Iona stays on the beach long after Aden leaves. It's already late into the day by the time Nicole comes to find her.
"What's wrong?" Nicole questions softly.
"I think I've made a mistake." For the first time in over an hour, Iona tears her eyes away from the incoming waves and looks up at her best friend. "I need to get home."
"What happened? What did that guy say?" Nicole asks. Iona hoping that going over what she heard will help her put it all into perspective starts telling Nicole everything as they walk up to the beach house.
She carries on the retelling the whole way home, only ending a few blocks before Nicole drops her off at home. The drive, followed by hellos and telling her parents about the trip, or at least most of the trip, is enough to help Iona put aside what she heard.
