"Dude, let's see if we can scrape out something from these shitty ankle slappers before it gets completely flat," said Levi as he faced the ocean and pulled up the sleeves of his wetsuit. The swell was weak and sloppy, not offering much to surf on, but he certainly didn't mean to stay splashing in the fucking froth. "You don't mind if we skip soaking in the whitewater, and go for the real waves." He didn't really care for his student opinion.
Erwin zipped his own suit up, and Levi automatically reached for his neck to adjust the seal. Touching the dude again? He mentally rolled his own eyes on himself.
"Thanks." Erwin gave him a cracked, half-ass smile.
"Now, Jean sure has explained safety rules to you, but let's go through some hazards again. Ditch is a reef break, the bottom it's pretty rocky. When you wipe out, fall flat on your stomach. Protect your head. Not only from the rocks, but from your own board coming back at you." Levi wrapped his arms around his head to illustrate his instruction. "The wave energy is weak today, you'll have to paddle double hard to get any surf."
Erwin bent down to secure the leash around his ankle and his generous buttocks tensed, forced by this position. Levi shook the insistent thought of running his hands over them from his head and took care of his own leash.
He grabbed his board, and hit the water, not waiting for Erwin, who struggled a bit with a much bigger and bulkier longboard but finally managed to catch up when they were waist-deep in the ocean. Levi was already sitting on his board, waiting for him, and Erwin slid onto his. They paddled close to each other until Levi grabbed the nose of Erwin's board, stopping him for a moment.
"Look below your board. See these rocks? Yeah, not a fun thing to hit with your head."
Beneath them, large stones positioned at the seabed were clearly visible through a see-through shimmering surface.
Levi turned and moved forward. Getting through to the lineup, once they were out of the whitewater, was easy. He sat on his board, covered his eyes, and looked over to the horizon. Erwin caught up to him again but stayed lying on his board. The water was rolling gently below them.
"Hey, sit on your board, no dick dragging!"
"No 'what'?" Erwin snorted but pushed himself up to a sitting position.
"No dragging your dick over the board. If you wait for the waves, behave like a decent surfer, not like some creepy dick-dragger."
"Ah, what a visual term," said Erwin, but Levi ignored his comment.
He pointed his arm to the flat skyline in front of them.
"See this lump out there? These are waves coming in and forming up. Watch it get closer and prepare."
They sat in silence, observing the mass of water rise and arc as it closed upon them.
"Now careful," Levi said, "the waves are starting to peak. Let's choose a nice one for you."
Erwin tried to turn frantically and leaned to lie down on his board, but Levi pressed his palm to Erwin's chest, stopping him.
"Come back to a position, wait for it. You don't want the first wave in a set. Let's see how it'll peel," he explained, his hand still pressed tight to Erwin's pecs.
The first wave passed smoothly underneath them, and they floated over it. It broke, approaching the shore as they both observed it.
"See here and there. The wave broke in two places, on both the left and right sides. Sick. It's called an A-frame. It means two people can technically ride the same wave in two different directions. We sit through the second one, too. It seems choppy. Go for the third in a set."
As the third one approached, Levi grabbed the rail of Erwin's board and helped him turn.
"Easy big guy, wait for it." He guided Erwin, who slid into a lying position. "Now, paddle hard. Paddle!" He pushed the board, adding the additional strength so the wave could catch it. It got carried by the movement of the water, and Levi followed attentively every Erwin's move.
"Take off, now!" he shouted.
Erwin could be much faster; it was a lame, late take-off, but finally, he rose on the board. Levi frowned. The dude was riding the bottom of the wave straight towards the shore and not the surface of it. As a result, the broken crest swallowed him fast, pushing him off his board. Shitty ride.
Now the fourth wave in the set rose behind him, and Levi decided to take advantage of it before they had to wait for another swell, which might be a long time. His instinct told him the waves would be gone for the noontime soon. He was quick on the pop-out and although the wave was small and wimpy, he carved some turns.
They both paddled back into their spot. Erwin sat on his board without prompting.
"Better now?" He asked.
Levi shot him a side look.
"I don't know why you sound so proud of yourself. You popped out too late, and you rode foam towards the shore. The faster you are after the waves catch you, the better the ride, and you screwed that part. Also, we ride along the face of the wave, not run from it," Levi said with a hiss, but corrected his harsh tone himself, "but you will get better with practice, so no worries here."
"Right." Erwin didn't seem to care too much. They sat in silence, eyes on the flat mass of the ocean, glistening in the sun ahead of them.
"Shit. It's it for today," Levi said after a while, treading water, making small semi-circles with his board, "we could practice a turtle roll out here." He straightened, balancing the board in between his thighs.
"A turtle roll?" Erwin raised his eyebrows.
"A useful technique to know if you are going to stick with a longboard. Which, I believe, you will." Levi kneeled over his board, preparing himself to explain the maneuver.
"Or, we could just sit here, watch the ocean, and talk," Erwin said quickly, trying to catch Levi's eyes.
"Dude?… it's your surf lesson, and you wanna watch the ocean… and talk?!"
"Isn't it what surfers do? Waiting patiently for the waves, enjoying the ocean view in the sunset?"
Levi snorted.
"Was that a laugh?" Erwin asked. Levi threw a glower at him, but Erwin raised his eyebrows playfully, and Levi's scowl turned into a shy grin.
"Yes… and no. Some of us enjoy moments like these, and some get frustrated and chase the waves. Some people stay at one place and wait for the surf to come in. And some travel to get the best waves. Locally. And all over the world. It depends."
"And you?"
"So we are doing this talking bullshit?" Levi hissed. "Fine. But move your ass and your legs on that board and practice turning, at least a little." He slid back into a sitting position.
Erwin turned on his board, drawing full 360 degrees circle with his board and the body.
"So? Which one are you?"
Levi hesitated.
"I am a local surfer now. This is my beach, this is my home. And I protect it."
"Now?"
Levi didn't answer immediately, considering how much he actually wanted to tell the rich dude about his life. He still didn't trust Erwin, he'd never liked people asking too many questions, and this guy had this annoying tendency of sticking his nose in Levi's business. Nothing Erwin was asking about was dangerous, though, and it could be considered small talk. Rich dude was paying for his time, surfing class or not, Levi could let Erwin in on some things and ask some questions himself. It wouldn't hurt.
"I used to be all-around more. All over Long Island, Rockaway even. And," Levi said, something opening deep inside of him while he spoke, "when I was a kid I wanted to do all the surfari traveling, chasing the perfect waves all over the world. Mavericks, Pipeline, Puerto Escondido, Chicama, J-Bay, Indo, Margaret's River—"
"I don't even know most of these places," Erwin said, shifting, as his board floated closer to Levi's.
"If you stick to surfing, you will know soon."
"So what happened to that childhood dreams? Why aren't you traveling?" Erwin asked.
"My turn to ask questions," said Levi and squinted. "I haven't seen you around before. What are you doing in Montauk?"
"It's simple. I inherited a pretty fat trust fund. Just bought a beach house, and I am going to stay here for a while. You are welcome to come by for a drink if you'd like sometime."
"It's simple, just like that…" Levi hissed, ignoring the invitation to his house Erwin just dropped on him, "must be nice to just inherit things like that."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," said Erwin, lowering his voice. His blue eyes hid a hint of compassion that Levi didn't like.
"Don't worry. I get how the world works. The rich and the poor, we exist in the same universe."
"Is this why you didn't go surfing all those places? Because you are poor? "
Erwin's question was simple enough to sound genuine, and not like he had been taking pity on him, or maybe Levi just wanted to admit the truth to somebody. He surprised himself with the words that came next out of his mouth.
"It's simple, too. For a guy like me, if you are good enough, there are ways to get out there, in the world of the big-ass professional surfing. I had one shot at it, but it got fucked up by some shit. Better anyway, the surfari thing is a pretty lame-ass thing to do."
Silence fell between them, interrupted only by the sound of waves splashing at the epoxy bottoms. They just sat there, two men out in the ocean, separated by two distinct realities they lived in, yet sharing the simple experience of salt-heavy breeze, blue ocean, and the bright glare of sunshine. All of a sudden, a stronger current came in, and as they both floated, Erwin's board bumped into Levi's rocker.
They both leaned in to separate the boards, and accidentally their hands grazed.
"Levi." Erwin's palm wrapped over Levi's wrist, and their arms pressed against one another.
He bent down, and before Levi realized what was happening, Erwin kissed him softly, brushing his lips slowly against Levi's. It took Levi by surprise, and at first, his mouth responded almost as a reflex, but then his mind went blank and he pulled back, pushing Erwin away from him.
"Dude—"
Idiot.
"I am sorry," said Erwin. He straightened, but his eyes drooped. "I've totally misread the situation. I am sorry again."
Shit. Two idiots.
"You haven't misread shit." Levi lowered his voice to his proven growl.
He reached for Erwin's jaw, and his fingers dug into his clean-shaven cheeks. He tugged Erwin's head down to his face, closing the height difference between them, and forced him to lock his blue eyes with his. Levi tried to read them; he didn't know what exactly he was searching for in their comforting depth, but he knew he wanted this to happen. He licked his lips and noticed how Erwin lowered his gaze, following this move.
Screw it.
He wanted this kiss so badly.
Levi went in for a hard, ravenous kiss. His fingers tightened the hold on Erwin's jaw, forcing him to split his lips open and his tongue darted into Erwin's mouth, reaching deep down his throat. Erwin responded, with his own tongue meeting and welcoming Levi's, while his palm raked through Levi's damp undercut, his long fingers entangling into the wet strands and stroking Levi's ear, then slid down to his neck. They both grunted in their throats.
The kiss grew intense, their tongues merged, lips pressed against each other scraping, hungry, greedily wanting more, getting lost in the experience. Then there was just salty skin of their faces, tongues against teeth, warm insides of their mouths tasting like the ocean. Rough, frantic kisses exchanged hastily until they could kiss no more.
Fucking shit.
They finally parted, their breaths loud, their charged stares clashed, and an intense lust grew between them.
Levi realized how much he wanted to continue, to feel the lips that he kissed just now on his skin. And to put his dick in that mouth.
A harsh, ragged growl came out of his throat.
"Let's get out of here."
They got out of the water and headed towards the parking lot in a haste.
"Your car or mine?" Erwin asked.
"Mine. The boards go on the rack," Levi said, pointing his chin towards the Explorer and at the same time the corner of his eyes caught a group of familiar surfers hanging around the food truck. He hadn't seen them here in a while and they were straight ahead of him now, impossible to ignore in the fenced parking lot.
His old squad, Eld, Gunther, and Olou. And—Shit.
"Guys. Petra," he said.
"Hi, Levi," she said, her voice trembling and her big sad eyes fixed on him, judging like he'd kicked some puppies or something.
Shit, the last thing he needed now was to meet her on his way to fuck the rich dude.
"Levi, long time," said Olou when they approached him and Levi noticed a faint whiff of weed. He squinted. He didn't want that shit on his beach, not near his kids.
"Getting a snack here, guys? I thought you will be trying to get some waves elsewhere." Levi propped his board over a wooden camping table, and Erwin tagged along behind him, letting out a small, irked grunt.
"It's safe to assume the whole Long Island is glass," said Eld, taking a sip of his coffee, "this day really sucks."
"Have you tried the Turtle Cove? Or the North Bar, even better? Beach exposure is different, you might get lucky there. If it's working even a little today, it will be crowded."
"I doubt the Turtle Cove will be any different, but the North Bar, why not?" Gunther cut in, "are we done here?" He asked the squad.
"Actually, can you give me a moment guys," Petra said and turned to look at Levi again, "Levi, can we talk for a sec, please?" Her tone sounded dangerously close to a whimper.
"Petra, dear, we don't have the whole day," Olou said.
She ignored him, her amber eyes locked on Levi's. "Please?!"
Fuck, not a scene with her in front of the guys and the rich dude… Shit.
"That's fine, Levi." Erwin's calm voice resounded behind him. "I can see you have matters to attend."
What the fuck?!
"Erwin—"
"I'll catch up with you later." Erwin's arm brushed against Levi's when he walked past him and the rest of the group, heading to his car.
