Aria let out a deep sigh as she trudged along the cliffside path. Her family was far ahead, their figures small dots in the distance, while her legs dragged with every step. Vacation was supposed to be fun – a time to relax, maybe lounge by the hotel pool with a good romance book. Her idea of a perfect holiday did not include a two-hour hike along a cliff's edge. Yes, the view was breathtaking, but so was the heat, and with the sun beating down on her exposed skin, she felt like a sweaty, miserable mess.
She couldn't help but imagine her romance novel, still lying untouched on her bed back at the hotel, calling out to her. She could almost see the characters walking beside her, casting amused glances her way, as if to say, "You'd rather be here with your family than with us, lost in a fantasy world?" Deep down, though, Aria knew she enjoyed the walk. Family time was important, after all, even if she'd rather be at the poolside. This was still a vacation.
Ahead of her, her younger siblings, Tommy and Sabrina, giggled as they played their version of tag. The twins, recently turned eight, were full of energy, darting around sheep dung and brushing against each other's shirts as they chased one another. Aria remembered a time when she had loved games like that, but things had been different for her growing up. As an only child for ten years, holidays had never been this chaotic. Now, her role as the annoyed big sister was one she played well, even if she did love the twins dearly.
Just behind the twins but still far ahead of Aria, her parents walked hand in hand. They looked as much in love as they must have been when they first got together, and Aria couldn't help but compare them to the characters in her romance novels. A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of the passionate embraces and stolen kisses between her favourite book couples, but then ... her mind took a sharp left turn. Her smile quickly turned into a grimace as she imagined her parents in similar scenarios. Ugh, no thanks! She thought wrinkling her nose. The last thing she needed was to start picturing her parents in the steamy scenes she loved reading about. She gave her head a little shake, trying to banish the mental image.
Maybe it was a defence mechanism, a way to remind herself that no matter how in love her parents were, they were parents – and parents, in her mind, didn't belong in romance novels. The thought made her shudder. Okay, mental note: no more comparing them to fictional characters.
She continued her slow ascent up the next hill. It wasn't that she disliked walking – on the contrary, she loved it – but after two hours of climbing, her energy was drained, and all she could think about was getting back to her book. She marvelled at how her siblings still had so much energy, seemingly enough for ten people. Her parents were no different, walking as if they'd just gotten out of bed a few minutes ago. Meanwhile, Aria felt like she'd just attempted – and failed – a marathon.
Her eyes drifted to the ocean beside her. The sea was calm, its waves gently lapping against the rocks below. In this heat, she longed for a cool dip in the water, but standing on top of a cliff, she knew that relief was still hours away. A groan escaped her as she mentally calculated the time it would take to finally feel the cool, salty water on her feet – two hours back to the beach and another thirty minutes to the hotel. She sighed again, resigning herself to the long trek ahead, counting down the minutes until she could plunge her feet into blissful coldness.
The walk continued slowly with Aria trailing far behind her family. Her siblings had eventually slowed down as their energy waned. Aria had been surprised she was the only feeling tired – it made her wonder if she was more out of shape than she thought. But eventually they reached the beach, and Aria could finally kick off her shoes and step into the shallow water. Her tired feet found immediate relief as the small waves lapped at her ankles.
She stared out into the ocean, letting the calmness of the sea settle over her. The horizon stretched endlessly before her, and she found herself idly scanning for dolphins. A small ripple formed on the otherwise still water, far from shore. Probably just a fish, she thought, her gaze lingering on the spot for a moment longer. But nothing appeared, and she turned her attention back to the beach, unaware of the large blue eyes watching her every move from beneath the waves.
~
By the time they got back to the hotel, aria was beyond exhausted. The moment the sliding doors opened to the cool, air-conditioned lobby, it felt like a slice of heaven. The soft whoosh of chilled air was a balm against her slightly pink skin – sunburn. She closed her eyes for a second, savouring the contrast between the heat outside and the cool interior. The smell of chlorine from the pool mixed with a faint scent of floral cleaning products, making her long even more for a dip in the water.
The plush carpet beneath her sneakers felt like clouds compared to the rocky cliffside path they had just endured. She lagged behind her family, her feet dragging across the carpet as they made their way to the elevators. Her parents chatted softly while the twins, somehow still full of energy, bounded ahead.
"Hey, you okay?" Her dad asked, glancing back at her with a grin.
"I'll live," Aria muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Barely."
He chuckled, the sound bouncing off the marble walls of the lobby. "Toughen up, kid. You've still got the rest of the week."
She groaned. "Don't even remind me."
The elevator ride up to their room felt like the longest two minutes of her life. The mirrored walls only served as a cruel reminder of how bedraggled she looked. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, her cheeks red from the sun, and her clothes stuck to her like a second skin. She glanced at her siblings, who were laughing at their reflections, seemingly unaffected by the heat. How do they still have energy? She wondered, watching them bounce on the balls of their feet. It was like the hike had given them a second wind, while she felt like a balloon that had deflated hours ago.
When they finally reached their room, aria wasted no time. The door barely had a chance to close before she made a beeline for the bed, her sanctuary, collapsing face-first onto the soft mattress. She didn't even bother to kick off her shoes – she just let herself fall; her limbs splayed out as if she were making a snow angel.
The cool sheets cooled her skin, and for a brief moment, everything felt perfect. The mattress was like a cloud, soft and enveloping, and her aching muscles sighed in relief. The hum of the air conditioner was a low, comforting sound, blending with the muffled laughter of her siblings and the rustling of their bags. She pressed her cheek into the pillow, letting the coolness soothe her sunburnt face. If she could stay like this forever, she would.
As Aria lay sprawled out on the bed, savouring the coolness of the sheets against her light pink skin, a voice cut through her brief moment of peace.
"Aria, don't even think about getting too comfortable!" Her mom called from the bathroom doorway, one hand on her hip. "You need to shower before you ruin those clean sheets."
Aria groaned and buried her face in the pillow. The last thing she wanted was to move, let alone deal with the effort of peeling off her sweaty clothes and standing under a steam of water.
"I'll do it later, mom," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Nope. Now. You smell like a sheep farm and sweat," her mother insisted, crossing her arms. "The sooner you shower, the sooner you can relax properly."
Aria sighed, knowing she wouldn't win this one. She sat up slowly, her muscles protesting as she trudged to the bathroom. A quick shower wasn't a terrible idea, she supposed. The thought of washing off the sticky layer of sweat and dirt did sound nice – almost as nice as collapsing back into bed afterwards while reading her novel.
Ten minutes later, freshly showered and wrapped in a fluffy towel, she re-emerged feeling somewhat human again. Her hair was damp, her skin no longer sticky, and her body felt marginally lighter without the grim of the day clinging to it. She slipped into her favourite pyjamas and flopped back onto the bed with renewed satisfaction.
The pull of sleep was strong, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. But another pull was stronger: the promise of her romance novel, sitting untouched on the nightstand. Even though her body screamed for rest, her mind craved the escape that only a good book could offer. She reached for the paperback, her fingers brushing the well-worn cover before flipping it open to the bookmarked page.
As she nestled into the pillows, the familiar scent of paper and ink wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Her eyes scanned the words, quickly losing herself in the world of fictional love and drama. The pages seemed to turn on their own, the weight of the day melting away with every sentence. The characters in the book were old friends, their banter familiar, their chemistry eclectic. Aria felt a smile tug at her lips as the heroine found herself in the arms of the brooding, mysterious love interest. Ah, this was what she had been waiting for all day – no hiking, no sweaty clothes, no sheep dung in sight. Just romance, tension, and the trill of the next chapter.
But, of course, her moment of peace didn't last long.
"Ariaaaaa!" Tommy's voice pierced through the bubble of tranquility, followed by the unmissable sound of something heavy thudding against the floor.
She groaned, lowering her book and glaring toward the adjoining room. "What now?"
Sabrina's head popped around the corner, her face a mix of amusement and mild panic. "Tommy dropped his tablet behind the bed and now he's stuck trying to get it."
Of course, he was. Aria set her book down with a sigh and dragged herself off the bed, her muscles protesting with every step. When she reached the adjoining room, she was met with the sight of Tommy, half under the bed, his legs sticking out and flailing as he tried to reach his tablet.
"Tommy, seriously?" She muttered, grabbing his ankles and yanking him back out from under the bed. He slid out easily looking up at her with wide, sheepish eyes.
"It's not my fault! The bed's too low," he protested, pointing accusingly at the space between the bed and the floor.
She rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. "Alright, alright. Move over." With some effort, she managed to fish the tablet out from under the bed, handing it back to him.
"Thanks, Aria," he mumbled, his cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment.
She ruffled his hair. "Yeah, yeah. Now leave me alone, I'm trying to read."
As she trudged back to her bed, her limbs feeling like lead, she couldn't help but feel a small twinge of affection for her siblings. They were a handful – always getting into trouble, always needing something – but they were her handful. She wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Except, maybe, for a few more uninterrupted minutes with her book. That would be nice.
Collapsing back onto her bed, she picked up her novel once more, determined to steal at least a few minutes of peace before the next inevitable interruption. The familiar world of fictional romance welcomes her back, and this time, she vowed to stay there as long as possible. Let her family have their chaos – she was staying right here in her little bookish bubble, where the love story was dramatic, always exciting, and most importantly, always blissfully uninterrupted.
At least for now.