Page 8 of The Summer of Us

“Do you think it would be a mistake?” Olivia continued, her gaze thoughtful. “Cutting my hair?”

Paige’s lips had gone dry from the air con, and she licked them before answering. “I think it doesn’t matter what other people think. It’s your hair, and you can do what you want with it, what you’re comfortable with. My mum didn’t want me to cut my hair short, but I did it anyway because it’s not up to her,” she said honestly, tugging at the frayed edge of her shorts. She pulled out a thread, letting it blow away through the open window. “At the end of the day, it’ll always grow back. So, if you want to go for it, then don’t let anything stop you.”

Olivia’s expression rounded with surprise, before her lips pressed into a smile. “Thanks, Paige. That’s one of the things I love most about you.”

Paige’s heart fluttered. “What is?” she said, her tongue curling against the roof of her mouth.

Olivia shot a glance towards her, but Paige couldn’t bring herself to meet it, her mind still caught on those words. One of the things I love most about you.

“Your honesty. Your… compassion. I always feel like I can be myself around you, and I know you won’t judge me for it.”

Paige stared at the dashboard, her hands still fiddling with the edge of her shorts. “I mean, of course. That’s what friends do, right?”

Olivia shrugged. “I asked Jordan and Rachel the same thing,” she continued, and it took Paige a moment to realise she was talking about her new coursemates, “and they told me I’d regret cutting it.”

Paige frowned, finally lifting her gaze. “Why?”

Olivia fidgeted in her seat, her fingers tightening around the wheel. “They said that guys like girls with long hair.”

Paige tried not to scoff, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. “Is that what’s important to you? Attracting guys.”

Olivia let out a breathy laugh. “Of course not,” she said, sobering. “That’s literally the last thing on my mind right now. After the disaster with Mike, I’m laying low on relationships for the time being. Trying to… figure myself out first.”

Paige mulled over her words. “I’m glad,” she said. “I’m glad you’re focusing on yourself. Do what’s best for you, nobody else.”

Olivia grinned at her across the console, and Paige felt another soft tug at her heart, like silky moth wings fluttering behind her ribs. “Yeah,” she said. “I will.”

“Look over there! You can see the sea,” Olivia said, her voice giddy with excitement.

Paige shook herself out of her doze and pulled herself upright, leaning her chin against the window. Peeking out from behind the headland was a glittering blue horizon.

“Wow,” Paige mumbled, the cool sea breeze touching her cheeks. “It’s so pretty.”

Olivia flipped her sun visor back up. “Isn’t it? I’m so excited to get there.”

“We can’t check in yet though,” Paige said, pulling up the time on her phone. It was a little past half-twelve, but their check-in slot wasn’t until two.

“They might be able to let us in early,” Olivia pointed out. “Or we can head into town and do a little exploring before we head to the cottage.”

“I suppose we could have a walk around town. I could definitely do with stretching my legs,” Paige said, shuffling her feet.

“And I could definitely do with some lunch,” Olivia added, making Paige snort.

“I take it the sandwich didn’t fill you up?”

“Driving is exhausting,” Olivia replied with a soft huff.

Taking a left at the end of the junction, they passed a town sign welcoming them into Whiterock, population of 10,000.

Ignoring the SatNav’s directions to their beach cottage, Olivia instead followed the signs pointing them towards the town centre. “Oh, jeez, look at all this traffic.”

She slowed the car to a crawl as they turned onto the main road into town, joining the line of cars disappearing under the stone archway ahead of them.

“Not quite the quaint seaside town I was expecting,” Olivia murmured, drumming her fingers against the wheel as she inched the car forward. “I guess once tourists got wind of this place, that was it. No more peaceful summers.”

“You do know we are said tourists,” Paige pointed out, wiggling her fingers in gesture to her and Olivia.

“Yeah, yeah. We might struggle to find somewhere to park, that’s all,” she said, biting her lip in concentration. “Keep an eye out. As soon as you see a free space, tell me.”

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