I stood with the water lapping at my feet, trying to calm my nerves. They all made it look so easy, gliding effortlessly, turning the board back and forth through the water. Greg had tried to teach me, but the only times I had ever surfed I barely got a chance to stand up before the wave pushed me right over again. But I was determined to try. With a little luck, I would not make a complete ass out of myself in front of these people who seemed to be more fish than human. Just as I was ready to head out, the six year old caught the edge of a beautiful wave and rode it like a pro trapped in miniature form. He came to end of his ride and a small burst of applause filled the heavy air around me. Keeping my dignity might be too much to ask for, after all.
I started dragging myself into the surf, before I could change my mind. Despite its claim of being lightweight, my board felt like lead by the time I was up to my knees in clear blue water. I still had a way to go before I got past the breakers, but already I needed a rest. I stood and watched Greg catch a wave, his fellow real surfers pausing to take in his ride. I kept trudging through the slog of the oncoming waves, trying not to swallow any more water. Finally, I got on top of my board and paddled out to the relative calm of where the others were congregated. Greg soon joined me and before I knew it, he was talking me into actually attempting a ride.
“Come on, you didn’t come here to sit all day.”
“No, but I didn’t come here to die either.”
“You won’t die. These people know how to save tourists.”
His smile made me want to punch him in the face. I saw the swells growing and coming towards us. It was now or never, I had to bite the bullet and get one ride out of the way. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, I wasn’t that uncoordinated. Greg started to paddle towards the wave break and I followed. But, while he popped right up and rode the wave away, I found the experience a lot less transcendent. As I tried to get my feet underneath me the board was swamped with water, sending my lurching body right up and over without missing a beat. Soon I was underwater, the churn stinging my eyes and nose. When I came up, I saw Greg paddling back out, triumphant in yet another success. His new lady friend was duly impressed. This process went on for a little bit longer, until I actually managed to get my feet underneath me and surf for a good five seconds in a squatting position before I fell again. The tiny victory did little to mend my broken ego, and my increasingly broken body. Everything hurt, and I could barely see from the salt water stinging my eyes.
Despite Greg’s protests, I headed to shore and collapsed into the sand. Any illusions I had about keeping my dignity and manhood were long gone. In an unceremonious heap, I gasped for air, trying to get the last of the water out of my lungs. I couldn’t open my eyes, and caring about my image was the last thing my brain could fathom. I felt a shadow fall across me, and I forced myself to look up. I had to shield my eyes from the sun, but I could make out the large shape of an honest-to-God surf god.
“G’day. How ya going?”
Great; just what I needed. I groaned out loud at the sound of his voice. Hell, he could be a life guard, coming to see if I was dead. Just doing his job. I peeked out from behind my hand to look at him. He was cute.
“I’ve been better. Obviously, surfing isn’t really my strong suit. I’m just taking a break.”
He laughed at my attempt at humour, and I realised he was really cute. With a little too much effort, I sat up, still shielding my eyes. He plunked down in the sand next to me.
“Well, I’ve seen better, that’s for sure. From what I could see, your balance is all off.”
“I think that is the least of my problems. I can barely stand on the damn thing. This trip was my friend’s idea. I just went along with it. As far as I’m concerned, surfing is too humiliating to be a sport.”
“Spoken like someone who’s never actually ridden a wave before.”
He had a point. I hadn’t done anything remotely close to surfing. It was more like tossing myself around the ocean with something strapped to my leg.
“Maybe I should ask the six year old over there for some lessons.”
His smile was perfect, like he belonged on a poster at the Quicksilver store down the road in Torquay. I thought guys like him were just an Australian myth. But, here he was. Real as they come.
“He’s all booked up. But, I might be able to squeeze you in. I have some other tourists coming by, but I could probably make room for you.”
“Thanks. But, I think I’m a lost cause. Save your energy for someone who isn’t hopeless.”
“There is no such thing as hopeless. Just a challenge. And, I’m always up for a challenge. Besides, you came all this way. You should get something out of the trip.”
The way he said it was deliberately provocative. At least it felt that way to me. Maybe I had hit my head or something. That’s what I thought until his hand came to rest on my shoulder. His gaze cut right through me.
“I’m Dan by the way.” He reached out his right hand and I managed to offer a weak handshake.
“Ted.”
“Ted, I’m serious about the lessons. If you’re interested, I’m here every day. I’ve never met a truly hopeless case.”
“You just did. You shook his hand two seconds ago.”
I looked at him and could see the laughter bubbling up behind his smile; the smile that sent a jolt to my gut.
“Think about it okay, Ted?”
With that, he walked away, heading back out into the water like a natural. I saw Greg walking towards me with two girls in tow. They were both barely covered in hot pink bikinis and hanging on Greg’s every word.
“Hey, dude. You okay? Looks like you had a rough time out there.”
“Fine. No thanks to you.”
“These lovely ladies want to take us out tonight. You game?”
I looked down at their giggling faces and realised this was yet another trip I had no control over.
***
I woke up with a start, forgetting for a moment where I was. Then, it became clear. Well, sort of. We were at one of the girl’s houses. But, I couldn’t remember which one. Greg’s reluctance to set up actual accommodations on this trip led to a lot of couches and in this case, floors. Every muscle in my body ached and my head throbbed like someone had kicked me in the temple. Rolling over, I saw the remains of the previous evening. Beer cans, bags of chips, the odd joint crushed into overflowing ashtrays. It was starting to come back to me. Greg had convinced me to leave the bar early and spend the night at Jenna’s. Or was it Jessica? Jana? Either way, it didn’t matter. I knew the drill. Greg wanted to get laid, which meant I had to spend the night on the hard floor while he slept in a nice warm bed with a girl. But, for once on this trip, I hadn’t wanted to leave early.
Following Greg and his harem around to several bars was tiresome, and I had no choice but to drink alone. Until we got to the last place, and I saw Dan standing by the wall flanked by three other guys. I sat at the bar, nursing my latest beer, trying to build up enough courage to go over and talk to him. He probably wouldn’t even remember me. Hell, knowing my luck he wasn’t even gay. I hadn’t been too lucky lately. As I poured the last drops of my beer down my throat, my courage swelled just enough to get me off my stool. But, as I turned to head Dan’s way, I noticed he was gone.
Since I was already up, I headed towards the bathroom. Greg was holding court by the pool table, two girls by his side and a gaggle coming and going as he talked. I hated him in that moment; how easy it was for him. I turned my head away from Greg just in time to run straight into Dan. He blinked twice as if trying to find me in his memory. His smile appeared quickly, and his hand was back on my shoulder, like it had been that morning on the beach. My stomach lurched, and it wasn’t from the beer.
“Hey, Ted. G’day. I almost didn’t recognise you.”
“Yeah, I look different when I’m not choking on sea water.”
“That must be it. Having a good time?”
“Well, it gets a
little tiring following Greg around. But, he’s trying to score us a place to crash tonight.”
“Well, it’s good to see you. How about another pint?”
“Sure.”
I sat at the bar for the next few hours with Dan, drinking and talking. He was funny, smarter than I thought he would be. The stereotype of the dim surfer clearly didn’t apply to him. But, it still seemed like more of a friendly drink than a date. Just as the bartender set down the next round of drinks, I saw Greg trying to get my attention. I excused myself.
“Dude, I’m getting the green light, you ready to go?”
“Not exactly. I’m having fun.”
“Well, these ladies want to take the party to their house. We gotta go.”
“Give me a minute.”
I turned back to the bar, and Dan. He smiled at me from across the room. Typical Greg. But, I guess if I wanted a place to sleep, I had to go.
“Dan, I have to go. Greg found us a crash pad. They want to leave now.”
“Well, okay. Hey, I’m serious about those surf lessons. Meet me tomorrow morning at the point. We’ll get you straightened out.”
“I don’t know. I told you, I’m a lost cause.”
I turned to go, and Dan shocked me by grabbing my wrist. His thumb ran over the inside of my arm, gently caressing while my throat threatened to close.
“Meet me. Please?”
“Okay. I guess I can give it one more try. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
***
I stared at the ceiling; water stained and cracked. Nice. Greg really knew how to pick them. The sun wasn’t even fully up over the ocean and I remembered Dan’s words about teaching me to surf. My body screamed out in protest at the thought of going into the water again, as I winced merely sitting up. But, I was pretty sure it wasn’t just the surfing he was really after; it was the company. While Greg had spent most of the trip “getting to know” the locals, I hadn’t. Dan was the first promising guy I had met the entire trip. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I decided I had to find out.
My stuff was still wet from the day before, and dragging the wetsuit over my tired legs proved to be a challenge. I slid the glass door open, quietly leaving the rest of the party to sleep. The path from the house led straight to the beach, still quiet except for a few die hard surfies who apparently rose with the sun. I hoped that Dan would be there to meet me.
The sand was cold and wet. I sat on my board and looked out into the water. Envy swept through me as I watched one surfer get up effortlessly on the crest of a wave and cut through the water. When the wave finally broke he didn’t come crashing down, he just slipped below the surface and re-emerged unfazed. As he paddled back to shore, I realised it was Dan. I couldn’t help but stare as he came walking towards me. I didn’t even mind when he dripped cold water on me so early in the morning.
“Hey. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“Me neither. To be honest, I’m not sure what I’m doing here. I never thought I had a death wish. But, I suppose I’ll take you up on your offer of a lesson.”
He stared right into my eyes, and that flutter in my gut from last night returned. As I stood, he took another step towards me, our faces just inches from each other.
“Come on, we both know why we’re here. But, let’s surf first.”
His smile was still so bright, even at dawn. Knocking sand off his feet, he looked out into the water. I faced the waves, still terrified. His arm around my shoulder did little to calm my nerves. I wanted to live long enough to kiss him.
“Don’t worry. I’m a lifesaver. If you start to drown, I know mouth to mouth.”
Another provocation, another flirtation. They were doing my head in. I was about to nearly kill myself because this cute boy liked me. Somewhere, my rational mind was screaming in vain, begging me to reconsider. But the rest of me was strapping my board to my ankle. I followed Dan to the water and prepared for more embarrassment, this time with a hot guy right there to watch.
Dan, luckily, had the patience of a saint. I tried in vain to follow all his instructions, but still found myself hitting the water after a few seconds. After one particularly harsh wave, I came up gasping, my board bobbing next to me. Choking on the salt water that was burning my throat and lungs, I felt like throwing up. I willed my stomach to calm down, to not pick this moment to humiliate me so utterly. Dan paddled up as I managed to haul myself onto my board. I felt his hand on my back, as the last of the Great Southern Ocean left my lungs in an excruciating hack.
“You okay, mate?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess. I told you I was hopeless.”
“Your balance is off, that’s all.”
“Look Dan, I appreciate your confidence, but I think it’s safe to say now that I am a lost cause.”
“You just need some practice. Trust me, one good ride, and you’ll never be the same again.”
His hand that had been on my back was now on the back of my neck. I hadn’t realised until then that we were the only ones in the water. He pulled me towards him, our boards bumping together. Before I could react, he was kissing me. I leaned forward awkwardly, trying to keep him close, but wound up bumping my forehead into his nose.
“I guess you were right about my balance being off.”
He laughed, rubbing his nose with his hand.
“Ted, maybe we should paddle in and find some other way to pass the time this morning. But, this isn’t over. I’m not giving up on you. If I have my way, you’ll surf yet.”
While Dan surfed into the shore on a gorgeous wave, I chose a more sensible route, paddling and wading my way through the rising surf. When we met on the shore, Dan didn’t say a word. He just started up the sand path that I had travelled from the crash pad. It turned out that Dan lived just a short walk from Greg’s latest conquest. It was eerily quiet, which was expected so early on a Sunday morning. After the boards were dropped outside, we walked through the entryway, which like everything else in the house, was covered in sand. Dan turned and looked at me. His eyes were so golden brown; it was like the sand had gotten inside them from spending so much time at the beach.
In his bedroom, the evidence of a surfer’s life was everywhere. My eyes focused on the big map on the wall with red push pins sticking in it like a voodoo doll. Every single pin was right on the edge of a country; a country, no doubt, with great surfing. Dan spun me around, his lips back on mine, tasting as salty as the water I had been swallowing that morning. Our hands fumbled with the thick zippers of the wetsuits still standing between us. The thick neoprene was even more uncomfortable with my cock straining against it, and the drying rubber was proving a stubborn opponent to our activities. Finally, the material gave way, and we both stood naked in the centre of his room. The early morning light was obscured by his hastily tacked up curtain, but enough sun got through to show me how hot he looked.
He was tanned and gorgeous, well muscled and fit. By comparison, he made me feel average. But, any reluctance I had vanished when he dropped to his knees in front of me. My wetsuit was still around my ankles, but he made quick work of getting rid of it. My last bit of sense vanished when I felt his mouth on my cock. His warm lips, the lips that had tasted so salty, slid down. A gasp caught in my throat, a vain attempt to stay quiet. I didn’t want to wake anyone else who might be in the house. There had been about six surfboards outside. But Dan was making it hard to keep quiet.
His hands gripped my hips, his mouth pulling and releasing my dick in a steady rhythm. Despite my best efforts to control myself, I felt myself getting dangerously close to coming. Trying to delay, I pulled him to his feet and kissed him again. He took my cue and pulled me onto his messy bed. I could feel sand between the sheets, clinging to my legs. As our tongues twined together, I wrapped my hand around his cock, feeling the swell of excitement in my palm. As I slid my hand down, his tongue dove even deeper into my mouth. I pushed him onto his back, and started kissing my way down his chest. His encouraging hands eased m
e lower and lower until I let my tongue swipe over the head of his swollen dick.
He twitched and jerked as I swept my tongue over the ridge under the head of his cock. His whole body tasted salty; it probably always did. I closed my mouth around the plum velvet head and slid my way down. I could feel the blood racing under the skin, his veins pulsing as I sucked him off. His hands were in my hair, still wet from the ocean. I could hear his moans getting louder, and I didn’t care a bit about roommates anymore. If he let me, I could have gone on for hours sucking his cock, but he had other plans. Pulling me back up, and our mouths back together as I slid onto the bed next to him.
His hands started fumbling with the drawer next to us. His eyes lit up in a way that told me he had found what he was looking for. In that moment, I hesitated. Dan just stared at me expectantly, his hand moving up and down his hard cock, waiting for me. I don’t know where I found the voice.
“You sure about this?”
“Don’t worry, Ted. I told you, I know mouth to mouth.”
He kissed me hard, before pushing me towards the wall, so my back was facing him. His mouth lightly bit at my shoulder, and I felt his hand run down my back. He paused, letting his fingers wander over my hip, before reaching over me to touch my cock. His big hand wrapped around me, gently jerking me until I was hard as a rock. I felt his other hand move down to my ass, gently easing my cheeks apart. Suddenly I felt the cool wetness of his lubed finger pressing against my ass. I tensed up, but as he kissed my neck I started to relax. His teeth gently rasped over my earlobe, pulling and sucking it into his mouth. At that moment, I let him inside.
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