Page 3 of Just Try, Again and Again

The smile on her face is not a happy one, nor is it an inviting one. It’s a nervous one. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and politely rejects my offer. “No, but thank you.”

“I’m not a murderer, I promise.”

“Again, that’s what a murderer would say.”

What kind of stranger offers a random girl a ride across town in the middle of the night? But a deep desire to get to know her better is bubbling inside me.Why are you out here alone? Why do you look so sad?Or maybe misery just loves company.

I take out my wallet from my back pocket and give her my driver’s license, putting it in her hand. I smile when I see the purple and blue nail polish she’s sporting.Cute. “Take a picture of it and send it to your family, friends, whatever. If you ever go missing, they know who you were with last. I promise I don’t want to kidnap you. I just hate the fact that people come to Elsham Cove but never actually visit Elsham Cove. It’s a pet peeve of mine.”

My brain is getting ready for the disappointment of her rejecting my offer again, but to my surprise, she snaps a picture of the card and types something on her phone, probably to send my information to someone she trusts. Her eyes look up to meet mine as she exhales a breath. “Don’t make me regret this, Bryce Randall Simmons, born in Elsham Cove.”

My body feels light and my cheeks tighten from the smile forming on my face.It worked.Trying to hide my excitement, I press my lips together and point in the direction of the parking lot at the end of the beach.

“It’s only fair I get to see some identification from you, too,” I say as we walk alongside each other. “For all I know, I just offered a serial killer a ride.”

She stands still and puts her backpack on the ground before opening the zipper and pulling out a blue passport.

“You’re American,” I say, confused.

“I’m mixed,” the girl clarifies. “I will only be American until I’m twenty when I have to let go of my citizenship. I’m Japanese.” I don’t press for details. That story can be unpacked another time. Don’t particularly care, either.

She hands her passport to me and I return it to her after taking a photo of the second page but not sending it to anyone. “Don’t make me regret this, Haruki Sano, born in Osaka.”

2

Haruki - 18 years old

As much as I try to fight it, my head keeps on dropping as I fight the urge to drift off to sleep. I grab my camera from the desk and go through the pictures from this morning. That guy Bryce was right; watching the sun greet the world from the cove was breathtaking, and now I have the pictures to prove it. All three hundred of them.

I stop clicking when the small screen on my DSLR camera shows me an image of Bryce smiling while looking to the side, his sneakers clutched in front of his chest. His feet are in the shallow water and the cuffs of his blue jeans are rolled up. I go to the next one, which is of him in the same position, but staring directly into the camera with eyes that are as blue as the water. The sun makes his blond hair look like it’s glowing and I can’t stop the stupid grin from forming on my face at the sight of it.

I can’t believe I got in a car with a stranger at three in the morning. And I can’t believe he didn’t kidnap me and dump my body in a ditch somewhere. I expected him to leave after we got there, but he stayed and waited until I was done snappingphotos. He didn’t speak much aside from the occasionalhere is niceandfrom there you have a better view, but I felt his gaze following me the whole time. Not intimidating, just observant. Nobody has done that for me before; helping me while letting me be.

My phone vibrates on the desk in front of me. It’s a message from my new acquaintance, the friendly town local.

Bryce

Thanks for not being a serial killer ;)

Likewise. Also thanks for taking me there.

Bryce

Wanna make it even?

How?

Bryce

Let’s get coffee today.

I hold my phone close to my chest.Is he asking me out on a date?I haven’t been on one of those since the beginning of my senior year of high school. There was no point in getting to know someone and seeing where it went when I already knew that I would be gone. I didn’t want to be attached to anybody from back home. I still don’t. Not to anybody from Japan and not to anybody anywhere.It’s not worth it.

I’ll buy you coffee as a thank you. Ok?

Bryce

Alright, it’s a date then. Should I pick you up at the bed and breakfast where I dropped you off?

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