Tomi had breezed into her life in the summer of year 12 at a gala hosted by Lola’s parents. They loved throwing events, and everyone who was anyone would ensure they were in attendance. Lola, not being unexposed to the upper echelons of society, was relatively unfazed by Tomi’s tireless efforts to woo her with his flashy displays of wealth and casual talk of luxury. After all, she was surrounded by it already, and had been for most of her life. Tomi’s family’s wealth had been recently acquired yet he fit right in; charming her friends, brothers, and her parents. They saw a bright future in this young man and urged Lola to at least be nice to him.
On the last day of summer, she conceded.
A boy in her year had thrown an end of summer/back to school party. Lola, her friends, and Tomi were all invited. Lola was sure that the main reason he had been invited was because people assumed the pair were a couple. Due to the budding friendship between Tomi’s family and her own, they had been in forced proximity for months (forced in Lola’s eyes, whole-heartedly embraced in Tomi’s own). He had made it no secret that he absolutely adored being in her company, exercising flirty remarks and overdone chivalry, even when their parents weren’t lurking with watchful eyes. Lola could be sure he liked her, if his behaviour was any indication. But… teenage boys liked everyone, and so, she paid it no mind.
It was 2am and most people were still consuming copious amounts of drink and other drugs. The party’s bustle shrouded Lola in a suffocating blanket, with the air thick with cigarette smoke and spilled alcohol. Her nose wrinkled as the pungent smell assaulted her nostrils with each passing second. The music pulsed in her chest, preventing the possibility of making conversation. Each accidental brush against her body filled her with unease as she meandered through the crowded room.
Lola’s eyes darted around as she scoured for the exit – the initial excitement had long-since worn off. She could no longer bear it, finding herself walking and walking until she had wandered onto the seashore backing the imposing mansion. She wondered if her peers were aware that the new school year was starting in 6 hours. Honestly, she wanted to go home, but Kay was her ride, and Kay was currently flirting with the guy she’d had a crush on since year 8. As Lola walked, the grainy sand and salty breeze caressed her skin; the sound of waves lapping against the shore harmonised with the laughter and music she had left behind.
The moon hung low and the air grew cooler and crisper the further she traipsed along the seaside. The linen of her skirt whispered against her legs as she moved. She slowed when she saw a hovering orange dot, glowing in the distance. She wasn’t particularly in the mood for socialising, but she wasn’t about to turn around. As she got closer, she could make out the white shorts and shirt blowing on a familiar gait. It was Tomi.
As if sensing her in his peripheral, he turned his gaze, focused and assessing. An easy smile overtook his features.
“L for Lola…” he threw the cigarette on the floor and stomped it out under a white trainer. He didn’t seem to care whether the ash would leave a stain; most likely because he had a new custom-made pair of trainers and shoes every week. In fact, he likely considered these pristine … as a wear-and-tear pair. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Lola scoffed in reply and rolled her eyes. “We arrived here at the same time, with the same people, did we not?”
Tomi chuckled and lowered himself onto the sand. He gestured to the empty space beside him, and Lola followed suit.
"I'm not talking about the party," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I mean out here... away from all the fun inside."
The girl pondered for a moment; due to her background, her charisma was very much obligatory, and she cherished moments of isolation like this. Albeit, Tomi’s presence wasn’t imposing like other people’s often was. He calmed her in a way that she hated to admit.
“Well…” she exhaled, “…a social butterfly sometimes needs to rest its wings.”
Tomi gave a humoured eyebrow lift and fisted some sand. “Poetic.”
A silence overtook the space and only the waves offered their gentle whispers to the soundscape. Tomi appeared more subdued than usual; jaded, imperceptible. Lola wasn’t sure what had spurred on his uncharacteristically silent demeanour. Not that she cared about him in that way, of course. She was just curious… yes curiosity was the appropriate word.
She teased in a suddenly desperate bid to break the increasingly unnerving silence, “On a normal day, I would’ve fought off three of your flirtatious remarks by now.”
Her comment failed to evoke a reaction from him as he just sifted sand through the gaps in his fingers. A thick cloud of awkwardness began to settle, but Lola was determined.
“Normally I'm the one begging you to zip it… It's like - “
“If I asked you out right now, what would you say?” Tomi questioned, suddenly turning to her with a gaze so intense, it blackness outshone the moon.
The girl choked on the words that had been exiting her throat. The coughs mutated into awkward chuckles as she scratched the back of her neck. “You’re a deeply unserious guy…”
Tomi’s stern expression was unchanging. He waited for Lola to finish her flustering before he spoke again. “I’ve never been more serious.”
Lola's fingers drummed against her leg, each tap echoing the ticking of an imaginary clock, urging her to escape this awkward moment. Tomi's hand, which had been sifting through the white sand, moved to cover hers, halting her nervous fidgeting.
Lola glanced wordlessly at his hand covering her own as he launched into a monologue.
“See, Mike wants me to talk you up for him. Guy asked me to be his wingman. I agreed because I want to be a good friend. But honestly, I've been hoping it won't work all night.”
The girl gave a wordless gasp but Tomi squeezed her hand, either to soothe her or to silence her (she couldn’t be certain).
He continued, “I’m not exactly subtle about this, but I want you to be with me, not with him. Why do you think I’ve been following you up and down all summer?”
”Our fathers - “ Lola supplied.
The boy scoffed before she could get a word in edgeways. “Please! Left to my father, I’d be playing golf with him and his cronies 24/7. I do my own thing and roll with whoever I want.”
It was unlike Lola to be lost for words, but in this instance, she was stunned. Not because Tomi’s words were unbelievable, but because this was the most sincere she had ever seen him.
She pondered his proposition, weighing the sincerity in his words against her own hesitations. The image of his intense gaze lingered in her mind, stirring unfamiliar emotions.
Lola reflected on Tomi himself—his charm, his persistence, and the unexpected vulnerability he'd just shown. She wondered if there was more depth to him than she'd initially believed. Her thoughts drifted to her family. How would they react? Would they be pleased, or would they see through this as another social manoeuvre? Finally, Lola considered herself. Was she ready for this? Did she truly want this, or was she simply getting caught up in the moment?
Realising she had been sitting silently in her reverie, she gave him the only answer that could summate everything she thought and felt: a tentative kiss on the corner of his mouth. As she retracted, he had a slightly stunned look on his face, before it morphed into a smirk, a hopeful glint in his hazel eyes. The look turned to confusion as he watched her rise from her seated position, ungracefully brushing sand from the back of her maxi skirt as she regained her balance.
“Where are you going?” He staggered to a standing position after her.
“I’m going home.” She smirked.
His brow furrowed, as he placed his hands on his waist, the open shirt billowing in the twilight breeze. “And my question?”
The young girl giggled as she started making her way back to the house. Halting to turn around, the wind carried her voice to Tomi’s itching ears. “Ask me again tomorrow - properly. You’ll get your answer.”