{Wattys Shortlist 2022}
A one night stand is turned inside out when two strangers discover their shared past.
After a skydiving excursion that ends in a whirlwind one night stand, Camilla writes off ever seeing her handsome instructor again. That...
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West and I sat on the cement retaining wall outside Easton's Beach together, staring into the dark waters until well past midnight. I had been reluctant to go home with tear-stained cheeks and face my parent's barrage of questions.
"Here," West shrugged out of his black suit coat and draped it over my legs after we'd sat down.
I hugged my arms around my knees, wondering how he could be such an exceptionally kind person. I recognized the scent of Dolce and Gabbana on his jacket. It was the same cologne his brother wore.
What was I going to do about South?
Waves crashed against the rocky beach, the sound roaring while lights twinkled from the enormous mansion homes lining Cliff Walk.
As if West could sense my thoughts, he drew in a deep breath and let it out, then said, "You know, on the Fourth of July, my brother told me he didn't believe in soulmates or true love. He said it was all bullshit."
I let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "Of course he did."
"But, I think you might've changed his opinion."
I shook my head. "I don't think so, West. I mean, you saw the way he just dismissed me. No explanation. Just get out and go home. If I meant something to him, he would have come with us."
"Yeah, if you're waiting for South to be Mr. Sensitive, you'll be waiting forever. He's not like that. He shows that he cares in other ways."
My sadness and shock was quickly turning into anger. I didn't want to be mad at South, but I didn't know how else to feel. "Like not even saying goodbye?"
"Camilla, he was trying to protect you from what my dad might say or do. Believe me, my dad would hurt you just to control him, and South knew it. That's why he wanted us to leave. He knows how to play my dad's game."
I thought about that for a long time, quietly sitting beside West on the break wall until I told him I was ready to go home.
He walked me up to the front door, even though I told him it wasn't necessary. "I hope you stick around, even though our family is insane." West nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. "I'd like to have a sister I get along with."
A sister? Then it struck me that I could be someone's sister again—I just wasn't sure it would be to West. How could I marry a man with a father like that?
Then I thought of the old, abandoned compass.
Family is the anchor of life.
"Goodnight, West. Thanks for the company."
He gave me a lopsided grin. "Anytime."
That night, as I laid in bed, hugging Lydie's picture and watching the neon red numbers on my alarm clock change to three, I thought about South. Wondering if he was thinking about me, too. If he really wanted a future with me.
