five.

the next morning im not working so I get to have a lie in, waking up after my grandmother has gone to her knitting club or whatever the fuck she does everyday.

apparently I need to keep my nose outta her business.

im glad I have a day off when im not jet lagged to be able to explore the city im about to spend all summer in.

ive already messaged pirate but because she works, I know she won't message me right away.

I remember her telling me she's working most days during the summer but it makes my stomach sink to know that she works so much to keep her family going.

it's not often she doesn't have a day off, working in her families store and her own job.

this is what I know about pirates job; she works for her family close to the beach because she said she sometimes takes a walk to the beach after work to watch the sun setting.

I also know that there's a counter, so it's possibly retail.

so...every single store by the beach.

there are two things which stick out from the rest which I remember her telling me about when we first spoke about her job.

first; she complains about the smell of the fast food restaurant nearby because the smell of cooking meat makes her want to vomit.

secondly; theres a stray dog she calls 'mattress' which she feeds whenever he comes over.

she loves looking after stray animals.

after studying what's close to the beach and writing all of the potential places she could be working, I decide to get on my bike an go explore the beach.

ive always disliked the beach but it's still beautiful to look at as I drive past on my bike.

I love that I know no one here and I don't need to attempt to impress anyone because once summer is over, ill never see these people again.

almost like a clean slate.

there was one reason I wanted to move out here which wasn't to move away from my dad for the summer or finding pirate.

I think the reason I know know much about her became one of my incentives for moving.

apart from my dad, there wasn't a single reason I wanted to continue living back home.

it didn't even feel like a home anymore.

I try not to get paranoid about it and let it consume and ruin my life.

so now, I have a reason to live, to secretly attempt to discover pirate before the festival.

I try to imagine her and how everything is gonna work out fine.

it's gonna be wonderful and by the end of the summer we'll be madly in love, holding hands while we walk through the festival by the beach and ill have my hands all over her.

which is what I spend a lot of my free time imagining myself doing to her body.

I slip on my sunglasses and head left, towards the beach.

the main stretch of shops is half a mile long.

I scan my eyes over all of the stores and bars dotted around the street and I park my bike up, using the lock to secure it.

whatever is here, I suspect it isn't gonna be easy finding pirate.

I walk down the stretch and on the side street, see a fast food restaurant beside a bookstore, a dance studio, a gym, an ice cream parlour and a vintage clothing store.

I hope she's somewhere in here.

as I walk out of the fast food restaurant with a big greasy burger I spot a stray looking dog running behind a bin to get away from all of the people.

no...could it be?

I walk closer, swerving past the people and walk down the back street, crouching down beside the bin.

"hey puppy" I smile, talking in a little baby voice. "mattress, is that you?"

I open the burger bun and peel off a chunk of the meat, throwing in-front of the scared looking puppy.

they look up at me, their body shaking and they sniff, looking down and back up, watching me nod in encouragement and swallow up the piece I throw them.

I pull off another piece of meat sitting myself down beside the dog, but not too close to scare it away.

"isn't that your lunch?"

my pulse jumps and I jerk my head up to find a friendly face smiling down at me.

kai.

"someone needs it more" I smile down to the dog who's eyeing the rest of my burger.

im feeling pretty embarrassed, being caught sitting behind the dumpsters, making friends with a stray dog.

"he's pretty cute isn't he?" I lift my hand towards his nose and he sniffs it, letting me stroke his head.

"he is a she and bella lives round the corner, pretending to be starving so the tourists will feed her"

my heart sinks.

it's not mattress.

it's only the beginning of the summer and im patient.

if I have to feed every little puppy and go inside every shop until I get sunstroke, I will.

I will find pirate before peach festival.

✪pirate is online!

pirate: I got a new record today

pirate: some artist called 'arlo parks' who's from the uk and her voice is fucking beautiful

pirate: also there's one thing I want so bad right now

blossom: and what could that be?

blossom: and i literally added 'black dog' in our playlist last week wtf

pirate: you. I want you right now.

blossom:you want me?

pirate: yes. I wanna know who you are and im tired of spending all night laying talking to my person who doesn't have a face

blossom: there isn't a thing I want more than to know who you are

blossom: but we made a promise to one another

pirate: im trying but it's hard

blossom: trying?

pirate: it makes me feel like a shitty person

blossom: I don't think you're a shitty person

blossom: sometimes I get curious too

pirate: you don't know me blossom

pirate: im a shitty person

blossom: theres nothing wrong with being curious about me

blossom: I get curious about you

blossom: a-fucking-lot

pirate: tell me who you are blossom

pirate: please

blossom: I can't

blossom: imagine if I met you at peach festival

blossom: imagine how much we could have

blossom: imagine how amazing it will feel to look through the crowds of each other until I find you

pirate: im gonna dress up like a pirate

blossom: and I will dress up like wednesday addams

pirate: LMAO imagine

blossom: don't actually dress up as a pirate

blossom: I want you to look like yourself

pirate: I promise to dress up like myself if you dress up like yourself

blossom: I promise

pirate: im sorry, I was just in a shitty mood

blossom: please don't apologise pirate

wonder who I got the inspiration from to name the stray dog 'mattress' LMAO