“Dancing in the Moonlight” fades behind us as my roommate and I stumble along the concrete, adjusting to the feeling of the concrete on our feet instead of plastic heels. I take off my earrings and clip them to my shoes, glitter gently falling with my every move. The party glows in the background, with college students slowly returning to their dorms or following friends to get a hot dog before bed. But Nicole and I, we’re headed to the water. 

We’re on the search for something greater than a drunken snack or late night hook up; we’re looking for bioluminescence. The light in the water that you can only see a few weeks out of the year. Nicole and I skip to the pier, leaving our belongings behind and dip into the water. 

I step gently, cautious of oysters and sharp shells, but it’s quickly forgotten. The sound of laughter travels across the waves as I embrace the warm water. I stretch my arms out, swathes of blue following them as the little blue glowing organisms light like ocean fire flies.

“Who is it?” I ask the voices. They sound almost like mermaids, calling out to me to go deeper. I swim after them, Nicole following me. 

A girl’s face slowly comes into the light, enough so I can shriek “Sophie!” and tackle her into the water. Maybe not a mermaid, but a good friend.

“Look at the bioluminescence!!” she says, as we all stand and sway in the water to elicit the beautiful glow. We stare down at our feet, mesmerized. It feels magical, the dark water mirroring the constellations above us, a soft breeze coming off of the bay. I lean back and embrace the sea, the salty water buoying me in an effortless float.

And everything goes silent, just me and the stars and the sea. I couldn’t imagine not being the luckiest girl in the world in that moment.