Seulgi didn’t know how to swim and honestly, she didn’t want to. 
The sea and pools deeper than 80 inches simply terrified her and when you knew what she had gone through in her youth, it was nothing more but logical. 

When she had been twelve years old, her parents had decided that it would be fun to move to a small town on Jeju Island, close to the beach. Even though Seulgi didn’t know how to swim, she was psyched to go anyway because she had been dreaming of living on the beach since she had been a little girl. 
They moved and at first, it was all perfect. She could hear the sea swish and rustle from her bedroom and she could see the waves crash down onto the sand if she looked out of her window. Whenever she got outside, there was sand all around her, although that was usually more annoying than it was desirable. When she had her window open at night, she could hear crickets chirp and seagulls screech. During the summer, the beach would be loaded with tourists but she didn’t mind. It made the beach look even more fun. Seulgi had the time of her life, until… 

One day, in the midst of the summer holiday, she decided to walk along the shore early in the morning. She liked it best in the morning, because everyone was still asleep. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet and it wasn’t as hot as it would be a few hours later. Usually, she’d take off her shoes and walk close to the edge of the water. But she was twelve and reckless and decided she wanted to take a swim before the tourists would arrive. There were only a few surfers on the beach with her, but they had installed their towels and stuff a few meters away, so she wasn’t bothered by them. 
Up until that point, Seulgi swam often. At least, in the shallow waters, she liked to cool down. As soon as the water rose above her shoulders she went back, but she loved to play when the water was lower and she was able to stand. 
She took her clothes off and left them in a heap at the beach, running off towards the lukewarm seawater. With a feeling of utter freedom, she ran directly into the sea. She ran and ran until she felt the water close around her waist, and even then she waded further. A few days ago she had practiced laying on her back and she did so as soon as she reckoned she’d be far enough from the shore. 
Seulgi let herself float on her back. She faced the bright blue sky and smiled happily. From that position, she watched the sun rise. There was no way to indicate time, but the sun, which slowly crept higher and higher into the sky. It was a lazy Sunday morning, so there was nowhere she had to be. 
When the sun had almost reached its peak, Seulgi decided that she wanted to go home. She managed to get out of her floating position and tried to reach the sand with her feet, only she couldn’t. 
Immediately, panic crashed over her. Her body sunk lower and lower but she still couldn’t feel the ground underneath her, not even when the water had risen until her nose. Seulgi flapped around with her arms but it was hard to keep herself from completely going under. Franticly, she tried to orientate herself, but she couldn’t see her clothes on the beach anymore and vague outlines of the roof of her house just sticking above the dunes nowhere to be found. 
The panic raging through her body started to make her cry. Her tears blurred her vision and her blurred vision caused her not to see the huge wave that approached. Seulgi was hit from behind by the crashing weight of the water and she was blown away. She managed to get underwater and was immediately disoriented by the darkness and the aftershocks of the huge wave. Up was down and down was up. The longer she stayed under, the faster she started to run out of oxygen. She spun around, trying to find the surface, but all she found was sticky seaweed and the mushy, muddy sand underneath her. 

She couldn’t exactly remember what had happened after that. She must’ve fainted due to a lack of oxygen. Perhaps her body had automatically floated towards the surface or maybe she had washed on ashore, but the next thing she remembered was the prickling of tiny grains of sand underneath her, irritating the skin on her back. When she opened her eyes, she was blinded by the sun. Everything was bright white. Slowly, the person above her started to take form and she could locate two beautiful, deep brown eyes hanging above her, showing nothing but extreme worry. There was water dripping from the teenager’s hair on her face, which felt cold on her hot skin. It was a girl, she noticed, by the black sports bikini around her chest and the shorts hugging her hips, but there were more people around her. Sounds started to become clearer too and she heard the sirens of an ambulance in the distance. Voices she didn’t know talked through each other, some yelling, others expressing worry. 
“She’s awake!”
“Did she wake up?”
“I believe so, she opened her eyes!”
“Oh, I’m so glad Amber could still save her in time!”
Seulgi blinked slowly, still not able to understand what had happened. The girl – who was still hanging above her – softly cupped her cheek with her hand.
“Hey, are you okay? Can you talk?” she asked her warmly. “You’re okay now, just slowly breathe in and out.”
When she tried to answer and get up, a wave of nausea washed over her and she bowed down to puke. As she threw up, she felt a wet hand in her neck, holding her hair away from her face. When she was done, Seulgi let herself fall back into the sand again. The girl let her hair go and pinched her shoulder reassuringly. 
“Those were the leftovers of seawater, I suppose,” she muttered, as she kicked some sand over what used to be Seulgi’s breakfast. “Better to get it out than to keep it in, I always say. You should be fine now.”
Seulgi was still dazed and had a hard time answering. All she could do was nod, but that was enough to make the teen smile weakly. From the look of her face, she was about her age, perhaps a year older. Her skin was tanned dark from many hours in the sun. There were a few pimples on her forehead but her lips were dark pink and her cheeks flushed. Perhaps this was the first time that someone who wasn’t an underwear model appeared attractive in Seulgi’s eyes, even with seaweed in their hair. 

The ambulance appeared sooner than expected and before she had restored enough to thank the girl or ask her about her name, she was hauled into the car and driven to the hospital for a checkup. The last thing she saw was the gaze and the weak smile of the girl who had saved her, and that memory had kept haunting her at night for the next decade. 

From that time, Seulgi knew that something had shifted in the universe. Her fear of water had grown bigger, but that wasn’t it. No, she knew almost sure that it was the girl; the teenager; her saver. The person who changed her life. 
And perhaps there had been a chance for Seulgi to forget her and simply erase the happening from her memory, but that didn’t happen. The girl had been a tourist, Seulgi had noticed soon after the accident, but she came back every year after that and every year again, she was confronted by the same guilt. 
She had not thanked her since that day, nor asked for her name and it grew more awkward every year to do so. On top of that, she started to notice that her feelings towards the dark-haired surfer girl had started to change from mere admiration to a crush that would flame up every summer even hotter than the summer before. The older she grew, the more hours she spent on the beach to watch her surf. Whenever she was on the beach and the girl was not, she spent her free time looking for her, waiting for her to show up. 
She always did, luckily, even when the weather was relatively bad. 

Year in, year out, she watched the surfer girl come and go. Each year, she became more and more attractive and each year, Seulgi fell more for her charms. She didn’t know her personally, but from the observations she had done, she could tell that she was someone who would treat her right. Her laugh was adorable; she’d squint her eyes and throw her head back in laughter, slapping her knee or clapping in her hands. Her short hair suited her better than long hair and she especially looked very attractive when, one summer, she had dyed it platinum blonde. It contrasted nicely with her skin. At the beginning of the summer, it was rather pale, but at the end it was dark brown from the many hours on the beach. 
With every passing year, her body seemed to become more athletic. Whilst she used to struggle with carrying her enormous surfboard towards the sea when she had still been fifteen, she now lifted it without any problems. The weight caused her biceps to flash and Seulgi swore she could’ve fainted because of that right there and then. 
She didn’t have abs, but that didn’t matter at all. Instead, she looked like a healthy human being and Seulgi preferred it that way. 

“Just walk up to her,” one of her best friends, Irene, suggested one day, when she caught Seulgi staring in the direction of the small dot maneuvering over the waves like she was born to do so. 
The brunette sighed and ran with a hand through her hair, soflty shaking her head. 
“I swear to God, if you won’t, then I will,” Wendy sighed annoyed. Yeri and Joy agreed by nodding their heads firmly. 
“I can’t, it’s just too awkward,” Seulgi defended herself. “What am I going to say to her? ‘Thank you for saving my life ten years ago and please go out with me because I have had a crush on you ever since’? That’s creepy.”
“Of course you’re not going to say that, you want her to like you too, don’t you?” Yeri said, as she rolled her eyes. “And she must be blind not to see you lurking at her all these years. I bet she already knows who you are. And otherwise she will remember you. It doesn’t happen every day that you save someone from drowning, you know.”
“And even if that’s true, what am I supposed to say after that?” Seulgi asked her friends. She pouted her lips and moaned slightly at the pre-embarrassment that she could already feel coming up in her belly. 
“Ask her for her name,” Joy suggested. “Or try a pick-up line! Something like, “Do you have a name or can I call you mine?”’
Seulgi hit her friend playfully and laughed, shaking her head. The others laughed as well. 
“But come on, you have to make the first step. You’re twenty-three already and it’s time you’re going to get laid by that hot piece of !” Wendy said. “If you won’t, then I will.”
Wendy winked teasingly. The others agreed, causing Seulgi’s chuckles to fade and her to roll her eyes. 
“What if she thinks I’m weird?”
“Then you can move on and find someone better. You can only come out better of this, Seulgi. Even if she says ‘no’ to a date, you can still call yourself brave for trying so. Life is too short to dwell on unanswered feelings, you have to get out there and open up,” Irene said. Seulgi sighed in response. 

Seulgi had tried to gather enough courage that day to walk up to the mysterious surfer girl. It turned out harder to be expected, especially because she was always with her friends. She basically never left their side so it would be impossible to talk to her alone without also having to talk to her friends. It already was embarrassing to put herself out there and talk with the girl who had caught her heart, but it was even worse to also be so vulnerable to her friends. 

Days went by and Seulgi was still struggling whether to just walk up to her or not. It even caused her to sleep worse. She went to bed late and woke up earlier than usual. She couldn’t fall back asleep once she had woken up which caused her to become a lot more tired these days. But because she couldn’t sleep anymore, she often just dressed up and went for a walk. 
The memories from her youth arose again as she walked along the shore, her sandals in her hand. The sand was hard because of the salt in the water and she was able to get a long way from home before she decided to tip-toe into the water to cool down. The temperature was already rising and even at 9 AM in the morning, the temperature was high enough to make her start sweating. 
Seulgi placed her sandals on the sand, far enough from the sea for them not to become wet, and was about to walk into the sea when she felt a hand lock around her wrist. Seulgi was spun around and she was about to lash out to the person who had abruptly and rudely turned her around when she saw who had done it. dropped a little at the sight of the deep, dark eyes that she knew all too well. They played the main part in her fantasies and her dreams, along with the cheeky smile and her husky voice. It was the surfer girl, the one who had saved her. Seulgi was completely mesmerized. 
Only this time she didn’t wear a bikini. Instead, she wore shorts and a loose tank top. The arm holes were just wide enough to show that she wore a sports bra underneath and they highlighted the tattoos on her arm. She wore flip flops and her hair was dry for a change, although it was still falling across her forehead like a dark curtain. Her eyebrows had knotted together into a frown, causing a wrinkle to appear on her forehead. 
“You weren’t going in, were you?” she asked her concernedly. Seulgi was too baffled to answer and only shook her head sheepishly. 
“Good. We don’t want a repetition of what happened ten years ago, now, do we?”
Seulgi blinked a couple of times, staring dumbfounded at the girl. 
“I- I, what?” she staggered. She was able to hit herself when she heard how dumb she sounded. What must she be thinking? She was extremely aware that the girl still had her hand wrapped around her wrist. 
“You’re the girl, right? The one who almost drowned?” the tomboy asked, tilting her head slightly to the right. “Please tell me you are, otherwise I’m really making a fool out of myself right now…”
The surfer girl immediately let her wrist go and took her hand back, already fearing the worst. 
“I- I am,” Seulgi muttered. Immediately, a large grin spread across the girl’s face. 
“I already reckoned you were! I never dared to ask, actually. Do you remember me?” she asked her. 
Seulgi stared at her a little too long, wondering if it was a rhetorical question. Did she remember her? If only she knew that she was the one who haunted her at night. If only she knew that she had been thinking of her every day for the last decade. If only she knew… Perhaps then Seulgi wouldn’t have to explain herself. 
“Yes, of course I do,” she managed to get out. How could she forget her?
The girl laughed. 
“I’m glad to hear so,” she said. “I’m Amber, by the way.”
“Seulgi,” Seulgi replied, still in awe. Amber… It weirdly suited her so well. All those times, she had been nameless. Just a beautiful stranger, a mystery. But now that she knew her name, suddenly everything seemed right. Amber, Amber, Amber. It was a name she would never forget, a name that would return in her dreams this night. 
Amber stack out her hand to shake hers and smiled warmly when Seulgi took it and shook. 
“Nice to meet you. Well, we already met, but it’s nice to meet you without the fear of your heart stopping, you know,” she joked. A small smile formed on her face and she looked down to her bare feet, chuckling softly. 
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Seulgi replied, looking back up again in those beautiful, twinkling, brown eyes.

Amber turned out to be even more perfect than she had imagined. After their meet up at the beach, Amber had invited her to come and hang out with her and her friends the next day. Seulgi had immediately agreed and when she told her friends about the progression she had made, they had cheered her on happily. 
She was a bit nervous to meet Amber’s friends, mainly because she was worried that she’d be left all alone. Amber seemed like a people’s person. What if she forgot about her? She didn’t know any of them and she couldn’t swim so there was no way to tag along with the group when they would go out surfing… 
However, Seulgi was proved wrong. The group was very friendly and she had never felt more welcome. The group consisted of four girls and three boys, including Amber. When she had introduced herself, they had rapidly told them their names. There was a cute boy named Henry whom Amber seemed to have a brother-sister relationship with. Eric and Jackson constantly teasing each other and the girls. The girls introduced themselves as Ailee and Shannon, each giving her a hug. The last one to come up to her was Amber’s older sister, Jackie, whom shook her hand with a smile that matched Amber’s.  
Seulgi immediately felt comfortable around these people, but it helped that Amber constantly stayed by her side. Whenever she fell silent or the conversation took another direction, she made sure that Seulgi felt included again. 

They spent a long time on the beach, just chilling and chatting in the shadow of a large palm tree. They had laid out their stuff close to a group of those trees, since they provided shadow throughout the whole day. 
After hours of talking, the boys were getting tired of not being able to get into the water. Despite Amber’s objections, they won the discussion when they mentioned that their whole reason to be here was to surf. They took their surfboards and ran towards the sea, happily pushing each other, laughing out loud. Ailee and Shannon shot Amber an apologizing look. 
“They’re right, Ber,” they told her, as they got their boards as well. Jackie sighed and ran with a hand through her short hair. It wasn’t as short as her younger sister’s, but considering the average length of a girl’s hair, it was still short. 
“Why won’t you come with us?” she asked Seulgi kindly. The brunette looked down, fidgeting nervously with a bit of sand. 
“She can’t swim,” Amber answered for her. This took Jackie by surprise and it took her a few moments to formulate her next sentence. 
“And you neither want to learn?”
“I would, but…” 
“[i]Of course[/i] she would, but wouldn’t you be afraid if you almost drowned when you were younger?” Amber said, a little irritated at her sister’s incomprehension. Jackie nodded thoughtfully. 
“Well, you’re welcome to join us but if it’s too much…”
“You can sit on my board if you want. We won’t surf, just watch. I can paddle there, I have one in the back of our truck,” Amber suggested suddenly. The short haired girl gave her a hopeful glance; her eyes glimmered with aspiration. Seulgi bit down on her lower lip, looked away and shrugged. 
“I don’t know…”
“If you fall into the water, I’ll just save you again.”
She looked up, to see Amber smiling reassuringly to her. She had her hand outstretched, waiting for her to take it. She didn’t have to think long whether to take it or not. 

Their fingers were intertwined as they walked towards the shore. Amber had her surfboard under one arm and held Seulgi’s hand with the other. 
Jackie had already left them – since they took too long, she had said – and was already on her belly on her board, peddling with her arms towards the group who had stationed themselves far into the ocean. Each of them was sitting on their board, side by side, waiting for the perfect wave to come along. 
Amber had brought a paddle, as she had promised. They walked into the water until it reached to their waists. Amber helped Seulgi up onto the board and she immediately wrapped her legs around the piece of floating plastic. It was a bit wobbly and she had trouble finding her balance, especially when Amber got on as well. She clutched her hands around the edge of the board, her body shaking slightly at the absence of ground underneath her feet. 
“Ready?” Amber asked her. Seulgi could only look up for a few seconds to nod. She heard her chuckle. 
“I’m with you and I won’t let you fall into the water, I promise. You trust me, don’t you?”
“How could I not, after you saved my life?”
Amber grinned and started to paddle. Seulgi’s grip on the board loosed up a little. 
“Precisely.”

They spent the whole afternoon on the water. Slowly but surely, Seulgi had turned a bit more comfortable with being on a surf board, a long distance away from the safe beach. 
Amber didn’t try to surf, but stayed behind to watch over Seulgi. Together they watched Amber’s friends surf. Seulgi hadn’t felt as comfortable around water since she had been young. 
They spent the evening around a large campfire, roasting all kinds of things. The boys told stories and they drank beer. Amber had stayed by Seulgi’s side all day and she hadn’t felt awkward or unwanted once. 

The days after that, she returned often. Whenever Seulgi was around, Amber would only have eyes for her. After a few of her visits, they decided that it was time that she’d learn how to swim. Bit by bit, Amber taught her how to manage herself in the water. She was taught the basic swim and the more she practiced, the better she got. They first tried in shallow water, but eventually she even was able to get around in deeper water. Whenever she now sat on Amber’s board, she wasn’t afraid anymore to be in the water. 

But to every summer came an end and that meant that Amber had to go back to the United States. 
Seulgi had known that the end of summer neared, but it came a lot faster than she had expected. It felt like a blow in the face; she wasn’t ready. 
Her crush on Amber had only grown since their first ‘official’ encounter and it was almost unbearable to be without her by now. To have to let her go was an agonizing idea. 
In the last few days before the group would leave for their home country, she could tell that they were sad to leave. Even though they’d return next year – they promised – they weren’t as careless and happy as they used to be. They could all feel the end coming closer soon. For most of them, that meant saying good-bye to the beautiful beach of Jeju Island, but for Seulgi and Amber it meant so much more. 
Seulgi didn’t know whether Amber liked her or not. Surely as a friend, but that had never been her goal. Amber was a people’s person and had this very flirty way of talking, even to the guys. Seulgi never knew whether she meant it or not, especially with her. 
Amber liked to stay at Seulgi’s side, but she reckoned that it was mostly because she was still some sort of outsider. Even though she liked the other girls and the guys were just too funny, Amber was the main reason why she stayed and Amber knew that the only reason why she came back every day was because of her. Seulgi doubted she knew how much Amber influenced her life, though. 
The more hours that passed, the more Seulgi started to feel melancholic about getting left behind by her crush. If only she’d have a little more time, maybe she could find the courage to confess to her. Life is too short to dwell on unanswered feelings, you have to get out there and open up.

On the morning of their departure, Seulgi hurried towards the beach. The group had agreed upon taking one last swim early in the morning. Their plane would leave late in the afternoon, but if they got up early enough, they’d be able to still enjoy the beach and the weather. Seulgi knew this was her last chance to see Amber. 
The surfer girl was loading in the truck with Jackie when Seulgi arrived. They roughly threw their luggage in the back. The others were swimming and playing in the shallow waters without their boards, since those had been already strapped to the roof of the car. 
When Amber noticed Seulgi coming, she immediately dropped the bag she was holding and walked towards her to meet her. 
“Why are you looking so gravely?” she asked her, with her famous, wide grin decorating her face. Seulgi, who had unintentionally frowned, immediately eased the muscles in her face, trying to smile. It turned out to be harder than expected. 
“I-” she started, but stopped when she couldn’t find the right words. It also didn’t help that Jackie was watching her from behind Amber’s back. Even though she liked Amber’s older sister probably the best besides Amber herself, it still made her feel uneasy. 
“Could we talk in private, perhaps?” she asked with a tiny voice. Amber’s grin faltered a little and she nodded, turning around to her sister. 
“Shoo, shoo,” she said to her. Jackie rolled her eyes, getting the hint, and walked off, muttering something that sounded a lot like a curse word. 
“So, what’s up?” Amber asked, when Jackie had disappeared behind the trees and the only sound that interrupted the silence now was the waving of the wind and the crashing of the waves on the shore. 
“I- You know, nothing really,” Seulgi muttered. 
“Then why did you want to speak to me in private?”
Seulgi bit down on her lower lip, not daring to look up to the girl. 
“W-well, you know. I-I have something to say to you, but, ehm, it might sound a bit weird. And honestly, it is, but I’ve been struggling with it for a very long time and I just thought that you should know, especially because we’ve been hanging out a lot. And maybe you never want to see me again after this but I’ve been thinking about y- I mean, I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I just think you should know that I-”
Before she could finish her nervous rant, Amber laid her hand around her face, cupping her cheeks, and brought her face up to hers. Their lips met softly and briefly. Amber let her go before she had even time to close her eyes or realize that the girl whom she had been crushing on for over a decade had just kissed her. 
Amber bowed back with a smug smile covering her face, leaving Seulgi confused and dazed. 
“That’s what you wanted to tell me, right?” she asked. “Otherwise I just made a fool out of myself.”
Seulgi was staring at her in shock, her cheeks slowly reddening. She opened to say something – anything – but seemed to be made out of sand paper. By now, Amber awkwardly started to rub the back of her head, looking away from her gaze. 
“Seulgi, I-” she started, but the brunette interrupted her. 
“D-do you like me too?”
Amber looked up, a weak smile covering her face. 
“I do.”
“How did you know I liked you?” she asked, a bit ashamed. Amber chuckled softly. 
“I just felt it, I guess. I didn’t think you’d spend so much time with me, in the water, if you didn’t really like me. Oh, and Jackie told me you were pretty obvious.” 
Seulgi chuckled softly and bit down on her lower lip. 
“How long have you been feeling this way?” Amber asked. 
“I suppose… since you saved me,” Seulgi admitted. Whilst she had reckoned that Amber might laugh or think of her weirdly, the other girl simply stepped forwards and took her hand in hers. 
“That’s weirdly very flattering,” she said, smiling broadly. The sentence ended in a chuckle, which caused Seulgi to show a smile as well. She looked up to Amber, who stared down at her with twinkling eyes. Her heart was beating hard and fast in her chest and started to beat even faster when Amber placed her hand softly around her jawline again. Her breath got caught in when she saw her bow forwards. She did the same and their lips touched again. 
Seulgi’s eyes fluttered shut and she was finally able to enjoy the kiss. Amber’s lips were soft; it felt like kissing clouds. She smelled like the beach: a bit salty but fresh and free. Her skin burned under Seulgi’s touch. 
Their lips slid over each other like they were made to. It felt perfect, it was perfect. 
Their kiss was interrupted by the loud cheering of Amber’s friends in the background. She could feel the other girl smile against her lips before she broke the kiss off to wave to them. Seulgi laughed, not actually minding that they had been caught. A wave of happiness had washed over her, which was only strengthened when Amber intertwined their fingers. She held her hand firmly, almost as if her life depended on it. 

Seulgi had never reckoned that she’d be in a long-distance relationship. She had always refrained from one too, since it had too many perks. You weren’t able to see your lover and it was so easy to cheat with them living half a world away. But being in a long-distance relationship with Amber was worth every second. She made it worth every second. 
Waking up to a good-morning text wasn’t as romantic as a good-morning kiss, but they kept the romance alive, albeit through the internet. They Skyped every day, mostly whilst they were doing their own thing. Amber when she did her assignments late at night – somehow, she always ‘forgets’ to do them – and Seulgi when she wakes up. Even though she wasn’t there to physically touch her, it still felt like Amber was closer than ever. 

A year passed and their love hadn’t died down yet. Seulgi was waiting at the airport for her girlfriend and her group of troublemakers to return. The plane landed and within half an hour, she was able to lock her arms tightly around Amber’s waist. The taller girl nuzzled her face in the crook of her neck, pressing a feather light kiss on the sensitive skin. Seulgi, almost crying of happiness, circled her arms around Amber’s neck and kissed her. She kissed her like nothing else on the world mattered; she kissed her like it was the only thing that would save her; she kissed her like they had been apart for a year, which, in fact, they had been. 
Amber kissed her back, placing her hands on her hips, pulling her closer. When she heard Jackie yell loudly that they should get a room, Seulgi couldn’t help to smile. She felt Amber crack up too and within seconds they pulled away, giggling. Her girlfriend stuck out her tongue in an act of defense. Amber’s sister had her arms wrapped in front of her chest, shaking her head slightly, a somewhat proud smile covering her face. Seulgi’s cheeks colored and she looked away. She wasn’t afraid to show her girlfriend affection, but kissing her passionately in front of her friends was something she’d rather not do. Amber seemed to get the hint, but still took her hand in hers. Their fingers intertwined and she rubbed caringly with her thumb over the back of her hand. Seulgi leaned with her head against Amber’s shoulder, once again thanking God that her girlfriend had precisely the right height to do that comfortably. 
“I don’t want to interrupt you, or anything,” Henry started, “-but I really, really want to get to the beach. Do you think you could, like, I don’t know, hold it in, for just twenty minutes so we can actually get there?”
Amber rolled her eyes, but her big grin betrayed that she didn’t mind it as much as usual. 
“Sure, sure,” she murmured. “Let’s get going quickly, otherwise Henry might get edgy.”
This time, it was Henry’s turn to let out a sigh. Amber shot him a teasing glance, before she led the group out of the airport and towards their transport. Jackie had rented two cars that were able to take them back to the beach. Amber and Seulgi quickly chose the black Range Rover and seated themselves in the back, immediately taking a comfortable position. Amber leaned half against the door, half against the back of her seat and Seulgi leaned against her. The surfer girl pulled her closer by laying her arms around her and holding her. The brunette snuggled up to her, closing her eyes. The familiar scent of freedom and the sea made her smile. 
As the car started to purr softly and move onto the road, Seulgi couldn’t help to wonder what life she’d be living now if she hadn’t met Amber. Would it still be as perfect as this? Would she be as happy as she were now? She guessed not. 

Drowning was the best thing that could’ve happened to her, she stated. It had brought her Amber. And with Amber, happiness had tagged along.