He was the first one out on the beach every morning. The first one to wax his board and head out into the ocean. The first one to ride the waves and feel the salt water in his black locks. The first one every morning to connect with the ocean and form a special bond with the sunrise. He never missed a sunrise with the ocean and he never planned to miss it.
Just for a few hours, before everyone would arrive, he finally would feel at peace with himself.
Then one day she arrived.
He had parked his red 1950's Jeep Commando by the rocks, a gift from Bruce on his last birthday when he turned eighteen, and grabbed his surfboard before making his way to the blue waves.
He stopped midway.
She had her back turned to him, her gaze lingering on the ocean, and a white surfboard stood upright by her form.
How dare she.
How dare she come to the beach at this time.
It was his time at the beach. Didn't she know that?
It was his time to run away from everyone.
To run away from all his problems.
To forget that everything and everyone exists.
It was just him. And only him.
He contemplated whether or not to tell her to leave. To tell her to come back in a few hours. To tell her that this beach didn't need any new surfers. She was probably some fakie anyway. He's seen girls come here. Try to act like they know a thing or two about surfing, just to end up boning some airhead in a back shack.
He would have noticed that red hair. It wasn't like anything he's ever seen before. Not like Wally's and nothing like Barbara's red hair. This red was a different type of red. This red pulled him in. This red was captivating and alluring.
His legs worked faster than his brain did.
Because the red hair turned when she was met by his lingering shadow.
Then he saw green.
"Wow" he breathed.
There was a twinkle in her eyes and a small smile formed on her lips. "Pardon?" she asked.
"Beautiful" he whispered.
The mysterious red head gave him a giggle and shyly looked away.
Dick shook himself back to reality and held on tightly to his surfboard before clearing his throat. "Ah...I mean the ocean. Beautiful, right?"
"It is one of the most beautiful ocean's I've seen in America" she replied, not taking her eyes off the scenery in front of her.
There was an accent when she spoke English. She's definitely not from around here.
He noticed the sun was starting to rise in just a few minutes so he quickly dug his board into the ground and took a seat besides her, his knees bent up and arms resting on top of them.
He watched her.
The way her toes dug into the sand.
The way the green two piece hung tightly on her skin. It wasn't anything sexy. Not something you would see in a Victoria's Secret magazine. It was modest. It was cute. It made her seem quiet, like she didn't want anyone to giver her attention.
He memorized her.
She had four bracelets on her right wrist, each one a different color. Black, blue, purple, and red.
An anklet on her left foot with three green stars dangling from the string.
But the thing that caught his eye wasn't the swimsuit or the jewellery.
It was the scars.
There were several on her back and around her shoulders, just a few around her neck, and the one that really caught his eye was the one on her upper left arm. This one looked brand new. Not like the others that looked to be years old and slowly fading away but one that looked like it held the most pain.
She caught his gaze from the corner of her eye. "Do not ask" she simply said.
He cleared his throat and looked away, fearing he may have overstepped some boundaries by looking. He reached out to the sunrise and pointed. "That's my favorite part." He paused before pointing again. "Right there! When the orange and blue finally meet. Right there. On that line."
They sat there in silence, the only sound being heard were the waves crashing. It was quiet just until the sunrise finally greeted their sunkissed tans. Just until the both of them finally met their peace.
She was the first to break the silence.
"My name is Kory" she said.
He met her gaze and smiled. "Richard but people call me Dick."
"Have you surfed here long?" she asked.
He ran his fingers through his hair, combing it out, before tying the hair that reached a little above his shoulders. "My adoptive dad owns this part of the island. My friends and I moved here in May for the summer. This is our last summer before we start college."
"Do you like it here?" she asked.
He gave her a small smile and nodded towards the ocean. "If you asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said no. But I mean look at it" he said pointing to what's in front of him. "How can you not like this?"
She giggled and and rested her cheek on her knees. "You are correct. I absolutely adore the ocean. It makes me feel at-
"Peace?" he asked.
Her eyes widened a little bit. "You understand."
It wasn't a question but more of a statement.
"Depends what I'm understanding" he told her before looking out again. "Truthfully, I'm only running away from my issues. I haven't felt at peace with myself ever since my parents passed away. I tried to find my happy place, the place I go when I'm struggling. I couldn't find it in Gotham. Couldn't find it in Florida water, California water didn't work either, and then I found this island. I wake up every morning at five before anyone else gets up and just surf." He looked at her and gave her a wink. "Just me and the water. Me and the sunrise. And finally I realize I'm at peace." He said the last part in a whisper.
She blinked at him, let out a gasp, and flushed red. "I am so sorry!" she said getting up. "I did not realize I was intruding on your oasis!"
He let out a chuckle before grabbing her wrist and pulling her back down. "It's alright Kory! If it were anyone else, I'd give them the boot but you can stay."
She sat back down next to him, a little bit more closer than before, and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Why would you let me stay?"
He thought about the question. He wanted to use his words wisely.
"You seem like you need it too" he replied.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
"Where are you from?" he asked.
"A small island in the Caribbean" she told him. "This is my first time in America."
"You come here alone?" he asked.
She gave him a nod. "I...did not tell anyone I was leaving." She took a moment. "Do you ever feel like you want to leave and start somewhere new where no one knows you or your past?"
He let out a long laugh and Kory leaned back a little bit.
"Did I say something funny?" she innocently asked.
He shook his head and his laughter died. "No, no. It's just...funny you would say something like that. I feel like that everyday."
"You are a stranger to me Richard" she said to him. "But it seems that we may have a lot in common."
"You staying nearby?" he asked.
She pointed to the car on the other side of the beach. "That is my home. I have been living in my car for the last three weeks. I have been trying to find a place to stay and my own oasis...my happy place...until I decide if I want to go back home."
Dick instantly caught onto the if and for some reason his heart did a flip.
"You can stay here" he told her. "Our place is huge. We've been looking for a final roommate for our last bedroom."
She backed away from him and lifted up her hands. "Oh no! I could not impose!"
"C'mon Kory!" he told her. "You won't be imposing."
"But...we...you-
"You said this is one of the best ocean's you've seen in America" he told her. "Spend some time here. See more of it. If you don't like it then you can leave but please give it a chance."
"Okay" she said, standing up with a smile. "Now get up! I wish to kick your American ass on the waves."
He let out a chuckle and smiled. "We'll see about that!"
Suddenly, sharing his peace and happy place wasn't so bad at all.
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