‘We should take photos before the sun gets too bright,’ she declared, twisting her lush dark hair into an effortlessly chic topknot. ‘This beach was made for thirst traps and it’s always a good idea to stock up when you get the chance.’
‘Tell me again how you have no luck with people you’re attracted to?’ I secured my unwashed hair with a snap of a banana clip. What kind of person washed their hair to go to the beach? The hot kind. ‘Bel, in case you hadn’t noticed, you really are beautiful.’
‘This is just a body, everyone has one,’ she slapped herself on the stomach, leaving a red handprint on the tanned, toned flesh. ‘It doesn’t matter how you look if you can’t string a sentence together.’
‘I, like Ursula before me, would argue that is entirely untrue,’ I said. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of people who couldn’t care less about what comes out of your mouth as long as they could still look at you.’
‘And would you want to date one of those people?’
‘Possibly,’ I replied. ‘If they were very rich and not completely hideous.’
She peered at me over the rim of her Ray-Ban sunglasses. ‘Trust me, you wouldn’t. I’ve dealt with more than my fair share of “shut up and look pretty” guys. When you’re not allowed to talk, all you can do is listen and you do not want to hear what those men are saying.’
‘For someone who can’t string a sentence together in front of a random boy, you’re extremely insightful,’ I said. ‘Gorgeous and clever? How dare you?’
She sat up on her knees and held her hands out for my sunscreen. ‘My whole life, people have told me I’m pretty,’ she said as she sprayed her arms and legs. ‘And that’s nice to hear, right? I’m not stupid, I know it makes life easier if people think you’re attractive, but it doesn’t feel good to be valued only for the way I look and have everyone assume I’m dumb. I’m not saying I’m a genius but I’m not just this peppy, pretty vacant thing people want to believe I am.’
The weight of my own assumptions settled on my shoulders like a rock.
‘I’m sorry. We’re all jealous,’ I said. ‘I for one think you’re an incredible person.’
‘That’s nice of you to say,’ she replied as she fussed with the strap of her bikini top. ‘Most of the time I try to rise above it but when you’ve been hearing the same thing for so long … I guess sometimes I start to believe it too. It’s harder to ignore the voice in your head than the ones outside it.’
Her words were featherlight but they cut through me like a knife. I knew that voice all too well.
‘It only takes one very convincing person to make you believe the worst,’ I told her. ‘And changing your own mind isn’t easy.’
‘There are always going to be assholes in the world,’ Bel said, sighing at the inevitable. ‘We have to help each other, you know? It’s the only way to beat the system.’
‘Speaking of helping …’ I leaned back on my elbows and wiggled my toes in the sand. ‘I’ve been thinking about you and Ren. What if you wrote him a love letter?’
She pushed her Wayfarers into her hair and made a face.
‘Or, what if we remember this is the twenty-first century?’
‘No, it’s a great idea!’ I protested. ‘If he’s really into books like you say he is, I think he’ll be into it. A love letter would definitely get his attention.’
‘As well as the attention of the LAPD.’ She waved a hand to dismiss the notion. ‘Pheebs, it’s giving super stalker. I was thinking we take some fire photos on the beach, I post them on main then slide into his DMs so they’re the first thing he sees when he checks my page. We can chat a little online, get to know one another and then, once I’m comfortable enough to form a sentence around him, we smash.’
‘And they say there’s no romance these days.’ I shook my head at her plan. ‘How is sending someone a DM less stalkery than sending them a letter?’
‘DMs don’t require your home address. They give the FBI way less to go on.’
‘It’s not stalking, you work for his neighbour. It’s not like you’ve been following him or anything.’ I looked over at her when she didn’t answer. ‘Bel, it’s not like you’ve been following him or anything, is it?’
‘Is it following if I also needed to get gas, go to the grocery store and drive across town to collect some timber?’
‘Why would you need timber?’
She paused, her shiny top teeth digging into her full bottom lip. ‘For reasons.’
‘I’m going to pretend you didn’t tell me any of that,’ I said, moving on. ‘A love letter from the right person is the most wonderful thing in the world. It’s a better way to start things than a DM. What are you going to do, screenshot your inbox to show your grandkids?’
I could tell from the look on her face that was exactly her plan.
‘I just don’t think I’m a love letter person,’ Bel said as she rolled onto her stomach. ‘They’re cheesy.’
‘What if Ren isn’t a DM person? He might not even check his messages.’
