Page 2 of One Hot Summer

They were. There were four guys all sitting together. Two of them were being straddled by two girls in string bikinis, leaving very little to the imagination. This left two singletons who were very interested in us as we approached. In between swigging their beers and puffing on cigarettes, they kept looking our way.

A waiter appeared with a tray of various colourful drinks as we arranged our sun loungers so we could be comfortable.

“Would you like a complimentary cocktail, ladies?” he asked. Sarah picked up two, which resembled piña coladas, and handed one to me.

“Thank you,” I said to the waiter, as he went on his way to offer the rest of the drinks to the other new arrivals who’d had the same idea as us.

“So, we need a plan of action.” Sarah sipped on her cocktail and turned to face me. “Eugh, there’s barely any alcohol in that. Anyway, plan of action. We’re only here for a week, so we need to make the most of it.”

“I’m sure the rep could give us some idea of day trips. I read there are some good old town markets nearby and there might be a zoo. We could–”

“No, not day trips, you spoon. I’m talking about fun. We just worked our arses off for our exams, and we’re about to enter the exciting world of adulthood. This is our last chance to go wild!”

Sarah slurped on her cocktail, finishing it in seconds.

“Well, that was gross, I’m going to get us some real drinks. Be right back and then we can plan.”

She grabbed her bag and ran across to the bar. She leaned across the counter to get the waiter’s attention and was served in no time. I looked around while I waited. The sun was still hot, but getting low in the sky, so I had to shield my eyes with my hands, hoping that my sunglasses were in my suitcase and not in the kitchen drawer at my mother’s house.

“I knew you’d forget something,” I could hear her saying.

I looked across at the group of guys. One of them looked at me at the same time. My eyes quickly darted away. Why am I so shy? I looked back and he was still looking at me. He smiled and then lifted his hand to give me a small wave. I smiled back. He was quite good-looking. Very tanned too, so he must have been here a while already.

“Finally, here. Drink this.”

Sarah handed me a small tumbler, which had the look of cola, but with one sip I could tell it was almost pure vodka.

“Yep,” she laughed at my sour expression, “no water in this. Drink up!”

It didn’t take long for the watered-down cocktail and almost pure vodka to start to settle in my empty stomach. I could hear club music playing in the distance, and suddenly felt the urge to dance.

“We need to find some kind of club or something.”

“Yes! That’s the spirit.” She held out her glass and loudly called out, “Girls on tour!”

“Woo, girls on tour!”

“Girls on tour!” we said again in unison.

We clinked glasses and giggled as the two single guys held up their drinks to us and cheered. It was true – we had worked bloody hard over the last few months. I’d barely seen Sarah, even though we had been living together in our own very tiny student flat. She might have been my crazy best friend, but once she got her study head on, she was unapproachable. That’s if you could find her. However, once the pressure was off, she more than made up for it, and we always had the most memorable times.

As the sun went down and the dark fell, the lights around the pool came on and guided us back to the stairs, helping us to avoid falling into the water. Balance was becoming an issue after Sarah had insisted on a few more vodkas.

“Come on,” Sarah slurred. “We can have a quick shower, freshen up and then try the restaurant. Have some food, refuel, then head out. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan. I am starving.” I gripped the banister with both hands as I had almost tripped on the second step. “I thought they were supposed to water down the drinks here. That vodka was actual, pure vodka.”

“Mine too, we’ve barely eaten though. We should’ve grabbed some crisps. A splash of cold water and we’ll be… Oh, hello.”

I looked up to see the two singletons alongside us on the stairs.

“Hello.” His accent was instantly recognisable. “Where are you girls from?”

“Yorkshire,” I said, trying to focus my eyes on the swaying Essex boy. Although I was finding it difficult to focus properly, I could just make out his green eyes.

“Oh, I love Yorkshire.” He smiled.

“Is that right?” I laughed. “And if we were from Newcastle, I bet you’d love that too.”

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