Henry jiggled his keys, and grabbed his things needed for his trip to the beach that he and Amber planned weeks ago. He didn’t bother to wake up his door mates to say a proper goodbye since he told them that he shall be going to the beach early in the morning.

He placed his things at the backseat of his car, and smiled at her. “Ready?” He asked. “I was born ready.” She bragged. He just laughed at Amber’s teasing, he was just too happy to spend the day with her on the beach like they used to, to be bothered by it.

“Follow me… follow me…” He hummed while tapping the driver’s wheel, smiling at her. “Until now?” Amber spoke. “It’s my song.” He replied. “My song that you stole, Amber Josephine Liu” He teased, shifting gears. “Awww! Baby Mochi is sad, and my version way better” She bragged. “Still, I wrote it, and sang it first, posted it in my Weibo for our friends to see.” He retorted. “But still, I sang it better than you.” She pointed out, as she adjusted herself in her seat. “But you’re mine.” He smirked at her. She just squinted at him. “You won this round.”

He watched her face lit up when she saw little things that caught her attention. She excitedly took pictures of them, and tweeted about them. He hoped she will always smile like this and that they will always be like this, free and happy.

“Let play some music. Let me check what music you were listening to lately.” Amber the car stereo. “I knew it.” She said matter-of-factly. “What?” Henry asked. “It is in his new album.” He reasoned. “And don’t act like you don’t like his songs. You tweeted some of the lyrics of this song.” “No. I did not.” She responded. “Keep denying it to yourself, Ber.” He spoke, as his head moved to the beat. “What did you just say?” “Keep denying it to yourself?” He hurriedly spoke with a questioning tone. “No. After that” He corrected him. “I said your name.” “No, you said Ber” “Is it not?” He asked. “It is…” Amber agreed. “So what’s wrong? Ber ber,” He asked, putting emphasis on her name. “Fine, call me Ber. Hen!” She gave in, teasing him again as well. He just laughed upon hearing his name. “What’s so funny?” “Henber” He replied. “What?” She replied, seemed distracted. “Don’t act like you don’t know…” He spoke and quickly gazed at Amber as she was crawling to the backseat, slightly bumped into him. “What the?” “Sorry. It is much comfortable here. You were saying?” She insisted, grabbing some a soft object under all the mess in Henry’s car. “This seems like a pillow.” She whispered, grabbing somewhat looked like a small pillow. “I’m listening.” She added, and rested her head. “Don’t act like you don’t have any idea of what Henber is. Shame on you,” He tried his best to sound really disappointed. Amber kicked Henry’s chair. Henry is now wide-eyed at Amber’s actions, as the car almost swerved. “What did I say wrong this time?” He reasoned. “Nothing” Amber plainly spoke, yawning.

“What’s up with your sudden mood swings?” He asked. “Oh…I know the reason.” He added. “Know what? You know this pillow of yours is useless. Now, my neck hurts.” She complained, throwing it to him. “This is what I am talking about. How could I forget?” Henry spoke, successfully missed the object being thrown at him as it landed at the floor of the car. “Again, what are you talking about?” Amber questioned, transferring back to the front seat. “Forget what?” She added, yawning again. “You know, there are times that you easily get tired….” She is listening to him when she spoke, “Damn it! I want milk tea… no, soda… and tacos.” “…and have sudden cravings,” he added, “and you’re acting girly all of a sudden. You thought I didn’t notice how you fix your hair lately, now that your hair is longer than usual.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and ruffled her hair. “Is this girly enough for you?” Amber , fixing her that way he was describing it, and did her awestricken hair flip at him. He just laughed at her. “And eww, are we actually talking about my time of the month?” She noticed, sitting cross-legged, and her head followed the beat of the song. He just smiled as he saw what Amber was doing.                      

“Where is that pillow? Aha, there it is!” She picked, and seemed to fluff it up and placed it at her back, closing her eyes. “Wake me up when we get there.” “That’s not a pillow.” He corrected her. “What?” She replied, eyes still closed, “It is now.” “Well it isn’t.” He grabbed it from her, and placed it on his lap. “Hey! I’m using it.” She tried to get it back. “Open it.” He instructed, gently placing it front of her. She held it, and placed it again near her head.” “I said open it.” He insisted again. “Fine” She gave in. “If this is crap…” She threatened, but immediately paused as she saw what was in it. She just chuckled and smiled at him as she examined them.

“Do you like it?” He asked. Rolled up “Hen” and “Ber” shirts were the contents of the small bag. “This does not fit me” She noticed, placing the Ber shirt over her body. “That’s mine. Yours is the Hen one.” He explained. “It can’t wear that outside. People will notice.” “That’s the point.” Henry replied. “For you, I guess. You are always the one, hinting Henber to everyone we know.” Amber defended. “They are the ones who came up with the word.” Henry reasoned. “And besides, they already know we have similar things like the black caps, and especially the plaid shirts, and you’re always at my studio. They know about me soundproofing you.” He gave more reasons. “Don’t forget that you carried me on your back at one concert we attended, and the time you tweeted ‘mine’.” She air quoted. “You agreed when I asked to you if I could carry you on my back. You excitedly jumped on my back. And the situation called for, when I tweeted Mine. You are mine not his.” “Since when?” She spoke, and faced him. Henry chastely kissed Amber. “Since the first time we met,” He explained, and faced the road again, and occasionally looked at her reaction after what he did, and didn’t receive any response from her that worried him. “Henry” She called. Henry immediately turned his head, and their lips met. He suddenly stepped on the breaks. Thank goodness no one is heading to the beach at that time or else.

“Now, you can tweet that I’m yours.” She told him, smirking, “again”. She looked out the window, and acted like nothing just happened just to . Henry continued on driving, who can’t seem to stop smiling.                    

She cried even harder, as she remembered that day, the happiest day of her life. She was sitting in the front seat of Henry’s car like she always did since they drove there this morning. Everyone they know was at the beach. She insisted on staying there. She couldn’t find the heart to step out of his car and listen to people talking about him.

Someone knocked on the window. “It’s your turn now, Amber.” She sighed, and finally found the strength to go through with it. “Just say anything you want about him. For Henry” Henry’s sister insisted, grabbing her hand, guiding her. She cleared , and wiped her tears before she started talking.

Everyone was dead silent as they listened to her talk. Only her voice and the sound of her cries can be heard. “Now,” She told Henry. “I'll finally tell everyone about the day we got together. It was Saturday, September 5, 2009, 11:51 am. It was summer of our sophomore year. We just arrived from Berklee the night before. We were heading to this exact beach. You always bugged me to tell our story about what happened that day because you were always the one telling it. So here I am telling every detail of what went on that day. And today, September 5, 2012,” She looked at her watch, and sighed, as tears fell down on her shirt. “11:51 am, wearing this” She narrated, and holding Henry’s shirt for everyone to see their HenBer shirts. “I’m sorry that I never thanked you for giving me this shirt” She spoke still in tears, as she wore the Ber shirt, and sobbed even more as it still smelled like him.

Her fingers trembling as she opened the lid of the urn of Henry’s ashes. “Since you always wished that for us to stay at the beach,” She spoke, soaking wet as she stood near the ocean. Little by little, she took handfuls of ashes and watched as the ocean washed his ashes away. “Stay here, okay. Promise, we’ll be together again. Just wait for me.”