A bonfire on the beach. An ocean breeze stirred the smoke that hung in the air. A group of guys were sitting on a bench looking out over the fire and the waves.
Cameron knocked a cigarette from the pack, lit and drew a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he passed it to his friend. The guys were sitting outside a small bar. It was spring break. The place was packed.
While they smoked, a couple girls came up and asked for a smoke. He didn't know them, but one of the guys apparently did. They emptied the pack and passed the cigarettes around.
One of the girls caught Cameron's eye. She wore an off the shoulder blouse and short board shorts that showed long legs. Her red hair was a mess from constantly running her hands through it. She was tall and lean.
"Hey," Cameron said, holding out the lighter.
"Hey yourself." She took it and lit her cigarette and passed it back. She gave him a long look.
Cameron had thick brown hair and sported a short beard. He was thin and looked even younger than he really was, but the facial hair helped with that a bit. He wore jeans and a button-down shirt with a splattering of subtle color variation. It looked pretty good on him too, she thought.
"I heard one of your friends call you Jamie," he said. "Where're you from?"
"Outside Memphis. University of Tennessee. You?"
"Maine. St. Ignatius University." A pause. Then. "Is this your first time to Florida?"
"No, actually. I came here last year but stayed farther south."
"So, it's your first time to the panhandle?"
"Yeah."
"Then how about I show you around? I've been here every spring since graduating high school."
"You keep vacationing at the same spot?" She was not impressed.
Cameron's smile was sudden and infectious. "There's always something new happening around here."
*
The following evening came, and with it all the drinking and partying ten thousand college kids could muster. Mid week on a white sand beach in Florida was the center of the universe. Jamie couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
Earlier in the day Jamie had taken part in a volley ball game. After the celebration following their win, Jamie showered, changed, and was out on the town waiting to meet Cameron. After spending days in a bikini she had gotten used to something skimpy, so tonight she sported a strapless top and her favorite skirt. It showed off her shapely legs. A friend had done her hair, pulling it up in a pin, letting most of it fall in loose locks around her neck and shoulders.
Leaning against the side of the building, she waited for Cameron to show.
"Hey." She heard Cameron call to her. Turning she saw him.
"I almost thought I was being stood up," Jamie teased, her smile coy.
"Stand you up?" Cameron said. "No way!"
The two walked the short distance to the restaurant. It was an intimate little place overlooking the beach. They got a table, ordered appetizers, and talked. It was natural conversation, but with a hint of innuendo.
"What's your major?" Cameron asked at one point.
"Fashion," Jamie said with a half shrug as if uninterested in the subject but felt obliged to talk about it. "It's amazing working in such an energetic field. I love the creativity." She took a drink of beer. "I'm minoring in French, the language of love."
"Sweet," Cameron said.
Jamie brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear. It was a playful gesture, equal parts flirtatious and timid. "How about you?"
"Creative writing," he said. "I don't want a desk job. I want to lay on the beach somewhere and write screenplays or something. In a way, I guess I'm the same as you."
"That sounds perfect." Jamie smiled.
After their entrees arrived, the conversation turned to family. Cameron talked about his artistic parents. His father was a music teacher, his mother a sculptor. Jamie said that both her parents were immigrants from Europe. Her father was from Germany, her mother from Iceland. They had met in Luxembourg on vacation, fell in love, and had been together ever since.
"You must have traveled a lot as a child," Cameron said.
"For sure. Been to Spain, France, Italy. All over Europe. If you haven't been to Prague, it's the absolute best."
After dinner Jamie asked, "There's a concert down on the beach. Wanna go?"
"Sure." The two walked down the beach. As they got closer, the crowd thickened. Finally they had to push their way through just to get a spot where they could see. The stage had been assembled quickly. It had the appearance of being poorly funded. The lighting was poor. The hastily built show consisted of a bunch of small bands. All of them were college students who practiced in their spare time. One or two of them, however were not half bad.
As the night wore on, the dancing and drinking picked up. Kegs were opened. Drinks were passed around. Between sets the two of them moved off to a quiet corner to sit and talk.
"Tell me about your first love." Jamie felt a slight buzz. She was ready to get personal.
Cameron took a drink from a plastic cup. His answer was slow in coming. When he spoke it was with a distant voice, as if talking to himself. "That would be Jessica," he said. "We were in high school, young and immature. But it was three months of total bliss."
"Why didn't it work out?"
"I broke it off. The sex was mind blowing, but we just weren't compatible." A pause. Then, "How about you? Tell me about your first love."
Jamie smiled. It was a sad smile. She didn't meet Cameron's eyes. "Her name was Shannon. We met the summer before senior year." Her smile touched her eyes. "We were together a year. But we ended up going to different universities. After freshman year, she told me there was an emotional distance between us. She said she didn't want me waiting for her. She wanted me to live my life to the fullest. It was an amicable split, I could see her logic, but it still hurt like hell."
Cameron wasn't sure what to make of that. "So does that mean you're a lesbian?"
"Bi."
A silence hung between them.
"Sounds like the music started." Jamie perked up and reached out. Hand in hand, they walked back to the concert.
