With the Sea
The sun blinded my eyes fiercely, it was hot even in light pants, the suitcase absolutely refused to cooperate, and the women nearby, dressed in hijabs, looked at us with curiosity — all of this meant only one thing: we had arrived in Saudi Arabia.
We allowed ourselves to take a taxi, and fortunately, the driver spoke English, so he immediately understood where our new home was located. After five years of living in Milan, I had completely rid myself of the English language barrier. However, the Italian language was not as easy as I would have liked, while I had always spoken French quite well and often read French news for practice. Regardless, communicating in my native language was much more comfortable and pleasant; unfortunately, I could only converse in Ukrainian with Ella, Sol, and my brother.
Since we really decided to escape from life, which meant going on vacation away from others, Loretta kindly helped us rent a house three hundred meters from the coastline and away from the city center. We all wanted our little refuge. But don’t think that we settled somewhere in the middle of nowhere. No, there were similarly secluded houses around.
We were greeted by the owner of the villa we rented for a whole seventeen days! I had already seen the blue sea, and the only thing I wanted was to dive into the water as soon as possible. The house itself had four luxurious rooms, so each of us was assigned one. There was also a spacious white kitchen combined with a living room, where I immediately claimed a red armchair next to a floor lamp, a bathroom for each bedroom, a terrace, and even our little pool. My attention was drawn to a small green garden, where two large trees stood, from which a hammock was hanging — the perfect place to relax with a book.
Ella was the first to collapse on the snow-white couch and stared at the ceiling.
— I could eat something, Dam, will you prepare us something tasty? — she looked incredibly tired, and although I had gotten used to this, usually unnatural state of my friend lately — seeing her like that again and again was painful.
— Where am I going to go? You look like you could eat me, — he probably was the only one left with the strength to joke.
I glanced out the window to enjoy the tranquility of the sea again. Dam noticed my gaze:
— I suggest we have dinner by the water.
— Wonderful idea, — I chirped joyfully, genuinely pleased that the guy understood everything on his own, and I didn’t have to persuade either him or Elizabeth.
— I’m in, — she said and raised one hand in agreement, melting into the couch.
— Then get ready! — Dam raised his eyebrows.
I rummaged through a pile of things to find my solid white swimsuit and wrapped a transparent beige pareo around my waist. While Ella was putting food in a woven basket (it was a mystery to me where she got it from), Dam also changed into black shorts and a crisp white T-shirt featuring the name of his favorite rock band on the back.
We locked up the house and, talking about everything under the sun, headed to the beach. This part of it wasn’t too crowded during the day, and in the evening it seemed entirely lonely and deserted, which I was very pleased about.
— Delli, do you want to be a red lobster tomorrow? — Ella asked, pouring a ton of sunscreen on herself.
— The sun is no longer harmful, and I want to enjoy its warmth, — I twisted away.
— You’re missing my warmth, rainy cloud? — Dam asked, moving closer to me and hugging me around the shoulders, pretending to be deeply offended.
— Yours is different, — I assured him.
He laughed in response, while Ella tried to squeeze herself into our fleeting idyll.
— Hey, hey, don’t touch me, cream bun, — Dam stuck his tongue out at her.
She squeezed a puddle of cream onto his bare arm:
— Now who do we have here, cream bun? — Elizabeth peeked from behind his shoulder, rubbing white ointment on his neck.
— If you give me a massage, I won’t even object, — Damianno replied with a wide smile.
— You’ll go without it, slippery giant! — I started laughing at that nickname while Dam hissed at me.
At that moment, Ella squeezed a puddle of cream onto me.
— Hey, what’s that for?
— So everyone gets a bit and no one is offended, — clearly and distinctly.
All evening, we played games, ate what Dam had managed to prepare, and laughed at random jokes. Empty chatter with these people warmed my soul. The sky seemed to be painted in orange and pink hues — with every word we spoke, the colors became more vibrant. Birds played tag with the waves, sometimes chasing them and sometimes fleeing from them. It was so quiet, it felt like we were the only ones in the world, and only the city lights that flickered on and off reminded us that life was bustling somewhere out there, not far away. Chaotic and monotonous at once. A life I once feared. A life that now felt so distant and foreign again.
Ella had already won at cards for the third time, and Dam laughed as he threw his head back. His tousled hair glistened in the sunlight, taking on an amber color. Elizabeth looked at him with playful indignation. I wanted to dive into the warm water that had been calling to me from the very beginning, so I left them, tossed off my pareo, and ran to meet the sea. I felt as if I was enveloped in freshness. I resurfaced and saw my friends' bewildered faces for a moment. But in a second, they were already smiling and heading towards me. I dove again, allowing the current to control my movements. I didn’t want to surface. I was overwhelmed by a completely childlike desire — to transform from Cinderella into Ariel. To become a mermaid and never come back to the land. My muscles relaxed, and I felt delicate sounds with which the water seemed to call me. Mother told me that everything in the world has a voice, and the sea's is the most beautiful. I thought I saw her smiling face before me. I closed my eyes, and darkness enveloped me. I felt the waves carrying me away: further, deeper. I felt a lack of air and knew my head was spinning, yet I didn’t want to resist it. I didn’t want to go back. This world felt foreign. It felt unreal. I wished I could be someone else. A bird chasing the waves or a mermaid who never knew life on land, or the sea that sings for the chosen.
But I — I am still me. And I return to reality. I open my eyes and abruptly surface from the water. I hear Dam saying something about having lost me, but I don’t listen to him. I am still glad to return, even though my head is throbbing, and my mouth greedily gasps for air. I smile at my friends and start splashing water on them. They flee.
After nearly a week of our vacation, Ella and I went into the city. Our skin had already taken on a sun-kissed glow, and satisfied smiles played on our faces. We wandered through shops and ate ice cream. It all reminded me so much of childhood when we would run to the nearest café after classes to stuff ourselves with cherry buns before lunch. We both didn’t recognize lunches. Some things remained unchanged. Ella still disliked lunches, and I, being a true friend, blackmailed her into eating at least a bit of soup.
In a wonderful mood, we returned home, listening to atmospheric music that kept our warm vibe alive. I hadn’t seen Ella so happy since the very day she learned about Nick’s "true" feelings for her.
— Great day, — Ella was the first to break our comfortable silence.
— Yes, we should go out together more often, — we hadn’t spent much time together lately. — Especially now that no boys will stand in our way!
— Right, — Ella replied hesitantly, her face changing.
— Hey, forget about that Nick, he’s not worth your time, — I reassured her.
— And was Leo worth your time? — I couldn’t answer that question myself. But some part of me suggested that he was worth all my time. No matter how it was, I enjoyed and had fun spending time with him. After a moment’s thought, I found a solution:
— Let’s make a deal.
— What? — she looked at me in surprise. She probably really didn’t expect such a proposal.
— Let’s promise each other that during this time, we won't involve any boys, — I extended my pinky and smiled, trying to show her the absurdity of the situation.
— No boys! — she extended her pinky in response and vigorously shook our hands.
— None at all, — I repeated.
— Friends first of all, — Ella smiled, and I believed her words like I believed in nothing else.
A black Range Rover stopped in front of our house, but honestly, a new car was parked there almost every day. So we calmly walked inside. Suddenly, surprised Damiano ran out to meet us with his arms wide open, as if he was about to hug us:
— Girls, you’re already here...
— Everything alright? — I pushed him aside. And in a moment, I pulled him back. He looked confused; behind me, Ella gasped. I glared at him angrily. — What the hell are they doing here?