Chapter Eight
Wade
I couldn't believe it. Two chance meetings in one afternoon! This one, however, I was a lot more pleased about than the previous one.
Kelly and Tammy had made me pretty uncomfortable with their blatant flirting. And seeing them in those micro-bikinis, or whatever you called what they were wearing, was even more uncomfortable. I couldn't deny that part of me found it tempting. But they really had left almost nothing to the imagination. I think the average washcloth had more material than the total of both of their bikinis combined.
Of course, John couldn't keep his eyes from popping out of his skull, and I guessed I couldn't blame the guy. Two practically naked college girls flirting outrageously with a couple of guys our age…hell, it was like a fantasy becoming a reality for John.
But I'd lived in Los Angeles. I'd had experience with girls like that. Both of them had fake boobs, for sure – I'd seen enough of those in L.A. to be able to tell. And really, I just wasn't into such blatant advances, such self-obsessed displays.
Still, I'd let John have some fun and had agreed to at least go for a swim. But, I was glad it was over. However, just when I'd thought we could kick back, relax, and chat up the cute women on the towels next to us, I realized that wasn’t in the cards. Two more members of my team. What were the odds?
This time was entirely different for me, though. While John was obviously having the time of his life, having enjoyed not one, but two pairs of bikini-clad young women to ogle at, this time I was the one fighting a stirring of attraction welling up.
I could hardly take my eyes off Eryn, and I was thankful that I was wearing sunglasses so she couldn't see just how hard I was staring.
She and Leena were dressed in far more modest bikinis than Tammy and Kelly's. But that in itself was part of what attracted me. She wasn’t trying to show off everything she had. Make no mistake, I'd found her tremendously attractive since I'd first laid eyes on her, but seeing her in a bikini set off a fire inside me that I needed desperately to tamp down.
Her body was toned, obviously from all the extra workouts she put in, and she had a beautiful, even tan. Her long legs and strongly-defined muscles were even more obvious than during practice, again a result of her hard work on the volleyball court.
Her stomach was smooth and flat, and her breasts – God, I could hardly keep my eyes off them. They were clearly not fake. Pert and medium-sized; just the right size for a handful...or mouthful. Her curves were so different from the exaggerated, plastic-enhanced bodies of Tammy and Kelly. She was natural and beyond beautiful.
Damn. I was getting hotter than the temperature intended, and I knew that I shouldn't be thinking about my star player in such a way. It was just so, so hard not to stare at her.
“Hi, ladies,” John said in response to their greeting before I could talk. “I'm guessing you're also members of the Florida State volleyball team?”
“We are, yes,” Eryn replied.
“And, Eryn here is one of the star players,” I added quickly – not sure why I'd felt the need to add this. But then she smiled and I was glad I had. I couldn't help but smile back at her.
“I'm not that great,” she said, “but thanks for the compliment, Wade.”
“Except you are that good, Eryn,” Leena interjected. “C'mon, you work your ass off! It's okay to take a little credit for your hard work now and then. Right, Coach?”
I laughed at the way Leena had delivered her pat on the back. “That’s exactly right, Leena. Exactly right.”
“So are you planning on introducing me to these lovely ladies at any stage, Wade?” John asked with a grin.
“Ah yeah, Eryn and Leena, this is John. He’s one of my best friends. I've known him since our college days.”
“Yeah, Wade and I were both on the Florida State men's volleyball team together,” added John. “Believe it or not, despite how I look now, I was once as fit, strong, and ripped as this specimen next to me.”
The girls both giggled, and I could have sworn that I caught Eryn staring at my chest, only to look away quickly when I glanced at her.
“Wade was the star of the team, of course,” John continued.
“But you were good, too,” I added. “You had a mean spike on you; you could really blast that ball like a cruise missile.”
“I'm not the one who ended up going pro, though, and then winning Olympic gold,” replied John. “You ladies do know about that, right? That your coach is an Olympian with a gold medal?”
“We do,” Leena spouted, “and we're extremely happy to have him as our coach.”
“We really are,” Eryn added. “I feel like I am going to learn a lot under his watch.”
“I'm glad you feel that way,” I said.
“And, of course, you're both gonna improve leaps and bounds with this crazy guy as your coach,” John added.
“Oh? He's crazy, is he?” Eryn asked with a grin, and I could have sworn that there was a hint of flirtatiousness in her tone.
“Believe me, I could tell you some stories, I really could!” John exclaimed with a big smile.
“I’m going to want to hear some of those stories,” Eryn chimed.
“Agreed,” Leena piped in. “Might need some leverage sometime when he wants to make us run suicide sprints.”
I didn't want to get too much into the stories John could tell. Yes, I'd done some crazy things in my college days that were fun to laugh about now, but I didn't want that to evolve into any kind of stories from my L.A. days, which were a lot more recent and a bit more shameful. I decided to change the topic before anything like that could pop up.
“So, what made you ladies decide to come out to the beach for the day?” I asked.
“Eryn's restaurant burned down,” Leena replied nonchalantly.
“Whoa, hold up – first, you have a restaurant, Eryn? And second, it burned down?” John asked with a truly convinced look.
Eryn laughed, and I found that I really, really liked the sound of her laughter. It was almost musical.
“No, no,” she replied, still chuckling. “I just work as a waitress at Nino's, that Italian place downtown.”
“Ah, I see,” John said.
“And what about the burning down part?” I asked.
“There was some sort of electrical short last night, and a lot of the kitchen burned. Nobody was hurt, though, and the damages weren't too bad, from what the owner said. I was supposed to work there today, but found out about this fire at the last minute. So, with a free day, Lee and I decided to drive out here.”
I smiled. “Good plan.”
Neither of us had mentioned the fact that we'd seen each other just hours earlier when I'd fixed her car. It felt kinda like a little secret between us. She didn't seem to have told Leena about it, and I hadn't mentioned anything about it to John. There was an unspoken understanding between us that we'd just keep it quiet.
“So what are your plans for the afternoon?” I asked.
“We were just going to relax and catch some sun,” Eryn replied.
“John and I were talking earlier about going snorkeling. We have another old friend from college who has a little dive shop and a boat here. I think he can take us out for a very discounted price, if you're interested.”
Eryn and Leena looked at each other, and there was an obvious enthusiasm in their eyes. “That sounds amazing,” Leena said. “Last time I went snorkeling, I managed to see not one, but two sea turtles.”
“Awesome!” I commented. “What about you, Eryn?”
Her cheeks went red as she blushed. “I've never actually been snorkeling before,” she replied.
“Well, now is about as good a time as any to start,” I said. “So would you two like to come with us?”
“It's not gonna be too expensive, is it?” Eryn questioned.
I immediately understood why she was worried about the cost. She hadn't told me everything about her situation, but from what I gathered when I'd fixed her car, I knew she wasn’t one of the silver-spoon college kids whose parents could pay off the coach for a starting spot on the lineup. And, she had a part-time job.
Frankly, I really didn’t know when she had time to do her schoolwork and sleep. I knew firsthand how much time being on the team took up.
“You know, come to think of it, ol’ Trevor owes me big time from way back. I think I might be able to twist his arm and get us a trip free of charge. So don't even worry about that, all right?”
That was a bit of a lie – Trevor didn't owe me anything, but I'd gladly pay for Eryn. I just knew if I put it like that, she wouldn't accept, and then Leena and John would probably both be a bit suspicious about my intentions.
Eryn's eyes immediately lit up. “All right. Well, if it's really no trouble, then we'd love to come, right, Lee?” Leena nodded as well.
“All right girls, come on, let's head over to Trevor's. It's about a 15-minute walk from here.”
We all gathered our things and began to walk at a leisurely pace along the beach. When we reached Trevor's dive shop, I made sure that I went in first, leaving John to chat with Eryn and Leena outside. I wanted to be certain that Trevor understood there was a “little favor” between us.
When he saw me walk in, his eyes lit up. “Holy smokes! Is that you, Wade Vinson?”
I grinned as I looked at him. He still looked like he had in college – lean, tan, and full of energy, but his hairline was a touch further back than I remembered and he had a few crinkles around his eyes. I was reminded of my own age and the gap between myself and Eryn, but I tried not to think too hard about it. After all, there was nothing to think about. She was a player on my team.
“Hey, Trevor. Good to see you!”
“Damn, bro, it's great to see you! How long you been back out here?”
“I just got back a couple of weeks ago. How's life out here?”
“Oh, it's chilled out, man, relaxed, just how I like it. What brings you back?”
“I just got tired of L.A., bro, real tired of it. I missed this place a lot, and I kinda needed to reboot my life a little – so, here I am.”
“Awesome, man. Well, I hope to see you out here on St. George Island a lot more often then. No better place to reboot.”
“I'd like that, too. Say, Trev, I'm here with some friends, and we were wondering if you could take us out in the boat for a little snorkeling. Now, I'm not gonna ask for any discounts – I want to support your business as a friend. So just let me know what you'd usually charge for four people, and I'll pay right now, and then we won't mention the cost again at all. If anyone asks…you owed me a favor. Deal?”
He nodded with a grin. “Sounds good, man. Thanks, I appreciate that. Usually when friends drop by, they want the whole half price thing or whatever. And, I'm happy to do that, of course, but it does cost me money to take the boat out.”
“Like I said, I'm supporting you as a friend. Just charge my card full price and then we'll forget about the whole money thing.”
I handed him my card and he made the transaction. I smiled, then went out and brought the others in so that they could pick out masks, flippers, and snorkels that fit properly. Another 15 minutes later, when we were all suited up and ready to go, Trevor led us a short distance to where his boat was waiting.
It did something to me to see how excited Eryn was about the trip. She had this huge, beautiful grin plastered across her face the whole time.
“All right everyone, you all ready for a great afternoon?” Trevor asked as he started the boat's motor up.
“Hell yeah!” we all replied.
“I'm gonna take y'all out to the best spot I know where I can almost guarantee you'll see tons of fish and turtles. Maybe some dolphins will even swim by if we're real lucky.”
“Let's go, Trev!” shouted John, punching his fist in the air. “I wanna see me some turtles!”
We all laughed at his enthusiasm. I could, however, see the quiet excitement radiating from Eryn's beautiful face, and that alone made all the money I'd spent on the afternoon worth it.
Trevor drove us out about a mile offshore before he dropped the anchor. He gave us all a few basic tips and helped Eryn a little more than the rest of us since it was her first time. Then, he proceeded to tell us about our location.
“This spot is where plenty of fish congregate since the boats don't usually come out this way. For that reason, the water is nice and still, and the visibility is generally excellent. I'll let you guys explore on your own. Just don't drift too far from the boat. But if you do, don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on everyone.
“By the way, it'll probably be better if you go off in pairs. That way if one person spots something cool, at least there'll be one other person to see it, too. And, you can keep up with one another.”
“I'll go with Eryn since she’s the least experienced, and you and Leena can go together,” I said to John before anyone else could make any suggestions.
“Sounds good to me, man,” he replied. “Ladies, you cool with that?”
“We are,” they both said.
I took Eryn's hand in mine and immediately felt an intense energy surging between us. I couldn't help but wonder if she felt it, too. I glanced up and our eyes met. We held each other's gaze for a few moments, a few moments that felt as if they went on far longer than they actually did.
“Ready?” I managed to force through a tightened throat.
She nodded.
“Let's jump in,” I suggested, our eyes still locked.
“I’d like that,” she responded with a smile that melted everything in me.
We put on our masks and placed our snorkels in our mouths, and then jumped into the clear water. We swam alongside each other, shooting glances and smiles in each other's direction probably far more often than we should have.
It was amazing. There were brightly-colored fish swimming everywhere, and I could see that Eryn's eyes were alive with wonder. She kept excitedly grabbing my hand and pointing out every new type of fish she saw.
After about half an hour, I saw two, large shapes drifting toward us. I grabbed Eryn's hand and pointed through the clear blue water as the sea turtles approached. She moved closer to me, grabbing hold of my arm until she realized the large shapes weren’t a threat. We both watched in silent awe as they lazily drifted past us, these two, big, peaceful reptiles. It was a moment I knew I'd never forget.
Eventually, we all returned to the boat and stripped our gear off. Everyone was still excited and talking non-stop about the various things they'd spotted underwater. As we talked, Trevor drove us back to the dock. We hung out, had a few snacks and a drink at his place, and watched the sun set.
I found myself stealing glances at the woman sitting next to me. Her laugh was infectious and seeing her joking and laughing with Leena was a side I knew I’d have never seen in practice. Every time she smiled, I wanted nothing more than to pull her close to me.
Knowing it wasn’t a possibility was hell. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had met someone who was real. Someone down to earth. Someone genuine. And, she was beyond my reach. To put it in laymen’s terms — it sucked.
When the sun had set and the dark began to settle, we said our goodbyes as John and I parted ways with Eryn and Leena. As we were walking away, I turned and shot one more glance over my shoulder and found Eryn doing the same. We gave each other one final smile and a wave, and that was that.