The sky overhead was a perfect halcyon blue. The breeze rolled off the gulf and over your sunkissed skin, smelling like salt and the promise of afternoon rain. A few hundred feet out, the dark backs of dolphins arched up through the waves as they hunted for fish. Since it was the week before Independence day, the beach was still fairly quiet besides the calls of the birds and the crash of the waves.
You'd been sitting out on the beach with maximum sun protection and latest bestselling novel all day, enjoying having the place mostly to yourself until your rowdy sisters came out to enjoy the sun and surf too.
"Come on, no point in putting on a bikini and not using it," Your oldest sister Alyssa chirped, pulling her swim coverup over her head and exposing miles of golden skin.
"Last one in is a rotten egg!" Your middle sister Lucy said, already in her bikini and racing toward the edge of the water. You grumbled good-naturedly and put your book aside, tiptoeing across the hot sand to where the waves were rolling up onshore.
"All the way in, Bean!" Alyssa crowed, already paddling in the surf. Lucy was splashing out to join her, boogie board in tow.
As you returned to your chairs to put your coverup somewhere dry, you noticed a man walking down the beach toward you with a chair and fishing gear in his arms. His muscles bulged with the effort of carrying everything, and you shyly averted your eyes before you started staring at the stranger. You didn't really like that he was going to come fish near your spot, you didn't want to get close to the hooks the fishermen used out here in the surf.
"Bean, get out here!" Lucy yelled. You pulled your coverup off and put your book over top of it to keep it from blowing away, and then delicately picked your way toward your sisters. You looked at the man setting up his chair and fishing rod, and were surprised to see him watching you. His gaze wasn't creepy at all, merely curious. Embarrassed that your eyes had met, you scooted out into the crashing waves.
As you half-waded, half-paddled your way out toward the sandbar your sisters were already at, the wind began to whip up. The clouds were definitely booking their way toward the coast now, the rumble of thunder in the distance would be audible any minute now.
Your sisters shrieked and giggled as they splashed and kicked up soggy sand at each other. You swam up and bobbed in the warm waves.
"Wow, what a hunk hanging out on our section of the beach." Alyssa said, staring at the fisherman. Lucy giggled.
"Oh, leave him alone." You said, splashing her.
"Come on, let's swim out even further." Alyssa grabbed your hand and pulled you out into the waves. You lost your footing on the sand bar and floundered. The thunder you'd anticipated chose that moment to rumble loudly.
"Quick, before we have to swim back!" Lucy yelled. You chanced a quick glance at the shore, and could swear the fisherman was watching you over his shades.
You reluctantly followed your daredevil sisters, spitting salt water and treading as best you could. You were a decent swimmer, good, even. But this screamed stupid to you.
"I think we're far enough." You panted, ducking under a huge wave.
"Y-yeah, this is far enough, Lyss." Lucy said, staring back at the shore, which now looked way too far away.
"Ugh, party poopers, the waves are fun like this!" Alyssa yelled back, splashing you both for emphasis.
The clouds took that moment to open up above you, pouring warm rain over your heads.
"Time to go!" You yelled to the other two.
You three started to ride the waves back toward shore, and you were thankful the rip wasn't strong today. What was really kicking your ass was the killer undertow, and huge waves. You weren't as strong as your sisters, and started to drop behind.
Halfway back to the beach, white hot agony surged up your leg, cramping every muscle from your pinky toe to shoulder, it seemed. You floundered and went under, fighting your way back up just in time for a huge wave to smash into you.
"Help!" You squeaked, mouth full of water. "Lyssa! Lucy!"
Your sisters didn't hear, they were too far away. Another wave sent you into a tailspin, and you barely were able to return to the surface. The cramp continued to ravage your quad, and your arms were growing tired. You fought your way to the surface one more time, but almost immediately, a wave took you out.
The last thing you felt before your lungs completely filled with water was a large, warm hand grabbing yours.
The next thing you knew, everything was warm. Your limbs felt heavy and warm, your chest felt warm, and your lips felt the warmest of all. You were kissing a beautiful man with a mustache...
Water fountained out of your mouth, and you were back with reality. You were being rolled on your side, vomiting water and the remains of your lunch. You were shaking, and someone was making a high-pitched keening sound.
You were rolled back to your back, and suddenly the warmth in your chest made sense. You were receiving compressions. A shirtless man in a mustache was leaning over you, and then his lips were on yours again.
Wait.
Your fist came out and connected solidly with the man's jaw. And then you were rolling yourself over to cough and vomit up more water. The shaking became more violent.
"She's back with us." An unfamiliar voice said to you, and a towel was draped around your shoulders. "Welcome back, sweetheart."
"Ohmigod, we never should have gone out so far..." Alyssa was sobbing next to you.
You screamed as the cramp in your leg returned full force, knotting up your thigh.
"She's cramping!" The unfamiliar voice said. Large, warm hands began rubbing your quad, trying to release its hold on you.
"Lucy, get our gatorades!" Alyssa yelled.
"Please, make it stop..." You moaned. "Pleasepleaseplease, it hurts..."
"I know, sweetheart. Try to relax." The unfamiliar voice continued. You looked up at the man who had been giving you CPR and was now performing shiatsu on your thigh.
"Do I know you?" You panted. You blinked a trickle of saltwater out of your eyes and recognized the fisherman from the shore leaning over you.
"I'm the man who saved your life, sweetheart." He said, giving you a megawatt smile. Your guts did an imaginary somersault.
"Thanks." You said breathlessly.
Your sisters arrived with bottles of gatorade, and you managed to sit up and take some. Your cramp began to ease, but the handsome stranger kept working on the muscles of your thigh.
"You can stop." You told him. "Thanks."
"Anytime." He winked at you.
Above your heads, the rain eased off. The wind immediately picked up, making you shiver.
"C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get you inside." The stranger said, noticing as your shivering kicked into high gear. Suddenly you were soaring through the air, and bobbing up the beach. He was carrying you.
"I can walk!" You protested.
"This is safer," He replied, "you just had a traumatic event."
"Traumatic event?" You asked.
"Yeah. Ah-huh. Like you almost dying isn't traumatic enough for everyone involved."
"Bean!" Your dad was hustling down the beach toward you, as fast as an elderly man could go.
"Don't worry, sir. She's in good shape. Need to get her inside though."
"Right this way, Mister-" your dad made an about-face and started run-jogging back up the beach. The stranger kept pace easily, without losing any breath.
"Djarin. Din Djarin." Your rescuer said.
"Thank you for saving my baby Bean, Mr. Djarin." Your dad panted.
"Dad!" You protested. Having your sisters call you Bean was humiliating enough without the addition of "baby" to the mix.
"Bean, huh?" Mr. Djarin smirked down at you. You sullenly hud your face in his chest. Which was when you remembered that Mr. Djarin was still shirtless, and ripped as all fuck. You were essentially burying your face in the centerfold of a Calvin Klein jeans ad, and it was making you blush tomato red.
You arrived at the path to your family's beach house, and began to traverse the sand a bit more gingerly.
"Look out for pricklers." You said softly to Mr. Djarin. You were mad at him, but you didn't want him to suffer any pain on your behalf.
All of a sudden, Mr. Djarin stumbled. He hissed in pain.
"Oh no! Did you get one?" You yelped.
"No." He hissed. He staggered but kept walking, clenching his jaw.
"Oh god, you do have one. Stop! Mr. Djarin-Din!"
He continued to carry you up to and through the porch door, not stopping until he set you on the couch. He rested on his knee, panting.
"Your foot..." You protested. He leaned back and pulled a large prickler out of his arch with some effort. You could see that his foot was bleeding freely.
"I'm so sorry!"
He shook his head at you and reached out to touch your cheek with his non-bloody hand.
"Oh my goodness!" Alyssa opened the porch door and caught sight of Mr. Djarin's bloody fingers.
"Why did you do that..." You whispered, fixing his brown eyes in yours.
"This is the Way." He replied.