#ualmotb

just down the hallway, you’d be presenting the film you’d directed. this was the moment you’d been working towards. there was no point in dwelling on the past. not right now.

you washed your hands before setting off.

the theater doors parted, revealing a podium near the screen. your podium. you rolled your shoulders back, straightening your posture. your film was about to change lives—even if just for its twenty minute duration. to savor that, you fixed your gaze straight ahead on your short walk there.

you stepped behind the podium. moment of truth. every time you’d imagined it, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house—all of them occupied by a large and enthusiastic audience that’d make the tedious labor of filmmaking worth it.

your film would finally be taken seriously. your life would finally be taken seriously. 

taking a breath, you looked up. 

half of the seats were empty. the audience was scattered amongst single seats, the gaps obvious. but, there was one row that was filled—holding the tiny cast and crew of your student film. you waved at them, unable to keep from smiling.

your best friend and main actress drew sat next to your set designer annabeth. next to her was percy, and after that was the rest of the cast and crew. percy caught your eye. she was your first assistant director, a.k.a. every director’s favorite person on set. you’d watched dailies with her, taken and given instructions from her, and basically relied on her to make your vision happen. somehow, she did.

and the next vision she’d make happen was the summer fling you’d dreamt of for years. 

you cleared your throat. “hello everyone!” you introduced yourself. “i’m the director of this film. i just wanted to thank all of you for coming, and i hope you enjoy.”

the tiny audience burst into claps, the sound indistinguishable a full house. that part was exactly like the daydream. you skipped up the rows. percy nodded to the empty seat next to her, and butterflies summoned in your stomach as you sat down.

the lights dimmed and the screen blinked on. but all that mattered was percy, smiling at you.

“good job,” she said.

“thank you.” because, somehow, those words meant a lot, coming from her.

the title card showed up. “slate in,” percy whispered.

as soon as the second shot came, you said, “action.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

you, drew, annabeth, and percy sat around a small campfire on the beach. flames cracked and popped, sending sparks into the air. at the horizon, the sun shone its last-hour-light on the atlantic ocean. the four of you fastened hot dogs onto roasting forks.

“cheers to a normal summer!” you raised your fork.

everyone brought the hot dogs to the center of the fire, echoing the cheers. then the roasting began. drew’s nose lightly crunched at the sight. your hot dog caught aflame, the outside slowly darkening. 

“i can’t believe this film is over,” annabeth said. “feels like we’ve been working on it forever.”

drew let out a sigh of relief. “tell me about it. i’m so glad i’m only doing PR work from now on. i’m never getting in front of a camera ever again.” 

everyone chuckled. like the majority of the cast, drew was only in her position out of urgency. you didn’t know anybody else the day you got the assignment. so, you begged your best friend to forget her major and be your main character. now you had to hope it’d go on next year.

“are you guys taking professor smith’s sophomore classes?” you asked.

drew shook her head. annabeth shook her head. you looked to percy. your heart thumped against your eardrums. please, please, pleeasee… after a second, she shook her head. 

“damn. i can’t be on set without at least one of you. please.”

and by that, you meant percy. you had no idea how you were going to function without percy as your AD. you’d gotten so used to what you had on set—your distinct yet intertwined workflows and a shared vision. and, of course, having to act like a certain night never happened.

you sighed, taking your hot dog from the fire. 

“i won’t be on set, but i’m down to be the social media manager.” drew also took her hot dog from the fire.

you smiled at that. hot dog buns were passed around. after adding condiments, you all started to eat. drew and annabeth had fallen into talking about internships. right. they had everything about their lives and their careers figured out at 19. 

meanwhile, all you could think about was summer, and how this exact moment was one of the many things on your dream summer list. the beach bonfire was the first addition to the list. and here you were. living it. you took a bite of your hot dog just to savor that reality. one entry out of many crossed off. your summer fling would be next, and the double date would be after that.

speaking of, percy looked gorgeous, sitting on the other side of the fire and bathed in its light. she wore a cami top in a blue indistinguishable from the near water, paired with denim shorts. her eyes had been set on the ocean ever since you got here. her hair was lifted by a salty breeze. you took a breath. this summer fling wasn’t going to happen just by sitting on your ass. 

you moved to sit next to her. once you were closer, you could lightly smell the ocean on her. it’d followed her around no matter where she went. and it never failed to lapse you right back to the night you met—the same night you and her agreed to never bring up again.

“which film was your favorite?” you asked.

percy peeled her eyes away from the ocean. she traced a small circle in the sand. “that one road trip comedy.”

okay, you were getting somewhere. “mine was the second one we saw. it reminded me of taxi driver, which automatically made it great. obviously.”

she furrowed her eyebrows. “what’s taxi driver?”

oh, bless her heart. you couldn’t stifle your laugh. percy laughed with you, the cute furrow never leaving her eyebrows. “hold on. you’ve been on a film set and you’ve never seen taxi driver?”

she held her hot dog-free hand up. “i hadn’t heard about it until now.”

“what have you been doing all your life?”

“camp.” right. your chest tensed. “school, usual stuff,” she quickly added.

she set her hot dog on a paper plate, resting her head against her knees, her eyes back on the ocean. you took a resetting bite of your hot dog. okay, it didn’t have to be like that night. you two didn’t have to talk about camp. there was plenty else to talk about. just a passing mention, that’s all it was.

“right. at least we have more time now. like, a film a day time.”

percy nodded slowly. “yeah.” after a few seconds, she added: “but i feel like i’ll never stop missing it.”

maybe it would turn out exactly like that night. your posture slouched. camp really had a way of making everyone feel bad for it—like children and teenagers were supposed to feel obligated to defend a bunch of eternal gods. and it also had a way of tainting this interaction with percy, unfortunately.

“what could you possibly miss about it? it was literally hell on earth. for me personally..” you tapped your fingers against the bun of your hot dog.

percy didn’t shift. okay, maybe a mistake. but after all of the dumb, drunken stuff you’d said to her that night, you had no choice but to tell her the truth. the real and sober truth. your chest eased. meanwhile, waves bubbled against the shore, the fire crackling behind you. 

“everything.” she tugged her camp necklace. “you really don’t miss it?”

“of course not.”

“that’s hard to believe.” she smiled, mostly to herself.

you knew what she was referencing and you weren’t going to give her the benefit of addressing it. she took a bite of her hot dog, mindless, still yet to look at you. the heat from the fire suddenly became overwhelming. you were drunk that night. drunk!

“nothing i said that night was true. i was drunk. and you brought it up. you literally set me up.”

percy shrugged, making eye contact. “if you insist. the whole ‘second chance’ thing just seemed a little too specific to be false.” 

how had you ever been attracted to this woman? maybe because she didn’t constantly act like this on set. there was that one off incident at the party, but—obviously—nobody is defined by the dumb stuff they say when drunk. if you had known percy hadn’t understood that, you would’ve never booked this trip in the first place. you mentally scolded yourself.

you raised your pitch to a mocking tone. “i definitely want a second chance at camp. you’re completely r—”

“guys?” drew interrupted. “do you remember the name of that one horror film with the group of girls in the mall?”

“forbidden fruits.” “forbidden fruits.” you and percy said simultaneously.

drew widened her eyes. “thanks…” she turned back to annabeth.

a silence found itself between you and percy, before she tilted her head and asked, “what were you saying?”

⬿•☀️•⤳

a cool breeze followed as you and drew parted from a beachside cafe. she carried a cupholder with everyone’s orders. from the bag in your hand, the smell of fresh croissants wafted up. if you could just be there, under the morning sun, walking along the beach, with delicious food in your hands, maybe it’d erase the memory of last night.

unfortunately, as you walked on, nothing changed. you sighed, but it came out like more of a groan. the entire point of getting drunk at a party was to forget everything that happened at said party. that applied to you and percy, but apparently didn’t work for either of you. did you have a power that could erase drunk memories? you reached your foot over the sidewalk to kick a small patch of sand.

“are you okay?” drew asked. “you’ve literally been angry since i asked you about forbidden fruits. and that was twelve hours ago.”

“yeah, it’s just…personal stuff.” you waved a hand.

drew stopped walking, and you did, too. she narrowed her eyes. “you know skinny dipping is on our list? like, we’re going to see each other naked, but i’m not on ‘personal stuff’ level?”

she wasn’t wrong. though, if you were going to speak, you at least had to have coffee. maybe the caffeinated version of the story would be less horrific. you took the drink from the cupholder and took a long gulp.

“okay.” you started walking again. “percy brought up that night last night.”

you two passed the first victorian house on your street. great. at least this would be over soon. drew said, “okay…what’d she say about it?”

“nothing. she just was like, ‘i find that hard to believe’ when i said i didn’t miss camp. and, sure, we were arguing before because she does miss it and makes it everyone else’s problem, but still.”

you took another sip of your coffee. the house was only getting closer and closer, meaning whatever was on your mind had to get out.

“i just…i should have never said a thing to her. because now she’s holding it against me, like ‘you’ll never get over that night.’ she’s going to think that i actually miss camp. and i don’t. i was drunk, for fuck’s sake.”

drew fought a smile. “in vino veritas.”

“shut up.” you nudged her arm. “anyway, there’s just no way this summer is going to work. she clearly gets a joy out of…doing that. and i can’t stand to be around her if she does.”

the crosswalk was approaching. what wouldn’t you do to erase that conversation. it wasn’t true; you didn’t miss camp. sure, you occasionally thought about it, but that didn’t mean anything.

“i’m sure you’re excited about the scavenger hunt today, then,” drew said.

the street hadn’t emptied yet, meaning there was still an opportunity to jump into the active traffic. you planted your feet on the sidewalk. shit. fuck your stupid, ambitious, gay life. when you were planning the trip, you’d found an online scavenger hunt, and of course you figured you’d team with percy. well…

you took out your phone and opened the scavenger hunt app. scrolling to the scheduled hunt, you looked for a cancel button.

drew tapped your elbow. you crossed the street. your airbnb was just seconds away. you scrolled down. both of your names and phone numbers were listed on team 1, drew and annabeth’s on team 2. a small piece of text on the bottom read All teams are final.

“fuck.” hopelessly, you tapped the names. nothing. they didn’t move, and were shaded. “fuck my life.”

you approached your victorian-style airbnb, stepping onto the first step. drew placed a hand on your shoulder. “hey, if anything, take it as an opportunity to, like, retry with her.”

“all she talks about is camp. she’s going to bring it up, i guarantee."

the first clue appeared on your screen: where was i filmed? i, “a complete unknown.” percy looked over to you. drew and annabeth had yet to set off. with zero interest in whispering the answer in her ear, you headed in the opposite direction. a sign had pointed to congress hall, straight ahead. percy followed you. once you’d passed a few shops, definitely out of their earshot, you spoke.

“i know this. it’s congress hall. i mean, it was filmed in a few other places, but that’s the main one.”

percy nodded. the two of you progressed, passing too many tempting window shopping opportunities. the silence continued. so much so that you caught a snippet of a couple play-fighting and a pit sunk in your stomach.

sure, last night wasn’t your best moment. but there was no way you were going to apologize, let alone be the first one to apologize.

you departed from the mall and into the streets of cape may. the big, banana colored congress hall towered in the distance. seagulls squawked above. the silence had only gotten more tense, especially when percy was right there, a constant reminder.

“how do you even know this?” percy asked. her voice sounded genuinely curious, and you couldn’t help the small smirk that formed on your face.

just as you were about to answer, you stopped yourself. because she clearly couldn’t be trusted with any details about camp—including the list—there was no way you were being direct. 

“i’ve always wanted to visit a place a movie was filmed. so, when i found out we were coming to cape may, i googled to see if any movies had been filmed here. a complete unknown was one of them. the only relevant one, actually,” you explained.

percy asked, “wait, what other ones were filmed here?”

“ones that i forgot about the second i closed the IMDb tab.”

percy chuckled. you couldn’t help but laugh with her. in those 30 seconds alone, she reminded you why you liked her in the first place. why you went on this vacation in the first place. when she wasn’t bringing up camp or staring at the ocean, she actually was a fun person to be around. well, considering where that night had led, maybe that wasn’t fully tr—

“i think we just take a selfie with the sign and we’re good.” you pulled out your phone, checking the app. those were, in fact, the instructions.

you and percy posed in front of the sign, with just enough distance between you. you clicked the photo. then, you stepped away, submitting it. the app gave you a star and let out a cute jingle.

you looked up at the large hotel, consisting of multiple levels of yellow walls and an old-fashioned, american-style architecture that made the name fitting. the tall white entrance was something literally right out of a film scene. you could picture the place surrounded with cameras, the director sitting in video village, the decorations being put up and taken down…you were here, stepping on the same ground real hollywood filmmakers had been on. maybe you’d be one of them someday. 

anyway, time to sacrifice every ounce of your pride. you took a breath. as slowly as you could, you navigated to your camera app. it opened to your reflection. okay. you could do this. 

“i hate to be this person, but could you take a picture of me here?” you extended your phone to her.

percy swallowed down a laugh. “sure.”

you went to pose right near the entrance. for whatever reason, no moment had felt more awkward. thankfully, percy was quick to flag you back. she handed you your phone, covering her smile with her hand. you swiped through them.

“we should’ve brought our DP for this,” she said.

“my AD did a perfectly good job.”

my AD? percy looked just as shocked. you grimaced, diverting your attention to your phone screen. why the actual hell had you said that? 

“three clues left,” you said.

⬿•☀️•⤳

a large, rusty structure that you were supposed to believe was once a functioning world war II boat floated a while off the shore. apparently, this was the boat that fought the same fight as one in a famous 2023 movie, that nolan can’t direct unless he has a sailing license. percy was already opening her camera app. according to the map, drew and annabeth were still two clues behind. considering how condensed the town was, sure, that wasn’t too far, but it was far enough.

just as percy reached her arm up, placing the two of you and the ‘boat’ in frame, you said: “they’re two clues behind. they kind of deserve a headstart.”

percy lowered her phone. “won’t they catch up?”

“i mean, they will, but…”

the past hour with her had made you forget all about the countless other hours you’d spent acting like she didn’t exist. she hadn’t brought up camp once, you hadn’t thought about camp once—well, maybe once or twice—and your conversation was normal. it was like you were a normal, mortal pair. 

so, when you passed the gift shop on your way in, the idea of spending a little extra time there with her didn’t seem half bad.

“…we could visit the gift shop in the meantime.”

the two of you started walking. percy said, “i’m kind of surprised you’re doing this. i thought you were going to be much more competitive than you actually are.”

you balked. “why?”

she shrugged, running a finger along the beads on her neck. “you just seem like it.”

you fought the urge to ask what does that mean? because, truly, what could it have possibly meant? as you two followed the rocky path, the windows of the gift shop were drained of their golden light. you cursed. a summer sunset reflecting on the glass meant only one thing...

“shit,” you said. “they closed. of course.”

percy blew air from her mouth. “damn.”

you two settled to go sit down on the beach, closer to the top. the white lighthouse and boat towered in the distance. you took your phone out. drew and annabeth hadn’t advanced at all, as to be expected. you could practically picture what was going on—drew taking them past famous victorian buildings, completely out of the way, just to listen to annabeth explain them. 

you placed your chin in your hand, looking down at the sand. drew was so, so lucky. her and annabeth had genuine chemistry. drew took her on this trip to see if they’d actually get together—into a serious, full-blown, committed relationship. they were much more mature with their future plans and normal adult lives.

though, if you had powers like them, you probably would’ve been doing the same. drew had charmspeak. she could probably land any PR pitch she wanted to. annabeth had a divine intelligence, which was perfect for anything she wanted to do. meanwhile, you were stuck with, what, changing grapes from green to purple?

you jolted from your thoughts. shit. why were you even thinking about camp in the first place? what, were you going to spend every silent moment like this? like percy? you had a beautiful sunset in front of you and an even more beautiful girl next to you. there were a boatload of opportunities here, and you were wasting all of them.

“the sunset’s really pretty,” you said, absentmindedly.

“yeah.” percy stared out at the ocean. her eyes had that faraway look in them. you could practically taste the burnt hot dogs and feel the smoke of the nearby bonfire against your skin. you could see the way her fingers grazed her necklace, and that exchange that’d followe—

“are you really still thinking about camp?” you asked.

percy placed her face in her palm, mirroring you. “i’m never not.”

you pursed your lips. there was no way. she’d been away from camp for a year and literally gone through college on a campus without a single quiet moment. “not even during, like, school? or midterms? ADing?”

she smiled, breaking out of her daze. “nope. you, out of everyone, should know that.”

your chest burned. you thought back to when the first thing you saw of percy was, in fact, her necklace. at a party, you’d tripped on a puddle of an unidentifiable alcoholic substance and an anonymous arm had caught you. if only you had simply thanked her and walked away... but, no, that quick contact of her skin on yours was enough to send you in the wrong direction.

you thought of saying, actually, you seemed pretty normal on set, hence the reason we’re even here in the first place. but before you could, both of your phones dinged. on your homescreen was a notification stating…

“shit, they’re close.”

you shot up from the ground. the boat couldn’t quite fit in frame from here. so, all you and percy had to do was take a few steps forward. but starting onto the sand was drew and annabeth. phones out and ready.

shit. without thinking, you grabbed percy’s hand, pulling her from the ground. you’d debrief that with your dignity later. “we have to run.”

as you ran, her hand had a surprisingly strong grip around yours. you took out your phone. meanwhile, your foot skidded on something hard, and you tumbled.

percy caught you. she brought you two to running again. you hated the way your heartbeat spiked at that. she always caught you. she caught you in that kitchen, on the drunk walk home from that party and to your dor—

the movement stopped. you suddenly were back in reality. you snapped a selfie, your faces showcasing your mutual exhaustion. then, you submitted it to the app. your screen displayed confetti and a #1 trophy.

percy raised her hand for a high five. drew and annabeth approached. reluctantly, you highfived. whatever. you deserved to enjoy the victory. plus, that was the least intimate physical contact you’d ever shared with her. drew almost collapsed onto her knees. meanwhile, annabeth looked completely unfazed.

“you two cheated,” drew said.

percy chuckled. “regardless, you two losers are buying us ice cream.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

the four of you sat at a table outside of an ice cream parlor. you were stuck next to percy—all because drew insisted on being close to annabeth so they could spoon feed each other. man, the things you did for your friend. you took a spoonful of your own ice cream.

next to you, percy licked her blue raspberry cone—because where did this woman go that blue didn’t follow? her lips closed around a spoonful. their pink contrasted against the blue in a way that should be studied by artists. almost like a beautiful summer sunset. your heart raced, matching a pulse much lo—

“something on your mind?” percy asked, jolting you out of your daze.

you fought the urge to groan on the off-chance she’d interpret that as being aroused. “no.”

percy tilted her head. “it just seemed like you were staring at me or something.”

“and?” you took another scoop of your ice cream. the flavor had gone away, but you didn’t care.

“and it felt…familiar.”

even if you were staring at her, it wasn’t like it was any secret you were attracted to her. why would you have brought her on the trip with you? why would you have thought of her so often? why else would you give her any attention? and why would that night have even happened? you slumped in your seat.

“okay, look, can we please just forget about that night?”

percy paused for a beat, then she said, “if that’s what you want, sure.” 

obviously it’s what i want. you squinted at her. something about her was impossible to take seriously, and you couldn’t quite pinpoint what. “i have a hard time believing you’re going to hold yourself to that.”

percy took another spoonful of her ice cream, not responding. of course she’d delay. typical her. after swallowing it, the corners of her lips twitched upward.

“i’ll prove it to you. we can go out, just us two, and we’ll just be strangers again.” 

you paused your spoonful of ice cream mid-air. out of everything you were expecting her to say, that wasn’t one of them. you cast a look over to drew and annabeth as if they’d help you. they were too immersed in sharing their ice cream. of course. and it definitely didn’t help that percy looked somewhat satisfied with herself.

was entertaining this—even in the slightest—a good idea? no. yet, you couldn’t help yourself. “where would you even take me?”

“how about we just go on a walk?”

a walk? for a first date? you tapped the handle of your spoon. was percy abnormally annoying? yes. was she also abnormally hot? yes. it wasn’t like you didn’t want to go on a date with her. after all, a summer fling was on your list. and a double date—which, if you didn’t do this, would be really awkward.

maybe she could be a decent person to hang out with when she wasn’t constantly bringing camp up. no, she was. you’d never smiled more with her than on the way to congress hall, where you two were just normal, mortal people, who talked about normal, mortal things. 

“fine.”

percy smiled fully this time. “it’s a date.”

you had this whole walk of officially being a stranger, and you had to somehow fill the silence—the same silence that made both of you down your waterbottles on the way there. speaking of, you tossed the empty plastic between your hands. if you were going to be strangers, there was one thing you could get away with…

“it’s impossible to find a trashcan around here,” you said.

percy fidgeted with her own bottle. “yeah.”

you didn’t pray often, but this date might make you start. “that seems kind of counterproductive. like, wouldn’t they not want people to litter?”

percy nodded at your statement, her sunglasses bobbing against her nose. a cringe squeezed in your chest. it was so silent that you could literally hear the waterbottle crinkling each time it hit your palm. 

this was not at all how you were hoping it went. sure, you were supposed to be strangers, but even strangers were more talkative than this. and just because you were strangers didn’t mean you weren’t director and AD. well, now that you thought about it, if that night had never happened, you technic—

you forced your gaze upwards to the branches. where exactly was the bird chirping coming from? and which birds were doing it? you continued forward blindly. all you could see were ones you’d already known—like the occasional robin or blue jay. nothing special nor serious.

your neck started to ache. you’d never wanted more than to just scream, this isn’t going to work! 

“we got a good day for the walk,” percy said. part of you wanted to drop to the ground and raise your hands to rejoice. “warm, but not humid.”

“yeah.”

the path curved as you approached a pond. with the empty waterbottle in hand, there was still no trashcan to be found. the pond rippled around you in a calm, summer afternoon flow.

as tempting as it was to just admit that you couldn’t do this, you refused. this is what you wanted, to never talk about camp. there was nothing bad about this situation. hell, your past self would be thanking you!

“wait, there’s ducks.” percy broke the silence.

you both walked over to the railing, leaning against the sun-warmed wood. in the distance, a group of baby ducks swam. the tiny bundles of yellow fur streaked with brown glowed under the sunlight. they followed close behind their parents. one of them in particular was incredibly behind. 

“look at the one that’s behind,” you said.

“aww.”

you and percy—well, her sunglasses—made eye contact for a short second. in that moment, you realized your proximity. strangers, you reminded yourself. but if percy were a stranger, and you were in this exact situation, you’d probably, who knows, kiss her? but she wasn’t. because a stranger wouldn’t have that necklace.

wait, what were you doing?

“we should probably keep walking,” you said.

before you could make an excuse, percy restarted walking. questions flurried in your mind. did you wish percy was a stranger? wouldn’t it make things easier, after all? if you and her never spent that night together. maybe you’d be able to overlook the whole…necklace thing.

well, maybe not, you thought to yourself as the wooden path curved in front of you. as you progressed, your arm brushed against percy’s. your heart raced. like an idiot, you looked over to her. she parted her lips to say something, but stopped. 

“sorry,” percy said.

you focused on your waterbottle, trying to ignore the sparks flooding your limbs from that simple touch. that shouldn’t have been nearly as big of a deal as it was.

in your peripheral, a small smile spread onto her lips. “sorry, stranger.” 

your chest eased. “no worries, stranger.”

through the end of the trail, surrounded by trees, you two didn’t speak. but, it was easier on the way out than on the way in. birds chirped and ran along the leaves. 

“finally, a fucking garbage can.” you groaned, tossing the bottle into the opening. it landed.

percy removed her sunglasses before tossing hers. 

⬿•☀️•⤳

“i’ll wash,” you said.

“i’ll dry.” drew started stacking the plates.

you joined her. the smell of grilled chicken with a hint of lemon lingered in the dining room and kitchen. every plate was licked clean—even the serving plates. the vegetable and rice sides were all demolished.

“i’ll wipe down the table,” annabeth said, slowly standing up.

drew held up her free hand. “we’ve got it. you literally cooked.”

“we cooked together.”

after a beat, percy stood. “it’s fine. i’ll do it.”

annabeth walked to sit in the living room, fighting a smile. drew and her ways. that wasn’t the first time they’d shared a moment over dinner. in fact, the whole dinner was filled with moments—even between you and percy.

well, sort of. you rinsed the dishes, looking out at the backyard-facing window dreamily. anything was a moment with percy after whatever that disaster of a walk was. every second of eye contact filled that void.

though, she hadn’t talked to you directly. you may’ve spoken after she did, and she may’ve done the same, but she never asked you any questions. in her defense, you hadn’t, either. you weren’t officially strangers. no one had said that or even implied it. but were you really supposed to act like friends? two friends who had zero history together?

the water turned scorching. you winced, turning it colder. there had to be a spot between complete strangers and, well, whatever you two were. the spot had to include interactions of some kind, right?

what had percy turned you into? maybe you really were a stranger—to yourself, at least. okay, but anyone could admit that the difference was difficult. like, that night could exist and mean nothing. it didn’t have to be a big dea—

“are we doing anything tomorrow?” percy asked from the dining room. 

we? as in, us? you parted your lips to answer. thankfully, drew spoke before you could.

“no.”

annabeth echoed that. and you did, too, feeling a bit left out.

“would you guys want to go surfing?”

seeing percy in a swimsuit, probably all athletic, on a surfboard was not exactly your idea of a sweet spot between, well, anything. it strayed too far from the strangers side and too close to the history you’d shared. you paused your scrubbing, letting the cold water run down your fingers. someone else had to say something. no way you were answering that.

annabeth and drew thankfully said yes. 

“and you?” percy asked.

you looked back to her. “do any of us even know how to surf?”

percy smiled. “i could teach you. all of you, actually.”

that was the worst possible answer she could give you. was there any way to teach surfing without being, well, intimate? hands-on? a warmth summoned on your face at the thought. percy’s hands wandering along your sk—

drew elbowed you from where she dried dishes. oh, right. you rolled your eyes. “fine.”

but nothing was better than the scent of the ocean that’d hung both in the air and lingered on percy’s hoodie—the one she’d lent you this morning. there was absolutely no way you’d ever let yourself take this off. that’d be the second souvenir, along with the ones in the bag she carried.

just before you got to the door, percy spoke. “hey, should we do our double date today? at second wind?” something in her jaw tensed at the mere mention of the place.

your chest went light. “definitely.”

percy smiled, something more shy about it than before.

as soon as you got inside, you finally fulfilled your need to skip or run or something, dashing up the stairs. you placed an ear to drew’s door—it wasn’t like you and percy were the only ones who could’ve had a great night. when there was nothing but the sound of a zipper, you figured you’d go in.

you opened the door to see drew packing her stuff. she looked up at you. her eyes narrowed knowingly. wait, were you smiling? shit. because she mirrored it.

“babe, you need to tell me everything. i need to know from the moment foreplay started. in fact, tell me from before foreplay. fore-foreplay.” she zipped up her suitcase. “here, i’ll help you pack.”

the two of you walked into your bedroom. as you folded the clothes neatly, you filled her in on every single detail—including meeting andrea, to which she was incredibly envious of. for the first time in your history of telling her a percy story, drew had smiled and cheered. a wolf whistle was snuck in there, too.

“oh, and i forgot to mention, we’re going on a double date this morning. second wind, one last time,” you said.

drew gasped. “wait, you know what this means, right?”

before you could answer, she’d ran off. in the distance, zippers were pulled, and something was shuffling. she returned holding the one and only box with the list. she set it on your dresser. you ran up. drew unrolled the list, laying it as flat as she could.

“do the honors.” she handed you the marker.

“oh my gods, okay.” you took a breath.

summer fling, check. first kiss, check—technically.

“we’re giving this one two checkmarks,” you said.

you checked off double date.

drew checked off double date.

and the list was complete.

“let’s go!” you pulled her into a hug. 

you both gave the list a kiss before rolling it back up and placing it back in its ceramic box.

“now, we have a date to get to,” drew said.

⬿•☀️•⤳

the double date was everything you wanted it to be. full of laughter and amazing coffee, you knew the younger version of you was smiling, even if you couldn’t see it from her directly. with just an hour to spare before you had to head to the airport, annabeth had insisted on one final stop.

she’d led you all to a small area with a single fence full of locks. love locks. your chest went soft. her and percy went up to the stand. meanwhile, you and drew stood behind, watching the two women who’d made your summers unforgettable and list-fulfilling.

“i’m so proud of us,” you said.

“me, too,” drew said.

they came back. percy handed you the purple, heart-shaped lock. okay. it was time. she held the marker but didn’t move. you furrowed your eyebrows. she took a breath and looked at you, something firm yet nervous in her eyes.

she spoke. “the night we met, i knew you were the only one i’d want to ask this question to. as we worked together, that was only confirmed. obviously, what we had this summer—even just yesterday—just made me feel like an idiot for not asking it sooner.”

your heart raced in your chest. every breath felt like another agonizingly slow second passing. finally, she straightened her posture.

“will you be my girlfriend?”

you place your hands around her waist, the lock hanging from your finger. “of course i will.”

with that, you pulled her into a kiss. a long kiss. she wrapped her arms around your neck. you smiled. everything in the world fell into place in that single moment. drew and annabeth cheered, merely a sound with your closed eyes. you hugged her closer.

clink!

you opened your eyes to see the lock had fallen. “shit.”

percy picked it up. “it’s not broken.” she tested it to be sure, pulling the metal.

she unclicked the marker and wrote a ‘P.’ then, she handed it to you. you took it and wrote the + alongside your initial. then, you approached the fence.

“ours is in the lower corner,” annabeth said.

once you found it, you clicked it on, officially locking you and percy’s relationship into a part of cape may history.

next may (epilogue)

“martini!” percy shouted.

the slate clicked in front of the camera. “action!” you shouted next. 

the actress, a student in your film class, delivered her final line. you remembered the exact day you wrote it: towards the end of the summer, sitting on the beach with your laptop, percy surfing in the waves in front of you. you shut your laptop and, thankfully, received a congratulatory kiss.

you smiled at the memory. then, you yelled, “cut!”

you looked to percy. “do you want to, or should i?”

she fastened her navy baseball cap, clutching her call sheet clipboard to her chest. “let’s do it together.”

“that’s a wrap on our film!”

the whole set erupted into cheers. you went around to hug everyone from the cast and the crew. once that was done, you practically ran to percy, desperate to do one and one thing only. and she had the same idea in mind—judging by the way she pulled you right into a kiss.

you two had gotten together a little less than a year ago, but the feeling of her lips against yours elicited the same reaction every time. you were convinced you’d never get enough.

“ahem,” a voice—drew’s—called.

you pulled away to see drew and annabeth standing together. annabeth had a small frown on her face, looking around at the set longingly. it was another piece of her excellent work. meanwhile, drew’s nails clicked against her phone. then, she pointed it at you. “let’s take some wrap pictures.”

you took one with every member of the cast. then you took one with percy. according to drew’s PR stuff, the director-AD couple thing was actually useful for the promotion. you didn’t mind that at all. in fact, that was the best possible outcome.

“posted.” drew turned off her phone. “hoping this year’s theater will be a little fuller.”

“it definitely will be,” you said. “are we submitting to anyone else, or only cape may?” 

hopefully cape may, because every time you saw that tiny lighthouse on you and percy’s caps, you were brought right back there. 

percy furrowed her eyebrows. “only cape may. anywhere else would be wrong.”

annabeth spoke. “as much as i’d love sundance or somewhere major, i have to agree.”

you all laughed.

“alright. cape may it is,” you said.

⬿•☀️•⤳

once you and percy left set, you stopped for coffee at second wind’s brooklyn location. after a toast, you took a sip. 

“percy, remember our apology, and how it was settled over this exact same coffee? man, this stuff really gave us a second wind.”

percy furrowed her eyebrows. she slowly turned her head to look at you, stopping in occasional increments. curiosity was written on her face as she said, “say that again?”

“this stuff really gave us a second wind?”

once the two of you reached a deep enough spot, you relaxed. your still-dry bags floated next to you in the water. laying on your boards, you both looked up at the sparkling stars. the night was clear and they were as visible as ever. 

as you listened to the rippling water, your stomach sunk. this was your last ever summer night—at least, the summer nights that actually mattered, which were in cape may—and you two hadn’t even talked about what was next. of course, as your mind flooded with dopamine and fresh romantic memories, the answer was incredibly obvious. you’d marry this woman right here, right now, if you could.

but, there was still a part of you that had some sense, and that part told you to wait. but how much longer could you wait? who knows what the rest of the summer would hold once you were apart? you gulped.

“i seriously can’t believe it’s the last day of the good part of summer,” you said.

“me, neither.” percy’s chest fell with a relaxed sigh. “but, this is the best last day of summer i’ve ever had.”

you furrowed your eyebrows. “what happened on the other ones?”

she tapped the side of her surfboard. the sound was obvious in the nighttime, accompanied only by the distant crickets and surrounding waves–and her breathing, now. it’d sped up. you hadn’t even realized you were keeping track.

“my first prophecy came true on the last day of summer,” she said. “a friend did, in fact, betray me.”

percy brought a hand to her forehead, visoring from absolutely no light. “it’s dumb. i should move on. i’m not hung up on it or anything. it’s just a reminder.”

your stomach sunk. as much as you wanted to pry every detail of that story out of her, the way she’d tensed had suggested that might not be a good idea. 

“i don’t think it’s dumb,” you said. 

you turned to lay your stomach on the board, relaxing the side of your face on your hands. for once in your life, you were free. maybe this was also your best last day of summer. meanwhile, percy raised her eyebrows, now being the prying one.

you spoke. “just the bead ceremony. i always felt dumb getting mine. it’s not like i did anything. and everyone was all sentimental, crying and hugging, wishing they could stay forever. complaining about school. that’s still crazy to me. meanwhile, drew and i were high fiving.” you laughed, thinking back to that.

percy hummed. “fair enough. what’re your plans for the rest of the summer?” 

“no idea. i might get a headstart on my next script. see a couple of movies, study film, watch taxi driver a few more times.”

“wait, who directed that again?”

you let out a long, audible, exaggerated groan. “do you seriously want a future in film? be honest.”

percy’s face broke into a smile. a small flush spawned, too. “kind of. i am planning to declare a film major.”

oh, shit. oh. shit. holy shit. you fought the urge to hop up onto the board and throw your arms into a victory v and scream on the top of your lungs, ‘MY CRUSH SWITCHED HER MAJOR TO MINE!!’ instead, you swallowed, as your whole body tingled with excitement.

“seriously? what made you choose that?”

“a certain director.”

she’d be your AD, you’d be her director, and it’d be just like before. you might even have classes together. then you could study together and spend more time together. and she could join you for your monthly rewatch of taxi driver, and hear everything you have to say about that. and you’d be a cute director-AD duo, all flirty on set. and your workflows would be great, and…

you could go on forever about the possibilities, but a tiny furrow appeared between percy’s eyebrows. right.

“wow.” a beat. “but, seriously, you need to watch taxi driver before your first day of classes. it’s kind of a film school prereq. like, if you don’t know that was scorsese’s work, you will be chewed out by film bros. and the professor.”

“professor smith would never.”

you held your hands up. “maybe not with his freshmen, but i’ve heard he’s pretty serious with upperclassmen.”

percy laughed. she clutched her stomach. you couldn’t help but watch. she really was so gorgeous, everything about her—the way her lips curved, the left side dimple you’d never noticed, the mere sound of her laugh. you’d never wanted to record a moment more. but maybe you wouldn’t have to. maybe this would never go away, maybe you’d hear her laugh daily. your stomach filled with butterflies.

she met your eyes as she came down from her laughter. yeah, there was absolutely, positively, no way this was going to stay in cape may.

but, first…

“what about your summer, though? plans?” you asked.

percy retreated into herself slightly. “i think i’m going to take up surfing. not as anything serious, just a hobby.”

something in every limb of yours eased. suddenly, you pictured kissing her on the beach, or cheering her on, or even learning with her. damnit.

“what about skateboarding?”

“i need a water aspect. i hadn’t realized that until i came here.” something wistful was in her eyes.

there was officially nothing stopping you. no camp, no lifeguarding, nothing. she’d be in new york, you’d be in new york. she’d have free time, you’d have free time. you’d both have your own things. and even if it was too early to ask, you figured you would. especially when percy looked so beautiful, under the night sky, floating in the ocean.

she looked down to your lips, and that was as much of an invitation as you needed.

“would you want to, i don’t know—”

a bright flashlight in the distance interrupted your train of thought. you looked up to see what was clearly a cop on the beach. of course. he shouted something indistinct, but definitely angry. you and percy looked at each other and burst into laughter. 

“hold that thought,” percy said, starting to paddle back.

⬿•☀️•⤳

“it wouldn’t be a quest without questionable sleeping arrangements,” percy said.

you followed her into a motel room that was cold and humid, somehow. a king sized bed laid in the middle. questionable indeed. you turned on the sole lamp in the corner, the gold bathing a brown patterned wallpaper and a bed with yellow sheets. it looked like hadn’t been remodeled since the 70s, save for the ac.

“this is definitely questionable.”

you plopped down onto the bed, setting your bags on the floor. percy walked right into the bathroom. as soon as she shut the door, you laid down fully. the mattress was surprisingly comfy. or, maybe all of the walking had tired your limbs out.

you sighed. you’d definitely been holding that thought. you held it as you and percy dragged your surfboards upshore whilst being scolded by the beach cop, and as you returned the rented surfboards to the shop, and the entire walk to the motel. but that didn’t change your opinion. you had to, and were going to, ask.

the sink turned off behind the door. suddenly, the humidity became much more obvious. you could’ve sworn your skin was covered in precipitation. did percy’s drying powers wear off or something? any minute now, she’d open that door, and you’d part your lips, and you’d speak. you’d ask the question that would determine the rest of your summer.

and the rest of your life, technically. because if she said no to being your girlfriend, she’d probably say no to being your AD again, and then your student film would crumble as you tried to figure out someone else’s workflow—because the AD literally makes a film—and you’d have no career in film, and you’d end up a film student stereotype working as a barista. you groaned into your hands.

the back of your eyelids flooded with a golden light as the door creaked open. you removed your hands from your face, the room much brighter than you remembered. percy leaned against the doorway. she’d changed into a navy blue hoodie and blue sleep shorts. she yawned, and then stretched her arms above her head, making her hoodie creep up just enough to show off a hint of her hips. your whole body filled with butterflies.

she plopped onto the bed. right, because that was going to make everything better. you already forgot how you were planning to word the question. you moved over, allowing her enough space. it was like every single time she moved, her hoodie did, too. 

“so, which was your favorite beach?” percy asked.

you blinked. oh, right, you’d had an entire day before she came out in that outfit. an entire life, actually. and a question to ask. “let me think about it.”

you thought back. meeting the andrea, second wind owner, at higbee. the gift shop at sunset where you and percy’d bought matching caps. swimming at cove and that kiss. everything at the promenade and that kiss. poverty beach, finding out she was switching her major. shit.

percy looked down at you, sitting up against the pillow. she looked great at that angle. stop. two questions now, you reminded yourself.

“probably the promenade,” you said.

percy smiled. “even after i bit your lip?”

“because you bit my lip, actually.” 

she hummed. “glad i could help. mine had to be poverty. before the cop, it was so nice to be out in the water that late.”

you sat up, appalled. “you’re insane. poverty was literally the least eventful of all of them. you visited all of those and that was your favorite?”

“gods forbid a girl enjoy a simple conversation under the stars.”

you rolled your eyes.

percy added, “with a pretty girl.”

as soon as those words left her lips, your whole body tingled in a way that was practically begging to hear them over and over again. if you had no self-respect—and no question to ask—you probably would, in fact, request that. instead, you tilted your head. “did you enjoy the girl part or the beach part?”

percy sent a glance down your entire body. “both.”

with the silence that followed, and her eyes on you, it would’ve been a great time to ask the simple question. an excellent time, actually. the loud AC clicked off and drenched the room in silence, leaving it quiet enough to hear both of you breathing. quiet enough to hear the way your clothes rubbed against the blanket as you moved closer to her. quiet enough to hear percy’s hand lay against the side of your face and pull you in for a kiss.

your hand found her waist, without thinking. your bodies were quickly pushed flush together. as you kissed her, all you wanted to do was pull her close enough where your heartbeats and breaths were indistinguishable. 

percy’s hand carefully slipped under the fabric of your shirt. your breath heaved. a warmth spread all throughout your body. her touch started at your hip, her thumb acknowledging the bone. then, her palm rubbed up your ribcage, and the side of your bra. you couldn’t help but make a small whimper.

she rolled you over, straddling your hips. somehow, your lips stayed connected as her hand trailed back down and tugged at the hem of your shirt. without her fingers on your skin, you could finally think clearly. clearly enough to say…

“wait.”

percy looked up, her adorable blue eyes slightly doey. “did i do something wrong?”

“no. i just…told myself i’d ask you this before we did anything.”

she tugged at the hem of your shirt. without thinking, you raised your arms, and she removed it. the moment fell silent and the question fell stale.

“ask me what?” percy moved her hand to the back of your bra.

“would you want to see me?”

she unhooked the bra completely. her fingertips led the straps all the way down your arms. goosebumps followed her path. 

“see you…?” she tilted her head.

“see me. like, uh, shit, would you want to see me for the rest of the summer?”

percy parted her lips to say something, but stopped short. then, she said, “of course.”

she bent to kiss you again. your lips were grateful for the release of tension you hadn’t even realized was there. your hand found the back of her neck. soon, her lips went down to the corner of your lip, then to your jawline. percy pressed slow kisses all along the bone.

your hips bucked. she smiled at that, starting to kiss down your neck. just as she was about to reach your breast, she got up. you pouted—unintentionally. 

percy pulled her hoodie over her neck and discarded it on the floor. same with her necklace. suddenly, you’d forgotten everything you were ever sad about, or any time you’d ever been without her, right in front of you. she restarted kissing your neck.

she moved onto your collarbone and eventually your nipple. as soon as her lips met you, you couldn’t help yourself.

“oh, gods,” you whispered.

percy looked up. she released her lips, painfully. incredibly painfully. “no way.”

“hi.” a voice that was not drew’s spoke.

you met percy’s eyes and every organ in your body dissipated into mush. she stood right next to the couch, her arms crossed like a shield over her chest. 

“hey.”

“can we talk? drew said i could take her place for the coffee run.”

for our last time ever at second wind? there was no way you’d ever be able to pay drew back for this. you took a breath. “yeah, of course.”

percy grabbed the front door for you. you gave her a sheepish ‘thank you.’ this wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as you imagined it. as soon as you descended the porch steps, every second spent in silence became increasingly painful.

“about—” you started.

“i’m so—” percy started, at the same time.

“go ahead,” you said. no way you were going to cut off her apology.

“i’m sorry. for running away in the morning, and the double date, and for all of this. i just got this really overwhelming urge to go back to camp, and everything just…exploded, i guess.”

the crosswalk came up, and you both stopped to wait for cars to clear. it didn’t take long, thankfully, because you were practically begging to hear the answer to the one word that’d been haunting your mind since that night—why. once you got across, she spoke again.

“i shouldn’t have avoided you in all of that time. but every time i tried to convince myself to talk to you, i couldn’t. we were doing so well and then it was camp that pulled me away. but not a minute went by where i wasn’t thinking about you. that was one of the best nights of my life, truly.

“so i’m beyond sorry. i really like you, and if there’s anything i can do to make it up to you, i will. i’ll do it a million times over. but i also understand if you don’t want to continue.”

percy was out of breath by the time she finished speaking. you somehow continued walking as you listened, despite the way your knees felt weak at half of the points. your heart had finally relaxed, same with your brain. at least you’d gotten the answer, the why. but that hadn’t changed the meddling worry.

you had to ask, otherwise you’d never sleep again. “what about the double date? as in, the one you”—you eased your tone—”made a deal with me to go on.”

percy grimaced. “i was scared. i have no excuse for that. i’m sorry. i’m serious, i’ll go on a million more. it wasn’t personal, i promise. none of this was.”

that wasn’t helpful, but, it was too late now. 

“i knew it wasn’t personal,” you said. “that’s the shitty reason why i didn’t question anything you did. i just figured, i don’t know, i wouldn’t be able to fully understand you, considering i never had all of the quests and the prophecies and all of the stuff you did. i didn’t have anything at camp to grieve. you had everything..” you chuckled. “and i’m sorry, as well.”

you two walked alongside the beach. the waves were calm and the beachgoers were talking and laughing. what you wouldn’t give to be someone as simple as them, not dealing with a literal apology at this point.

percy furrowed her eyebrows. great. your stomach sank.

“you do understand.” what? “and that was horrifying at first. but now it’s refreshing to be around someone who i can…hate camp with.”

every thought in your head stopped. you paused near the door of the cafe. did you hear any one of those words correctly? you parted your lips to speak, but nothing came out. first of all, you understood? there was no way. and there was no way she also hated camp. 

“you hate camp?” you asked, finally. right, because that should be your first question.

percy answered immediately. “yeah. somewhat. of course i also love it, in a way.”

she had every right to hate it. in fact, she may’ve had more of a right to hate it than you did. everything you’d assumed about her had disappeared right in that moment. you took the door handle to steady yourself.

“wow,” you said. “that’s crazy.” that was all you could truly manage.

“i kind of miss when you would’ve told me to move on.” a small smirk played onto her lips.

you lightly shoved her shoulder. “shut up. okay, we’ll talk more about this, but over coffee.”

you took your order number to an outdoor table for two. it was on the pier, the waves next to you. and, for once, percy wasn’t looking at the waves, but rather, at you, and you only. your heart raced. you’d never felt the weight of her uninterrupted gaze before.

“i literally never would’ve thought i’d hear you say you hated camp. i mean, it makes sense, but…wow,” you said.

“is it the necklace? i’ve been through way too much to not constantly wear something proving that.”

you rolled your eyes. “that definitely doesn’t help. no, it’s just…everything. i don’t know. sorry. this is weird.”

a barista set two mugs and two to-go cups down for drew and annabeth. she also set down a bag of four croissants. you set one on the saucer. it was hot and fresh. you’d never been more thankful for a moment to pause. both of you took sips of your drinks.

percy spoke. “i’ve never actually said i hate it out loud. like, i hate camp.”

you smiled. “keep saying it. it sounds good.”

“i hate camp. i hate camp. i hate camp.”

you laughed, and she did, too. for a moment, it just felt regular. even though you were technically talking about camp, there was something you wanted to keep about it forever. something tender in your chest and heart.

“i think we should try again,” you blurted out.

a small flush found itself on percy’s face. “couldn’t agree more.”

finally. fucking finally. you fought the urge to jump for joy, or pull her into a celebratory kiss, or cheer. instead, you two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. you ripped off a bite of fresh croissant, placing it in your mouth. 

you finally found it to ask, “so, did anyone drown while you were a lifeguard?”

“no, but there was this one incident…”

⬿•☀️•⤳

the rest of the breakfast had gone better than any of your past ones. you laughed at every story of percy’s, and she found the whole list thing adorable. 

but she hadn’t mentioned it again until the end of the walk home, when you were both on the porch, you holding the coffees and her fetching her key.

“i totally want to make the double date thing happen while we’re still here. but we can do that tomorrow morning. for today, if you’re free, i was thinking i could help you understand my experience a little better,” percy said, something dragging at the end of the statement.

you weren’t sure whether you were supposed to be aroused or concerned or excited. “and what might that be?”

“pack an overnight bag and meet me down here at 10.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

you and percy walked on a sand path through a forest. she refused to tell you where you two were headed, despite the fact you’d literally packed an overnight bag and were willingly hauling it around town. 

“we’re going on a quest,” she said. “a quest for the best beach in cape may.”

you stifled a laugh. “a quest? that’s what we’re calling it?”

“yes, actually.” percy straightened her posture as you continued forward, the distant waves getting louder. “we have a prophecy, too. if you’re interested in taking this seriously.”

a prophecy? childlike excitement came through you. a quest. a real life quest. with a prophecy and all. giving her a tiny smile, you looked over. “i am. i promise. what is it?”

“through cape may they trotter, the children of wine and water. the best beach will be decided by each.”

you raised your eyebrows. “wow. that really sounds legit.”

you descended the path and onto the first beach: higbee. the coast was lined with tall, untended plants, while the other half was sand. there had to be at least ten dogs. all of them were various breeds, shapes, and sizes. some on leashes, some not. some wild, some calm.

“so, what exactly is the plan here?” you asked.

“pet dogs?”

“the dogs determine what the best beach is?”

percy rolled her eyes. she started walking towards someone, and you followed, unsure. she turned look at you. “it’s not about the actual land. just the beach in general. the people, too.”

the two of you approached a big, fluffy golden retriever, laying half-up on the sand, panting . you couldn’t blame him. the woman sitting next to him and holding his leash looked up as you approached. she looked familiar, but you weren’t quite sure from where.

“could we pet him?” percy asked, already crouching down to his level.

“go for it.” the woman nodded.

percy started without hesitation. a small smile was on her face as her hand stroked the dog’s furry head. his soft fur glided under the touch. her eyes were brighter than you’d ever seen them, and you couldn’t help but get butterflies. if you could keep that look on her face forever, you easily would.

“his name is buddy,” his human said.

suddenly, you realized you were staring at percy and not the dog. you flushed and quicky started petting buddy. with his fur slightly warmed from the sun, your racing heart eased.

she continued. “i’ve been trying to get him used to the beach. i’ve been trying to get myself used to the beach. i just opened a coffee shop down by the pier, actually. and buddy is a city dog. born and raised in new york. so, it’s been a bit of a culture shock.”

you furrowed your eyebrows. “wait, what’s your coffee shop called?”

percy looked between the two of you, confused.

“second wind coffee. familiar?”

“no way! we’re just visiting, but my friend and i go there like, almost every morning. the coffee is legendary.”

she smiled. “thank you. i’m not in nearly enough to learn regulars, but as soon as i get this whole dog thing dealt with…nevermind. where are you two visiting from?”

“also new york,” percy answered before you could.

“that’s where my first location is. brooklyn. same coffee. same beans, same roast. i’m there a little less, but i trust those baristas with my life. and my coffee, clearly.”

you chuckled. “it was so great to meet you. and buddy.”

“you as well. i’m andrea.”

you and percy introduced yourselves. you gave two last pets to buddy before heading off. but, you did wait until you were out of earshot to fangirl.

“drew’s going to be so jealous that i met the literal owner of second wind. she says it’s the best coffee she’s ever had. that’s not an easy feat. you should literally see her coffee collection.”

percy nodded. “you two really seemed to get each other.”

was she jealous? no way. yet, something in your stomach fluttered—at the idea, if anything. 

“we did. is that a problem?” you couldn’t hide a smile.

“a little.”

“a little? i mean, you look pretty disturbed. i just want to be sure.”

she stopped. her eyes flickered to your lips, then back at you. the lowest point of your stomach tingled. percy turned to you, moving ever-so-slightly closer. a small smile played on her face.

“i think you’ll like the next beach.” her tone was sickeningly sweet. “only one way to find out.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

still riding on the high that was the combination of meeting the second wind owner and seeing percy jealous, your chest fluttered the whole walk to the next beach. there was a pretty obvious favorite. nothing would be able to outdo that. 

until you approached the light blue building in the distance, its windows golden this time, backed by a tall white lighthouse—sunset beach.

“you remembered,” you said.

percy had a small smile on her face. “of course i did. hard not to after everything that happened.”

you walked through the door and were greeted with just about any and every article of clothing and souvenir imaginable, all cape may themed. under the sunlight-esque overhead light were miniature lighthouses, racks of t-shirts and hoodies, sea creature plushies, and, of course, baseball caps.

“actually, i need a new cap for my next film,” you said.

you headed towards the shelf, percy following. you had no idea where to start. the baseball caps were so similar yet so different. you couldn’t be a spielberg-wannabe without a hat that matched the theme of your film, so you hummed thoughtfully.

“spielberg actually wears a different hat for each film he directs,” you said, without even realizing you were speaking. “but i don’t even have an idea for my next film.”

percy was looking at the neighboring section of various themed trinkets before she turned to you. “the taxi driver guy? is that movie really that good?”

you groaned. “no, not the taxi driver guy. even you know that’s wrong. martin scorsese directed taxi driver. spielberg has directed some of the biggest films of all time. like E.T. and jaws. and, yes, for the record, taxi driver is a masterclass in filmmaking.”

percy laughed. she really was so beautiful—in every context, but especially when she was laughing, looking so carefree. the sight made your heart speed up.

“i was fucking with you,” percy said, finally.

you shook your head. turning back to the baseball caps, you scouted the shelf. the first one that you saw was a light blue one that read ‘CAPE MAY’ in big letters. you placed it on your head, checking it out in the mirror. the combination of the color and the distracting letters—and the fact you weren’t creating a cape may themed film—made you say…

“nope.”

you traded it for one with a shark design. cute, but you weren’t directing jaws. then a simple, blue denim cap, which looked like it should’ve gone out of production the last day of 2000. you laughed as you adjusted it in the mirror.

“it’s not terrible,” percy said. she was now completely immersed in this process, apparently.

“not good enough.” you took it off. “wait, why aren’t you trying anything on?”

percy’s blinking sped up to at least double it’s speed, pulling an alarming amount of your attention to her long eyelashes. “i don’t need one.”

makes sense. you picked up one that was an obnoxious, highlighter-neon yellow. it stuck out of the rack like a sore thumb. and, to make it worse, there was no design on it. just a plain eyesore. as soon as you placed it on your head, you shielded your eyes from its neon.

“that’s the one,” percy said.

you took it off and your eyes instantly relaxed. “that was an abomination.”

as soon as you set it back on the shelf, percy had picked up a different cap. it was a sleek black with a tiny lighthouse embroidered in the middle. the black would make you look incredibly professional as a director. but the whole lighthouse thing…

percy stepped in front of you. the entire world faded to nothing but the sight of her. her eyes on you, her face right there, her lips just inches from yours. she placed the cap on your head. your heart raced at the feeling of her hands, well, in your proximity. just as you thought she was going to back away, she fastened it.

“that’s better,” she whispered.

are you sure? it could use maybe one more adjustment, you thought of saying, because percy whispering was something you’d never get enough of, you learned in that moment. unfortunately, she stepped back, letting you look at yourself in the mirror.

the hat perfectly complimented you. it fit in your hair, blending with the color. it was the perfect balance between professional and fun—in the same way a student film was. the lighthouse was tiny enough to not stick out too much. it did scream director.

before you could say anything, percy spoke. “slate in!”

“action!”

as soon as those words left your mouth, you furrowed your eyebrows. “what the actual fuck?”

percy smiled. “it’s perfect.”

she picked up the same lighthouse-embroidered cap, except in a navy blue. “we can match.”

“i thought you said you didn’t need one.”

though, seeing her in the reflection, the way the navy accentuated every beautiful feature of hers, it was hard to care about anything being needed or not. percy rotated it, checking it out.

“yeah, but, in case i’m ever your AD again.”

she pursed her lips. a pure look of terror covered her face, draining it of its color. you furrowed your eyebrows. first of all, your AD? like, not an AD, but yours? at least you weren’t alone in that…sentiment. second of all, again? meaning, you’d see each other after this summer? you fought the urge to ask.

percy turned on her heel, already walking away. “let’s find some stuff for drew and annabeth.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

you and percy stood on cove beach. the lighthouse towered to your left, miles away, but as big as ever. you couldn’t go anywhere in cape may without it following. you held the bag of souvenirs, while percy was already walking into the waves.

“are we just going to leave this bag here, or…” 

percy looked at you like you were dumb. “i’ve got it.”

the water was already halfway to her knees. you stood where the end of the waves were gracing your toes. uh…did she really want you to just believe that?

“i just have a feeling you don’t.” you narrowed your eyes at her.

percy wrapped her fingers around your wrist, her skin slightly warmed from the sun. your skin was very warmed from everything but the sun. she looked up at you. oh, right, you were supposed to be walking.

before you even realized it, you and the bag were submerged into the ocean. the souvenirs were probably damaged. but no way you were going to worry about that stupid stuff when there was this beautiful siren luring you in.

percy stopped once the water reached your waist. 

you furrowed your eyebrows. “wait, shit, our clothes.”

“you’re completely dry.” she jutted her chin to your shirt.

up there, yeah. you looked down. your shirt was, in fact, dry. percy’s outfit was also dry. and her hair was, too, despite how she’d lightly dipped her head back. 

“damn.” you eased further into the water.

nothing changed, aside from the liquid surrounding you warming. percy watched you, the laugh she seemed to be holding back gradually revealing itself. as a final test, you submerged your head. completely dry.

“i give up,” you said.

“good, because nothing was going to work anyway.” 

you picked up the bag, pulling it from the heavy water. when it came up and floated on the surface, it was, in fact, dry. even the souvenirs.

“this is so sick.” and, before you could stop yourself, “wait, does this mean you can shower in clothes?”

percy tilted her head. walked right into that. “are you trying to ask me what i look like in the shower?”

“actually, yeah.” by the way her cheeks were lightly flushed, it seemed like a question you’d be asking much more often.

“i’ve never tried it.”

and that was somehow the worst answer she could give. your mind wandered, but you quickly refocused on the world in front of you—the water, the sunshine, percy. and most of all, the silence. you two were so far away from everyone and everything.

“i haven’t tried any of my powers outside of whatever that wine drinking one was.” you said. “i don’t even really know what i can do.”

percy submerged to let the come up to her neck. “i think we still have that wine in the fridge.”

right. that stupid wine. the one that brought a smile to percy’s face as she talked about it. for once in your life, you weren’t mad. in fact, you were tempted to laugh.

“i’m sure it’s expired and gross by now.”

“maybe you can un-expire wine.”

you stilled—well, as still as you could be in water. unexpiring wine. useless, sure. you tried to picture it. taking a sip, all of the flavors falling rotten. then doing whatever and they all taste great again. all because you did some effortless thing that just…fixed it.

you smiled, slightly. “yeah, maybe.”

all you wanted to do was sit there and talk. ask endless questions about your powers or literally anything else. and, as you looked at percy, completely dry and tranquil in the summer sun, suddenly, this moment was what you wanted forever. actually, wholeheartedly, forever.

you swam closer to her. she smiled, casting a glance to your lips. the questions dissipated from your mind. her face was right there. your face was also right there. your lips were merely inches away. even though you knew how they felt on your skin, you wanted to feel them again.

she didn’t have to ask, because you just nodded. she submerged her hands underwater. eventually, they found your waist. it took a surprising amount of fighting gravity to finally feel her against you. you eased into the kissing rhythm. it was so soft and slow, while also dripping with passion. all of your past kisses had been rushed. for once, you could just relax.

as the kiss progressed, your hands only got more and more desperate. well, your whole body was throbbing, actually. you tried to focus on her lips. in reality, you wanted all of her against you. you wanted to wander your hands all over every place they’d already gone, over and over and over again, for the rest of your life. you didn’t want even a chance for this feeling to become a memory.

“i could make us a bubble, if you wanted to, y’know…”

in front of the poor sea creatures’ salad? “tempting, but i feel like i’d get motion sick.”

percy nodded. “next time.”

“next time…” you said that as if you were trying it out. “wait, there’ll be a next time?”

“i was just suggesting.” she shrugged.

you smiled. as you both floated in the water, tingles filled your body. the way her hair was completely dry, the way her skin was—you now realized—the only thing glistening on her, making her look even better…maybe that bubble was tempting. nope, you reminded yourself. 

“where are we going after this?” you asked.

“well, it’s not really a beach, but it’s a beach by proximity. i think you’ll like it.” 

you both cast another look to each other’s lips. all you wanted to do was just touch her, one more time. 

percy started swimming. “let’s go.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

it was crazy to think that the promenade was such a small plot of land. there were only a handful of shops, and yet, you’d never felt more in the timespan of who knows how long, post-kiss percy by your side.

you’d started in a salt water taffy store—which, as percy explained, was to ‘bring our blood sugar up.’ the walls were lined with shelves of taffy in just about every flavor you could imagine. as you and percy filled a bag with anything that looked good, an idea came to your mind. since you’d already kissed once, what was one more?

“you really think this is going to work?” percy asked.

the two of you sat on a bench, the fresh sunset behind you yet lending its warmth onto your backs. you unwrapped a piece of blue raspberry taffy that’d been warmed from sitting in your pocket for a few minutes. giving it a small squish, the texture was incredibly promising.

“i’m positive.” you struggled to get the wrapper off completely, the melting candy sticking to it. 

carefully, you bit just into the edge. percy closed the gap, biting the other side.

you fought a laugh as you tried to move closer to her. nothing happened. percy did the same, her jaw unlocking then locking. she broke off a piece. and, at the same time, she bit your bottom lip. you winced, a metallic taste creeping in.

percy swallowed her side of the taffy and moved onto a proper kiss. you quickly sent yours down your throat. no way you were going to let a single obstacle between you and her lips. once everything was out of the way, you could finally taste the remnants of the blue raspberry on her lips. 

her tongue grazed your bottom lip. your entire body flooded with sparks. okay, this is happening, here. she licked the tiny, stinging wounds. just as you were about to reciprocate, she pulled away. you furrowed your eyebrows.

“really?” you asked.

percy shrugged nonchalantly. “i didn’t want to start something i couldn’t finish.”

you moved on to one of the arcades. it didn’t have a fourth wall, meaning the near waves were still audible, even with the neon lights and blaring music from the machines. 

after getting your tokens, you looked to percy. “whoever wins the most picks dinner.”

percy nodded.

and it was on. you battled in various racing games, going three rounds—because of your ‘best of three’ protest. also because percy looked weirdly hot behind a steering wheel, her focus on the game and the game only. you did end up losing.

you moved on to throwing games. you’d won the basketball one and percy had won ‘down the clown’, making your ratio 2:1—you losing, unfortunately. 

the final showdown was on a dancing machine. you had won. and the 2:2 tie was broken with a quick game of rock paper scissors, which you’d also won. but dinner aside, you wanted anything but for this night to end.

after dinner at a beachside restaurant, the sun was fully down. surely it was a little late to be out, despite the fact you were energized to no end. something about percy had a way of making you want to stay awake for hours, days even, just being with her, in her presence. 

“so…where exactly are we sleeping?” you asked as you exited the restaurant.

how she’d stood you up and ruined the most important night of the trip—intentionally, too. everything was intentional with her, no matter what.

drew approached you, holding two pina coladas. she handed you one.

“thank you so much.” you took a sip, and an undertone of rum lingered. exactly what you’d needed.

drew took the empty railing spot across from you. “of course. now, let it out.”

“i just want to know why.” you set your glass on the ledge. “i have an idea as of why. i mean, it’s the why for genuinely everything in her life. but, still.”

the boat parted through the waves of the vast blue. supposedly, this was a dolphin watching boat, but you hadn’t seen any yet. 

drew looked at you supportively, waiting for you to continue. you took a sip to rev up.

“camp. it’s all camp with her. since the day we got here, it’s just been camp, camp, camp.” you set your drink down to talk with your hands. “the thing is, if i had known she was this…hung up on camp, i would’ve lost feelings months ago. but i didn’t. i didn’t know. she was so normal when she was my AD. it was like we both completely forgot about camp.”

and that was the truth. aside from that one night and its stupid conversation, your interactions with percy on set were normal. even if you’d glance at her necklace and be reminded of the true version of her.

“but summer starts, or the fucking ocean talks to her, or however you want to word it, and she’s gone. normally, she makes me laugh, and we talk and talk. i just want the normal version of her back.”

your hands tingled with exhaustion. you took a long sip of your drink. the cold fruity beverage went down your throat, cooling down not only your vocal chords, but your mind, too. meanwhile, drew shifted her stance.

she asked, “when was the last time you talked to her?”

you set your drink back down, the fire in your chest coming back just at the thought. so much for a cooldown. “midnight before the double date. i’d just finished my everything shower, y’know, that i did all for her. i go downstairs, and she’s sitting on her laptop. i just asked her what she was working on and she said ‘something for a job.’ which, now that i say it…”

you facepalmed, and drew chuckled.

“i should’ve seen the sign. no one fills out a job application at midnight unless it’s for a job they shouldn’t have.”

you looked out at the ocean and wondered if percy was sharing the sight and how close she was to the waves, if her eyes were full or if they were thinking-of-camp-empty. if she—somehow—saw the boat and wondered if you were on it, too.

“i just hate this. camp ruined literally everything.”

drew nodded. “every single thing.”

“i honestly don’t know how we’re expected to live normal lives. like, you and i will be making up for the time we lost at camp…forever. this list is one thing, but we missed out on so much more normal mortal stuff.”

you slouched slightly. drew’s eyes flashed with sympathy. it was the truth. camp had brought out the worst in both of you, and it had ruined both your lives just about equally. you never would get the time back. 

before drew could respond, someone yelled ‘dolphins!’ everyone turned to the sound of a splash. the glossy, gray backs of the dolphins reflected the sunlight in their airtime. their curved body made a seamless transition back into the water. and, as if they could hear the cheering, they made one last jump.

after it calmed down, you turned back to drew.

she spoke. “now that that’s over with, i’ve been meaning to tell you that we have a perfect distraction. i may’ve gotten us started by buying snorkeling tickets.”

you couldn’t help the smile on your face. “really?”

⬿•☀️•⤳

“the time has come,” drew said.

you sat on her bedroom’s carpeting. afternoon sunlight came through the flowy beige curtains. the occasional breeze propelled salt air into the room. 

drew opened her drawer and pulled it out. you immediately burst into a laugh. “good lord.”

in her hand was—an attempt at—a clay box that held the first, only, and official copy of your dream summer list. the box was coated in an oversaturated pink. as drew set it down on the floor, you got a closer look at the way the sides were full of unsmoothed bumps, making it look a mess.

you and drew had carved your initials on the front. they’d been filled in with a purple paint that’d bled past the edges. and, to top it all off, a matching pink lid with a sphere knob. it was ugly but, in its own way, cute. 

and it was made for this exact moment.

“i don’t remember it looking this bad,” drew said.

“me neither.”

a warm gust of salt air came through the windows. drew looked at you, wrapping her fingers around the handle.

“count me down.”

you spoke. “okay. 3…2…1!”

she pulled the lid off, revealing what was expected—a small roll of paper, tied in place with a hair tie. you held it up. drew smiled. you pulled the hairband off,. the paper carefully unraveling. you and drew flattened it with your hands.

“oh, geez.” drew sniffled.

there, laying in front of you, bathed in pastel sunlight, was every single thing you and drew vowed to accomplish on your first mortal summer. a tear fell on drew’s cheek. you fought the urge to make fun of her. but, as you read down the list, you couldn’t help but join her.

the handwriting was the first thing you’d noticed. it’d become neater as the list went on. and the wishes matured, too. the double date was towards the bottom of the list.

“beach bonfire with nice people,” you read from the top of the list. “man.”

you still remembered adding that—of course you had. it was the reason you’d started the list in the first place. your first bonfire was terrible. everyone was talking about things you didn’t understand and you ended up sitting alone. but, it was where you met drew.

“baby’s first bonfire,” drew giggled.

“shut up, little miss ‘whole day at the beach.’”

she handed you a marker. “you can do the honors of crossing the first one off.”

oh, shit. oh, shit. another tear from your eye. you took the marker from her, keeping it between your trembling fingers for a few seconds. “this is genuinely so dumb. why am i even crying?”

but, you knew the answer to that. it was the memories that’d played through your head as you uncapped the marker. the ones where you were isolated, watching everyone else live a happy life you’d never understand. you set the felt tip on the paper. and, with a sore yet tingly bundle in your chest, with that bonfire memory replaced with laughter and your friends…

you checked the box.

and here came the waterworks. you handed the marker to drew. she hovered, hesitating the same way, before checking it off.

“go surfing.” you read. “oh, i definitely went surfing.”

“a whole day at the beach doing nothing.” drew checked off.

“double feature.”

“scuba diving.”

“get on a boat.”

you continued checking things off the list. finally, you reached the ones in much neater handwriting.

“break a heart,” drew read hers. she ran a hand down her face.

you offered her the marker. she shook her head. “nope. i think that one might the only one we don’t check off.”

something on drew’s face was dreamy. you knew that glow, you knew it better than anything. it was the same one she had on her face when annabeth was walking into the restaurant the other day. it was the one she always had on around annabeth, actually. you simply smiled. your best friend deserved that more than anything.

“attend a party.”

drew grimaced. “i mean, annabeth and i did go to that mixer after the film fest, if that counts.”

you two exchanged a glance for a moment before bursting into laughter. she checked it off.

“joint spa day, check. that leaves us with…skinny dipping, a summer fling and a double date.”

‘double date’ was written in its massive bubble letters. the hope was practically leaking off the page. your stomach sunk, but drew took your hand. she gave you a steadying look.

“don’t let that discount everything else we’ve done. we made the summer of our dreams.”

but her words didn’t hit. sure, you’d gotten everything done, but half-heartedly. you weren’t in many of those moments. all because of percy. another tear fell down your face.

drew pulled you against her shoulder, and for a moment, you just laid there, letting tears fall but not forcing them out. all you could do was ask why. why, after you’d done so, so much, did you still want more? why did it all have to be perfect? and why did camp have to ruin everything?

you should’ve just been able to put all of this behind you. it was stupid to plan your whole life around camp. and, yet, as you cried, it was the only thing on your mind.

drew muttered, “for the record, we still haven’t gone skinny dipping.”

⬿•☀️•⤳

hot water rained down from the showerhead. with all the lights off, there was nothing but a small window overlooking the night sky you’d just been under. skinny dipping with drew had been a success. you’d stopped in her room to cross that off the list, leaving the two percy related things on it. other than that, the night had a lot of smiles.

but now that you were surrounded by four walls, silent aside from the sound of running water, you were doing anything but smiling.

if you had just asked percy why that one morning. or even at midnight, when you got a second chance to. maybe she wouldn’t have chosen the job. maybe you’d have some sort of insight into what was going on in her head. and maybe you wouldn’t be spending the last two days of summer without her.

you leaned your head against the window. even if you had asked why, it wasn’t like you’d understand her anyway. she had a different experience—one that she was somehow able to miss. one she was able to miss so much that she’d work on vacation, or bring it up every single time it got quiet, or let it steal her from so many good moments.

the hot water continued streaming down as you stared out into the darkness. percy was lucky. at camp, at least. she had everything. she was the poster child. she went on quests and she got prophecies and she was always the hero. was it weird to wish you’d gone through that stuff, just so you could be somewhat on her level?

you stood up straight. nope. it was one thing to miss percy, it was a whole other if you were going to start going down that road. that was ridiculous. it was over now—thankfully—and you’d never get that time back, making it useless to think about.

but there had to be way to get percy back—even just for the last day. if it meant letting her talk about camp, maybe you could tolerate it. there wasn’t time to get caught up in pettiness—not if you wanted her back. 

okay, you reasoned with yourself, but i’m not bringing it up. it’ll come up if she brings it up. you placed your hands over your face, letting the water rain on you. and if i have anything mean to say, i just won’t respond. just smile and nod.

it’d been a while since you and drew had gone on a coffee run—at least, to second wind—since you refused to be near the beach percy worked on. but you had agreed that your last coffee run would be back at the original. and, maybe tomorrow, you would need that second wind.

“any minute now…” drew said from her chair next to you, tapping her fingers against her napkin.

sure, you and drew were early, but you couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in your stomach. the same thought had been on repeat all day: should i have talked to percy? you hadn’t exchanged a word with her all day, yet again. the good news was, nothing had changed. the bad news was, nothing had changed. 

every table in the restaurant but yours was filled with people—laughing, talking, pointing forks at each other for emphasis. meanwhile, the two seats in front of you were empty. it was safe to say this was not at all how you’d pictured this date. then again, nothing on this trip was going as you pictured. 

you picked up your phone. “she hasn’t even texted me,” you said. “has she texted you?”

drew didn’t respond. were you getting nationwide silent treatment? her entire body was facing the dining area. sure enough, annabeth was walking in. she wore a short evergreen sundress and her hair looked as beautiful as ever. she was definitely made for hollywood, behind the scenes or not.

you nudged drew, stifling a laugh. “who’s that girl?”

drew absentmindedly shoved your hand away. “fuck off,” she whispered.

as annabeth approached the table, you waited to see percy following her. she wasn’t. okay. you weren’t going to let yourself completely panic. not yet, at least. not until there was concrete evidence that percy wasn’t going to be here. maybe she was running late. she wasn’t always the timeliest AD, sometimes showing up a little after call time. maybe she stalled getting ready. or she had to take a pit stop. or anything else.

you took a breath, the weight in your chest as heavy as ever. at least you could live vicariously through drew for a while. annabeth sat down across from her. 

“hi.”

“hey,” drew said, her face flushed. “you look…you look beautiful.”

you pursed your lips to avoid bursting into laughter. flustered drew wasn’t something anybody saw. annabeth smiled.

“you as well.”

drew’s eyes wandered around annabeth, until she cleared her throat. “where is that dress from?”

as they continued flirting, your thoughts only raced further. the overhead lighting was starting to make you sweat. where the hell was percy? there were no more logical excuses you could make. you gave one last glance past drew and to the dining area. you scanned every table and wished you could zoom in on the door and see each person who came in.

a waiter disrupted your frame.

“welcome to sunny isles seafood. my name is cole, and i’ll be your server today. may i fetch you ladies a beverage?”

annabeth spoke. “i’ll have a san pelligrino, please.”

you furrowed your eyebrows. “aren’t we waiting for percy?”

“i’ll explain in a second.”

you didn’t have a second. your skin fell clammy, the weight in your chest now burning, too. what was there to explain? either she was coming or she wasn’t. it was a yes or no question. nothing about this date could go wrong. and for fuck’s sake, you didn’t have a second.

“and for you, ma’am?” the waiter’s voice jolted you awake.

“uh…” shit. “just a water.”

as soon as the waiter walked away, your racing pulse was the only thing you could hear. 

annabeth grimaced. “percy got a job as a lifeguard. and she’s working as we speak.”

what? “what?”

“i know, it’s weird. but it was the only way she agreed to stay.”

your blood toxified, spreading a burning rot all throughout your limbs. a revolting scent of seafood crawled up your nose. the acoustic guitar had never been louder. this couldn’t be real. there was absolutely no way. all aside, percy wouldn’t work during a double date, let alone the double date. 

but, based on how annabeth’s expression didn’t falter, there may’ve been some truth.

“uh…where exactly was she going to go?” you asked, forcing your voice soft.

annabeth sighed. “back to camp.”

why? you leaned back, slumping against your chair and almost rocking it backwards. you stared out at the ocean. you should’ve known. you should’ve known that, no matter how good things were going between you and percy, that she’d never pick anyone or anything over camp. why did you ever expect it to work?

your eyes fell warm. what about me? sure, what you two had was nothing but a one night stand and one date, but…was that not enough? were all of the memories you’d made not enough? were you not enough? was anything enough for percy? the vast ocean’s waves crashed against the glass, each one feeling like a bullet to the brain.

“why would she work now?” you asked, not meaning to say that aloud.

before anyone could answer, the waiter arrived. he set the drinks down. “are you ready to order?” 

⬿•☀️•⤳

you parted from the warm, golden-lit restaurant into the cool, salty, and dark night. every limb of yours was heavy. as the waves crashed next to you, you finally understood what percy saw in the ocean—an inescapable pull towards something you couldn’t see. it didn’t matter where you went, because it’d always be there.

drew and annabeth followed you out. you leaned against the wall, staring at the beach. a few brave swimmers swam under the freshly navy sky. the lifeguard towers were planted amongst the sand. you wondered if percy was in one of them. and if she were, would she come running over to you?

you shook your head. that was stupid to think about. drew approached you.

“genuinely which beach does she even work at.” your question came out more like a statement. you needed to check on percy. or at the very least see her face. 

“i think the one near our house.” when you straightened your posture, drew placed a hand on your shoulder. “look, babe, i don’t know what’s going on with her, but i wouldn’t check on her. not tonight, at least.”

“i won’t.” those were the most painful two words you ever uttered. “i just wish…i don’t know. i just wish she didn’t pick tonight. she literally had to know what she was doing.”

“she definitely did.” drew started walking, and you hadn’t even noticed that you did, too. she leaned her head lower. “hey, you know i love you, you’re my best friend, but—”

“don’t even justify it.” you waved her off. “gp get your girl.”

drew ran two steps to catch up to annabeth. they instantly fell into a conversation, laughter starting soon after. you couldn’t help but smile, too, even as you walked behind them. at least one of you was happy.

as you walked parallel to the beach, your mind woke up again. what if percy had come to the dinner? 

what if she’d sat across from you, her skin bathed in the warm light? what would she have been wearing? a blue dress? what kind of dress would it be? how would it exactly compliment everything about her? how would her hair look? would it be up? down? half and half? what kind of jokes would you exchange?