Seaside Entries - 12. Epilogue

We swam in the ocean that afternoon as the sun began to set. The water was beginning to cool down, but it was still warm enough that we didn’t want to leave.

A stray dog appeared, a little black mutt we’ve seen many times around the neighborhood. It didn’t seem to be scared of anyone, always stopping by for food from whoever would offer it some. We gave him some of our fries, which the mongrel eagerly gobbled up. We then chased it across the sand, throwing stones for it to fetch. When it got tired, or just bored of us, it trod away, leaving us alone.

I closed my eyes as I lay on my towel, enjoying the last bits of the evening sun on my skin. Just like the day, the summer was almost over. Even though our falls and winters are always very mild, the number of tourists inevitably starts going down this time of year. The beach was once again just ours.

“That’s the best you got?!”

“Shut up, dude!”

I could hear laughter coming from the shore, cutting through the peace and quiet.

“What are they doing now?” I asked without opening my eyes, and I felt Leo stir beside me, his bare legs touching mine.

“Fabian fell from his board. Jay’s loving it,” he replied. “Damn, look at him go.”

I raised my head just in time to see Jay catch a wave and ride it, shouting as he did. He’s always been the best surfer out of the four of us. Fabian was a little further away, finally grabbing ahold of his board and starting to try again.

“They’ve got more energy than that dog,” I said as I plopped back down, laying my head down next to Leo’s.

He smirked, turning to face me. “I hope you’ve got some energy left in you too.”

“Oh, I’ll show you,” I reached out to tickle him, aiming for his ribs. Of course, Leo knew just what I was going to do. He swiftly grabbed my wrists, laughing as he tried to pin me down.

“Come on, you two! The waves are so good now!” Fabian called out from the shore, but neither of us were in the mood to get back into water.

“We’ve had enough for the day,” I shouted back. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the two guys slowly walking over, carrying their boards.

“OK, we get it,” Jay huffed, trying to catch his breath as he sat down on the sand. “You two are like a boring old couple now.”

“Yeah, you jealous?” Leo shot right back, that sexy teasing smile on his face. He looked even more handsome in the golden glow of the sunset.

“Nah, you can have Noah,” Jay replied. “I’ll live.”

“You will? Even with Luisa gone?” I asked, propping myself on my elbows.

“Yeah. I knew she was going back home, so… No big deal.”

“Are you going to go and visit her?” Leo asked, his fingers idly tracing lines across my arm.

“Nah, I don’t think so. What’s the point?” Jay shrugged. “Besides, I’m saving up for this winter. I might go and work on a cruise ship a couple of months.”

“That’s cool. Are you also gonna go?” I turned to Fabian.

“Nah. Being stuck on a huge boat with hundreds of people… not my thing.” He shook his head, then picked up his surfboard as he looked at Leo and me lying on the towel. “Have your folks called since they left?”

“No.” I shook my head. I was hardly even thinking of them now. “Things are still… complicated, but when aren’t they? They’ll just have to accept it.”

“They will. They were probably just surprised,” Leo reassured me.

“We can’t all have perfect parents like Leo,” Jay teased. “I bet they’re already naming a dish after Noah.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” I had to laugh. “But they’re great.”

“They do like you,” Leo added, his shining eyes meeting mine. “They’re smart like that.”

“Well…” Fabian tapped Jay on the shoulder. “It’ time we got going. You coming, man?”

Jay didn’t move from his spot, not catching the hint Fabian was giving him. It wasn’t until Leo and I shared a chuckle that he put two and two together. “Ahh, alright then. Let’s leave the two lovebirds alone.” He slowly got up, then picked up his board from the ground.

“We’ll never forget your kindness!” Leo teased, to which Jay replied by flipping him off.

“See ya tomorrow, guys. Have fun!” Fabian waved as they made their way up to the boardwalk.

Now that we were all alone, I lay my head back down, and Leo rolled over until he was on top of me, his face just inches from mine. It felt as natural as the tides and the wind. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and I could feel myself starting to get lost in them. He looked at me like I was something precious, something rare. It was a strange feeling, but I found myself easily getting used to it over these last few weeks.

I let my arms wrap around his waist, my fingers inching their way towards his ass, giving it a squeeze. Leo let out a sweet, soft moan, then rewarded me with a kiss that lingered on my lips long after it ended. But that was just the first of many.

“By the way,” he said at some point, as we took a break from making out, “have you replied to Gina yet?”

“No?” I frowned in confusion. “What for?”

“I mean, she sent you a postcard from Paris. That’s pretty cool.”

“Didn’t know you had to reply to postcards.”

“No, but a thank you text would be nice, right?” Another peck on the lips.

“So, next time you travel somewhere and send me a postcard, I should send you a text to thank you?”

“Well…” He lifted himself up so that he was straddling my waist. “Next time I travel somewhere, maybe you can actually go with me?”

“Where would we go?” I asked, intrigued. In all the years we’d known each other, we never travelled together anywhere, at least not out of the country. The destination didn’t even matter. Making new memories with Leo would be fun anywhere.

He just shrugged, getting up on his feet. “I don’t know, we’d figure something out. Where do you wanna go?”

“Not sure. I’ll get back to you on that one. But it’s a deal.”

“Deal.” He offered me a hand, helping me get up. “Now, are we going to your place?”

“Of course,” I said as I picked up the towel and my flip-flops. Slowly, we headed up the path toward the boardwalk. The street was pleasantly silent, nothing but the sound of crickets and the occasional car disturbing the peace.

“So…” Leo moved closer as we walked, touching my upper arm. “You ready for arm wrestling?”

My laugh echoed in the night, and a dog barked somewhere in the distance. “You bet I am,” I replied with confidence that only a man that’s been doing arm workouts for the past few weeks would have. “Just so you know, I’m winning tonight.”

“You lost the last three times, babe,” Leo graciously reminded me, but I just shrugged. That cute face of his was impossible to resist, so I leaned in, planting a quick kiss on his lips.

“Win or lose, you know it’s still a win for me.”

~~