August & Isla
Four at Sea.
Benny took a sip of his beer before passing it over to Lilia. "August, when are we goin' on the boat?"
August turned his head away from the ocean and looked at his best friend. "When my grandpa gets here with the keys. It should be any minute."
The group of friends sat on an old wooden dock behind the ice cream parlor. Both, along with a small collection of various boats, belonged to August’s grandparents.
August sat at the end of the dock, his legs hanging off the edge kicking back and forth in the cool ocean water. Benny and Lilia were leaned up against a post a few feet away, and Ryan lay on his back, sprawled out in the sunlight with his hat covering his face. Seagulls flew ahead, squawking in search of food.
A pair of Ray Bans sat on the bridge of August's nose. His dark brown hair blew in the slight breeze that came with the waves. He admired the ocean. From a young age he was taught to love it. He spent all his youth out on a boat with his father or on the beach with his mother. Now he spent his teenage years on it with his grandparents and friends. His ties to the ocean ran deep.
"Mornin', kids," August's grandpa, Leon, said as he walked across the dock with the boat keys. August stood up and took them. "Thanks Grandpa."
Leon nodded. "Have fun and be safe," he said, walking back up to the shop.
The group gathered at the edge of the dock and climbed on the boat. It was one of the Wildes’ smaller vessels, and August's favorite. He had been on it many times before with his father and could navigate it blindfolded if he wanted to.
Leon told him he could name the boat. Two years had passed, and he still hadn’t picked a name; he was waiting for the right one to come to him.
He took a seat in the captain's chair. Benny, Lilia, and Ryan all followed, spreading out across the deck. He put in the key and the boat roared to life. August drove the boat out about half a mile from shore and turned it off, joining his friends.
"Want a drink?" he asked. Benny raised a finger in the air, and the other two followed. August grabbed four beers from the cooler and tossed them to his friends. He popped the cap off of his and sat down.
"Underage drinking out on the ocean," Ryan said after taking a gulp of his. "I love it."
They all laughed at his remark. Eventually their laughter died down and the four sat in silence, soaking up the sun.
August stared up at it through his sunglasses and thought about the blonde, whose name he didn't yet know. She drew him in, even though he had only seen her once for a brief period of time. He knew he'd see her more once she started work. He debated asking his grandma about her, but chose not to instead, deciding to wait.
She was intriguing. Something about her pulled him toward her, while another part pushed him away. She was like both ends of a magnet. He didn't know whether that was good or bad. Or both.
The four stayed out on the boat all afternoon, drinking and laughing, which is how they spent the majority of their time together. Benny and Lilia would steal kisses when they thought nobody else was watching. Ryan would go back and forth between his two favorite things: smoking and sleeping. And August would lean against the side of the boat, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.
August turned his head away from the ocean and looked at his best friend. "When my grandpa gets here with the keys. It should be any minute."
The group of friends sat on an old wooden dock behind the ice cream parlor. Both, along with a small collection of various boats, belonged to August’s grandparents.
August sat at the end of the dock, his legs hanging off the edge kicking back and forth in the cool ocean water. Benny and Lilia were leaned up against a post a few feet away, and Ryan lay on his back, sprawled out in the sunlight with his hat covering his face. Seagulls flew ahead, squawking in search of food.
A pair of Ray Bans sat on the bridge of August's nose. His dark brown hair blew in the slight breeze that came with the waves. He admired the ocean. From a young age he was taught to love it. He spent all his youth out on a boat with his father or on the beach with his mother. Now he spent his teenage years on it with his grandparents and friends. His ties to the ocean ran deep.
"Mornin', kids," August's grandpa, Leon, said as he walked across the dock with the boat keys. August stood up and took them. "Thanks Grandpa."
Leon nodded. "Have fun and be safe," he said, walking back up to the shop.
The group gathered at the edge of the dock and climbed on the boat. It was one of the Wildes’ smaller vessels, and August's favorite. He had been on it many times before with his father and could navigate it blindfolded if he wanted to.
Leon told him he could name the boat. Two years had passed, and he still hadn’t picked a name; he was waiting for the right one to come to him.
He took a seat in the captain's chair. Benny, Lilia, and Ryan all followed, spreading out across the deck. He put in the key and the boat roared to life. August drove the boat out about half a mile from shore and turned it off, joining his friends.
"Want a drink?" he asked. Benny raised a finger in the air, and the other two followed. August grabbed four beers from the cooler and tossed them to his friends. He popped the cap off of his and sat down.
"Underage drinking out on the ocean," Ryan said after taking a gulp of his. "I love it."
They all laughed at his remark. Eventually their laughter died down and the four sat in silence, soaking up the sun.
August stared up at it through his sunglasses and thought about the blonde, whose name he didn't yet know. She drew him in, even though he had only seen her once for a brief period of time. He knew he'd see her more once she started work. He debated asking his grandma about her, but chose not to instead, deciding to wait.
She was intriguing. Something about her pulled him toward her, while another part pushed him away. She was like both ends of a magnet. He didn't know whether that was good or bad. Or both.
The four stayed out on the boat all afternoon, drinking and laughing, which is how they spent the majority of their time together. Benny and Lilia would steal kisses when they thought nobody else was watching. Ryan would go back and forth between his two favorite things: smoking and sleeping. And August would lean against the side of the boat, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.