The Californian sun was brutal in that perfect, careless kind of way- burning through cloudless skies, casting everything in gold. It was 6:45 when Sage lay bored on a towel, long tan legs stretched out, one arm behind his head, his Hawaiian shirt laid open, swim trunks low on his hips.

His friends' radio pulsed with music, the kind that vibrated under your ribs instead of just in your ears. Everything reeked of money - the beach itself, the designer sunglasses, the resort hotel. His father paid for it all, of course, had been paying since Sage was little.

Levi took a slow sip from his sweating glass, fingers adorned in rings that glinted in the sun. "Dude," Levi called from his recliner, lifting his beer, "how come you're stretched out doing nothing right now? C'mon live a little."

Sage barked a laugh. "C'mon, Levi, my way of enjoying myself in this moment is exactly that - nothing."

Levi smirked. "Just think," he drawled, "about how boring you are. I'm getting in the water."

"You do that," Sage said calmly. "I'm gonna try out that restaurant."

It had been one of those days where paradise was perfect - a little too loud, yes, but it's vacation. Sage had spent the day humoring his friends with jet skis and ocean activities. He loved the ocean. He was just about to leave when -

"Whoa!" Sage steadied himself, one hand catching the edge of a chair. He glanced up, eyes meeting the waiter's. There was a pause.

He smiled meekly, brushing a bit of sand off his sleeve. "Sorry about that..." What was happening right now? "Uh, I'll best be on my way." Why was he speaking like that? His eyes zeroed in on the waiter's name tag. The waiter nodded and gave a smile.

Sage, now slightly flustered because the new waiter had bumped into him. Cute. Handsome. Hot. Fucking sexy - WHAT was he thinking? He glanced back at the restaurant then walked back to the ocean where Levi and now his other friends had gathered.

"Dude, you good?" Levi frowned, pulling his sunglasses down his nose. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"Or got brute punched," Maydan snorted.

"Shut the fuck up," Jess snapped. "Y'all aren't kind at all. What has he done to you?"

Sage looked at the group. "Sorry, I think it was something I ate." A bold lie, but they couldn't tell. Why was Sage feeling this way? And why now?

"Or too much alcohol," Levi cheered and started to chug a beer.

Sage chuckled dryly. "Heh, definitely not that. Shit, I'd be thrilled to be drunk but nah, not now, not after how I feel."

After 10 minutes, Sage excused himself to go to the bathroom. "Fuck, why do I feel... off?" he muttered, bracing his hands against the sink.

He looked at himself in the mirror - nice features, nice hair, nice shirt. He loved this Hawaiian shirt with its gold and green accents on the white background, worn unbuttoned all the way to showcase his torso.

"Still lookin' good though," he chuckled.

He started to feel a semblance of better, enough where he could say he was just getting tired from the day. He exited the bathroom and -

Woah! He bumped into the same guy! "Shit! I'm sorry about that..." He didn't know what else to say. "Uh... sorry again... gotta fly!" What the fuck does "gotta fly" mean???

He sped-walked out of that restaurant and took a breath outside. "What are the odds?" he said to himself aloud. He composed himself to the best of his ability and went back to the ocean. He saw his friends, drunk and roughhousing, and decided he was done for the day. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon anyway.

He grabbed his things and went inside the hotel, when suddenly -

Oh! He bumped into a pole. "Ow fuck," he muttered. He heard a chuckle from beside him. It was the guy.