Waves ~ Fire Under the Sun

They walked quietly side by side, happy for the time together, neither of them willing to admit that in all honesty they'd rather just wander off into the woods for hours on end with no provisions than go to some damn beach party and be surrounded by dozens of people they weren't entirely sure they wanted to spend time with, maybe get a few teeth pulled without Novocain. But they promised and so they spent the better part of the evening before and the morning hours just basking in the warm glow of their love for each other in preparation for the bombardment they would receive in the presence of dozens of others. He had to admit, there would be a few faces that he would be happy to see again and quite a few more that he wished he never had to.

Avi chuckled to himself as he thought of the one person he wanted to honestly run from every time he saw him. He absolutely disliked him. And for good reason. That boy absolutely drove him crazy. He sincerely hoped that he would not be there, but if he was, this time things would be so different. Avi wasn't alone. He was full out smiling when he turned and looked at Rayne walking barefoot in the sand beside him. She hadn't noticed that he was looking at her yet, she was too busy watching where she was going. Her hair was down, parted in the middle and tucked behind her ears. The wind blew its length back behind her as it did his.

He remembered how soft her hair was when he tangled his hands in it the night before, was able to recall in perfect memory the sound that rose from her throat as he nibbled gently at her neck and the vibration her moan caused to tremble across his lips as he kissed her skin. He felt his reaction to the memories of quiet intimate moments with her starting to build and decided that looking at the rest of her could wait until they were tucked safely away from prying eyes in their hotel room.

Rayne's smile radiated as her face lit with recognition at Kirstin's approach and subsequent greeting. She was honestly happy to see Kirstin after not seeing her for over a month. He decided that he had better wake up and pay attention when he completely missed his cue. He smiled at Kirstin happily and hugged her briefly in the warm and gentle greeting they reserved only for each other. She was, of course, surrounded by a small group of female friends which she happily introduced.

"Rayne, Avi, this is Scarlet, Joni, Asia, and Veronica. Ladies this is Rayne and Avi Kaplan." Rayne smiled and graciously greeted each girl by repeating their names and offering a slight nod of her head that would have barely registered as a bow. In a more formal setting, she would have shaken their hands and not bowed any deeper. She didn't even tip her head towards Veronica, which if Veronica had any culture or wits about her person at all, she would have recognized it for the insult it was.

Avi shook each hand kindly and bowed no less shallowly. He didn't bow at all when he reached Veronica either and almost didn't offer his hand for her to shake. He remembered this particular friend of Kirstin's. He didn't much care for her and didn't want to touch her. She had been hanging around them for years. She was always trying to get him alone, she made him very uncomfortable.

"Call me Roni," she foolishly, for that was the only word that fit, laughed a tril little high-pitched laugh in an attempt to be flirtatious and cute. Avi was not impressed. Rayne didn't miss it or the delicate way she offered Avi her hand as if she were royalty and Avi was supposed to offer his servitude and fealty by kissing it. She didn't miss the way she fluttered her fake eyelashes at him or tried to shove her ample boobs in his face. Avi did. Reluctantly, he took her hand just as he did the others, she held onto his hand, she wasn't done with him yet.

"But you know that! How have you been Avriel?" They all shivered as she tried to purr his name. He instantly regretted touching even her hand. Rayne nearly growled. "It's been far too long. We should catch up later by the fire." Roni still hadn't let Avi's hand go. He felt more than a little trapped and Rayne very annoyed.

"Oh! I see you brought your guitar." She didn't seem to have noticed that he brought Rayne.

"Maybe you'll play and sing for me later." Again, with the batting of the eyes and pushing herself on him, as she reached up and touched his chest. He moved away as best as he could. The foolish girl was oblivious to her foolishness and ignoring Rayne's presence. Rayne felt it was honestly safe to roll her eyes. She did and sighed too. Her patience was reaching the end of its chain, but she kept a straight face for a few moments. Rayne didn't matter in Roni's world there was only Avi and all else was ignored. That didn't sit well with anyone else either.

"Um, sure." Avi mumbled. Rayne giggled when she caught Kirstin's exasperated expression.

"Hey Kirstie?" she interrupted, giving Avi a chance to pull his hand away and subconsciously wipe it on his shorts.

"Where is the food. I'm so hungry!" She smiled. That was Avi's line, but he wasn't getting a word in edgewise with that Roni chick talking at him so rapidly. Oh! How Rayne wanted to drop kick that silly little bitch. It was clear that she wanted Avi in a way that she shouldn't and that she didn't care about the fact that Avi was not alone. She rolled her eyes again and bit her tongue. She would let Av handle it and if it got out of hand, she'd drop kick the bitch somewhere where no one could see. She was certain no one would really miss her anyhow.

"We'll actually need a shady place to keep our guitars," Avi stated while giving Kirstin the look of death. Why had she invited that girl, she knew he didn't like her and that she liked him way too much?

They each brought guitars that they weren't emotionally attached to, though Rayne's was growing on her each time she touched her strings.

"No problem," Kirstin said as she started to lead them to a large umbrella on the beach.

"It was nice meeting you," Rayne said to 3 of the 4 women as they retreated from their company. She didn't bother with further acknowledgement of Roni's existence. Once they were out of earshot of the women, Rayne turned to Avi and smiled while shaking her head.

"Is that what you were talking about? You are right. I don't like her." Her eyes were still shining but the edge bore a darkness that Avi had come to understand was a warning.

He wasn't worried about himself. His loyalty and commitment to Rayne were as solid as they could possibly be. He would do nothing to jeopardize their relationship. If Veronica crossed the line one of the two of them would push her back to the other side of it. He honestly hoped that Rayne would not have to, though sometimes it was interesting to watch her deploy her wits against other unaware women that were a little too interested in him and failed to take no for an answer. He had a feeling this one wouldn't be so interesting or even remotely fun. It was always harder when the other woman just didn't seem to have a clue. Roni was either clueless or she just didn't fucking care.

They followed Kirstin to their little area of the beach and started carving out their space.

"Thanks for coming. I really didn't think that you would."

"Why not? I love the beach."

"You love the mountains and the forest more. You both do." Kirstin smiled softly at both Rayne and Avi. She wasn't happy about Veronica or the way she treated Rayne. It was pretty clear to her that Rayne and Avi were together, but then again, she actually knew that. They at least showed up side by side, probably got out of the same car. She watched their faces for a little longer gazing back and forth between the two of them. Rayne was still amused. If Roni was true to form, that wouldn't last much longer. That girl was always pestering Avi. Even when she was dating him, Roni hit on him. She smiled a rueful smile and secretly hoped Rayne would put an end to the Roni saga for good.

"I'm sorry about Roni." She said looking at her feet. "I hope she doesn't do anything too embarrassing to you this time, but I can't invite three of my friends and leave her out. I didn't know that you actually took her out on a date?" She seemed a bit miffed and tried to hide it.

"Neither did I, Mister," Rayne said looking first at Kirstin then to Avi and nudging him not so gently.

"I didn't either." He said turning toward Rayne and giving her a hard look.

"So," Kirstin clapped her hands together and bowed to them both. Her expression was priceless. "I'll leave you two to it," Kirstin said indicating the little patch of beach that would be their home for the next several hours, while she tried to extract her foot from her mouth.

"Food will be over there. It should be ready very soon." Kirstin backed away nervously.

Avi rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I didn't take her out. She scares the hell out of me. I was out by myself and she felt like she needed to join me. I didn't know how to make her go away without being rude. So, I let her sit with me. When I left I left alone. I have never eaten so fast in all my life."

"Yes, you have." She smiled that dazzling unprovoked and knowing little smile up at him. His sheepish grin was a beautiful reward.

"That was something different, entirely." His smile was unrelenting. She had to look away or get lost in the memory of that particular evening.

Setup didn't take them very long. They laid out a beach blanket and set their bags towards the top. They kept their guitars in their bags and on their backs as they went and found food and drink.

The day was fairly uneventful. They sat and watched the waves crash against the shore and talked quietly amongst themselves for a good part of the day. The other part of it, they sat and talked with some of the others as they gathered around a large pit that would later host a bonfire. They played for the group for a short while and promised to play again later. Rayne was more than a little excited. She had never been to a bonfire on the beach before.

As the day moved into evening, they wandered off down the beach, just looking to find a quiet place to stand and watch the sunset, they found a small expanse of deserted beach a way off. A large set of rocks served as a natural barrier between them and the rest of the party. The tide was on its way out so they sat at the highest edge of the surf, let the cool water lap at their feet, and watched as the setting sun set the ocean and the sky on fire. Watching the rich reds and oranges blaze across the horizon kiss the surface of the ocean moved Rayne to silent tears. She could not stop them from escaping from her eyes and they slipped hot and wet along her cheeks. She had never seen anything so wondrously beautiful as the sun setting fire to the ocean as it dipped below the horizon.

Sensing her emotions, Avi slipped a reassuring arm around Rayne's back and pulled her a little closer to him. He enjoyed her warmth tucked against his side more than he could even begin to explain. She slipped her arm around his back just above his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that in warm silence and watched the sun dip below the horizon. As Darkness fell across the sand, he slipped his free hand under her chin and gently pulled her lips to his.

"I love you." He whispered gently against them and waited patiently for her reply.

His breath was hot on her lips. It set her soul on fire. The sun had set in magnificent glory over the ocean and darkness had fallen all around them as they sat on the beach with the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore just a foot away. She didn't need her eyes to see him. She knew exactly where he was, where every inch and contour of his body was in relation to hers. He had gently placed his hand under her chin and turned her face up to his only to stop just a breath away from a delicate kiss to tenderly whisper his love to her. Her heart melted and wrapped itself around the tenderness of those sweet words. He meant every word, felt them with his every heartbeat, just as she did with hers. Softly she returned his words to him. Her lips lightly brushed his as she spoke the words of her heart to him in the soft intimate tones that linked their souls.