down before turning into the roiling sea. Its easily mid afternoon as I'm forced to turn off the freeway, taking the exit to Summerset as the road narrows to a single lane in either direction.
Looking out towards the sea, I spot several boat on the water either sporting colorful sails or powerful engines as they cut through the waves. People move along the shoreline like ants, the occasional small patch of color from a towel or parasol dotting the shimmering white sand. A mixture of buildings sit either on the sand or just a bit closer, the homes in various sizes and colors being prime property close to the beach and spread out enough for some private space and privacy.
As the roads from those homes and the parking lots by the beach wind closer and closer to the towering overlook on which we're driving they rapidly become more and more populated with other holiday homes. Central to the web of small streets and lane ways rest a long strip of more densely populated town center filled with shops and businesses along with a few scant municipal buildings. The towering cliff on which the road was laid seems to curve in around the town in the distance, soon inching out into the ocean as it walls off the town from one side with seeming wave of stone.
We're forced once more to take a side road, the narrowing path signposted as 'One Way' as it leads down towards the town below as a large sign sits next to it reading
'Welcome to Summerset'
As we slowly descend the outcropping, lowering our speed to more carefully navigate the subtle natural curves in the road, we both look out at the large hotel sitting a mile or two from even the most distant homes around the town. Built into the cliff face itself, with little tiered walled off sections along the rocky outcrops, the newly built hot springs immediately draw the eye as people drive into town.
As we slowly navigate the winding streets of holiday homes Kelly can't hide her excitement, her voice chirping with directions constantly as she point and gestures with each and every street we pass.
"Here! Left up at the next... Oh oh just through this intersection and then the second right" she squeaks, practically bouncing out of her seat as I wheel us around into a small single lane gravel road that runs alongside the beach.
She presses her face against the window, quickly winding it down as a deluge of cold sea air races in. She takes a deep breath of the brine scent, giggling in excitement for the holiday ahead before turning to look at the road. With a gasp she points, jabbing her finger as a large green SUV parked at the top of a small sand dune.
"That's Wendy's!" she calls out, looking at me with a grin. "They must already be here."
Beyond the car and further along the dune a two story house slowly creeps into view. The weatherboard exterior is covered in sky blue paint, the sea air and time having stripped large chips from the exterior as worn dark brown wood is revealed beneath.
A tall young blonde woman, easily being around six feet or even an inch or two more, stands by the wire door out the front. She is dressed in a set of mustard yellow and black flannel button-up and some loose heavily worn jeans. Her rolled up sleeves reveal a set of toned slender arms, a decent tan covering her forearms along with a small braided leather bracelet with a compass hanging from her wrist.
Her sandy blonde hair is a wild and tangled mess, the seemingly shoulder length hair having been pulled into a rough and chaotic bun bound together with some elastic hairbands. Turning away from the keypad beside the door she waves to us, her blue-gray eyes shining in the afternoon sun as her lips twist into a giddy grin.
Two more people emerge from the side of the SUV, each carrying some large bags likely filled with things for the short vacation.
A towering and imposing young man with short trimmed black hair heaves forwards, each hand holding two to three bulging shopping bags and travel cases. His broad shoulders and large arms flex in a simply black t-shirt, the thin cotton fabric looking more like paint over his chiseled form. His torso forms a perfect V-shape, hours and days at the gym having honed his body to be one of mostly muscle.
His legs are intensely toned as well, his bulging thighs and calves on display in a loose set of gym shorts as he staggers through the sand with the heavy weights in each arm. His face appears freshly shaved, his angular jawline only showing the first signs of sprouting new stubble
Behind him struggles a far shorter young woman, her own heavily worn brown leather bag requiring both of her arms to carry it as she staggers through the sand. Her dark brown hair spreads out in a frizzy attempt at a pixie cut, the rough home-done hair cut not playing well with the sea air. She is ghostly pale, her petite and frail body mostly being hidden beneath a dark green sweater vest and a long brown shawl sweater while her legs are shielded beneath a long dark brown maxi skirt.
Sweat builds on her face as the sun beats down on her, her thick glasses fogging up as she struggles to make her way to the awning surrounding the deck outside the beach house.
As we pull out I hear the blonde scream out from the front door, her hands cupping around her mouth and her slightly bent nose as she calls to us.
"Hey! Fancy seeing you here!" she laughs, her not too funny joking seemingly tickling her far more than anyone else. The large muscular man carefully places the bags by the door, glancing at the blonde expectantly as she smacks her forehead. "Shit, right..." she begins to mutter, only getting hallway to turn back tot he door before she gasps and begins to wave again.
As we pull in opposite the SUV I watch as another car slowly inches across from us, the red station wagon being about as old as my aging sedan. Kelly squeals with excitement, taking a deep breath to calm down before she leaps from the car and casually makes her way towards the rear to get our bags. As I throw on the parking break I gather up various snacks we had remaining, wincing a little as I catch myself in the rear view mirror.
"Okay..." I mutter softly, taking a deep breath. "It's just a week, you can do this..." I continue, trying my best to psyche myself up for having to be in 'Heather Mode' for multitudes longer than I had ever done so before.
Opening the car door with a loud clunk I jump out, squealing slightly as my feet slide on the small out of gravel making the road in traversable.
"Hi Sarah!" Kelly calls out, a grunt soon following as she pulls our bags from the trunk of the car before slamming it shut. "How was the drive? Are you hungry? We got snack and..."
As I pace around the car I immediately spot the familiar sight of our art history group assignment partner, the slender yet surprisingly top heavy brunette giving Kelly a little wave before she turns to pull several backpacks from the back seat. Her brown hair hangs down just below her chin, a rough fringe having been cut into it with a pair of scissors while the rest is left a layered mess. Her pale green eyes shine as she looks between all of us, the sunlight catching it along with her subtle freckles that sit around the bridge of her pierced nose.
A low cut white t-shirt clings to her willowy frame, the outline of a purple bra underneath quickly catching the eye, and an open moss green velvet vest paint the outline of her form. A set of tight black skinny jeans cling to her slender legs, evidencing her lack of an ass and the minuscule muscle she carries. A pair of Doc Martins dig into the ground as she spins around, heaving out the numerous bags before she begins to race up towards the house.
On the other side of the car a young man hops out, his identical eyes and hair color immediately pegging him as Sarah's brother Ben. His hair is a little longer than hers, the dark brown mass likely simply having gone a little too long without a haircut rather than it being a particular style.
He stands a little taller than his sister, around five foot nine compared to her five foot six build, his frame relatively similar in its lack of fat and substantive muscle. His clothes however are looser, a long black t-shirt with specks of paint on it can be seen beneath a light brown leather jacket. A seemingly new set of cargo pants cover his legs with bulging pockets, a pair of plaint splattered leather boots sinking into the sand beneath him as he approaches the house.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaay!" cheers Wendy from the front door, her husky voice high pitched and giddy as she looks over everyone. "That's it! That's all of us!" she chirps, bouncing place like an excited puppy as a subtle jiggle comes from beneath her loose flannel top.
"And we're stuck outside" the muscular young man mutters, rolling his eyes as he folds his arms across his broad muscular chest.
"Not stuck..." Wendy pouts, thinking for a second as her eyes dart up to the sky in search for something. "Just... Oh!" she chirps, spinning in place as she presses at the keypad with a few quick jabs. Suddenly, a little beeping comes from the metallic box beside the door, the front springing open as it reveals a set of keys. The blonde snatches up the keys, quickly unlocking the wire door before throwing it open with a flourish. "See! Not stuck!"
"Can we..." whimpers the short bespectacled young woman, her hands shaking a little as she struggles to hold her oversized leather bag. "Can we go inside, it's really hot out..."
"Maddie, sweetheart" coos Sarah, the taller brunette talking over to the struggling young woman. "You're wearing how many layers to the beach? Please tell me you..."
"I didn't want to... want to carry it" she huffs, adjusting her bag before simply placing it down gently on the wooden porch. The bag bulges as it comes to rest, the zipper straining against whatever was inside.
"More like it didn't fit" chuckles Ben as he walks up, taking some of the bags from his sister before climbing up to the deck. As he heaves himself up, avoiding the small set of steps leading up to the elevated home, he grabs Maddie's bag in his spare hand, the bespectacled woman sighing with relief as she begins to approach the steps.
"Okay..." Wendy coos, a loud clunk coming from the old wooden door over the sound of the nearby waves. "Here... we... are..." she giggles, pushing the door open before turning to look at us. "Okay, so bedrooms are on the second floor, bottom floor is living room and kitchen and bathroom and... well its the rest of the house" she explains, watching as everyone gears up to drop off their bags.
Everyone seems to look at her for a moment, a sense that we were all waiting to hear some more news filling the air before she throws her head back.
"Right right" she giggles, glancing at me for a second with a slight grin before looking to everyone else. "Sleeping arrangements. So, there's only three rooms and the sofa so we'll have to be bunking. Remember to shower guys, don't be gross when..."
"Wendy" Kelly groans, her arms beginning to shake with both our bags grasped in her hands.
"Right right" Wendy chirps back, grinning slightly with a knowing smirk before looking to me.
"Heather, I hope you don't mind but you'll be sharing a room with..."
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