A Surprising Two Days

All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.

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Arianna

"Mom, which of these bedrooms is mine?"

"Are they both the same size?"

I chuckled. "Um, not exactly. One has a king-size bed. The other has two twins."

I heard a laugh from downstairs. "Your father and I aren't ready for separate beds just yet."

"Mom, that's disgusting," I said, laughing even harder, even though it wasn't disgusting at all, but rather sweet. At home, the noises I sometimes heard at night assured me that what mom said was true. I was twenty-two, and they were thirty-nine. I thought it was wonderful and not at all disgusting. At least for them.

I knew it would never be like that for me.

I'd been old enough to watch both of my mother's brothers, my uncles, apparently happy marriages dissolve right in front of my eyes, and both of my aunts had disappeared from my life. I'd heard screaming, and name-calling on more than one occasion, and suddenly, lives that had seemed so happy and content had been shattered. In both cases, my mother had told me that they "found out they really didn't know each other."

Somehow those words had always stuck with me.

I'd watched one of the penultimate fights take place right in front of me. There was swearing, vicious name-calling, nearly physical anger that escalated to frightening proportions while I watched and listened, horrified and incredulous.

I vowed that would never happen to me.

It all seemed very logical.

If I was going to be with a guy, I had to be sure I really knew him. But to do that would take time, and I had decided that I wasn't interested in investing my time in something that might end up the way my uncles and aunts had ended. I had weighed that against the happiness my parents had experienced, but the echos of that one shouting match always seemed to be there, and I decided I was content with my short-term relationships and had no desire to change.

I had carried my big suitcase to my room and went back down for my duffle bag. Most of my friends went to the beach with just a few clothes, but my dad liked to go out to dinner every night to a fancy restaurant, so more formal attire was required. Thus the big suitcase. The duffel had my bathing equipment, a couple of two-piece jobs for surfing and possible chicken fights, some bikinis for looking good on the beach and at the pool, plus one bikini I wasn't sure I had enough, well, guts to wear. It was small enough that it would display tan lines left from the other bikinis.

"Do you need help with anything, Mom?"

"Any particular reason for that question, hon?"

"I'm just trying to be helpful." I could trade vacation sarcasm with my mother.

"Why don't you just put on a cute bikini and go check the beach?"

"Good idea, mom."

She'd said it, and I wasn't going to give her a chance to change her mind.

I was anxious to check the beach today. Since I was skipping this semester of my senior year of college, we had come to the beach later than usual, after most schools had opened. We wondered how it might be with fewer tourists, but I was mostly concerned about fewer guys to stalk. A week didn't give much time for anything significant or permanent, but it allowed for innocent fun. And that's what I was after.

Anything longer than a week was too permanent for me.

I think that's what I liked about a week at the beach--it was only a week, a carryover from summer camps when I was younger. Relationships were short and pleasant, with no need for commitment. They were fun but over quickly with no further expectations. A fire could burn hot, but if it burned too long, it burned itself out, leaving only ashes. I didn't want my heart to finally be filled with ashes.

Of course, my mother was more interested in commitment, i.e., grandchildren, something that was totally beyond anything I could imagine for myself.

When I thought of children, I pictured my cousins, cast adrift by parents who never really knew each other.

I was thankful, though, that it was still like summer here, with highs of nearly ninety. It made bikinis nearly mandatory...so I slipped into my pink one, not the tiny one, and headed downstairs.

I still had the week ahead of me.

"Be back in an hour or so," I called over my shoulder as I disappeared out the door, not waiting for a response. I had my cell phone, so Mom and Dad could contact me if they chose to. We'd rented a house south of the pier where the bulk of the rental properties were located. North of the pier were private homes, split about evenly between year-round residents and "weekenders."

The lack of people was readily apparent, not that the beach was deserted, but rather not teeming with pale and scantily clad visitors. I decided to venture further south to see if the rentals were totally deserted. Not surprisingly, many of the houses were still occupied, but they were not where I was looking to invest my time since most of the people I could see were older...much older.

Perhaps a trip north would be more rewarding. In the years we'd been coming here., I'd never paid much attention to anything north of the pier. There'd always been more than enough action in the south to keep me entertained.

I moved down the beach into mid-calf deep water, still reasonably warm. The waves were negligible, and I felt so jubilant about being here once again that I found myself skipping along like a third grader. I couldn't keep from laughing at myself.

This was the kind of thing that probably kept guys from taking me seriously.

The rhythmic sound of the waves had always mesmerized me, and I would often stand knee-deep in the water, just watching the wave patterns, wondering what caused the variations I saw.

I wound my way through the posts that supported the pier, and when I came out the other side, I was north. I quickly discovered that the houses here looked about the same as those south of the pier, the yard being landscaped a little nicer, perhaps. I wondered which were which, of course. And I was envious of those who owned the weekend houses. I wasn't sure how much my father earned, but it wasn't enough to allow us to have a second home at the beach.

I'd passed two or three guys already in my travels down south, smiled at them, and received a smile in return but no other interest. I guessed they were probably married or something.

I wasn't used to just a smile, particularly when I was wearing a bikini.

I'd said I'd be back in an hour or two, but without something happening soon, I'd be back in less than an hour. I was still splashing through the surf when I saw male number four heading straight toward me. At least six feet tall, obviously fit, and tanned with kind of dirty blond and wavy hair, he looked like someone I might like to get to know.

I sent him my finest smile.

Noah

I was surprised to see her walking toward me, actually splashing toward me--I thought all the decent-looking girls were gone until next summer, or at least until spring break. With the big smile and bright pink bikini, which did nothing to hide her very pleasant figure, she created a very pleasing picture on what had been an otherwise bleak day.

Conflicting a little with that, I had to leave the beach tomorrow for a small family reunion about a day's drive away, which would cause me to use up a week's vacation for something I wasn't looking forward to.

I'd stomped out of the house, upset and frustrated because of the trip. I wasn't anxious to ride for ten hours to spend several days with people I barely knew. I wondered if the big smile that was approaching through the shallow water might alleviate my disgruntled condition a tiny bit.

At least for the rest of the day.

I did my best to squeeze out a matching smile. "Hi."

"Hi," she replied as she stopped in front of me.

Now that she was this close, she had a very fascinating look to her. Light brown hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, its color almost matching the hazel eyes that were fixed on mine. Up close, she was taller than I'd first thought. My dad and I often had discussions about the differences between cute, pretty, and beautiful.

With the eyes and the figure the bikini revealed, I classified her as very pretty, verging on beautiful.

"Sorry for staring," I sort of stammered, "but I don't recognize you. Have you just moved here?"

I was sure she was used to having guys stammer and stare.

"I wish," she said with a laugh. "I'm just a tourist from down the beach."

"Wow. You look like you should be away at college this late in the year."

"I'm skipping a semester."

My good fortune, I thought. So far, anyway.

"Anything special with that, if I'm not being too nosey."

"Not at all. It's a silly reason, really. I'm a senior, and I have two important classes to take, and I want a particular professor for each, but they're both on sabbatical this semester. I am going to try to get ahead in both courses and wait for them to get back."

What kind of student was she to do that? Different, for sure.

"That sounds reasonable," I suggested for lack of a better answer.

"It took a little work with my parents. I actually wrote a paper justifying what I was doing." She giggled. "It worked," she said with a big shrug, I'm sure not aware how that made her bobs jiggle.

"So you're here for this week, then?" I questioned, a little chagrined that I was leaving tomorrow and would miss that week. I'd normally be at work during part of the day but would have evenings free, except when I was on the hated evening shift. But that didn't matter now.

"Yeah, and it looks like it might be a bleak week."

That little giggle again. Between it and those hazel eyes, I was finding whoever she was very appealing. The figure and all of that beautiful smooth and bare skin wasn't hurting either.

"It could be, depending on who else is here and what's still open."

The disappointed look on her face made me wonder.

"So, what are you up to right now besides walking on the beach?"

"Eh, that's about it," she said, curling her nose.

"Listen, it'll be a while before it gets dark, and I have a jet ski at our place just up the beach that we could ride for a while. And then, how about I take you to dinner? We might as well have fun together while we have the chance. I'm leaving tomorrow for the rest of the week."

She was very pretty, particularly in a bikini, and probably only here for a week, so there was no sense wasting time. The slightly disappointed look on her face propped up my ego, but I would still be gone those next few important days.

"Um, okay," she said after a few seconds of thought, smiling at me once more. "Let me call my parents to let them know what's up."

"Yeah, I'll do the same."

Arianna

I loved riding a jet ski and usually rented one once or twice during my week at the beach, depending, of course, on whether dad would spring for the second day. To be able to ride without spending money sounded very appealing.

"Is everything okay, hon?" my mother asked.

"It's great, Mom. I met a guy who lives here, and we're going to ride his jet ski. He's invited me to have dinner with him too."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy the jet ski, but are you dressed for dinner?"

"I guess I'll find out," I answered with a chuckle.

"So you and this fellow can hang out together this week? I mean, if he's already asked you to dinner."

"No, darn it. He's leaving tomorrow and will be gone all week."

I watched him smile when I said, "darn it." I'm sure it gave his masculinity a little boost.

"Sorry, hon. Listen, be careful, and we'll see you after your dinner. I'm sure your dad will want to go out too. And have fun with your new friend."

"You guys have fun, too, and I'll see you later."

"All set?" he asked.

"All set and I'm Arianna."

He laughed. "Our parents would be ashamed of us. I'm Noah."

"I love jet skis, so I'm looking forward to this. I'm usually the driver, so this will be a little different."

"You're welcome to drive."

"No thanks," I answered, anxious to just ride and hang on to Noah.

We went to his place, the jet ski moored in the canal behind the house. Noah loosened the ropes, and we climbed on. As we drifted away from the dock, he waved, and I could see a ladies face in the window.

"Hey, cute tattoo. Is that a turtle?"

He'd spotted the small tattoo on my shoulder.

"Sure is. I love turtles. I have a collection of turtles in my room at home. Lots and lots of them."

"Live ones?"

"I had live ones when I was younger, but not now."

He closed one eye and seemed to be thinking.

"There's an island quite a way offshore, and I've heard people say there are turtles there."

I looked at Noah. Was he really inviting me to ride the jet ski out into the ocean to an island that might have turtles? If so, I was game, provided that he knew what he was doing. I didn't know him very well yet, but my first impression was that he was okay. And, being a local, I thought he'd be more trustworthy. Plus, this would be only one day and not seven.

"Have you been there?"

"Several times." He checked the sky. "I think we've got plenty of time to get out there and back before dark."

"Will there be time to look around?"

"Not a lot, but listen, if you'd rather skip it, we can just putz around here."

Was he daring me but doing it subtly? Either way, I was ready to go.

Noah

Although we'd been talking for a while, it had suddenly struck me that I'd have a fascinatingly pretty and bikini-clad lady clinging to me while we bounced across the waves if she said yes. I hoped there might be some turtles there even though it wasn't that important as I'd probably never see her again.

"Ok," she said, "I'll trust your judgment."

"I can't guarantee turtles, but I can the time."

"Good enough," she replied, motioning for me to climb onto the jet ski.

When she climbed on behind and pressed her body against my bare back, her arms around my waist, I forgot all about having to leave tomorrow.

We headed away from the beach and from land, Arianna's warm body pressed against my back, her arms still tight around my waist. A few jarring bumps as we hopped over the waves had her squeezing me tightly, her body bouncing against my back. But once away from the beach, the water smoothed dramatically, and the ride was fairly straightforward.

"How long will it take?" she called into my ear.

"Only about fifteen or twenty minutes." I could already see the outline of the low island and pointed to it, getting a hard squeeze in return. I was enjoying this ride, turtles or not.

As we drew closer, I decided to head to the far side of the island, hoping for better luck with the turtles. I wasn't about to tell Arianna that I'd never seen any on the near side. I'd never been to the far side, but I doubted it was much different.

I saw a strangely different pattern in the water immediately ahead of us, and before I could change course, Arianna and I were suddenly flying, tumbling through the air with her still clinging tightly to my waist. Hitting the water separated us, and when I surfaced, I frantically searched for her. She was close by, struggling to clear the water from her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

She sputtered. "Yeah. What happened?"

"We hit something. Where's the jet ski?"

"Behind you."

Treading water, I turned to see the jet ski still afloat but lying on its side. There was a big hole ripped into the exposed side. It didn't look like we'd be riding it back to my house, but we both paddled to it and hung on.

"They tell you not to leave the boat," she said, a hopeless look on her very pretty face.

"Do you swim?"

"I was a lifeguard."

"Let's swim to the beach and leave the jet ski here." I ventured, anxious to get both of us out of the water and onto something solid.

"With both of us pushing, we could get it to the shore," she said, a hopeful look on her face now.

I was a little embarrassed that she was making more sense than I was.

"You're sure you're not hurt?" I asked, just to double-check.

I'm fine," she assured me as she swam around behind the jet ski and began some hard kicking.

I quickly joined her, and in a few minutes, we were just a few feet from the shore. I was hugely disappointed that there was no beach on this side, just a sharp edge. We were able to wedge the handles into some roots to secure them before we climbed onto the shore.

"I just remembered," I said, half aloud and half to myself. "There's a GPS tracking system on this thing, and a panic switch to use if you have an accident. Back in the water, I searched and finally found the switch, flipping it on and hoping it worked. Arianna was attempting to smile but looked a tiny bit frightened.

My impulse was to hug her, but we'd only known each other for an hour or two. Still, I had sort of talked her into this, and I felt responsible to somehow buoy her spirits.

I smiled. "No worries," I said to assure her. "The GPS will get them out here, and if that isn't working, they'll miss us and come looking. At worst, we'll have to spend the night."

Arianna

At worst, we'll have to spend the night.

Noah was trying to encourage me, but I wasn't really afraid. It might be fun when I got home to tell my friends I'd spent the night on a deserted island with a good-looking guy. I hoped he didn't try to take advantage of the situation because I wasn't quite ready for that, but I wasn't expecting anything like that. My one-week relationships never involve sex. A couple of longer ones had, and I'd discovered that sex wasn't what it was made out to be.

"Be nice to have a towel," I said, half in jest.

"Lots of big leafy plants here, but I'd be afraid to use them to dry us. We'd probably break out in some horrible rash."

I laughed but knew he was right. I wasn't about to use those leaves. Instead, I used my hands to carefully squeegee the water away, moderately successful, but at least it helped a little. The evening was warm, but I could tell it was cooling off as the sun sank lower and lower. We discussed our situation until it had disappeared below the horizon.

"Are you getting cold?" Noah asked, and he did sound sincerely concerned about me.

"A little. How about you?"

"Not too bad, yet. But it's going to get cooler over the next hour or two."

"You have a look on your face, so I have to ask what you're thinking."

"I thought it might be dark enough to hide my looks...which might mask my thoughts too."

He hadn't really said anything, but even that little speech sounded honest, so I waited for him to continue.

"You didn't question me, so I'll be honest with you. We need to stay warm, and the best way to do that is to, well, cuddle up together."

"Makes sense," I said, because it did.

"Really? You're not going to argue?"

"I don't have a better solution, so no."

He was still hesitating, and I thought I knew why.

"Not enough clothes and too much skin?"

He chuckled. "That sums it up pretty well."

"For the sake of warmth, I have no choice but to cuddle."

I lay down in the small clear area, and Noah lay behind me, his arms around me, pulling me against him. In seconds I felt warm...and surprisingly comfortable. The sound of his breathing, steady and warm against my neck, was calming. The steady sound of the ocean bumping against the shore was the final balm that allowed me to fall asleep.