‘Yes, slimy seaweed and turtle poo are going to give it that special magical, Christmas touch.’
She bumped his shoulder. ‘You’ve been spending too much time with me. That sounded far too negative a comment. I don’t believe you.’
‘You’re right. Ihavebeen inspired.’ He offered her the last chip and screwed up the paper, putting it in the nearby bin, then came back over to her. ‘I want to try and make that.’ He nodded out at the sea.
‘You’re going to need a lot of chocolate.’
He put his hand to her back and leaned in near her shoulder, pointing with his arm to show her exactly what he meant. ‘Specifically,that. I want to make that moment, where the water swells up, and as you watch you wonder how much more there’s going to be. How big is the wave going to get? Will it rise and rush forward or melt away into the soft sweep up the pebbles. There’s so much anticipation and movement and potential in that moment.’
And wasn’t it like that for them now? All anticipation and potential. But he couldn’t capture it and freeze it in a moment, so his choice was either to watch it crash and recede…or to jump in and try to ride the wave for the joy it would bring, however fleeting.
‘You think you can make that, out of chocolate?’ Her voice was hushed, like she didn’t want to disturb something special.
‘I don’t know, but I’m going to try.’
That’s what he wanted. To take a risk, to try and create something beautiful. To see if he could find the magic in his life again, whether it was through crafting chocolate or spending time with his maman’s family and his friends.
And maybe seeing whether this connection he felt to Ashleigh could grow into something more.
