Page 28 of I Could Have Missed This

I look nice.

I look nice.

I look nice.

If I were to repeat it till I believed it, I’d be here all night.

My shoes are already filledwith sand when I arrive at the bar. We decided to go to the beach bar I’ve always loved. The atmosphere is loud, and I begin to tremble in my sand-filled shoes.

But then I see Teddy, and his smile makes everything in my brain fall apart. A fire burns in me as I trudge through sand to greet him.

“Hey you!” He says, smiling like the sun.

“Hi, I like your shirt!” I say, he does a little turn for me. He’s wearing a pink hoodie with a white denim jacket. There’s little flowers embroidered into it. Okay, so his outfit is definitely topping mine.Shit.

“You do?

“Yeah, I love the flowers on it!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they’re beautiful.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes”

“Yeah?”

Oh my god, I was just trying to compliment him, and now we’re stuck in a loop of him not accepting the compliment. I chuckle a little bit before I continue.

“Are you going to take the compliment? We could do this all night,” I laughed before he began to nod.

“Yeah, sorry, you’re right,” he laughs and shakes his head. That smile appears again, and I can’t help but stare.

“Well, I like your Jumper,” he says, pointing at the piece I eventually chose.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah! Where did you get it?”

“H&M.”

“Well, it’s nice, Noah, really.”

“Really?”

“Oh my god, we’re doing it again,” Teddy laughs. His laugh is sweet and warm, and all I want to do is hear it on loop. I can’t believe we both decided to wear pink. We’re clearly on the same wavelength.

“Yeah, sorry, oops,” I laugh. We continue to laugh at each other on our way to an empty table. It has a perfect view of the sea and the setting sun. No matter how many times I see the sunset, it always brings a smile to my face.

Kinda like Teddy here.

“So, how are you finding being back in Perrancombe?” Teddy asks, his chocolate hair blows in the gentle breeze.

“It’s been great, I think this was what I needed. A fresh start,” I say, which is true. My logic for travelling back to a place I heavily associate with my dead mother definitely isn’t the best. But it’s working out so far.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” he says, smiling in my direction. My heart skips a beat.