Horseplay

He sat at the bar that evening, feeling the warm breeze blow in off the beach and through his hair. Before him, the coast of Bondi shimmered in unison with the the rocks in his now-empty martini glass.

He listened for a moment to the quiet of the coast before his concentration was broken by the rattle-rattle-rattle of a martini shaker. Looking up to the bartender, his eyes met hers.

“Beautiful night, huh,” she quipped with a smirk as rattle gave way to pour.

He responded as she filled his glass again. “It really is.”

She cast her dark eyes on him, and in them, he saw a glint that told him everything he needed to feel. In his head, he could see them together; he, the stud; she, the filly; the pair, destined for horseplay.

A few more sips and glances passed between them as fast as the hours of conversation that followed before she finally broke the silence.

“I have a dare for you.”

“What’s that?”

“I dare you to kiss me.”

His charmed grinned belied an inner fire that was immediately lit ablaze by her suggestion. She looked towards him seductively, and he summoned his courage as he stood and lifted himself towards her.

As he approached her, a vivid flash of the future filled his mind. He could see them traveling about the world to see one another, to build the romance; he could see them growing closer, moving in together, building a life together. And amongst all of that, he could see nothing but the passion of the moment before him burning ever more potently as the days became weeks, weeks became years, and years became decades.

In that brilliant moment, the two passionately embraced, a flurry of colours and fireworks circling and exploding from their lips—

“Olivia!” Mom yelped from downstairs. “Get your butt down here right now. Quit horsin’ around!”

Olivia let the two My Little Pony figurines drop to the floor next to her makeshift beach scene. She sighed at her own invented romance as she stumbled down the stairs and dreamed of boys and love and kissing and a reality that for her could only be imagined.