Disclaimer: Meyer owns Twilight, lucky duck. I just own Chet Faker's EP which helped me a lot with this chapter.
Nine
In some strange twist of fate, Rosie, Jasper and I all score the same weekend off, and decide to make the most of it with a day on the beach. With the peak season quickly approaching, the main beach is slowly getting busier. Every day there are less car spaces and more tourists around. It doesn't particularly bother me, but for Edward and the boys it means less space on the waves, and more inexperienced surfers – or kooks as the boys call them - in the water. So, in the interest of the boy's sanity, and to let me explore some of the little inlets and beaches along the coast, we all pile into Edward's van and set off for Bird Rock. It's a tight squeeze; me, Riles, Jacko and Rose in the back, sitting amongst the surfboards and gear, holding onto the seats as Edward rounds the corners in his bright yellow combi van, with Jasper riding shotgun.
Luckily the drive doesn't take long, and before I know it, we've pulled over and the boys are all jumping out. They're like overgrown puppies, all a mess of excitement as they pull out their boards and suits. Rosie slips her wetsuit on first, and grabs her beach bag before booking it down the stairs to the beach.
"Tasty!" says Jas, rubbing his hands together as he watches the waves roll in. The beach seems wilder here, more untamed than the smooth, rolling waves of Clearwater. At Bird Rock you can hear the waves roar, hear them smash against the water, the noise echoing off the high cliffs on either side. There is not another soul on the beach, no cars, no people with dogs, just an ugly yellow combi and a gaggle of boys.
"A pineapple says you get axed like last time," teases Edward, reaching behind his head to pull his shirt off. I busy myself applying sunscreen to my arms, trying not to look too hard.
"Fuck you," snaps Jasper, snapping his leg strap at Edward. They argue as Jacko and Riles head off for the water.
Pulling my dress up over my head, I shove it in my bag and pull out my magazine and iPod.
Jacko's already half way down the sandy steps, almost running. "Come on, ya ball bags!"
With a couple of playful shoves, Jasper and Edward follow, but not before Edward leans close on his way past, snapping the string of my bikini top.
"Cute," he says with a grin.
The boys are already suited up and paddling out by the time I get down onto the beach. Rose is still on the sand though, her board in front of her as she rubs wax over it.
"Huh, I've always wondered what those little combs on board shorts are for."
Turning the little blue comb over, she runs it over her surfboard, scratching the surface.
"Doesn't it scratch the board up?"
She nods. "That's what it's for. It roughs up the wax so you don't slip off the board."
"Makes sense."
Picking up the lump of soft wax, I turn it over in my hand. It smells like bees wax with a hint of coconut, and instantly I realise this is the other thing I smell on Edward. Then I realise I'm sniffing a lump of wax and daydreaming about a boy. Carefully, I place the wax back on the sand in its wrapper, and turn to unfold my towel.
"You gonna come out today?" asks Rosie, even though she knows the answer. She's been bugging me about learning to surf lately, and while it would be nice to be out there with them rather than on the beach by myself, there's just something not right about letting the sea take me where it wants, of not being able to see what's swimming, growing, lurking in the shadows at my feet. For the moment, I'm happy to wade into the shallow water and make the most of the sun before it gets too hot.
I'm about to reply as an especially big wave crests, before roaring down the beach, foam and white water rumbling towards the sand.
I give her a look and she nods in agreement. "Yeah, maybe another day."
Rosie sits beside me for a little while, her wetsuit around her slim waist, her long hair draped over her shoulders like a curtain of honey coloured silk. We watch the boys bobbing out the back past the breakers, watching them vie for the biggest barrels and the best waves. A particularly big wave rolls in, and this time I see Edward and Riles catch it - Edward visible on his colourful, custom made board. They both paddle furiously as the wave rolls up behind them, and at almost the same time they pop up like its effortless, keeping low on their boards as the wave propels them forward.
Edward makes it all look so easy, like the deck is an extension of his feet, the water just a little bump rather than tonnes of salty ocean thrashing around him. He speeds through the water like it's the easiest thing in the world; his arms out for balance, his knees bent as he shifts the board beneath him. My heart skips a beat as he launches himself over the top of a wave, the deck tucked into his hand as he soars six feet in the air.
In a moment of terror, my heart stops beating, clenching in my chest painfully as he twists in the air, coming down at the wrong angle and crashing into the wave, disappearing into a foam of frothy white water.
"Oh my god!"
"He's fine," assures Rose as she wraps the leg strap around her ankle. "His game's a bit off, but he's fine."
It feels like my heart is in my mouth it's beating so hard.
"See?" She points to the right of where I thought he was, and there he is, paddling into the shallow water.
I curse under my breath, relaxing back onto my towel as he starts up the beach towards us, coughing and blowing water out of his nose.
"You right?" asks Rosie, frowning.
"Yeah, just knackered," he puffs, dropping onto the sand beside me, droplets of water sprinkling my legs and stomach.
"You coming back out?"
"Yeah, yeah," he says. "I'll be out in a sec."
Rose looks confused, but shrugs it off. "You right, B?"
I nod, holding up my iPod and magazine. With a smile, she starts for the water, throwing Edward another strange look over her shoulder.
Resting my magazine on my chest, I lift my head from my towel a little.
"Is that what you call "eating it"?"
Even in profile I can see his eyes crinkle as he smiles. "Yeah. That's eating it."
Smirking, I pick up my magazine again - not that I'm actually going to be able to concentrate with Edward beside me.
"Finally getting a bit of a tan on that pasty skin of yours," says Edward, looking down at me from his seat in the sand.
I look down at my legs, wiggling my toes. "Yep. Next stop; skin cancer."
Picking up the earphone not dangling from my ear with his damp fingers, Edward puts it up to his ear and smiles. "Nice choice."
"You're a fan?" Shielding my eyes from the sun, I look up him.
He nods gently. "I am."
Impressed, I nod. I don't have the guts to tell him that every song on the EP reminds me of him; that the smooth, relaxed bass line reminds me of his lazy smile, and the way that today, with the dark scruff on his jaw line, my beating pulse and sweaty palms are all his doing.
Got to take it off my mind, says the deep, honeyed voice in my ear. And I try my best, taking a deep lungful of salt-scented air.
I watch from behind dark sunglasses as Edward reaches back and unzips his suit waist, pulling his arms through the thick neoprene material with a wet thwack that sends a shower of water droplets over my bare stomach. He laughs as I slap him playfully, and immediately I notice that for once his skin isn't warm the way it usually is. The water must be cold, because even though he was covered by a wetsuit, his skin is still icy to the touch, my fingers damp and cool where they met his arm. It's nice; the way his body is radiating coolness beside me, my sun-heated skin itching to be closer, to be soothed by his.
He settles back into the sand again; his bare back to me as he watches the waves. We sit in silence, me skimming my magazine, him watching the water. With his elbows on his knees, Edward twists his fingers together, bending them back and forth like he's nervous - a big ball of tension beside me.
Lifting myself up onto my elbows, I slip my sunglasses up on my head. "You okay? You look..."
I'm not quite sure when it happens, but one moment I'm talking; the next, Edward is leaning over me, inches from my face, about to kiss me. His lips are so close I can almost taste them, a startling tingling zipping through them as his clear blue-grey eyes pierce my brown. My breath catches in my throat as, with one last look at my mouth, he leans forward and presses his lips to mine.
It's soft and slow and just a little bit perfect.
He pulls back a little, his mouth still centimetres from mine.
"Oh."
It's all I can think to say. Although, I'm not sure if it's actually a word or a sound; like a little squeak in the back of my throat.
"Yeah."
We both take a breath, his fingers gripping my hip lightly.
"So, that's it?"
His head cocks to one side a little, his mouth following suit. "What?"
"Well, I thought you said you were a great kisser. That was…well…it was alright."
"Alright?" he scoffs.
"Yeah, I mean, it was good. But not that good."
"I was unprepared," he argues. "The sand is…and I'm sitting funny."
I nod, rolling my eyes playfully. "Riiight."
Looking determined, Edward leans forward again, adjusting his position so that I have to lie back on my towel again as he hovers over me.
"I'll show you."
We smile until there's no more room to smile, until our lips meet again and there's something more important to do with them. He tastes like salt water and his lips are cool against mine, his warm mouth a perfect contrast as our kisses intensify. My hands slide up his arm, over his bicep and shoulder, his muscles flexing as he holds himself above me. For a moment even the sound of the waves, as loud as they are, slip away, and all I can hear is the thump-thumping of my heart, and the sound of my lips against Edward's. I can feel the water dripping from his hair, fat drops of cold water running down my hair line making me shiver, goosebumps covering my arms and neck.
With a sigh, Edward rests his forehead on mine.
I blink a few times, tucking my lip between my teeth, tasting the salt from his lips.
"Well, that was unexpected."
"Yeah, sorry," he says, sitting back. "Normally I'm much smoother, but I've wanted to do that for ages, and I couldn't fucking concentrate out there until I did."
"And now you can?"
He drops his head, smiling. "Yeah, I didn't really think it through."
Not going to lie; the idea that he thinks of me that much, enough to put him off his game, is emboldening. Flirting aside, it's nice to know I'm not the only one afflicted by a crushing preoccupation when we're around each other.
"If it's any consolation, you are a good kisser."
A smirk spreads across his kissed-pink lips. "I know."
I smack him with my magazine and he laughs. Almost instantly it's like a weight has been lifted; that tangible buzz of anticipation between us settling low and deep, like a steady thrum.
As much as I would have liked him to, Edward doesn't stick around to spend time smooching in the sand; he's back in the water in a matter of minutes, like he couldn't surf properly without kissing me, and then couldn't sit there any longer once he did. I spend an hour or so flipping idly through my iPod, basking in the sun's warmth. Sighing deeply, I lay my head down just for a second, touching my fingers to my lips as I replay our kiss over and over; his cool damp fingers in my hair, the taste of the ocean on his lips….
I yelp, flip-flopping in the sand like a fish as fat drops of cold water spray my back and legs. "What the fuck?!"
Turning over, I find Jasper standing over me, shaking his wet hair over me as the others stroll up the beach behind him.
"You got my bum all wet, you dickhead!" I yell, swatting at his ankles.
Riles and Jacko dump their boards on the sand beside me, and I watch Rose and Edward do the same.
"We've been here for ages and you haven't even got wet!" argues Jacko, flipping his wet hair out of his eyes.
"I dunno," says Jasper, bending over me with a smirk on his face. "Edward finally pulled the moves so I bet she got a little wet."
The boys think it's hysterical, and while Edward just ignores Jasper, I jump up and chase him around as he cackles wildly. While Jasper is quick on his feet, I have the advantage of being a little more nimble than him over the hot sand. He screams like a girl as I attach myself to his back like a spider monkey, reaching over his shoulders to give him a nipple cripple.
"Apologise!" I yell as he swats at my hands.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" he squeals, sighing and rubbing his nipples after I let them go.
I make the stupid assumption that I'm safe and only make it half way back to my towel before I'm scooped up from behind, the wind rushing out of my lungs as Jasper throws me over his shoulder.
Screaming and kicking my legs, I flail wildly.
"Time to get wet!" he yells, slapping me on the ass, making me shriek.
"No!" I wail, reaching for Rosie or Edward or someone to help me.
It's no use. Rosie is beside herself, clutching her stomach as Jasper strolls down the beach with me over his shoulder like a sack of freaking potatoes. The water laps up around his ankles, and before I can fight back, I'm airborne before splashing into the frigid ocean. Salty water rushes up my nose, stinging my eyes and nostrils as it floods my mouth. Coughing and spluttering, I lift myself out of the water and, bedraggled and soaking wet, chase Jasper back up the beach where an all out water fight begins. There's screaming and laughing and splashing, and the boys dunk each other and splash Rosie and I until we're all water-logged and spent. Needless to say my brand new bathers withstand the test a little better, and there are no nip-slips this time.
Edward lets me ride shotgun on the way home, his hand resting on the gear stick between us, the dusting of golden blonde hair on his arm lit by the sun. I kind of want to run my fingers up the back of his hand, feel the tendons as they flex, feel the shift of the muscles in his forearm as he changes gears. Instead, I put my hand out the window, watching as it cuts through the air like a leaf on the wind – just the slightest movement making my whole arm rise and fall, swooping through the air.
Since we come into town up my end, Edward drops me off first.
"Jessie got any of those vanilla slices left?" asks Jacko, leaning over from the back seat.
"Nup." I shake my head, peering over the seat at the rest of them in the back. "Later, guys. I'll message you later, Rose?" She nods; her hair bouncy-curly from the water.
Taking a little longer than necessary, I slip my thongs back on and make sure everything is packed in my beach bag.
"So…thanks. For the ride home."
"No worries."
Edward smiles, one hand still on the gear stick, the other resting on the steering wheel as the van idles. I would really, really, really, like to lean over and kiss that stupid cocky look off his face, maybe throw a leg over and run my fingers over his sun-bronzed skin, but a chorus of kissing noises and giggles from the back of the van puts a stop to those thoughts.
"Right, well, see ya."
"Bye."
The van is noisy as it chugs off up my street, the bright yellow paint almost neon in the sunlight.
Dumping all my stuff in my bedroom, I slip into the shower to wash the sand and salt off my skin.
Standing in front of the mirror as the bathroom begins to steam up, I marvel a little at the small changes in my appearance.
Apart from the puppy-love-just-kissed sparkle in my eye, my hair is lighter, almost visibly so. The ends are almost a honey colour, my fringe overgrown and sticking up in every direction from the salt water. My skin is darkening slowly, faint freckles dotting the tops of my collarbones and the bridge of my nose. I look water-logged and wind-blown, summer-kissed and sun-warmed.
It looks like beach life suits me after all.
Pineapple - Another name for a fifty dollar note since they're bright yellow.
Vanilla Slice - I'm sure you guys have vanilla slice in some shape or form. It's just flaky pastry with a big slab of fira, set custard on top, with more pastry on top and some icing. Jsyk - the town I live in have the best Vanilla Slice in the country. fact.
Endless thanks to Tiff, and to Thimbles and Inky - my cheer squad. Chat Faker is on YouTube. Anything from his EP 'Terms and Conditions' is good. 'Love and Feeling' was a big help.