Hidden Treasure

“Hey,” Alex smiled as he walked up to Lily where she was waiting for him on the boardwalk, his arms outstretched for a hug.

“Hey,” she smiled back, maneuvering into his open arms. She gestured to the two surf boards laid out over the handlebars of her bike. “Are you ready for this?”

“Somewhat,” Alex shrugged, ignoring the churn of his gut. “I’m not going to lie to you. I’m pretty nervous.”

Lily smiled. “Don’t be. I’m going to teach you everything I know.”

“Okay,” he smiled back. “Where do we begin?”

She reached into the backpack sitting on the seat and pulled out a wetsuit. “This is for you. It was my dad’s old one, but he only wore it once so it’s clean, I promise.”

“I’ve always wondered what the purpose of these things are. Why do some people wear them and others don’t?” Alex asked, looking for the zipper to get into it.

“It keeps your body temperature regulated if you’re in colder water, helps minimize abrasions if you’re in a rocky area, buoyancy, etcetera,” she smiled, sliding the zipper down where it was hidden in the back.

“Oh, okay,” he nodded as he kicked his flip flops off and put a leg in the suit. “So, essentially, this is going to be my life support out there.”

“Essentially,” she giggled. “But I won’t let you die. I’m telling you, Alex, you’re in the best of hands.”

He smiled as he pulled the suit up to his waist and pulled his shirt off. “Your dad doesn’t mind me borrowing his suit?”

Lily was briefly distracted by the contours of Alex’s chest and abs and had to intertwine her itching fingers together to keep from caressing his body. “He doesn’t surf. I tried to teach him once, but he’s an impatient learner. How he got his doctorate in marine biology astounds me.”

Alex wiggled around in the suit after getting it on and reached around back, struggling to find the zipper again. Although slightly amused by his struggle, Lily walked behind him, zipping his suit for him. Alex couldn’t figure out why the feeling of her fingers pressed against his lower back gave him chills, but he suddenly felt a little over heated in the neoprene outfit.

“How do I look?” he asked, striking a pose for her.

“Like a pro in the making,” she smiled. “Let’s go.”

They walked down the rest of the boardwalk and onto the sand. Alex looked out at the water and his nerves only grew more and more intense. He became even more nervous when little time was wasted on land and Lily was leading him out into the ocean, giving little instructions as they went.

“Lesson one: maintain your center of gravity.”

Alex stood on top of his board, his knees shaking and his arms flailing every time he lost his balance. He stared down at his board and the waves moving under it made him dizzy, sending him splashing into the water.

“That’s okay,” Lily said from her board a few feet away from him when he resurfaced. “Climb back up and try again.”

“You know,” Alex grunted, hoisting himself back onto the board. “In the movies, they practice this on the beach.”

“But in real life you’re not surfing on steady land. It’s better to get a feel for it on actual moving water. Come on, try again.”

He very unsteadily stood back up, his knees quaking even more than before, and after watching another wave glide under his board, he was sent back into the water.

“This is hopeless,” he groaned after resurfacing.

“Oh no you don’t,” Lily scorned as she laid on her board and paddled closer to his. “You’re not giving up that easily. You’re thinking about it too much. Get up here.”

Again, he stood up on his board, but this time Lily was close enough to where she could hold his hands to help him keep steady. His eyes drifted back down to his board, but Lily lifted his chin with her finger, bringing his eyes to hers.

“Focus on me, not your board. You need to feel the waves as they come, not look at them.”

Alex nodded as he stared into her green eyes, his grip on her hands tightening when he started to lose his balance. He was soon distracted by a strand of blonde hair whipping in the wind and he watched it for a second before his eyes traveled across the features of her face from her perfectly plucked eyebrows to her plump, pink lips that he suddenly really wanted to kiss. Her tan skin was emphasized by the multicolored bikini she was wearing and he never noticed how perfect her body was until it was drenched with water and glowing in the sunlight.

“Eyes up here, Gaskarth,” she smirked, causing him to blush.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “I only meant it a little bit. Here comes a bigger one.”

Alex loosened his grip on her hands as he felt the wave rolling towards them. His eyes never left hers and he felt his weight shift from his right leg to his left as the wave cruised under them, centering again once it was gone. Lily smiled triumphantly and slowly let go of his hands, the water automatically drifting her away from him.

“No, don’t let go,” Alex said, the panic sinking in as he started wobbling again.

“You just did it, Alex. Do it again.”

He shakily took in a deep breath and locked his gaze on her, inhaling and exhaling evenly as he got a feel for the wave coming towards him. He felt it lift the back of the board and leaned towards it, moving his gravity along the board as the wave passed under him. When he was still standing in the end, Lily cheered.

“See?! I told you that you could do it!”

“What now?” he asked, grinning cheekily as he survived yet another wave passing under him.

“Now you take what you’ve just mastered and apply it to standing.”

The standing part of the lesson was the one Alex struggled with the most. No matter how quickly he managed to push himself upright, it never seemed to be up to Lily’s standards.

“Come on, grandpa,” Lily teased. “You can get those old bones up quicker than that.”

Alex rolled his eyes, amused by her joke, and quickly pushed himself up.

“Faster,” she instructed.

He huffed as he laid back down, then pushed himself up as fast as he good without falling over.

“Good. Again.”

He laid down once more, repeating what he’d just done.

“Again.”

He groaned as he lowered himself back down before springing up.

“Again.”

“Seriously, woman?” he whined, the constant movement wearing his body out.

She nodded, and he repeated his actions once more.

“Again?” he asked sarcastically.

“Nope,” she grinned. “I think you’re ready.”

Alex sighed with relief as he laid on his board and paddled further to shore with her where the waves were breaking. The mixture of his nerves and the adrenaline pumping through his veins gave him the jitters.

“Okay, a good one is coming. When I say ‘go’, paddle like your life depends on it. When you feel it’s about to break, stand up and keep your balance. The ocean will do the rest.”

He nodded, staring straight ahead as he tried to keep his mind focused on the water moving around him. He could feel it getting closer and his hands started to shake.

“Go!” Lily yelled, and he started paddling furiously.

He could hear the wave behind him start to break more than he could feel it and he pushed himself up in lightning speed, immediately finding his balance and soon the wave was pushing him across the water’s surface. He felt the water splashing around his feet and the mist hitting his face and he never felt freer than he did then. He was on cloud nine as he cruised towards shore, Lily cheering and screaming behind him.

Once the wave stopped pushing him, he hopped off and fell over in the shin deep water. He looked behind him, seeing Lily surfing in his direction and he trudged to the wet sand, collapsing to his knees before laying on his back, his breathing deep and heavy.

“You did it!” Lily cheered as she fell next to him. “And you did it so well!”

“That was exhausting,” Alex panted. “But it was the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done.”

“Do you realize we haven’t even been out here for an hour and you already caught your first wave?” she asked. “You have to have set a record just now.”

He shook his head as he leaned up on his elbows. “You’re a phenomenal teacher.”

“I try,” she grinned. “So, what now?”

Alex glanced back out to the ocean, craving more of the rush. “Can we surf some more?”

“We can surf all day if you want,” Lily giggled.

He smiled and stood, hoisting his board under his arm. He took Lily’s hand in his and gave it a small squeeze as he said, “Thank you.”

She felt her heart flutter at the sincerity of his words. She may not have known Alex for more than a couple of days, but she could tell he needed this excitement in his life, and she was more than happy to give it to him. She bit the corner of her bottom lip as she smiled, watching him sprint back into the water before chasing after him.

Notes