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“I’ve heard they’re pretty notorious for stealing chips,” Paige said, rubbing her hand over her shorts.
Olivia tutted, before her expression brightened. “Ooh, chips and batter. That’s tea sorted. I saw at least five different chippies on our way to the cottage.”
“I’m pretty sure the batter isn’t vegetarian,” Paige pointed out, but Olivia shushed her.
“We’re on holiday. I’m allowed a little cheat every now and then,” she said with a wink.
A young boy floated past on an inflatable unicorn lilo, and Olivia watched him go with a longing sigh. “We should have brought something like that.”
“Knowing you, you’d fall asleep and get swept out on the tide.”
“That happened to my uncle once,” Olivia said fondly “We had to call the lifeguards out and everything.”
Paige pulled a face. “Maybe not a good idea, then.”
Olivia laughed. “I love that you have such trust in me,” she teased.
“Always.”
Paige was nervous about going to sleep that night. It shouldn’t have bothered her that she was sharing a bed with her best friend, just like they had countless times before, but it did. They were older now. And things… were changing. Paige didn’t understand what, or why, only that they were. She was feeling things for her friend that she shouldn’t be feeling. Feelings she’d never felt before, that made her giddy and nervous.
“I love your PJs,” Olivia said as she came out of the bathroom, combing a brush through her hair. “They’re so cute.”
Paige stared down at her frilly blue shorts and oversized polka-dot t-shirt. “Oh, thanks,” she muttered, feeling vaguely embarrassed about the childish ensemble. “I hope it isn’t too warm tonight. I’m a terrible sleeper when it’s hot.”
“Ugh, me too. We’ll probably have to leave the window open all night. As long as the noise doesn’t bother you.”
Through the open window, they could hear the soft crash of waves against the shore, and the cries of nesting gulls. It was just after nine o’clock, and it was still light outside, the sky a beautiful blushing-orange hue. A few couples strolled along the sand, but most of the beach-goers had already packed up and headed home.
“I don’t remember the last time I felt so tired this early,” Olivia said, stifling a yawn.
“All that sea air.”
Olivia gave her a sleepy nod. “Yeah. Oh, I was thinking about what to do tomorrow. Instead of heading down to the beach right away, I thought we could grab breakfast in town, and maybe do a bit of shopping. Parking’s probably going to be a nightmare again, so we’ll look up the bus route. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me,” Paige said.
“Great, then it’s a plan. But now, we sleep.” She stretched her arms up over her head, giving Paige a view of her stomach—and the little silver belly piercing she’d had since Year 10—before climbing into her side of the bed.
Paige remained on her feet by the dresser until Olivia patted the space next to her. “I already told you, I don’t snore.”
“I know,” Paige said softly, climbing beneath the cotton linen sheets.
Olivia sat scrolling through her phone for a few minutes, responding to the various notifications she had ignored all day, while Paige stared up at the ceiling, her dark curls spilling out over the pillow. After a moment of hesitation, she reached for her phone and sent a quick text to her mum. Her mother hadn’t asked her to keep her updated, but Paige figured she ought to at least let her know she was still alive and hadn’t met with some unfortunate accident on the way.
She didn’t receive an immediate reply, so she put her phone back on the side table and rolled over so that she wasn’t facing Olivia.
“Are you going to sleep now?” Olivia asked, her voice sleepy and quiet and intimate.
Every nerve in Paige’s body shivered, and she curled her legs up to her chest, as though it would somehow keep her reaction contained. “I think so.”
“Me too,” Olivia decided, and Paige felt the bed dip behind her as she wriggled deeper under the covers. “I hope you sleep well.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Goodnight.”
“Night.”
