Langston Beach Rewind

Monae Alexander stood in the middle of her dorm room, suitcase wide open on her bed, debating between her red sundress and her black two-piece set.
“Okay Monae,” she muttered to herself, holding the dress up in the mirror, “we are going to Langston Beach, not a fashion show.”
Her phone buzzed.
Keke: Please tell me you’re packed because Brianna and I are NOT waiting on you like last time.
Monae rolled her eyes and hit FaceTime.
Keke’s face popped up first. “You better be dressed and ready.”
Behind her, Brianna leaned into the camera. “If you bring that same raggedy travel bag from freshman year, I’m not claiming you.”
Monae gasped dramatically. “First of all, that bag has been loyal. Unlike some people.”
Keke clutched her chest. “Girl, don’t start.”
They all burst into laughter.
After months of exams, thesis papers, late-night study sessions, and surviving on ramen noodles, this trip felt earned right before graduation. Three whole days away. No professors. No deadlines. Just beach air and bad decisions.
Before leaving campus, Monae called her parents.
“Text us when you get there,” her mom said. “And send the hotel name again.”
“Yes ma’am,” Monae smiled. “We’ll be safe. I promise.”
The drive was full of loud singing, missed lyrics, and Keke insisting she was “basically Beyoncé.”
“Girl, you are tone-deaf,” Brianna said, turning the music up louder to drown her out.
“I am not!” Keke protested. “Monae, tell her.”
Monae laughed. “I plead the fifth.”
When they finally arrived at Langston Beach, the salty air hit them immediately.
“Okayyy!” Brianna shouted, stepping out of the car. “This is exactly what I needed.”
That first night, they got dressed up for dinner at Caventry. Monae wore the red sundress after all, her curls bouncing as she walked.
Inside the restaurant, the lighting was low and golden. Plates of crab legs and shrimp covered the table within minutes.
Keke cracked a crab leg and said, “If I drop butter on this dress, just know I’m still cute.”
“You always think you cute,” Brianna teased.
“I don’t think. I know.”
Monae shook her head, smiling. “Lord, thank you for my friends.”
After dinner, they changed into heels and headed out dancing. The music was loud, the crowd energetic. They danced until their feet hurt and their edges sweated out.
The next day was recovery mode.
“Why do I feel like I got hit by a truck?” Monae groaned as she lay across the hotel bed.
“Because you were doing the most,” Brianna said, sipping water. “You was on that dance floor like rent was due.”
“I need to slow down” Monae shot back.
They spent the afternoon shopping along the beach strip, buying sunglasses they didn’t need and matching anklets “for memories.”
By the third night, they decided to end the trip big at a hot beach club near the water.
The music pulsed through the floor. Lights flashed. People laughed and danced everywhere.
Keke dragged Brianna straight to the dance floor.
“Monae, come on!”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Monae said, sliding onto one of the bar stools. She felt a little drained, a little quiet.
Maybe it was the trip ending. Maybe it was life waiting back on campus one more thesis to turn in before college graduation.
She stared into her drink, lost in thought, when a voice behind her said softly
“Monae… baby? What are you doing here?”
Her heart stuttered.
She turned slowly.
Zay.
Her ex.
And damn… he still looked good.
He wore a fitted white shirt and that same confident smile that used to drive her crazy.
Monae blinked. “Zay? What are you doing here?”
“I just asked you the same thing.”
She swallowed. “I’m here with my girls. It’s our last night.”
He glanced toward the dance floor, then back at her. “Can we talk? Since you’re not dancing.”
She hesitated. Memories rushed back late-night phone calls, campus visits, the way they had tried so hard to make long distance work before choosing different colleges pulled them apart.
“I guess,” she said softly.
They moved to a quieter corner outside where the ocean breeze cooled the tension between them.
“You look good,” Zay said.
Monae smirked. “I know.”
He laughed. “Still the same.”
They talked like no time had passed about school, about life, about how hard it had been to let go.
“I didn’t stop caring,” he admitted.
Monae looked down at her hands. “Me neither. But we were young… and stubborn.”
“Still are,” he teased gently.
She nudged him. “Speak for yourself.”
When the night wound down, he insisted on calling an Uber and riding back to the hotel with her to make sure she got there safely.
Outside the hotel entrance, the air felt heavier. Quieter.
“So… this isn’t goodbye again, right?” Zay asked.
Monae studied his face. There was sincerity there. Growth.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “But maybe… we don’t have to let distance decide everything this time.”
He stepped closer, pulling her into a warm hug. It felt familiar. Safe.
He kissed her softly nothing rushed, nothing reckless. Just a promise of possibility.
They exchanged numbers again, laughing at how ridiculous that felt.
As she walked into the hotel, her heart felt lighter.
Maybe this trip wasn’t just about rest.
Maybe it was about timing.
Monae lay in bed staring at the ceiling, smiling to herself.
“Maybe we could make it work,” she whispered.
But time would tell.
To be continued…