Knock Knock

We all showed up to the beach a little later than we usually did the next morning. I was cringing because of the sunburn I had gotten on my shoulders, and the guys all railed me for it the entire walk down. I was in a bad mood by the time we got down to the beach, but my mood immediately took a turn for the better when I saw that Nathalie was sprawled out on the sand wearing a black and silver bikini, white sunglasses, and my snapback.

“Hey there,” she said, waving as we all walked over.

“Nathalie, ma cherie!” Max cried, running over and trying to hug her while she was laying down.

“Max, si tu attende cinq seconds, je t’embrasserai!” Nathalie cried, pushing him up so she could stand up and give him a hug.

“Je sais, mais j’ai ete excite!” Max gushed, and I felt my eyes widen. Nathalie could speak French.

“Alright Max, let her breathe,” I laughed, and Nathalie gave me a grateful glance. Max released her but looked at her with a furrowed brow.

“Where did you get this hat?” he asked, lifting it off of her head.

“It’s Giroux’s…I stole it,” she smiled, and Max almost glared at me.

“Oh, well in that case I’d better give it back. Don’t want Claude to get mad,” Max said before dropping his stuff and running to the water. The other guys did the same, leaving me with Nathalie.

“Roo, you’re getting burnt,” she said, pointing to my shoulders as soon as I pulled my shirt off.

“Nathalie, call me Claude…and I know. I can’t help it,” I shrugged. Nathalie smiled softly before reaching into her bag and pulling out a bottle of sunscreen.

“Come here, I’ll help you out. I know how hard it is to keep from burning,” she said quietly, and I walked over and bent down so she could reach my shoulders. She rubbed the cold lotion into my skin gently, and by the time she was done I suddenly wished that I had burnt more than just my shoulders. I turned around and smiled at her gratefully, and she laughed.

“What?” I asked.

“Your nose is burnt too!” she said, shaking her head before reaching up to rub a small amount of lotion onto my nose.

“Thanks,” I said quietly, and she suddenly turned bright red, tossed the tube of lotion and my hat onto her towel, and dashed towards the water.

“Weird,” I said before heading to the water.

Nathalie’s Point of View

I plunged into the cool ocean water and tried to scrub the image of me kissing Claude from my mind. I tried to control myself last night, but I caved slightly thanks to the beer, but I wouldn’t let myself slip any further. I had gone down that road before, dating guys who I barely knew. They were dangerous and heartbreaking, and they’d leave me with scars. Claude seemed like a complete sweetheart, but I didn’t trust him or myself enough to let him in.

When I finally surfaced I found myself surrounded by Claude’s friends, and I wanted to drown myself. It was impossible to keep my guard up around such a charismatic group of guys. Sure, Maxime Talbot was a legendary heartbreaker, but he was charming and goofy. Wayne Simmonds had that badass allure, while Scott was friendly, but a little too old for my liking. The young guns were as crazy and cool as ever, so I found myself slipping back into the group again when Claude joined us in the ocean. There was something about being in the ocean that let me relax a bit, and soon enough Claude and I were goofing off, splashing each other and throwing each other around.

For once, I stayed on the beach until the sun began to set. I had long since put on my tank top and shorts, but I remained curled up on my blanket, determined to watch the sun set. The guys had all cleared out except for Claude, and he was sitting to my right reading quietly. The wind picked up as the sun began to sink, and I shivered slightly.

“Hey, you cold?” Claude asked, and I nodded slightly, not daring to look at him. I heard him shift, saw him shake out his blanket out of the corner of my eye, and felt him sit next to me on my blanket. He wrapped his around my shoulders and put his snapback on my head again.

“There,” he said quietly, and I looked at him. He was smiling softly, but as a tinge of pink touched his slightly burnt cheeks he turned away and began to watch the tide again.

That night I wanted a little time to think, so I hit the boardwalk by myself. The others understood, opting to stay in for a movie and pasta. I walked to Morey’s Pier and watched the people mill around, playing games and getting in line for fries and rides. Suddenly I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned around to see Coots standing next to me.

“What’re you doing here by yourself?” he asked, and I sighed.

“Just thinking,” I said quietly.

“About what?” Sean asked.

“Stuff,” I shrugged.

“Come on…I know we’ve only known each other for a few days but stuff? Really?” Sean asked, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Alright, but what I tell you is completely secret, got it? If I hear you told anyone you’ll be needing even more fake teeth,” I threatened, and Sean crossed his fingers over his heart.

“So when I was fifteen I met a guy. His name was Jean. He was my dream guy. Tall, smart, handsome, and an athlete too. He treated me like a princess, told me that he was in love with me, and made me think that I was going to be Mrs. Gennieux by the age of twenty. Well, last year I walked into his room at his graduation party to find him making out with my best friend. Turns out that the two of them had been together for almost two years; that meant that I was only really Jean’s girlfriend for a year. He shrugged it off like it was nothing and threw me to the curb to date her. I haven’t dated since, and it’s been a whole year. I’ve had opportunities, but I’m just too afraid to get hurt again,” I said, leaning back and looking at the stars. Sean stood there for a while, his hands tucked into his pockets, before clearing his throat.

“Well uh…Claude wouldn’t do something like that ever ya know. He hasn’t dated a single girl since he got to Philly, and he has women throwing themselves at him left and right. He always says he’s waiting for the right girl, or that he doesn’t want to date for just looks…he’s a good guy. He’s really honest and trustworthy, and he knows exactly what to say and when to say it. He’s like my older brother in a lot of ways, so I mean, I guess what I’m trying to say is that you should give it a shot. I mean, it’s the summer right? If things go to hell you never have to see each other again. If things work out, you can figure it out then. It’d be perfect for both of you,” Sean said, and I stared at him for a minute.

“Did he-“ I started.

“Set me up to do this? No. That was all me right then,” Sean said with a smile.

“You know something Sean? You’re right. What do I have to lose?” I said with a faint shrug.

“That’s what I like to hear. Zac would say YOLO, but then I’d have to punch him. How about you come hang out with us by the way? We’re playing games right now,” Sean offered.

“Sounds awesome,” I smiled.

Claude’s Point of View

When Sean came back with Nathalie a few minutes after disappearing, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were chatting like two best friends, and Nathalie was still wearing my snapback. She ran over and hugged Max before he even said anything, fist bumped Brayden, hugged Matt and JVR, tousled Zac’s short hair, and waved to Wayne and Scott before turning to me.

“Hey Claude,” she smiled, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and bit back the smile that was threatening to spill over onto my face.

“Hey. I’m surprised to see you here,” I said.

“Yeah, well Sean saw me walking and insisted I come over and chill with you guys,” Nathalie shrugged.

“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, looking for her friends.

“They wanted a lazy night, so I figured I come out and get some fresh air,” Nathalie said.

“Well I’m glad you’re here,” I smiled.

“Me too,” Nathalie said, smiling back.

“And we have a winner!” the guy running the water gun game called out as the light above Nathalie’s spot lit up. She jumped up and cheered, and the rest of us cheered with her. She eventually picked out a fluffy blue unicorn and we moved on to the next game. It was the beanbag toss, and I tore that shit up, amazing even the guy running it. When it came to picking the prize though, I turned to Nathalie.

“What should I get?” I asked her, and she raised her eyebrows.

“Why are you asking me?” she asked.

“Because I can’t decide, so help me,” I retorted. She looked at the options, and eventually pointed to a tiger that was probably bigger than me.

“That’s kind of cool,” she smiled.

“Yeah, it is pretty cool. Reminds me of Bryz,” I laughed, and the other guys shook their heads, laughing at the comment.

“The tiger it is then!” Nathalie said, and the man handed it to me. We carted our prizes back to the Flyers house, which was closer than Nathalie’s before returning to the boardwalk. I gave in to my sweet tooth and bought a thing of cotton candy, which Nathalie promptly began to snack on with me. One by one the guys disappeared until it was just me and Nathalie standing at the end of the pier. The music and lights from the rides and games were behind us, but the ocean roared in front of us, trapping us in a surreal sort of light as we looked out at the ocean. Nathalie swiped another piece of cotton candy from me and I turned to her, pouting.

“You keep stealing it,” I said, and she laughed before slowly eating the piece in her hand.

“You still have so much left!” she said indignantly, and I laughed. The wind blew, causing Nathalie to shiver once again, and I decided to do the brave thing and I wrapped my free arm around her waist. She relaxed into my side and smiled softly before grabbing another piece of cotton candy.

“This is nice,” she said quietly, and I nodded. I didn’t feel any pressure around her, and I was finally able to relax.

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, and she looked up at me, her jade green eyes twinkling with amusement. I let my eyes trail over her smooth, round face, finally stopping to take in her plump, pink lips. There was a speck of blue on them, and I smirked.

“You’ve got cotton candy on your lip,” I said quietly. She swiped at her mouth with her thumb but missed the candy completely.

“Did I get it?” she asked.

“Nope. Let me do it,” I said quietly before bending down and kissing her full on the mouth. She squeaked in surprise, and I was even surprised at my action, but I just went with it. Eventually she relaxed into the kiss and we broke apart, our expressions bemused as we looked at each other.

“That was really smooth Claude,” she laughed.

“Thanks, I try,” I smiled before wrapping my arm around her waist again and returning to watching the waves.