On The Rocks

It’s my turn to chuckle now. “Thirty-two stitches. Dad thought I was nuts, and Mom was beside herself.”


“Yeah… but I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. Your dedication. You loved surfing and the competition so much, and you did whatever it took to get back out there.”

I’m silent for a moment, digesting what she’s saying. “So you think I should do it?”

“I think if you still have that love for the sport, you have to go back. And I think if you do have that love for the sport, you’ll do whatever it takes to go back.”

“I don’t know what I feel for it. That’s the problem.”

“Well, how often do you think about it? Does it plague your thoughts?”

I don’t answer, because I’m not sure Gabby is ready to hear the answer to those questions. Yes, I do think about it. Quite a bit. But it doesn’t plague my thoughts. No, Gabby plagues my thoughts, but surfing doesn’t.

When I don’t give her an answer, she presses on. “Look, there’s no reason why you can’t go back. Brody can run Last Call. I know you think he needs you, but he can manage without you. There’s not a damn thing holding you here.”

There’s you, I think to myself, but I would never voice that aloud. Gabby doesn’t want to hear that, and frankly, that’s what I’m feeling right now. But will I feel that way next week? Next month? Next year when the Tour starts back up?

I give Gabby a last squeeze. “I’m going to hit the surf. Think you can manage to get your shorts back on without me?”

“I think I can suffer through it,” she says drily.

After a quick kiss on the temple, I jump up from the blanket. Thank God my hard-on has subsided.

I stand in front of her, pulling up the top half of my wetsuit while she shimmies slightly under the blanket to get her clothes back on.

“So, you’ll stay the rest of the day with me? I don’t have to go into the bar at all today.”

“Sure. I’m going to stay out here and watch you a bit though.”

I reflect upon her lovely face for a moment. The sun is still casting orange and pink, and it makes her hazel eyes sparkle. She’s looking at me, her eyes wide and her head tilted slightly at an angle.

I wonder what she feels for me. Is she still carrying around deep feelings, or did I crush them completely five years ago?

Is this just sex to her, or does she want something more? By the mere fact that she doesn’t want anyone to know about us, I’m thinking this is just sex.

I’m a dude though, and that should be perfectly fine by me, right?

Right?

Hmmm. I wish I knew for sure.





“So… have you given any more thought to telling Casey about you and Hunter?” Alyssa asks as we watch Casey get us another round of drinks at the bar.

Casey stands in all of her full vixen glory, wearing a pair of designer jeans, a baby doll camisole, and peep-toe pumps. She has her hair up in a high ponytail with large hoop earrings glistening from the backlighting behind the bar. Every guy in the place, regardless of whether they are single or sitting with their significant other, is checking her out in some way.

And she’s not oblivious to it all. No, Casey is very much aware of the affect she has on the male persuasion, as evidenced by the way she stands on the railing at the bottom of the bar, her elbows resting on the glossy wood and her ass sticking out.

She says something to Brody as he makes our drinks, and he actually gives her a half smile. I can see him warming up more and more each day.

Turning my attention back to Alyssa, I shake my head. “No… but I will. I’m just trying to figure out how.”

“Usually, opening your mouth and letting words come out works pretty well.”