Alright, this is still chapter 11, we just put both parts together for better flow. Lol. There haven't been any changes. :D Also, there is an addition of two new characters. Mark is an early-forties podiatrist, who teaches surfing on the side. Katherine is also in her late thirties and works for at the PD's office. She enjoys surfing as well. These characters are ours. Well, Enjoy and please continue to read and review. D
Chapter 11: The Beach and Trial
She wept into him as he rubbed her back. "Okay," he whispered, "okay." They held each other close as they cried together. Afraid of being apart. Still in love.
Kirsten and Sandy, though amidst their agreement could not make themselves sleep without each other. They still needed each other's comforts. Tomorrow night, they would try separate beds. Bedrooms, even. They, however, could not manage to figure out how to sleep in separate bedrooms without the boys noticing. If Sandy slept in the guest room, Seth would surely notice when he woke up. The couch was also not a very good alternative. Secretly, Sandy and Kirsten liked the fact that they would still have to sleep together. At least for now.
Sandy woke up to find Kirsten's spot vacant, replaced only with a note on her pillow. "Sandy, I've gone out for the morning. I'll be in later in the day. Kirsten." Sandy sighed to himself. So this was what the infamous Sandy and Kirsten had been reduced to. Scratches on a piece of paper. No kisses in the morning. Nothing. Sandy swung his legs over the side of the bed, shuffling his slippers onto his feet as he let out a loud yawn. He stretched before tilting his head side to side until he heard a satisfying, faint crack. He would head to the beach. What else was there for him to do? He needed to clear his head. Figure out how to see other people without going completely insane.
"Hi. I'm Kirsten Cohen. I was told to see someone named Mark for surfing lessons?" said Kirsten, uncertainly to a young man sitting behind the surfing shack booth. She fidgeted slightly in place. Her wetsuit hung at her hips, exposing her black Dior bikini top. Her hair was done in a messy ponytail as the wind whipped it slightly at her neck. That same wind blew against the surfboard she was holding, threatening to either knock her over or fall out of her hands. She gasped lightly as she felt her grip wane. She struggled to hold it in her arms.
"Whoa, there. You're going to want to be careful there, miss. If it's too heavy for you, just grab it at the end and drag the other. It'll be easier for you," said a voice from behind her. The man had a surfboard in one arm as he held hers in place. She smiled gratefully and re-adjusted her board's position in her arms.
"Thank you," she said, quietly, looking at her savior. She looked up to meet a pair of honey brown eyes that shone in the sunlight. The man had short brown hair that danced lightly in the breeze. His wetsuit hung at his hips, exposing a well defined chest and broad shoulders. Beads of, what Kirsten assumed to be a combination of sweat and saltwater, accentuated the tanned skin that was stretched upon his muscular body. Her eyes followed as a trickle fell from his hair down to his collarbone, his chest, and his abdomen, disappearing in a thin trail of hair from his navel to beyond the suit. His eyes caught hers as he smiled, nodding as a sign of "No problem."
"He's behind you," said the gruff voice from behind the booth. Kirsten turned around briefly, signaling her attention to the clerk and then back to the man that stood before her.
"Kirsten, right?" said Mark, forcing his board into the sand. She nodded, shyly as she stuck out her manicured hand. She smiled, acknowledging his voice. Rough. Deep. English.
"And you're Mark," she concluded. He chuckled lightly, nodding.
"First surfing lesson?" asked Mark, motioning for them to walk toward a small isolated part of the beach. Kirsten nodded as she watched as others tried to learn how to surf. She never liked the ocean. The fish. God knows what else. It was that day they all spent the day at the beach when Kirsten truly appreciated the beauty it held. Sandy always said he felt at peace whilst on a wave. He felt one with the water. She just wanted to keep a part of him near her. What better than taking an interest in his passion? Even if it was too late.
Mark watched her in awe as she picked up on his teaching almost immediately. He watched her as she talked passionately about her family. Her witty son, Seth and her deeper son, Ryan. There was something about this Kirsten Cohen that he wanted to know more about. Something about her captivated him. Maybe it was her cute button nose. Her piercing blue eyes. Her angular jaw. Maybe it was everything about her. He found himself opening up to her. Enjoying the sound of her laugh when he made a joke. There was something about Kirsten Cohen that he liked more than an instructor should. There was something about Kirsten Cohen that he wanted.
Kirsten couldn't help herself from admiring Mark. He had opened up about his desire to pursue surfing, his foot injury that drove him into podiatry and his drive to keep the sport he loved so much in his life. She, also, couldn't help but admire his body. There was something about Mark that made her want to become braver. Fearless. Daring. He had managed to surpass everything that was thrown his way. He was stronger than she had ever imagined. He had managed to make her open up about everything. Even Sandy. It didn't help her much that he was English. She always did have a soft spot for sexy accents. There was something about Mark that she wanted.
Mark had persuaded Kirsten into testing her newfound standing skills in the water. She paddled out into the water, Mark close behind. She choked on the saltwater splashing up from the sharper waves. They turned around, facing the shore as they waited for a small wave. "Remember, Kirsten. Paddle and then get up. Keep your feet steady and use your arms for balance, just like we practiced, okay?" said Mark, reassuringly. She nodded nervously as she watched the perfect wave come up from behind her. She lay on her belly, no longer straddling her board. She paddled hard, eventually hitting the peak point of the wave. She felt a sudden surge of energy as she lifted herself up with her arms and legs. She stood for a moment, struggling to keep balance as she attempted to ride the small wave. She cowered for a moment as she lost her place and fell into the water. Her head sprang up as she coughed lightly.
Mark swam up to her, helping her onto her board as he laughed gently, "That was good, Kiki. Very good, actually. Do you want to try again?"
Kirsten straddled her board, staring at him. Kiki. What had possessed him to call her that? She knew that they were getting on well but to call her that dreaded nickname reserved only for her father. "Uh, I, uh, need to take a break. I'm just going to head back to shore and tan on the beach for a while. I'll see you in a bit," said Kirsten, rushing off to shore. Mark stared after her dumbfounded. What had he said?
Kirsten walked to the part of the beach where there were more people, tanning or making sandcastles. She didn't want to be isolated with Mark or the other surfers. She undid her bikini straps and lay belly down upon her towel, allowing the sun to radiate her silky vanilla skin. She closed her eyes, thinking about what had just happened. About what was happening. She and Sandy were on a break. She was surfing with Mark, who had just called her "Kiki". He captivated her. She didn't know why. Maybe it was his passion, his drive. The same things that she loved so dearly in Sandy. A voice above her interrupted her thoughts, "Have I offended you in some way, Kirsten?"
She squinted up to see Mark's face peering down at her, the sun burning her eyes. She sighed deeply as she shook her head, "No."
"I got the vibe that you didn't want to be around me for a minute there," began Mark, lowering himself to her level. The hot sand felt good upon his knees. He knew he would have been more comfortable on Kirsten's towel but he didn't want to violate her space. Kirsten smiled lightly before shrugging off his deduction.
"Look, I like teaching you and I don't really know what I've done wrong for you to be giving me the cold shoulder."
"You called me 'Kiki'" stated Kirsten, simply, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes once more.
"Is that bad?"
"My father used to call me that. He was the only one who was allowed to call me that and he passed away. I hated that nickname but it was okay when he said it. No one else is allowed to use that name for me. Only him… and well, Julie Cooper," blurted Kirsten. Her honesty shocked her. Here she was, lying on the beach telling a stranger about her father, a touchy subject with anyone.
"I'm so sorry, Kirsten but in my defense I didn't know about your father, so you can't really hold that against me," said Mark, lightly.
"Oh yes, I can," said Kirsten, simply, smiling to herself. God. Am I flirting with him? Guilt tore at Kirsten as she thought about Sandy. It had been less than 24 hours since they had decided to take a break. Separate. And here she was flirting with a man, who could quite possibly be one of the sexiest things to ever wash up on Newport Beach. Oh God. She tried to pep talk herself. Convince herself that she needed to move on and the best time to start would be immediately. She needed to push Sandy Cohen out her mind as soon as possible. She couldn't let this separation go on for longer than needed. She wasn't going to pine over Sandy and their break while their relationship festered and stewed away. She wasn't going to spend extra time pained and hurt. Nope. Kirsten Cohen was going to cast her feelings for Sandy aside. Immediately. There would be no waiting. She wanted this to be over. She was sick of hurting. Crying. The sooner she knew how she felt. The sooner the healing would begin. This was her mantra as she glanced over at the sun cream sticking out of her bag. "I know how you can make it up to me, though," she began.
"By buying you dinner?" asked Mark.
Kirsten giggled lightly, "Very smooth. But I was thinking more along the lines of you re-applying that sun cream over there to my back. I don't want to get burned." Mark chuckled in amusement as he leant over her and grabbed the bottle. He smirked to himself as he squeezed the bottle tightly, the cool cream suddenly touching her heated back. She gasped, getting up slightly until she realized she had undone her strings. Mark laughed as he massaged the cream into her back. She wanted to scold him for his rotten little trick but his hands were doing the most wonderful things to her back, relieving the tension. The stress. Her eyes drifted to a close as she remembered what she wanted to do, "I'd better not catch you sneaking a peak or trying to touch me because I will release the hurt," said Kirsten, firmly. Inside she was laughing, making a mental note to thank Seth and Summer for the "hurt" line. Mark smiled as he felt her relax beneath his fingertips. His smile began to fade but resurfaced again at realizing that she had fallen asleep and was now making noises he had never heard a woman make before. A cross between a moan and a snore. Cute.
At that very moment, Sandy was walking around the beach, trying to find somewhere to park his towel and his things but it seemed as though all the good spots were taken. He looked out toward the ocean. All he needed was some four-footers to kick his ass and maybe clear his head. The beach wasn't particularly crowded but all the best places to stay were occupied by lovers and tanning women. Women. Sandy looked around, using his hand to shade his eyes as he saw from the corner of his eye a woman waving at him. She looked familiar. Her dark brown hair swaying side to side as she motioned enthusiastically, "Sandy!"
"Katherine!" said Sandy, approaching the woman and recognizing her. They had met at the PD's office, many years ago but had lost contact when he had begun working for Partridge, Savage and Kahn. Sandy paused for a moment. There was an odd sound in the air. It stuck out at him, even though the chatter from the nearby people should have drowned it out. The sound was familiar. He felt an odd feeling stir within him. He looked around as he heard it again. It was a cute sound, a cross between a moan and a snore. Kirsten used to make that noise. He continued to search, dumbfounded at how it was possible to hear the noises Kirsten made at the beach so early in the morning. He realized it was coming from his left side. His eyes were cast in that direction only to find a man massaging a woman. Sandy smiled bitterly. If only Kirsten had joined me those other times, we would have had that couple's kind of fun. His eyes gazed longingly at the woman's wetsuit, wondering if Kirsten had ever used the one he had bought her when they had moved to Newport.
Kirsten's eyes sprang open as Mark poked her sides. She gasped as she quickly re-did her straps turning over to glare at him, "Mark, that is not funny!" Mark shrugged as he began to tickle her once more. She bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from laughing. It didn't work. Kirsten burst out laughing, kicking her legs frantically, trying to push his wiggling fingers away from her.
"Hey, you need to get up and finish that lesson, Kirsten," said Mark, his grin evident as Kirsten's hair flew past him. Her shampoo still lingered upon it, it's scent intoxicating as it mixed with the smell of seawater. Mark felt his breath hitch in his chest. Perfect.
Sandy's eyes grew wide as he processed what had just happened. Kirsten. Beach. Wetsuit. Massage. Mark. Tickling.
Sandy tried to put aside the fact that he had just seen his wife in a bikini and wetsuit, giggling around with some strange man. He tried to put aside the fact that she was flirting with him and then proceeded to leave toward some other part of the beach with him. When did she start surfing anyway?
Sandy couldn't help but let jealousy override him. He had always asked her to surf with him. A surfing lesson, some time on the beach. She had always declined.
"What about surfing? When are we going to get you in the ocean?"
"With the fish? Eugh."
Now she was here, at the beach, her hair dampened with saltwater. Her back covered in cream that he had rubbed onto her shoulders.
Sandy's balance wavered as his thoughts wandered elsewhere, no longer on the water beneath him, which was now coming up fast behind him. He plunged into the water as he was knocked off his board. Never let your mind wander. He choked on the saltwater as his head reappeared above the water. He heard a laugh. A laugh not unlike Kirsten's. It was light and cheerful, like a tinkling sound. He smiled as he heard a light snort. Almost exactly like Kirsten's. His eyes met a pair of soulful brown eyes. Kirsten's were a deep blue.
"Nice job, Cohen. That was really… graceful," laughed Katherine. Sandy smiled as he waded next to her, his board in tow. She clutched her stomach as she took deep breaths, missing the mischievous grin painted upon his face. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in. It was his turn to laugh as her head appeared above water, splashing him, catching him off guard. He splashed back, not noticing the surf behind him or the fact that his board was now at a higher level than him. Katherine's eyes grew wide as Sandy turned his attention to the board, which was now plunging at him. He dove into the water as he heard the wave crash around him.
He resurfaced above water, searching around for his board and Katherine. Both were in view. Katherine was sputtering water as she fought to catch her breath. The wave had tossed her slightly, causing her to swallow water. The salt did not go down as well as it usually did. Sandy glanced at her sympathetically. Katherine stared at him. Her coughs were accompanied by an angry glare in Sandy's direction as she splashed him roughly. "Sandy! You broke my top! How am I supposed to get back to shore now?" she asked.
"I broke it?
"Well, I sure as hell didn't break it myself! Get over here and make yourself useful," said Katherine, roughly grabbing him and placing him in front of her. He smiled to himself as he led them to shore, his body and his surfboard her only covering from prying eyes. Her grip on his arm tightened as she felt the older men's eyes burning her half naked body.
Oddly enough, he liked protecting her. There was something about Katherine he had always liked. Maybe it was all their similarities. Maybe it was the scar on her left shoulder from when she had fallen off her board and hit some rock beneath the water. Maybe it was the way her hair fell around her when she worked. The way she would tap her pencil nervously when they were in trial. Maybe it was all the above and more. There was something about Katherine he had never noticed before. There was something about Katherine he liked.
Katherine smiled as he watched him shield her. He was always so gallant. Charming, too. There was something about Sandy Cohen she had always liked. Maybe it was the way his eyebrows would perk up when he would think of something ingenious. Maybe it was the way he would sing show tunes loudly as he worked. Maybe it was his random jokes that he just had to tell. Like a kid who just received their first knock-knock joke and had to tell their parents. Whatever it was, there was something about Sandy she liked.
When they had finally made it to their belongings, Sandy strategically lifted her towel with his toes and lifted it to cover her. He turned away as she changed, her bare arms showing above the large beach towel. Sandy swallowed the lump in his throat as he teased her, "Holy Moses, Katherine, take another year, why don't you!" Katherine laughed, reaching over the towel and slapping him gently.
"Hey!" he yelped, shaking the towel as she gasped.
"Don't you dare! Sandy! Cut it out! Cohen, oh for goodness' sake!"
Sandy laughed to himself as he nodded to her and held the towel straight. He didn't notice Kirsten standing only feet away from them, staring. She watched in shock as Katherine threw the towel down from his hands and leant over, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. Kirsten watched as Katherine looked as if she had leapt onto the sand, fetching Sandy his towel. Katherine mischievously grinned as she slapped the towel onto his head and shook it gently. "Hey!"
"Dry off and I'll stick our boards in the sandy, 'kay?" she asked, picking up her purple and white surfboard and shoving it forcefully into the sand. Sandy held the towel in place with one hand as he nodded, looking at her through scruffy, salt watered hair and a towel. He smiled at her, noticing how her tanned skin was accentuated by drops of saltwater and sweat. Kirsten seethed, gritting her teeth and gathering her things quickly. Kirsten couldn't believe it. Sandy. Towel. Bikini Top. Surfboard. Katherine. Flirting.