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The Beach
Removing his shirt, Lance looked out at the waves while Rikki changed into her own swimsuit within one of the changerooms. This was why he preferred to come to the beach already wearing his swimsuit, it made things much quicker. If Rikki had simply worn her swimsuit under her clothes, things would have gone faster.
Looking out to sea, Lance thought about all that could be beneath the waves. Horn sharks? Nudibranchs? Wolf eels? Maybe something more mysterious?
Lance had heard of the Dolphin City Triangle, a local equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, which of course he had read of. In elementary school he had borrowed the book "Sea Mysteries" by Ben Wilson from the school library. A part of the "Great Mysteries" series, the book had covered the Bermuda Triangle along with ghosts and ghost ships such as the Flying Dutchman, the question of if someone could have sailed to the Americas before the Norsemen, sea monsters and lost treasures.
He had also borrowed the book "The Bermuda Triangle" by Norma Gaffron, belonging to the "Great Mysteries: Opposing Viewpoints" series. Was it myth? Was it fact? A wonderful question, but to the citizens of Dolphin Triangle there was no doubt that their own counterpart was fact, if not a mysterious one.
Lance had also heard of a strange phenomenon involving balls of water emerging from the sea, as well as a faked sea monster that had been thought to live in the bay. At least Dolphin City had some excitement every now and then. He had even heard of the explorer Stanley Finch going in search of a sunken ship called the White Mermaid, but in Lance's opinion sunken ships were quite ordinary. Give him a good mystery any day.
"Alright, I'm ready." Lance turned his head to his left to see Rikki in an amber and brown striped bikini. He may not have blushed at the sight of her, but still he thought Rikki was fairly attractive, though he soon found himself thinking of his flaws in his appearance. "Are you alright, Lance?"
Shaking his head, Lance replied: "Yeah, I'm fine, Rikki. I was just thinking."
"What about?" Rikki asked. "From the look on your face I don't think it was something good."
"Something to talk about later maybe." Answered Lance, averting his gaze and looking out to sea while he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking to change the subject, he asked: "Will you joining me for a swim?"
"I'm not much of a swimmer." Rikki answered. "I'll be working on my tan instead."
Working on her tan? Lance supposed he could put off a swim for a bit, maybe chat with Rikki a bit. Was she a loner with few friends that she barely spent any time with just as he was? Maybe, or maybe not. One being out by themselves did not mean they were a loner.
"May I accompany you?" Lance asked. "Have someone to talk to?"
Giving him a smile, Rikki inquired: "What about your swim?"
Smiling back, Lance replied: "I'm not so warm that I need to cool off just yet."