Barbara Bolaji stretched out on her beach chair and sighed with contentment. She adjusted the straps of her sky blue one piece, and took a deep breath of the fresh ocean breeze. Barbara was grateful she remembered to bring a huge umbrella. Even in the shade, the tropical Queensland heat scorched her skin. Despite the harsh weather, her mind drifted to when it all started.

On the day Barbara departed from Sydney, her work buddies accompanied her in a chartered taxi from Botany to Sydney Kingsford Smith International airport. Fortunately, the flight from Sydney to Surfer's Paradise was pleasant and she had a window seat. The view was spectacular. Deep blue ocean, sparkling under the summer sun, and the glorious golden stretch of the beach.

Upon arrival, she took a taxi to her reserved accommodation. The Sapphire Hotel. Her room was perfect and surpassed her expectations. It was a beautiful, third floor en suite room. Designed with warm earth tones of pale burnt orange and beige. Spacious and well lit with a stunning view from its wide balcony. It also had a cute but modern kitchen.

The first three days of her vacation were spent shopping at Cavill Avenue, and getting well deserved rest and relaxation. In the evenings, she strolled on the beach and watched the sunset. Going on a solo vacation, was a treat she would prescribe to anyone willing to take it.

An amusing sight caught her attention and broke her chain of thoughts. Barbara chuckled and adjusted her umbrella, at the antics of a family near the shoreline. The kids posed in awkward spots for a family photo, and would not stop fidgeting. The dad bent in different angles to capture the pictures. All to no avail. It was just like her fun filled beach days as a kid. The nostalgic thoughts warmed her heart and made her long for those days. She pursed her lips and reminded herself to enjoy the moment. Barbara turned over and continued perusing her novel. Reading at the beach was a habit she could not break.

A few minutes later, someone stood near her chair and made a request. "Hi, could you please snap a photo of my family?"

Barbara looked up to see the photo dad. "No problem. Hope you can arrange yourselves real quick," she joked.

The man let out a sigh of relief and gave her his camera. He jokingly rolled his eyes and huffed. "I guess we will have to see about that."

He flung both hands in the air and shook his head. Even though he was frustrated, he still looked at his kids with such affection. Barbara thought it was adorable.

She followed the man to the shoreline where his family stood. "Okay, here goes nothing. Harry, Kaden and Lisa, stand over there—" He pointed to a lopsided sand castle and a big multicoloured beach ball. "Put your arms around each other's shoulders," he ordered. With a cheeky grin, he pointed at his wife. "You, stand behind them and look pretty."

"Oi!" His wife crossed her arms and wagged her finger at him playfully. The kids giggled and soon their parents joined in.

The man ran over to join his family, quick as a flash and Barbara laughed. Everyone knew that once you arrange kids for a photo, you better take it quickly. Things could go south at any moment.

"Alright. Say cheese everyone," Barbara said.

"But I don't like-" Lisa interjected.

"Just say cheese and don't keep the nice lady waiting!" The mum said through gritted teeth, and lips stretched into a frozen smile.

"Cheese!"

Barbara grinned and snapped the photo. "Wow. This photo is really nice. You are really lucky to get a nice pic at the first shot." She handed the camera back to the man and smiled.

The eldest son walked towards Barbara. "I'm not surprised, we had a beautiful photographer."

His mum was mortified. "Kaden, stop flirting with the nice lady," she hissed.

Barbara thought nothing of it. She often met outspoken kids like him at the pediatric ward. Tilting her head, she looked down. The brunette, freckle faced boy with a couple of missing teeth meant no harm. He didn't look older than eight.

"You're a charming young prince aren't you? Take care of yourself, your family and work hard at school. Have a nice day," Barbara replied.

Kaden beamed brighter than the sun when he walked back to his family. The kids called out to her and waved as she walked away. "Thank you. Have a great day," they squealed. Dashing up and down the sand, while their exasperated parents struggled to calm them down.

Barbara waved back as she returned to her beach chair, glad to be of help. The jovial family put a smile on her face and she could not wait to have a family of her own. Barbara sat down and made herself comfortable. She took another deep breath of the refreshing air and surveyed the beautiful environment again.

Starry eyed tourists and children ran up and down the golden shoreline. Laughing, playing and building sandcastles. A gentle breeze blew and the beautiful blue ocean crashed against the beach in white, foamy waves. The bright rays of the sun shone brightly and the cool, fresh ocean mist sprayed on the coast.

Barbara wondered if the novelty of the vacation would ever wear off. Sometimes she wished it would last forever. Being on call at Prince George Children's Hospital, Botany was stressful—even though she loved being a medical doctor. At the age of twenty-six she realised how fortunate she was despite all the pressure. Barbara was ambitious, but grateful for where she was and what she had at the moment. Nevertheless, getting away from the stress of work was a dream come true.

The downside of her solo vacay was loneliness, but her friends and work buddies in Sydney kept in touch. They told her it was about time she had a fun getaway. They all agreed she should 'be careful but explore new options.'

Knowing her friends, she had an idea what they meant by 'new options' but knew that was not going to happen. Barbara did not do spontaneous things, and preferred to plan everything. Right down to her daily, weekly and monthly schedule.

Barbara leaned back on her beach chair and stretched her legs. As far as she was concerned, wild recreation was overrated. Enjoying her easy listening playlist on her iPhone and unwinding was bliss. It looked like it was going to be a peaceful and quiet day. Until she had an unexpected surprise.

A man collided into her beach chair, and she flipped over like a pancake. Sand got in her hair and prickled her skin when she brushed it off. He stumbled, but regained his balance, narrowly avoiding falling on top of her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going," the guy said between short puffs of breath. "I was jogging and got carried away by a phone call." He stretched out his hand to help her get up.

Barbara accepted his hand, dusted her chair and clothes before she sat down. Apparently, he had been jogging with his eyes closed. She did not bother looking intently at his face. "Never mind, I'm okay," she mumbled.

Just before he left, he did a double take. "Hey, are you Barbara Bolaji?" he asked.

Barbara had no idea he was talking to her because her eyes were closed, and air pods were in her ears. She had resumed her relaxation routine and assumed that he had gone. The man walked up closer to her, tapped her chair and repeated his question.

She sat up and eyed the burly, red headed man with caution before responding. Her patience was being tested, but she did not want any drama.

"May I help you?" she asked in a cool and crisp voice. What else did he want? she wondered.

"Absolutely!" he replied. "You don't remember me do you? You look great. You've really blossomed with age, haven't you?"

Barbara fixed her eyes on the man. He held her gaze with an amused look on his face before it clicked.

"Oh my goodness, Silly-an?" She stood up and they hugged. "You're looking good too," she mused.

Cillian Herring looked better that good. He had matured like fine wine. Once a plain, scrawny kid but now a tall, muscular and strikingly handsome man. His sky blue eyes twinkled and his characteristic red hair was shaved low on one side, and a stylish mess on the other.

They were classmates at Matraville Primary School, Sydney. Close friends and members of the Computer Club. He went to Brisbane for high school after relocating with his family. Barbara went to boarding school in Abuja. Neither thought they would ever see each other again.

"Ugh, I can't stand it when people pronounce my name like that. Say it with me, Ki-li-an," he groaned.

Barbara grinned. "Sorry, I could not resist it. How are you doing? What have you been up to? What are you doing here?"

His eyes glided over her body. Quick enough to warm her flesh but brief enough to be discrete. "I'm a rugby player and here for a holiday with my mates. Trent, Jason and Leo. We've all had a hectic year, and just wanted to unwind before Christmas."

Barbara tried to suppress the urge to comment on his health and fitness but failed. "Nice. I hope you're getting regular physio checks and general tests done."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm fit as a fiddle," he replied. His funny retort earned him a chuckle and an eye roll from Barbara.

"Which team are you on?" she asked.

Cillian shook his head and smiled. It was contagious and Barbara felt a smile tug her lips too. She wondered if they were low key flirting. "What?" she asked as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing. It's just that you still have that warm and friendly vibe."

Their eyes met and held one another for a fleeting moment. He cleared his throat, "I'm—"

Suddenly, several, screaming teenage girls surrounded him and started fawning. They interrupted his response, and struggled to get as close as possible.

"Oh my gosh, it's Red Herring, Wow. Can we snap a quick selfie? Look at those muscles. I can not believe this, you are the hottest ginger ever. I love rugby!" They squeaked with delight, as they set upon him like ants on sugar.

Barbara mentally rolled her eyes. Sure you love rugby, she thought.

Cillian obliged them, thanking them for being fans and snapped selfies with each of them before they left. He politely declined one fan's request to sign her bikini. Barbara gave them a wide berth to avoid the drama. Teenage girls could be petty. She didn't want to get 'accidentally' elbowed in the gut.

He chuckled and beckoned for Barbara to come back when the crowd dispersed. "I play for the Brisbane Bulls and the Wallabies."

"You're on the national team?" Barbara's eyes widened. "Wow. I'm a—"

"Medical doctor." Cillian interjected with a cocky wink.

"How did you know?"

"There's just something about you. Well that, and your screen saver. I saw it when I tapped your chair," he said with a cheeky grin. "By the way, I studied Physics before I turned pro."

Barbara's screen saver was a photo of her in emerald green medical scrubs. She had her stethoscope hung around her neck, her surgical mask shifted to her chin and a bright smile on her face. In Australia, emerald green scrubs were only worn by doctors.

"Your eagle eyes spotted my screen saver in just a few seconds? Physics is perfect for weirdo like you," Barbara teased, glad was still his intelligent but hilarious self.

They carried on with a lively chat, but Barbara politely refused his invitation for lunch. Cillian arched his eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to see Trent Davidson?"

Barbara felt her back straighten with shock. She sustained a calm demeanor, but her heart skipped a beat. "Trent?"

"Hold it right there, Doctor," he replied with a laugh. "There's no way you don't remember The Trent Davidson. You had a super, duper, huge crush on him back then."

"What makes you think I had a crush on him?" Barbara responded with her hands on her hips. "By the way, what's with the super, duper huge? Are you five?"

Cillian smirked and his response was swift. "You were a shy nerd who wasn't into sport but attended all the cricket games because of him. You also used to gaze at him with longing during assembly."

"That's ridiculous. I liked cricket and was a goody two shoes. Of course I paid attention during assembly," Barbara retorted.

Cillian shook his head in disagreement. "You were so crazy about him that you didn't even notice my crush on you. I never told you because I knew the feelings weren't mutual." His bright smile faded a notch.

Barbara saw the shift in his mood, and wanted to rectify it. "What on Earth would we have done with feelings anyway? All we did back then was eat each other's ice cream, and hold hands. You had the last laugh, mate. You're a national treasure."

Cillian scoffed. "Well, I don't know about being a national treasure, but I try," he said with a wink.

Barbara and Cillian exchanged their contact details and snapped a few selfies together before they parted ways. He looked back with a facial expression which puzzled Barbara. Happy laced with a hint of wistfulness. It tugged at her heartstrings.

"Do you want to see him? Should I tell him you said hi?" he asked.

Barbara was diplomatic in her response. "If Trent wants to see me, he will find me."

A/N Hello,

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Ebony
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