Five Summers

15 Years Old

"Come on, Em, practice makes perfect, right?" John B says as he tucks his surfboard under his arm.

"It's not that, it's that this bathing suit is more of a 'lay on the beach and tan' suit versus a 'surf in the ocean' suit.," I tell him.

"It'll be fine," JJ interjects. "Just don't fall off."

"Oh, right," I say sarcastically.

"The waves aren't even that rough. This is perfect, calm surfing lesson weather," John B says. "Now, repeat what I taught you yesterday."

I sigh. "Okay. Stay on my stomach until the wave starts to swell. Pop up quickly to stand. Steer with my back foot, stay nearly parallel to the beach until the wave fizzles out. Ride it in until I feel resistance on the board."

"See? You got it. Easy," he says, patting my back. "Now go."

I strap the loaner board to my ankle and tuck it under my arm. I jog out to the water and jump on the board as soon as it's deep enough. I keep paddling until I see the water about to crest, and then I spring up to stand. The wave is pretty small, but I manage to make the most of it and ride it back in to the beach. JJ and John B clap for me as I step off the surfboard and pick it up.

"Okay, now try making it look like you don't have a stick up your ass," JJ says.

"What does that mean?" I say with a laugh.

"You just look... angry? I dunno." He shrugs.

"That's my concentration face," I remark.

"Well, it's intense," he says.

"Look, I didn't grow up surfing like you two did. I literally just learned yesterday," I remind him.

"And you're doing awesome!" John B exclaims. "But don't think so hard about it."

"Right. Okay, I'm going back out," I say, and I take off into the water again. By the time I reach the shore the second time, they are both clapping again.

"You're getting it!" John B says proudly. He high fives me enthusiastically. "Go on more time, then come back to the house. I'm going to grab us a beer," he says. He jogs off toward his house, his surfboard under his arm.

"You heard the man," JJ says. He places his board in the sand and plops down on it. "I'll critique." He shields his eyes with his hand to look up at me.

"Okay, I'm going." Once again I jog out into the water and paddle out to what I think it's a good spot. The wave begins to swell and I jump up onto the board. It's the biggest wave I've tried yet, and I'm doing great until I see what looks to be a dolphin in the water below. Afraid I'm going to hit it with my board, I bail and dive into the wave. When I pop up I'm in a panic.

I grab the board and hold it in front of me until I can adjust myself. JJ pops up as I drag myself and the board out of the water.

"What happened? You were doing great," he says as he approaches me.

"I saw a dolphin. I was afraid I was going to hit it with the board so I jumped off and... my top came loose," I say, embarrassment coloring my face and neckline. "I told you guys this wasn't a surfing bathing suit!" I drop the board in the sand and try to figure out how I can tie the neck strings and the back strings without flashing JJ. The look on my face must give away my thought process.

"I can tie it," JJ offers. "Turn around."

Reluctantly, I turn my back to JJ. I look around. No one else is on the beach but us. I relax, but only slightly.

"Where are the string thingies?" he asks.

"I can't hand them to you or you'll see my boobs," I say, and I hear a deep chuckle.

"That's fine with me," he says, and I feel my face heat.

"You'll just have to reach around for them," I tell him, not turning to look him in the eye.

I feel him step closer and look down over my shoulder. He reaches down onto my chest and plucks the two neck strings from over my arms and pulls them back behind me.

"Can you move your hair?" he asks right in my ear.

I fumble around a moment to make sure I'm covered, then gather my hair in one hair and hold it up. He ties the strings behind my neck and I release my hair over one shoulder. Next he reaches both hands around my front, almost giving me a backwards hug. I use both hands to hold the triangles of my bikini in place. His hands brush my ribs just under my breasts as he grabs the strings and pulls them behind my back. He ties them quickly. I feel his hands on my waist as he leans forward to whisper in my ear again.

"All done," he says.

I turn around, but he doesn't remove his hands from my waist. I place my hands on his tanned chest and look up at him.

"Thanks," I say, unable to look away with his eyes boring into mine.

"Welcome." He licks his lips, and I break eye contact as my gaze flickers to his mouth. When my eyes go back to his, they search mine for the answer to the unspoken question on the table. My lips part as I draw in a breath when he starts to lean in.

"JJ Maybank and Emilia Routledge to the chateau, your party is waiting," John B's voice booms through  his recently acquired bullhorn. I never should've let him walk out of Goodwill with that thing.

We jump apart and JJ looks to the sky for a minute. With a defeated sigh, he bends down and picks up his surfboard, tucking it under one arm. I'm reeling as I copy him, tucking my own board under my arm and following behind him to the chateau.