This time the beach was quieter than earlier. The sand was cooler, no need for sprinting across, no more burnt feet. Sally wandered over the sand. The wind whipped her hair. She sat where the tide ended, on the area flattened by the ocean.
The families and tourists were long gone. The serious swimmers and clocked-off office workers had reclaimed the beach. She could see them, dotted sparsely along the mile of sand. Far out in the ocean, surfers did their ballet above the waves. They calls to each other, cheers and congratulations when one of them caught a particularly impressive wave.
She watched the water crash against the shore. In and out. In and out.
A little girl was playing a few feet in front of Sally, splashing around the edge of the water’s tide, only daring to go in as far as ankle height. She laughed and giggled at the waves. Like Sally, she was barefooted. A local. Sally reckoned she was no more than eight or nine years old. The girl spotted Sally watching her. She smiled, and Sally smiled back, waving.
A man walked past on the dry sand, and he called the little girl over. He was probably her dad. Sally surveyed him as he wiped the stuck sand from the girl’s wet feet and gave her a pair of sandals. He kneeled so that he crouched at her level and, with a soft and delicate voice, spoke something to her. Sally couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the girl was giving him her full attention.
Something resurfaced in Sally as she observed the dad and the daughter. A memory. Back when she was a child, around the same age as the girl on the beach. She was holding a bow and arrow in her hands. Her Dad was teaching her archery but the bow was too big for her.
Sally sighed and leaned back into the sand’s embrace. It was soft and cool against her skin. She squinted at the sky above as the sun lazily drifted over the horizon. It was darkening. The evening was coming.
She had to forget the archery memory, it happened long ago. She had to forget the memory, forget the past. That’s why she was on this beach on the other side of the world.
Sally closed her eyes. She counted upwards. It was in the same way she’d done earlier in the day when she swam through the ocean. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt her breaths in and out. Her diaphragm rose and fell softly in tune with her breathing.
One.
Two.
Three.
All the way to a hundred.
There was pain, and she flew back to reality. Ashley’s towel was clinging to her waist too tightly, so Sally loosened it.
The laughter of the little girl and her dad slowly drifted further and further away until they were gone past the pavilion.
Sally decided not to go for a swim.
She didn’t know it, but someone was watching her. Following her.
12
The jet of water hit the back of her head. Sally shivered. She closed her eyes and faced the shower’s faucet. The shower was just the way Sally liked it. Hot. The heat obscured the rest of the bathroom outside the shower stall in a thick layer of mist. The water made her feel new again, refreshed. The water made her feel awake in the same way as the ocean water had done earlier that afternoon. She pictured the shower water cleansing her skin.
The ocean’s salt had thickened her hair. She massaged her scalp. A thin strand of hair got stuck to her lips, edging towards her mouth. Sally flicked it off and observed it land on the bathroom tiles. It slowly swirled into the shower drain.
Sally scrunched her face, running through a series of facial expressions as the water ran down her face. She readied the expressions she’d have to pull when she met Ashley’s cousin. She practised saying hello to him, practised looking interested, practised her smile. Sally knew it was weird to pull different faces in the shower, but she’d always found social interactions like this so hard, and so she needed it. She needed to practise. She was not a natural with other people like Ashley. Practising the different expressions she’ll have to do calmed Sally. It was like putting on a suit of armour. And she was nervous. Meeting new people scared her.
Ashley opened the door to the bathroom and entered. She didn’t knock. She never cared for Sally’s privacy. Sally was scrubbing herself in the hostel’s green body wash and, surprised by Ashley’s entrance she dropped the body wash container. She immediately covered her private parts, hoping Ashley hadn’t seen her practising her facial expressions.
‘What are you doing?’ Sally shouted at her friend, incredulous.
‘Don’t mind me,’ Ashley said, rubbing her hair with her towel. She’d just used the shower. ‘I’ve seen it all before a hundred times.’
To Sally, Ashley was glowing. She appeared beautiful all the time, no matter what the situation was. Even now, when she was wet and messy straight after a shower before applying makeup, she resembled some kind of Greek goddess.
Ashley had a glass of white wine in the same hand she held the towel. The wine had been poured from the bottle they’d just bought. They’d got it on the way back from the beach from a liquor store around the corner from the hostel. She had her other hand concealed behind her back.
Ashley stared at her friend in the shower and took a mischievous sip of her drink. Ashley had news about something, the smirking look on her face gave it away. Ashley couldn’t suppress secrets for long.
‘What is it?’ Sally asked. She had to. Her friend was waiting for her to make the first move. Ashley took another sip of wine, her cheeks red with anticipation, her excitement palpable. ‘What is it, Ashley? Tell me.’
‘So.’ Ashley let the word linger in the air, relishing the suspense she was building.
Sally squirted another dollop of the hostel’s body wash on her palm from the bottle. She didn’t exactly trust the liquid. Its texture was far too green. She started to rub the body wash on her stomach, irritated by her friend. ‘I’m not a fan of your games, Ashley. What is it?’
‘Right, you know how I was signing you up for a dating app so that I could find you a boy?’
‘Yeah,’ Sally said. With the mention of online dating, Sally did not like the direction this line of conversation was heading in. ‘What, with that photo you edited?’
‘That one,’
‘Well?’ Sally asked. ‘What about it?’
‘You’re going to need it any more.’
‘The photo? What are you saying?’
‘I’m saying nothing,’ Ashley replied mischievously.
‘Come on, what is it?’
‘You know,’ Ashley sniggered and took a sip of her wine. ‘Tonight.’
‘I don’t get you and your cryptic words.’
‘You can guess what I mean,’ Ashley replied with a wink.
Sally was catching on. Tonight. She added it all together and shook her head. ‘Come on, Ashley. No way.’
‘Yes way.’
‘Okay, lay it out. You got me. You’ve trapped me in this bathroom and I can’t escape, so you have my full attention. I’m listening.’
‘So,’ Ashley started, still smiling from behind her glass of wine. 'Jim is bringing a friend along tonight.’
‘Your cousin is bringing a friend?’
‘Oh, I think so.’
‘And he messaged you about this?’
‘Yeah, he sent me a photo.’
‘Wait.’ Sally closed the lid on the green body wash and placed it back on the shower tray. She poked her head out of the shower stall. ‘You’ve been messaging him on my phone?’
‘Technically, yes. But that isn’t important.’ Ashley produced Sally’s phone from behind her back. Through the misty bathroom, Sally could make out a dark blurry figure on the screen. ‘What’s important is that he sent me a photo,’ she said.
‘He sent you a photo? On my phone?’ Sally asked.
‘Forget about it being on your phone, who cares?’
‘I care,’ Sally said. ‘I don’t want everyone knowing my number.’
‘Forget about it, I’m not giving out your number to everyone. Just look at the photo, Sally.’
‘I can’t see it, I’m
in the shower.’
‘Trust me,’ Ashley said. ‘He’s cute.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘Sam.’
‘I know where you’re going with this,’ Sally said. ‘You’ve never been any good at playing innocent.’
Ashley took another sip of her white wine with a cheeky flourish. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’ She giggled. She knew what she was doing, she relished in how she was making Sally stutter in embarrassment.
Sally wiped the water off her face and stared at her friend. ‘You’re enjoying this.’
‘No, I’m not.’ Ashley’s smile betrayed her.
‘Ashley, you’re enjoying this too much,’ Sally said.
‘Sam is just a friend of Jim’s, and Jim sent me a photo of him, that’s all.’
‘This is all very secretive.’
‘Nothing is going on here. I’m talking to my cousin and he’s told me his cute friend is coming tonight, that’s all. He’s a friend of Jim’s.’
Sally screwed her face, imitated Ashley’s voice with a high-pitched whine. ‘Oh, he’s just a friend of Jim’s.’
‘Hey,’ Ashley flicked the rim of her wine glass with her finger. ‘You never know what can happen.’
Sally had to laugh. ‘I’m not going to flirt with him only because you think he’s cute.’
‘If you’re not going to chat with him then I will.’
‘You will?’
‘You watch me. You can stand there in the shower and judge all you want, I’m going to get myself ready. I’m going to have a fun time tonight, even if you don’t.’
Sitting by the mirror on the wall, Ashley was applying makeup when Sally left the shower. Sally turned on the hairdryer. It buzzed in her hand. She sensed her friend’s eyes, through the mirror, following her around the room as she began to get changed.
‘You’re not seriously wearing that,’ she said, pointing at Sally’s outfit. ‘Are you insane? Denim shorts? It’s like you’re going to the shops to get some milk.’
Sally shrugged. ‘I didn’t pack anything super fancy.’
Ashley rolled her eyes and stood from the chair. ‘I can’t believe you sometimes. It’s like you’re deliberately trying to provoke me. Hang on.’ She took out a dress she had hanging in the wardrobe. ‘Try this.’
Sally shook her head. ’It’s one of yours.’
‘Exactly. Try it. It’s a gift.’
Sally groaned melodramatically, knowing it’ll annoy Ashley. But she acquiesced and slipped on the dress. Ashley sat down to apply her lipstick, and Sally checked herself in the mirror. She had to admit the dress suited her. Ashley’s strong sense of style could still surprise Sally. ‘What do you reckon?’ she asked her friend, twirling around self-consciously.
Ashley glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widened when she saw her friend, and a smile flashed over her face. ‘Perfect.’
‘Yeah?’ Sally asked, her voice nervous.
‘Gorgeous.’
‘Thank you.’
Ashley turned to face Sally, her smile increasing. ‘So, what happens if one of us wants to bring home a friend tonight.’
‘We’re not seriously going to have this conversation, Ashley,’ Sally replied. ‘We’re not at uni any more.’
‘There needs to be a plan.’
‘I’m not saying, or planning, anything.’
‘Fine. How about no ‘friends’ around tonight,’ In the air, Ashley motioned her fingers as speech marks when she mentioned ‘friends’. Sally frowned at that, finding it cringey. ‘If anything does happen, we go to their place. Deal?’
Sally sighed. ‘Deal.’
Sally’s phone vibrated with a message. She didn’t even bother to check it herself. She just threw the phone over to Ashley. If it was her cousin, fine, if it was anyone back home trying to contact Sally, then she didn’t want to see their message. She didn’t want to see her neighbour’s name pop up again.
Judging from Ashley’s expression, the person messaging was Jim.
‘They’re downstairs,’ Ashley said, her voice shaking with nervous excitement. ‘Are you ready?’
Sally glanced down at herself. ‘Yeah.’
‘Great, let’s go.’
Sally checked she had everything she needed. She turned off the hostel’s room light switch.
Before opening the door, Ashley turned to Sally. ‘How do I look?’ she asked nervously.
‘Beautiful,’ Sally said. ‘More beautiful than any man deserves.’
Ashley grinned and unlocked the door. ‘Thanks,’ she replied. Happy.
13
The lift was slow to reach their floor. Ashley pushed the request button multiple times, frustrated at how long the lift was taking.
‘Is it alright if I ask you something,’ she said to Sally as they waited. Her frustration at the lift button was written all over her face. ‘This might sound silly.’
‘You can never say anything silly to me,’ Sally replied.
Ashley stared at the ground, not wanting to meet Sally’s eyes, and she mumbled something Sally couldn’t make out.
‘Sorry?’ Sally asked.
‘It’s about what we were talking about downstairs earlier today.’
‘What about it?’
Ashley took in a deep breath. Her voice wavered. ‘Promise you won’t leave me,’ she said.
Sally paused. Ashley’s words hit her off-guard. Standing there at the lift doors, looking at Sally, Ashley seemed so vulnerable. Innocent. Sally wanted to cry. She put her arm around Ashley and whispered in her ear. ‘I promise I won’t ever leave you.’
The lift doors dinged open. They staggered in and pressed the button.
Sally could see the two men from the lift when it reached the ground floor, but the men couldn’t see her and Ashley. She leaned out the lift to spy on them. The men stood awkwardly in the hostel foyer. Their backs were turned to the lifts, hands deep in their pockets. Their suits appeared expensive to Sally. They looked like meerkats.
‘Jim.’ Ashley screamed in delight when the doors fully opened. She ran over to the taller man, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. ‘It’s been so long,’ she cried, digging her face into his shoulder.
‘Must be nearly three years,’ Jim replied as he hugged her back. Sally compared the two men. Both were large, but Jim was bigger. He was not just taller than Sam, he was more muscular as well. With their size, they could be rugby players. A mixture of a rugby player and a city finance worker, Sally thought. Two worlds she did not interact with often. This was going to be hard.
‘It feels like it’s been forever,’ Ashley replied to her cousin.
Sally edged closer to the group, behind her friend. Alarm bells triggered in her head. She wanted to shirk away and become invisible. This whole set up was what she’d feared in the shower. She was reminded of the Funeral and its aftermath, the mingling with people who you didn’t know. Putting on a brave face. The small talk. Hopefully, after her practise in the shower, she was prepared for this.
Jim spotted Sally from over Ashley’s shoulder. He glanced at her, breaking from Ashley’s hug. There was something in the way he looked at her. Sally couldn’t place what it was. Aggression, maybe? Or desire.
‘Yeah, it does feel like forever,’ Jim said to Ashley, but his focus had shifted from his cousin to Sally.
‘Who’s your friend?’ Ashley asked him. She was already eyeing the shorter guy.
‘Ashley, meet Sam.’ Jim introduced. ‘Ashley is my cousin.’ The two shook hands. Sally was so invested in watching Ashley flirt and introduce herself to Sam that she didn’t notice Jim had walked right up to her until he spoke.
‘You must be Sally,’ he said. Quiet.
‘That’s me,’ she replied. Jim’s handshake was soft like a wet fish, as if he wasn’t giving Sally his full attention, but his eyes burned into her, searching her all over.
‘You look gorgeous,’ he said.
How could she reply to that remark? No one
had ever said that to her. She could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. ’Thank you,’ she replied, her voice breaking.
‘I don’t like hostels,’ Jim said, taking in the room with a glare. ‘They’re too sweaty.’
‘It’s up to personal taste,’ Sally replied, and Jim went quiet. In the silence, she felt a sudden urge to keep talking. ‘We arrived here the other day. I didn’t know it’s so hot here. It’s nothing like back home, I don’t know how you guys cope with the heat,’ she added nervously.
Shut up, Sally. First, she’d entered the foyer like a shy mouse, and now she was blurting out a flurry of sentences in one breath.
If Jim noticed her ramblings, he didn’t show it. ‘How’s your day been?’ he asked quietly.
Sally clenched her hand, trying not to splutter out an unfiltered string of words again. ‘We went to the beach,’ she said.
Jim didn’t pause this time after Sally spoke. ‘And how was that?’
‘Well, I didn’t drown. That was good,’ Sally replied.
His eyes traced up and down her body again. ‘That’s pretty obvious.’
‘And how was your day?’ Sally asked.
‘I played golf, and like you, I also didn’t drown.’
Before Sally could reply, Ashley ran to Jim’s side and tugged at his arm. Sam bounced up behind her like a keen puppy.
‘This is my best friend, Sally,’ Ashley said to her cousin.
Jim smiled at her. ‘I was already introducing myself to lovely Sally here,’ he said.
‘Behave yourself,’ Ashley joked. Sally didn’t match either one of their gazes. Instead, she focused on flicking her hair over her shoulder. She tried to remain casual when inside she was burning.
‘I’ll behave myself,’ Jim said without taking his eyes off Sally.
Sam darted in front of Sally, offering a handshake. ‘Hello, I’m Sam.’ He was definitely shorter than Jim but still very muscular. The two of them had spent a lot of time in the gym.
The Busker: A gripping psychological thriller Page 7