Looking Through The Lens

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ryansylander/www/

Chapter 23: Celebration Day

Back Home

Heather pulled the car to a stop in the beach lot, and quieted the engine. 

“Sure you don’t want to go home and sleep?” she asked.

“No, I’m feeling better already,” I said.

Heather smiled at me and said, “Okay.”

“I didn’t think the talk with Julie was going to be easy,” I said, “but that was definitely more than I expected.”

“I think Brian’s trying to leave his legacy as being the town’s biggest asshole ever,” Heather said acerbically.  “And he’s doing a good job of it, too.”

“Do you think he’s going to cause more trouble?” I asked.

Heather thought for a moment.  “I don’t know.  You’re only here a few more days, so I wouldn’t worry about it.  Besides, his problem is more with Julie, than with you.”

“I think his problem is with himself, actually.  Do you think he’ll do something to her?”

“I don’t.”

“Because he seemed like he was pushing her around a bit, on the pier,” I added.

“Well, that’s bad news for him, if Bill finds out.”

“Bill?  Your Bill?  Why?”

Heather chuckled.  “Didn’t know he was ‘my Bill.’  But yeah, Bill and Brian had a run in a few months ago.”

“Really?  Bill doesn’t seem the fighting type.”

“You don’t want to mess with Bill.  He’s well trained in martial arts.”

I looked at her with a frown.  “Really?”

“Serious.  He’s one of the top artists in the Northeast.”

My stomach twisted up.  “That makes me feel great, considering I stole you from him.  I’m surprised he didn’t bust out the nunchucks and kill me in the drugstore, when he had the chance,” I lamented.  “He must be waiting to get me alone.”

Heather laughed.  “No, Bill’s not like that.  He likes you.  Besides, if he didn’t, you would have known by now.”

“Great...  That makes me feel better.”

“Just a little incentive to treat me nice,” she teased.

“Oh, believe me; I don’t need Bill as incentive to treat you nice.”

Heather smiled sweetly.

“So what happened with Brian and Bill?”

“Mm, let’s just say that if Brian keeps bothering Julie, he’ll have some new bruises to match the one you gave him with your fishing pole.”

I sat quietly, somewhat relieved that Julie would have some help dealing with Brian.  I also realized I was concerned for Heather’s safety, and this news was helping quell that fear as well. 

“Do you still have feelings for him?” I asked.

Heather held my gaze.  “He’s one of my best friends,” she said simply.  “But if you are worried that I want to get together with him while you are gone, the answer is no.  Neither of us would do that.”

I nodded.  Somehow, I knew it was true.  I found it odd that this relative stranger was so beneficial to my life, but I wasn’t about to complain. 

“If...” I started.

“What?”

“No, nothing,” I said dismissively.

“What were you going to say?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Tell me,” Heather pressed.

“If you see Bill...” I paused.  “I mean, just tell him thanks.  Or don’t.  He won’t even know why I’m thanking him.  But if it comes up...”

Heather just looked at me, and then nodded.

“And thanks for making me talk to Julie.  I feel better, even though we didn’t really talk about anything.”

“But at least you are talking again.  At least you cleared the air.” 

“What did you two talk about when I was sleeping?” I asked cautiously.

“What else would we talk about?  You, of course.”

I felt a flutter of nervousness.  “What about me?”

Heather smiled.  “Girl stuff.  You don’t want to hear it.”

“But I –”

“And I’m not going to tell you, anyway,” she continued.  “Nothing bad, don’t worry.”

“So secretive,” I said.

Heather shrugged.  “The two of us had some talking to do, and I’m glad we did it.”

“All right,” I said.  “You didn’t call Lara, did you?”

“No.  I thought about it, but I figured she would have had to tell your parents what happened and get a ride, or have to walk at night.  With Brian pissed and on the lam, I decided not to call.  You still feel all right?”

“Yeah, the dizzy spells have gone away for now.  Headache is killer though.”

“You should get to sleep.”

“Soon, yeah.  I’m really tired all of a sudden,” I admitted.

“I can tell.  Come on, I’ll drive you home,” Heather said, firing up the engine.

“Will you come in, if my parents are up?”

“Of course.”

“Sorry tonight wasn’t very fun.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt worse.”

“Me too,” I said, wincing as I flexed my hand.

I woke up late the next morning, and immediately started peeling the bandages off of my arms and hands.  They were making me itchy. 

My arms were remarkably healed.  Though they were still sore and sensitive, they weren’t the scabby mess I was expecting to see.  The cuts and punctures were still visible, but for the most part I looked like I had walked bare-armed through a bramble patch, and not as if I’d had a bad accident juggling with large knives.  My head held onto a simmering headache, but otherwise, I felt all right.

We were late getting home the night before.  The adults had, of course, all been awake, and they were sitting in the dining room playing cards.  Despite the temptation to make up a story about being bitten by some unknown and vicious sea animal, I told them the truth.  After they showed some concern about the amount of bandages I wore, I was able to convince them that it looked worse than it really was.  In the relatively faint lighting, no one noticed the bump on my forehead.

Heather was graciously by my side as I told of my not-so-noble defense of Julie, and her and Heather’s subsequent care.  Aunt Beth was still shaking her head in disbelief when I finally went off to my room to sleep.  Hans and my parents seemed to find humor in the situation, in that the women in my life had had to come to my aid, once again.

Heather didn’t stay long.  After helping me gingerly change into pajamas and get into bed, she covered me with a sheet and gave me a gentle kiss.  I could feel the touch of her soothing lips on mine long after she left, and even after I had fallen into a deep sleep.

The morning light brought new sobriety to the events of the night before.  Despite Heather’s assurances about Bill, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to meet Brian again.  Bill could be the world’s best, but that wouldn’t help much if I ran into Brain in a bad mood.  I really hadn’t enjoyed the pain of removing those barbs, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to try being a punching bag either.

When I ambled into the kitchen, my parents and Aunt Beth swarmed to me like bees.  After checking over my arms and the dark blue bump on my forehead, they had me sit and they went about fixing me breakfast.  I didn’t protest, enjoying the attention.  It was nice having my food and Tylenol brought to me.

Fortunately, the women sensed my desire for quiet, and after setting the eggs and bacon before me, they retreated to the porch to chat.  I ate slowly, thousands of thoughts going through my head.

“What happened to you?” Lara asked as she came out of her room and walked over to look at me.

“They didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Lara frowned.  “I was sleeping when you got home last night.”

“Fight,” I said.

“With Julie?” She looked at me wide-eyed.

I laughed.  “Yeah, she beat me up, bad.”

“What?  Quit messing around!  What happened?”

Lara was examining my cuts closely now.  She delicately touched around my head bruise as I took a big bite of food.

“Arrgh!” I exclaimed, as she got too close to the sore spot.

“Sorry, sorry.  Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“Let me finish this bite,” I said, unclearly through the mouthful.

Lara was impatient though.  “Wait, did you get back together with Julie, and then Heather found out?”

I rolled my eyes, chewing faster.  Finally, I swallowed, and briefly related the events on the pier.

“Damn!  Brian sounds like a real dick.  I can’t believe Julie would go out with someone like that!”

“Me neither.  Somehow she got trapped by him, though.”

Lara sighed heavily.  “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

I shrugged.  “It’s over now, I hope.  I just want to lie low the next couple of days, and hang out with Heather.”

She nodded, rubbing my back gently as the adults came back into the house.

“Do you want to invite Heather’s family for dinner?” Sarah asked.

I looked in surprise at my mom.  “Um, I was thinking of taking Heather out to dinner tomorrow night, but...”

Melissa shrugged.  “Well, whatever you like.  Although if they will be coming to visit this winter, it would be nice to get to know them a little before we leave.”

I nodded thoughtfully.  It seemed like it should be a big deal, having her parents over to meet mine.  Usually, popular belief held that this was a big event.  But for some reason this seemed very natural.

“All right, sure,” I said.  “Maybe tonight?”

Melissa eyed the clock and shrugged. 

“There’s time to make something good, yet.”

“I can help,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes.  “I don’t think you’ll want to be getting those cuts near any food.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I’m happy to cook,” Melissa said.

“Something simple is fine.  I don’t want you to work hard on my account,” I said.

“I’ll help today,” Lara said brightly.

“How about we all cook?” Aunt Beth chimed in.

Before I knew it, the four ladies were preparing to head to the market to get the meal started.

“Um, shouldn’t I see if they can even come over?” I called out as they grabbed purses.

They stopped in their tracks.  After exchanging looks, they exploded with laughter.  I just smiled and shook my head as I reached for the phone. 

As luck would have it, the Martins were able to come for dinner.  After getting off the phone with Heather, having our parents meet seemed less normal than it had sounded twenty minutes earlier when my mom had hatched the idea.  Aongus and Sarah had met briefly on the pier, and that was fine.  But spending a few hours around a table was a different deal altogether, especially with my parental situation.  It could be a couple of uncomfortable hours, if they were disapproving of my family.  I just hoped Heather would tell her parents before they showed up.

Guitar playing was out, since my right hand hurt too much to try and make even a light fist.  I figured going for a swim in salt water would be at least as painful as falling on the hooks again, even if most of my cuts were closing up.  Heather was working, so there was no entertainment to be found with her. 

Therefore, I spent the afternoon watching the women work in the kitchen.  I was prohibited from lending a scratched-up hand with the food preparation, but being present at least made me feel like I was participating in the meal a little.

Melissa again was in her element, with three assistants to help her work her magic.  I had a feeling that my mention of how much I had liked Aongus and Mairead’s cooking a few nights earlier had fired her up.  She was nothing if not competitive, although it was in a friendly fashion.

I did take a nap, during which Mairead had phones to see what she and Aongus could bring.  After insisting nothing was necessary, Melissa had relented and asked them to bring some wine. 

Forced to be an observer for the afternoon, a few things suddenly struck me.  There was a strong interest on the part of my parents, aunt, and sister to make this a really nice meal, and it was because they really liked Heather.  More than once in the last few days my parents had referred to her as “sweet” and “kind,” and although at the time those seemed like tossed-off compliments, I came to realize over the course of the meal preparation that they were not off-hand at all. 

I found out that my mothers also had their own agenda.  Not that it lessened their eagerness to do well for my sake, but there was an extra incentive.  When I was allowed to set the table, there was an extra place setting in the stack of silverware and dishes they handed me.  I didn’t realize it at first, but when plates got tight around the large oval table, I noticed I was trying to squeeze ten settings in.

“There’s an extra plate!” I said, half to myself.  I started to collect the tenth setting.

“No, no.  Frej will be joining us this evening,” Sarah said.

“Frej?” I echoed, surprised at the news.

“We figured we should invite him since he was so nice to take you all out on his boat.  I guess you were napping when we called him.”

“Okay, cool,” I said, nodding in agreement. 

The invitation still seemed slightly out of the blue, but after returning to my kitchen stool to watch the main dish go into the oven with a cheer, I remembered my mom’s banter with Frej on the dock the other night when she dropped us off for the trip.  Something had seemed different. 

They were flirting, I suddenly realized! 

A little while later, Lara and I went for a beach walk, since the various courses were either ready or cooking in the oven. 

I shared my epiphany.  “Do you think Mom was flirting with Frej on the docks the other day?”

“Well, yeah!  She almost left without saying goodbye to us.”

So I was right!  I was pleased at my perception.

“Did you just figure that out?” Lara asked, her brow arched.

“All by my damn self!” I exclaimed.

She chuckled.  “Oh, Matt, you are funny.  Maybe we are rubbing off on you, a little bit.”

“Hey, for someone who didn’t know that Julie liked me for the last two or three summers, and for someone who didn’t find Heather’s phone number for six months, I thought that was pretty good.”

“All right, I’ll give you that,” she said, laughing easily. 

“Thanks.”

“Although there’s still plenty of things you haven’t figured out yet,” she added cryptically.

“Like what?” I said, frowning.

“I’m not telling,” Lara said, her eyes soft.

“Oh, thanks a lot.”

“You’ll figure them out when the time is right.”

“I hope so.”

“Me, too,” Lara said quietly.

Hans was relatively well built, but when he stood next to Frej, he looked somewhat small.  They both had the same handsome Scandinavian looks, though.  Hans’s frame was leaner, from years of hitting balls over tennis nets.  Frej was heavier, from years of hauling in fishing nets.

I realized how a little piece of information could make everything else going on so obvious.  From the moment Frej came in and was greeted by Sarah, I could see the connection between them.  It was quite strange, since I had never seen either of my parents give anyone those kinds of looks, except to each other. 

Heather and her parents arrived soon after Frej.  Even though I had worn a long sleeve shirt and Heather had told her parents about my incident, there was still much concern on Mairead’s part when she saw the bruise on my forehead.  When she came close to inspect the battle scar, I could see the same glint in her eyes that Heather’s often held.  It was not unpleasant to be so close to her, and feel her touch the side of my face in kindness.

The three men took to the living room couches while Mairead mingled in the kitchen with the women, serving the wine she had brought.  Melissa made some last-minute culinary adjustments.  Heather, Lara and I went out to the beach, since the house seemed crowded.  The topic of Frej and my mother flirting came up.

“I didn’t notice that the other night,” Heather admitted.  “I must have been getting the lines unfastened.  When I heard he was coming, I figured it was because he had taken us out on the boat.”

“That’s part of it, too,” Lara said.

“I did tell them about you having two mothers who lived together,” Heather said.  “Frej, too.  He was at the store this afternoon.”

“How did they react?” I asked.

“No problem,” Heather said.

I nodded in relief.

“Was Frej disappointed?” Lara asked.

“Disappointed?  I don’t know.  I didn’t really pay attention to his reaction.  Like I said, I didn’t know what was going on.”

There was some quiet as we stood in the sand. 

“Do you think it’s just flirting, or something more?” Heather asked.  “Are your parents looking for someone?”

It was a foreign question.  Lara and I looked at each other, and shrugged.

“It’s always been just the two of them,” I said.

“But given their situation, you know, with how they were with your dad, it seems possible that they would be open to... having someone...” Heather trailed off, unable to find the right words.

“But here?  In Montauk?  We’re leaving in just a few days.  Seems rather strange,” Lara said.  “I think they’re just having a little fun.”

“True,” Heather said.  “Frej is a man of the sea.  He’d never live in the mountains.  I don’t know that he’s ever been more than a few dozen miles from the ocean, in his life.”

“Unless my parents are considering moving here!” I said, a little too excitedly.

Lara patted my arm gently.  “All right, all right.  Now we really are in fantasy land.  It’s just flirting.”

“I know,” I said somewhat ruefully.  “It was a cool idea, though.”

Heather smiled sweetly at me, just as from the porch, my aunt called for us to come get seated at the table.

Frej was a master storyteller.  If something had to do with boating or fishing, he had done it.  Often he had some exceptional story to tell about it, too.  He seemed very cheerful.  He was quite different from the oft-nostalgic man he'd been while out on the fishing trip.  I wondered if being in the presence of new people, particularly my mothers, made him so entertaining.  Aongus and Mairead had surely heard these stories many times, perhaps even watched them get stretched taller over the years.  Yet even they were laughing as heartily as the rest of us.

“What’s the most exciting fishing experience you’ve had?” Sarah asked Frej at one point. 

Frej looked at the ceiling, for a moment.  “You know, every fish is different and has its own attraction.  Most exciting, though, would probably have to be fishing for giant sharks.”

“Ooh, sounds dangerous!” Melissa said, her eyes glittering.

“More than dangerous,” Frej confirmed.  “One time Aongus and I were out...”

Suddenly he trailed off, grinning as his eyes slid to Mairead.

“Oh, go ahead,” she said, shaking her head.  “I don’t know why you two are so proud of this story, when you should really be ashamed.  Foolishness!”

Aongus and Frej laughed richly as the rest of us waited expectantly.

“We were out with our friend Paul off the coast of Cape Cod one morning chumming for shark,” Frej continued.  “Aongus and I wanted to offer shark fishing to our clients on charters.  Neither of us really had much shark experience at that point, although we thought Paul knew what he was doing.  So he offered to come out with us and show us the ropes.  Now Paul is a decent fellow, but prone to exaggeration, as is wont among some fishermen.”

“Exaggeration?  Turns out he had no idea about shark fishing, really,” Mairead said. 

Frej and Aongus grinned sidelong at her before Frej continued.

“The waters were very rough that morning.  Those long waves, which really get the hull sideways, you know?  Aongus hooked into a shark after a couple of hours of drifting the chum.”

“She felt like a big one, by the pull, but I didn’t know how large,” Aongus said.  “Luckily we had set up with decent tackle, or surely she would have gotten free right off.”

“After a good bit of fight, the line went slack,” Frej continued.  “Paul was sure Aongus had lost her, and so he put the boat in idle so we could refresh the chum.  That was a big mistake.”

“I wasn’t so sure I’d lost her, though,” Aongus said.  “The tension didn’t come off sharply, like a line snap.  I thought she was coming towards us, but Paul didn’t think it could swim that fast, so he had Frej set about replenishing the chummer.”

“Aongus, meanwhile, was reeling as fast as he could, but the line was very slack all throughout.  It seemed Paul was right about the fish after all.  Still there was this eerie feeling all around.

“Then, not a hundred feet off the side of our boat, a huge Mako shark leapt out of the water, shaking and twisting its head!  You should have seen this thing thrashing.  We had been looking off the stern since the line went off that way, but she was impossible to miss when she cleared the water.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Aongus said, his voice reverent.  “The jump was incredibly violent.  The splash was like that of a truck landing in the water.  The shark had to have jumped over twice its length up in the air.  Maybe twenty-five feet!”

“Twenty-five feet?” Lara said, disbelieving.

“Oh yes, at least.  Paul cried out that we had another shark in the area, and to get another rig ready,” Frej said.  “But it wasn’t another shark, because just then Aongus caught up the rest of the line, and it whipped around towards where the shark had jumped: she had swum beside us, still hooked!”

“And in no time at all,” Aongus added immediately.

“I yelled at Paul to get us out of there,” Frej said, his voice becoming more animated.  “It was no secret that Makos would jump right into the boat if they got too close.  Believe me; you do not want that to happen.”

Mairead had put her face in her hands.  Everyone else listened, riveted.

“We had to stay ahead of her, and again the line loosened as the shark came towards us.  While Aongus reeled in at full blast, I climbed the fly bridge and took the helm from Paul, who had apparently turned to stone,” Frej said with a laugh.  “And just as I set the boat in motion, Aongus gave a warning yell.”

“I was watching the water to try to catch glimpse of its location,” Aongus said.  “And then a dark grey shape suddenly came into view, swimming vertically, and right towards me!  Incredible!  Those fish are so fast, so fast!”

“The Mako jumped again, not more than a few yards behind us,” Frej said.  His voice was urgent, and he gestured colorfully with his arms.  “She blotted out the light for a moment.  Spray was everywhere.  I swear she was right over Aongus, thrashing through the air.  Right at eye level with me, and I was up on the bridge!”

“If Frej hadn’t started moving the boat a moment sooner, she would have surely landed right on top of me,” Aongus said. 

“Did it land in the boat?” Sarah asked.

“As she came down, she smashed her tail against the transom and rocked the boat violently.  Paul was thrown off the bridge from the shock, and he landed down on the deck behind me,” Aongus said.  “The corner of the boat got underwater, and I swear on my child that I was standing at forty-five degrees to the deck as she rolled.  Luckily she got straight again and I wasn’t thrown into the water.”

“The most amazing part of it was that Aongus never stopped reeling in!” Frej exclaimed triumphantly, with a hearty laugh.  “As I tried to keep my footing on the bridge, I could still hear the clicking of the reel.  He didn’t even take a hand off the pole to brace himself!”

“Stupid man...” Mairead said with a sigh, to which everyone laughed.

“Did you catch the shark then?” I asked.

“At that moment, all I could think of was to get us out of there,” Frej said.  “If that monster got into the boat, the damage would be horrible.  We might not be here today.  Paul had managed to stay in the boat, and the fall must have finally knocked some good sense into him.  He took the gaff handle and cleared the fishing line from getting pulled to the propellers, where it might have been cut.”

“You call that good sense?” Mairead said, exasperated. 

“He was trying to keep the line intact,” Aongus said with a shrug.  “We had a monster fish on the hook.”

“Then we were out of there,” Frej said.  “Within moments, the line tightened and the Mako took off for the bottom.  The reel was screaming as she tore a hundred yards of line off.”

“I think she was very, very angry,” Aongus said exaggeratedly, nudging Mairead gently with his arm. 

She only rolled her eyes and huffed.

“How long did we end up fighting that fish?” Frej asked Aongus, a little more calmly now.

“Oh, it was five or six hours before we finally tired her out, I’d say.”

“Five or six hours!” I exclaimed. 

I thought the five to ten minutes it took to land the stripers a few nights earlier had been a good fight.

“Yes, it was well after noon when we got her close to the boat again,” Aongus said.

“And?” Lara asked. 

“And she was relatively calm by then,” Frej said with a large sigh, his voice returning to normal. 

I could see everyone relax in their seats a little. 

“When we got her back to port, she came in at 694 pounds.” 

Frej grinned broadly at the gasps of surprise.  Hans let out a low whistle.  My parents looked at each other with mouths wide open.

“That’s not so big,” Aongus said dismissively.  “They get up into a thousand, twelve-hundred pounds.”

“Not so big, he says,” echoed Hans with an incredulous laugh.

There was a moment of silence as everyone replayed the story in their heads.

“By the way, dinner is excellent!” Frej said cheerfully, raising a glass to the ladies still stunned by the story.

“Wow,” was all Sarah could say.

The wine flowed freely.  Even we three kids were allowed a glass with the food.  The meal was a smash hit.  Melissa had once again made everyone at the table jealous of her family, who could eat like this every night.

“Well, not every night,” Melissa had protested somewhat quietly, but it had been lost in the chorus of a Danish song that Frej had started up, celebrating the chef... and her assistants, of course.  Wine glasses clinked, and then Frej had another story at hand.

The hours passed quickly.  I looked around the table more than once, completely content.  To my right, Heather gave me warm smiles all evening long.  Under the table, we held hands for most of the meal. 

Hans found kinship with Frej’s stories, and more than once he had to wipe tears of mirth from his eyes.  To my left, Lara was glowing in the soft light of the room.  Beside her, my parents and aunt grew progressively more flushed.  Their eyes glinted more and more with each sip of wine, and each morsel of tale.  Across from me, Heather’s parents and Frej enjoyed themselves, fully. 

I felt kingly, being able to indirectly host such a feast, and such a gathering.  There was never once any long silence.  Any thoughts I’d had of potential awkwardness were so unfounded that I smiled at my silly worries.  I felt almost like an adult.

Conversation had stretched long past the time when the last bites of flan were scooped off of the dessert plates.  When Beth suggested moving to the living room, and the comfort of the couches there, Aongus and Mairead considered heading home instead.  They had to work in the morning, since they had given Heather the day off to spend with me. 

While the adults still conversed at the table, reluctant to end the evening, Heather and I said goodnight to everyone and we headed out the back door to the beach.  They didn’t really need us there anymore.

Heather kicked off her shoes and held them at her side as we strolled across the cool sand.  The moon was just starting to make its way up the eastern sky, and wispy clouds occasionally fogged its pale yellow face.

“Well, that was fun,” I said earnestly.

“Yeah.  I haven’t seen Frej so happy in a long time.”

“You think it did him good to come out tonight?”

“Oh, yeah...  definitely,” Heather agreed. 

“He told me about his wife, when we were on the boat the other night,” I said seriously.

“Yeah.  She died when I was six.  I remember her pretty well.  My dad says that Frej really changed after that.  He became much more reserved, and his eyes were always looking at something far off in the distance when he talked.  I think he’s recovered a lot in the last few years, but he is still haunted by her death.  She was only in her early thirties.”

I shivered.  “I can’t imagine what that’s like.  In some ways I’m glad I was too young to know when my father died.” 

Heather pulled me a little closer to her as we walked.

“I’m not saying that I wish I hadn’t known him,” I continued, “but if he had to go, it would have been much harder for me if it happened later in my life, I think.”

“I understand,” Heather said softly.

“Some of those stories Frej told were crazy.  Are they for real?  The ones about thousand pound sharks?”

“Yeah.  You’re lucky; you got to hear the rare shark story,” she said.

“Rare?”

“My mom banned talk of it a long time ago.  It freaks her out.”

“Freaked me out, too.”

“My dad and Frej still pull it out for special occasions, when they get hyper.”  Heather chuckled.  “But the stories are true.  Frej has pictures at home of him standing next to some pretty big fish.”

“Have you ever been out with him for sharks?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to go out on a shark run.”

“Even after hearing that story?  I’d be shitting my pants,” I admitted.

“Well, what’s the fun if there’s not a little risk?”

“A little risk?  Sounds like your life is on the line when you go fishing for them.”

“Same when you drive.  Or fly.  Or even take a swim.  They’ve caught sharks right off the coast here, you know.  Big ones.”

I looked out with new appreciation at the water.  “Maybe I’m done swimming this summer,” I said respectfully. 

Heather laughed.  “Where are we going?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.  By habit, we seemed headed to the pier, but I didn’t have a plan.

“I’m feeling frisky,” she said conspiratorially.

“Frisky?”

“Yeah.”

I chuckled.

“What?” Heather asked.

“Frisky.  It’s a funny word.”

“My dad sings this song, and one of the lines is ‘The girls they are gay and frisky.’  And I always laugh when he sings it.  But right now, I feel like that.”

“Too much wine?” I said jokingly.

“No.  Not enough of you,” she answered.

Heather dropped her shoes to the sand and wrapped her arms around me.  Her kiss set me alight.  The slight breeze pulled delicately on her hair, and I ran my hand through it gently as it floated and waved through the night air.

“Let’s go to the pier,” she whispered.  “Let’s go make love there, where we first met.”

I didn’t need any further encouragement.  I could see the desire in her eyes, and I could feel it in her hands, which were still wrapped around me. 

I nodded.  Holding hands, we ran off towards the pier.  Not before she remembered her shoes with a laugh, though.

The long, dark jetty was deserted.  We passed the gazebo, and I remembered the incident with Brian, which seemed like it had been ages ago.  For a moment I wondered about the wisdom of being on the pier at night, considering Brian probably knew I liked to hang out there.  But then I figured the risk was slim.  Just like getting into trouble with a shark.

It was funny to think how many memorable moments of my life, good and bad, had happened on this old barnacled pier. 

Tonight it seemed that I was going to add another.

We walked all the way to the end, to where we usually fished.  We didn’t take any time to look at the calm waves, or watch the shimmering fishing boat lights that dotted the horizon.  There was no observation of the stars, no check of the lights from shore houses.  We paid no attention to the veiled moon, or the moist sea breeze.

Heather hadn’t been joking.  She was definitely feeling frisky.  As soon as we reached the end of the pier, we resumed our kiss from the beach.  Her hands wandered below and under my shorts, finding me already hard. 

“Oh!  Did you bring any condoms?” she asked suddenly.

I nodded, grinning. 

Heather let out a sigh of relief.  “Put one on,” she said softly.

“Are you ready?” I asked, fingering the condom in my pocket.  I was enjoying the kissing and touching.

“I’ve been ready all day.”

“All day?”

“It’s probably a good thing you didn’t come to the store today.  I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

I laughed.  We looked around, taking a moment to think about what our options were.  The pier was not very accommodating for this kind of thing.

“Should we at least go the gazebo?” I asked.

“No,” Heather said.  She turned herself around sensuously, and pushed her butt back against my front.  As she arched her back and bent forwards away from me, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.  She moved so invitingly, so... womanly. 

In my haste, I managed to tear the button clean off of my shorts.  I heard the “tick, tick-tick” as it bounced on the deck and then disappeared through a crack down to the water.  As my shorts went down, Heather pressed herself back against me. 

I reached around her waist, undoing the button of her shorts more carefully.  As I did so, she stretched herself straight upwards.  She turned her head and pulled me into a passionate kiss.  Her body was quivering as I ran my hands up from her waist, across her tummy, and over her soft breasts thrust out before her.

I returned to her lower area, pushing her clothing down her legs some.  I slipped my fingers through the point of her V, and she welcomed me into her warmth, moist and ready.

I slowly gave her more pressure, causing her body to tighten even further.  She turned her neck even more, trying to kiss me deeper.  I grew more confident, and from behind guided my penis between her legs. 

The head slid across her opening.  The feeling was exquisite!  When Heather tried to bend forward to catch me, and let me in, I held her tight against my body.  I used my fingers to press myself against her as I moved back and forth. 

Soon, Heather couldn’t wait any more.  She unwrapped my hands from around her body, and bent forwards.  As I watched, riveted to her movements, she pushed back against me.  With a slight moan, she pressed her butt against my hips, and I slipped in.  I took deep breaths, enjoying the feeling of being fully within her.  Then I started moving.

“Oh, god,” she said unevenly. 

She placed one hand on the rail in front of her as I thrust.  The sensations of this position were quite different.  Everything seemed very supple and velvety.  I couldn’t get enough of her back, running my hands over her spine, and along the curve of her waist.  Her skin was so soft there!

Despite wanting to be there all night, I was quickly moving towards climax.

I suddenly remembered I hadn’t put the condom on!  Reluctantly, I pulled out.

“What’s wrong?”

“Condom,” I said.

“Oh!  Oops.  Hurry!”

I managed to sheath myself without too much fumbling, even as Heather distracted me with slow, sensual movements of her waist.  As she smiled back at me, still hanging onto the railing, I almost exploded.  Her soft smile was incredibly sexy, and incredibly content.

As I reentered, I realized I was able to reach around to her front and tickle her nubbin.  Heather quickly grew agitated at this new sensation.  With measured strokes, I tried to listen to her breathing to see what she liked, but everything seemed to be working.  Everything felt good.  Life was so easy just then.

The condom gave me new life.  I was able to go more slowly and to enjoy the feelings.  Heather tried to increase the pace a few times, but having the advantage of position I took the opportunity to tease her by going even slower.  It was so rare to have her vulnerable, and this was friendly payback for all of her teasing when we were on the pier during tamer activities.

When she moved her hand over mine, making me rub her more vigorously, I gave up teasing her.  I increased the pace.  I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.  Heather was breathing heavily, although I wasn’t sure if she had climaxed.  Perhaps she was having a continuous wave, like the other night.

When I finally came, I squeezed my eyes shut.  Red plaid patterns danced inside my eyelids, and it took an eternity to release the tension.  I slowed and then stopped, feeling dizzy.

“Wow,” I said.

Heather straightened as I slipped out of her.  I leaned against the rail, pulling her close to me.

“I liked that,” she said softly, even though her breathing was still heavy.

“Me, too.” 

I let reality seep into my senses slightly, and realized where we were. 

“Do you think anyone saw us?”

Heather didn’t bother scanning the pier.  “Doubt it.”

We held each other for a long time.  I was really going to miss her company over the next few months.

When we got to the foot of the pier and I tossed the rubber into the trash, Heather looked at me mischievously.

“Do you want to swim?”

“What?”

“Let’s go for a swim.”

“Now?”  I looked at the water uneasily.

“Yeah.  Why not?”

“Sharks,” I said.  It came out even weaker than I expected.

“Oh, you’re not still on that, are you?”

“I don’t know…  You were the one who said they lived here.”

“Damn, I should never have told you that,” Heather said with a laugh.

“Plus, you know, salt on the wounds,” I said suddenly, waving my arms around.  Since the dinner I had all but forgotten about them.  Wearing long sleeves had helped: out of sight, out of mind.

“Oh, right.” 

She seemed a little disappointed.

“But I’ll give it a shot,” I said after a brief silence.

“Really?” Heather said, brightening.

“Sure.”

Heather grabbed my hand and pulled me back along the pier.

“Where are we going?” I asked, confused.

“Let’s jump off the rail.”

I laughed.  “You sure like excitement, don’t you?”

“All the time,” she said, smiling back at me.

About a hundred feet out, she stopped. 

“Just like a high dive,” she said, looking down at the dark water below the deck. 

I peered over the side.  The waves were low, and the surface was almost glassy.  It was about twenty feet down to the water.  No fins…

“Just like a high dive?  What kind of crazy high dives do you have at your pools here?”

Without further ado, Heather stripped off her shirt and shorts, and stood expectantly before me in just her black bra and white panties.  “Are you coming?”

I grabbed her by the arms and gave her a hard kiss.  Then I took off my clothes, and stood in my boxers.  It was visibly clear that I was excited again.

Heather just cooed, and then climbed carefully over the wooden rail.  I clambered over and joined her on the other side.  It was perfect weather for being almost nude.  I hoped the water was as acceptable. 

We clasped inner hands together, and held on to the rail with the other.  Our heels clung to the little bit of edge we could gain.

“All right!  One-two-three-go, and we jump,” Heather said.  “Jump out far, and don’t let go of me, okay?”

“Okay, count us off,” I said. 

Despite the relatively tame distance to the water, I felt like I was jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet. 

Heather gave me a kiss and then yelled out the numbers.

“One, two, three, shark!”

I screamed as we plunged off the pier.  I wasn’t sure if it was in fear or happiness.

Probably both.

Heather’s hair flew up in the sudden gust, and her eyes were wild.  She screamed too, but I was pretty sure there was no fear in it.  Down and down we dropped.  I was just starting to wonder if maybe twenty feet was an underestimate, and then the ocean hit us.

The water was, well, wet.  Not too cold, but still shocking.  We came up sputtering, clearing the saltiness from our faces.  My arms briefly flared up, stinging a little as the salt seeped into a few still-healing wounds.   It was not unbearable, and soon the sensation went away.

“Wooooo!” Heather hollered out.  “That was fun!”

“Thanks for yelling shark,” I said sarcastically.

“Any time.  Water’s not too bad, actually,” she said, floating close to me.

Her hand immediately found my penis, which was rather less excited than it had been up on the deck a moment earlier.  Heather brought it back to attention almost instantly, though.

“No, the water’s not bad at all,” I said unevenly.

Heather kept her eyes intently on mine as she stroked me under the water.  “Do you like that?” she asked sensuously.

“Well, yeah, of course!”

Heather pulled away immediately, grinning mischievously at me.

“You are such a tease,” I said, trying to swim closer to her.  She kept her distance, though.

“Am I, now?” she asked, somewhat labored.

“Yeah, I’d have to say so.”

“And am I a tease, if I do... this?”  Heather threw her wet panties in front of me.  I grabbed at them, wide-eyed.

“Or... this?” she said, tossing her bra before me as well.  I seized it too, before it sunk out of sight.

I tried to speak, but couldn’t.  Her hands had found me again.  I just held onto her undergarments like they were flotation devices.

“You’re nude,” I finally said.  It was a ridiculously obvious statement, but it was the best I could manage.  The thought of her naked in the ocean was all consuming.

“Very observant, Matt,” she whispered. 

“It’s getting me excited.”

“Obviously.”

“Do you want to do it again?” I asked.

“No, I don’t know about getting water inside of me.”

“Oh, right,” I agreed.

“But you can kiss me,” she offered.  “That’s almost as good, I promise.”

She didn’t disappoint me.  As we got closer to each other, our legs swam in and around each other’s, keeping us afloat.  Her skin was even smoother in the seawater, if that was possible.  And her kiss was extremely passionate. 

“I’m nude,” she said slowly and quietly into my ear.  It didn’t sound at all obvious or ridiculous when she said it!  “Totally and completely nude.”

After that sexy reminder of her state of undress, it took me very little time to come again as she stroked me.  I groaned as I let it out into the ocean waters. 

“Uh oh,” she chided teasingly.

“What?”

“You just let out some shark bait…  They’ll be here any second now!”

I laughed in spite of the twinge I felt.  Heather smiled as she watched me loosen up, slowing her movements as I came down from the high.

It’s hard to hug and stay afloat, but we managed.  I loved the feel of her skin under the water, and I would have stayed there for hours caressing it.  After some time, fatigue began to set in, so we decided to head for shore.

Heather pulled her panties on and I clasped the bra on her.  It was assistance that I only reluctantly offered, but if I figured that if I teased her about it, she’d probably wade out topless just to prove that she could.  I wasn’t sure I was ready for that, exciting as it sounded.

“Can you walk me home?” Heather asked, as we stepped out of the water onto the short beach.  “My parents probably have left your house by now.”

“Of course I’ll walk you.”

When we climbed back up onto the pier, Heather pulled on my arm, and pointed up ahead. 

“Look,” she said.

Halfway down the length, two shadowed figures were looking over the edge of the rail.  I could vaguely make out our clothes lying nearby.

“Shit,” I said, but I couldn’t help laugh a little.

The people noticed us and we heard a laugh from them, before they continued down towards the end of the pier.

Heather and I hurried to our clothes and put them on.  I wasn’t willing to wait and see who the people were, even though occasional laughter indicated that it was probably another couple out on a romantic midnight stroll. 

“I wonder if they’ll go for a swim too,” Heather said impishly, as she worked her shirt down over her wet body.  The black bra was clearly visible through the wet fabric.

“Nice,” I said, pointing. 

Heather checked her breasts, and then shrugged.  “Ready?”

“Kiss first?”

“Of course!”

It was late when I got back to the house after seeing Heather to her place.  Since I didn’t have any keys, I went around back to the porch, and was surprised to see the lights still on.  I figured Lara was reading, but then I heard my parents’ voices coming through the screen.  Melissa was talking about my father.

“This winter Beth and Hans found Chris’s collection of old cameras, and brought them up to us.  Seeing them brought back so many memories.  It’s amazing, like you said, how certain things can just take you back twenty years, in an instant.  Matt seemed to take a real interest in the cameras.  I sure hope he uses them.  Chris would have wanted that.”

“Heather and Matt have been doing some photography together,” Sarah added.

“Oh, good for them!  That’s excellent,” a familiar voice boomed.

I had just climbed the stairs, and was surprised to see Frej sitting in the easy chair.  My mothers were sitting together on the couch, legs folded beneath them.  Sarah had an arm around Melissa’s shoulder.  Wine glasses were still half full on the end tables.

I opened the screen and went in.  “Hello,” I said as nonchalantly as I could.

“Hi, Matt,” my mothers chimed.  I could tell from their voices and expressions that they were feeling jovial.  Whether from the wine, Frej, or both, I wasn’t sure.

“Evening, Matt,” Frej said merrily. 

I returned the greeting.

“Was there a storm this evening?” he asked, noting my wet hair and clothes.

“No, me and Heather went for a night swim.”

“Sounds like fun,” Frej said.

“It was.  Well, I’m going to shower and hit the sack.”

“Good night, sweetie,” Sarah said.

Just as I slipped into the house, I said, “Don’t stay up too late!”

I could hear Frej’s booming laughter mingle with the light titters of my mothers as I went to the bathroom. 

During my shower, questions swirled through my head, but nothing fell into place.  It was evident that Frej and my parents really had hit it off.  They were even talking about my dad, no doubt sharing stories about their lost loved ones.  Beyond that, though, I didn’t have any idea what their intentions were. 

I peeked into Lara’s room to see if she was still awake, but she was sound asleep.  Even a moderate nudge produced no response.  I covered her with the sheet, even though I knew it would be in complete disarray within the hour. 

I fell asleep that night to the rumble of Frej’s voice, telling another fascinating story. 

I had one more day with Heather.  I planned on making it fun.

Forward to Chapter 24

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