As the charcoal burnt down to smouldering embers, we stood on the sandy beach facing the vast expanse of the moonlit ocean, sharing a comfortable silence that was broken only by the gentle lull of the waves and the susurration of the salty night breeze. 

“I’m beat,” Liam began, running his hand through his tousled brown hair which was slick with sweat. “So guys, any idea on what we should do now?” 

“We can use the leftover charcoal to make a campfire,” Terasia suggested. 

“It’s a little too hot for that though, I’d like to cool down first…” Liam suddenly trailed off and flashed me a devious grin. “Say, how about we take a dip in the water?” 

Without waiting for me to register his question, he dashed towards the water’s edge with a quick stride, his bare feet leaving imprints in the damp sand. An enthusiastic whoop later, I was met with a cascade of water when he plunged into the refreshing embrace of the ocean. 

“Come on, Avery!” he hollered, his soaked hair clinging to his forehead like seaweed as he resurfaced. “Don’t tell me that you’re scared of a little water!” 

I hesitated. “But I didn’t bring a change of clothes with me—”

Seizing the moment, Liam cupped his hands and scooped up a handful of water in a swift motion before splashing it squarely in my face. 

“—alright, you’ve asked for it!” I took off my shirt and roared, charging towards him and leaping into the air with a determined grin. 

“W-w-woah!” 

“Let’s GOOOO!!!” 

Liam managed to half-swim, half-scramble away in time before I crashed into the ocean next to him with a resounding splash. The chill of the water embraced me as I was momentarily submerged, and with a burst of energy, I broke through the surface like a triumphant sea creature rising from the depths to the sounds of Terasia and Xian Jing cheering and clapping. 

He shrieked with laughter. “Holy hell, you nearly killed me with your ass!” 

“Get over here, I’m not done with you just yet!” I shouted, chasing after him with my arms outstretched in an attempt to tackle him into the water. 

We sent spray in all directions as Liam ducked and evaded my advances, trying to counter-attack me by throwing water and sand at my body. 

“Get the hell away from me, you half-naked bastard!” 

“Oh no, you’re coming down with me—!” 

I hurled myself forward like a sprinter lunging for the finish line, the cool night breeze whipping against my face as the two spectators watched with bated breath. Liam slowed down and turned his head to glance at me at that very moment—a fatal mistake, he realised too late, when my hands slammed into his back and we both smashed into the water face-first. Droplets hung in the air for a moment, caught in the silvery moonlight, before raining down on us like liquid diamonds. 

“Take that, you—” The salty tang of the ocean invaded my mouth as soon as I opened my mouth to laugh, and I instinctively spit out the seawater. “F-fusfsgshk!”

Sputtering and coughing with a shocked expression too, Liam clawed his way up the beach and rushed to grab his water bottle before downing its contents. I soon followed after him, the salty liquid dribbling from my lips as I gulped down a cup of green tea and relished the sweetness. 

“T-that tastes horrible as hell,” he managed to breathe after a couple of long, desperate gulps. “Let’s not do that ever again, Avery.”

I snorted and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m all wet and cold now thanks to somebody.”  

“Oyy, you two! Done playing already?” Terasia called us over to a grassy patch on the beach where she and Xian Jing were setting up a small makeshift fire pit. “We’re over here!” 

-

With a click of the lighter, Terasia brought the small flame to the tinder at the bottom of the charcoal pit, igniting it with a soft crackling sound. The fire soon began to take hold, tendrils of smoke rising into the air as the flames licked the charcoal with increasing intensity. 

“Ooh, I can finally feel warm,” I sighed, putting my hands out and feeling the heat seeping into my damp skin. 

“A-achoo!” Liam sneezed and sat closer to the fire. “Brr, I should have taken off my clothes too before entering the water…”

“Why don’t you take them off here?” Terasia asked, giving him a suggestive smile. “They’ll dry faster that way too.”

“Eughh?!” 

Liam and Xian Jing both shot her looks of shock at the same time. 

“I-It’s okay, I can deal with this!” he hurriedly said, waving his hands in front of his face vehemently. 

“Aren’t you the boldest guy in our entire class?” I couldn’t help but to choke out a laugh at his embarrassed reaction. “How can someone like you be so shy about stripping all of a sudden?” 

“Bastard, why don’t you strip first in front of the girls and then I’ll follow suit?” 

“Eh, it’s fine,” Terasia said, putting on a bored expression. “I’ve already seen Avery without his shirt on, and there’s nothing spectacular about it.” 

It was now my turn to direct a horrified look at her smug face. “Terasia, what are you saying—?!” 

“Damn,” Liam remarked, opening his mouth wide in surprise. “Dayumm bro, I didn’t know that you two have already taken things that far! Why didn’t you tell me anything?” 

“S-so, is that’s why you have a k-kiss mark on your neck?” Xian Jing covered her mouth as she let out a loud gasp. “H-how was the experience? Did it hurt??” 

“Hold up, you guys are misunderstanding something,” I said desperately. “She just happened to see me while I was changing out of my dirtied shirt after chem prac in school! And, ahem, I’m sure that mark on her neck isn’t what you are thinking about…”

“Huh, no way, that’s it?” Liam turned to her with a zealous glint in his eyes. “Is that really true, Terasia?” 

I begged her to agree with silent, pleading eyes, and she gave me a wry smile as if to say ‘I told you that they will definitely notice the hickey’. 

“Yeah, Avery and I haven’t done that sort of thing that you are imagining in your heads,” she finally said a half-truth. 

“Chey, so you’re still a virgin,” Liam said in a relieved voice. “That means I still have a chance to beat you! Wait for me, bro!” 

I rolled my eyes at him. “Seriously, what in the world are you talking about…” 

Thankfully, that was the end of the conversation, and we moved on to chat about other more mundane aspects of our lives while the fire crackled a merry accompaniment. 

“By the way, do you guys already have plans for what to do after graduation?” Liam asked, stretching his arms lazily over his head. “For myself, I know that my mum wants me to start working a part-time job to earn my own allowance, which sounds absolutely boring in my opinion.” 

“I-I’m thinking of applying for an internship while waiting to enter university next year,” Xian Jing replied in a self-conscious voice. “I’d like to build up a good resume before finding a job, so…”

Terasia looked at her with an impressed expression. “Do you already know what you want to study in university?” 

She hesitated. “N-no, not really…but my parents are pushing for me to study medicine, since my grades are enough to meet the entry requirements and it is a prestigious course…” 

“You should probably take a look at all the courses that the university offers first and try picking those that interest you,” I suggested. “If you ask me, I don’t think that there’s a point studying something that you aren’t passionate about, no matter how prestigious the course may sound on paper.” 

Xian Jing nodded her head quietly. “I did go to the university open house in March, but there’s just so many options to choose from that I’m unsure about my own decision…but I’ll keep looking into it. What about you, Avery?” 

“Oh, me?” I paused and shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it yet, but my parents are fine with anything as long as I don’t regret my decision, I guess.” 

“That’s lowkey nice,” Liam murmured before turning to Terasia. “Then, Terasia, what do you want to do in the future?”

“Let’s see, I…” 

The flickering light of the campfire played on her face while she contemplated her answer, highlighting the subtle smile at the corner of her lips. 

Her thoughtful gaze travelled to my face, and for a moment, even the sea seemed to hold its breath as I met her eyes with a mixture of anticipation…and apprehension at whatever it was she was about to say aloud. 

“I hope to get married soon.”

The fire popped, sparks flew, and the stupefied looks on Liam and Xian Jing’s faces said everything there was to say. 

“…don’t stare at me like that when you say such a thing, please.”