Centuries

The Tiki Tiki Bar was dimly lit with small lights carved from coconuts. Music played in the background mixing with the chatter of the people scattered in the seats. Someone let out a yell as they were thrown into the pool, the third victim so far that night, and Winnie took a drink from the bottle of beer in her hand. The moon was full above them casting an eerie glow on the sidewalk, the gentle breeze cooling their skin from the hot day.

After she had calmed down enough, Keziah had suggested they come back to the hotel to relax. The bar had just opened when they returned and Winnie was the first to walk over to order a drink. She had lounged on a chair letting her skin burn listening to her best friend and Patrick bicker endlessly about nonsense. Jon had occupied the seat next to her with his black sunglasses and low riding shorts, fingers tapping away on his phone.

A few other people ventured out to join them but they were ultimately left alone. Winnie had ordered a large pizza that the four shared and bought a round of drinks. She felt awkward and tense. So she did the only thing that would make it all go away, she drank.

“Look at those two,” she hummed. She and Jon were sitting at a table under an imitation palm tree umbrella. His eyes moved to the blonde and girl twirling around to the beat of the music. “Aren’t they just the cutest?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jon answered with a grin. Raising the bottle to his lips Winnie spied on him not so casually. “They do make a good couple.”

“Has he made it official?” Winnie leaned back in her chair. Jon shrugged. “Well he should. It’s not cool just to drag her along.”

“It’s cool if she’s cool with it.” Jon had only had three beers. He could tell that Winnie was on the brink of being drunk. “Do you miss it?”

“Miss what?” She turned her head dramatically toward him. “Dancing?”

“No.” He took another drink. “Being in a relationship.”

“Oh yeah. Who doesn’t miss all the yelling, name calling, door slamming nights?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not compatible for relationships.”

“What are you talking about?” He put his arms on the table.

Winnie took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her now wavy hair. “When my relationship with Adam took a turn for the worst, I shut myself down. I started to work more and care less and when I broke off the engagement he told me that I was a useless piece of shit that nobody would ever love. Granted I think he was more pissed off about not getting into the company, but it still hurt. It’s mostly my fault for putting up the walls and barriers, I get that, but the things he said to me and did, it’s hard to come back from.”

“Hey guys!” Keziah dropped down in a vacant chair and grinned at the duo. “What’s up?”

“We were having a very deep and emotional conversation,” Winnie feigned seriously. Keziah’s expression instantly fell and Winnie barked out a laugh. “I’m fucking with ya.”

“Do you want another drink? It’s my turn to buy.” The strawberry blonde tapped her fingers on the glass tabletop eagerly.

“You want something?” Winnie made a face at Jon. “Don’t be a party pooper.”

“Alright,” he laughed, “I’ll have another beer.”

“That’s not doing anything to your hunky body.” Snapping her head back to Keziah, Winnie snapped her fingers. “Get him the Black Death and a whiskey sour. I want a margarita with extra salt.”

“Yes ma’am!” Keziah saluted the brunette and stood from the chair. Patrick was dancing by himself watching the girl move to the bar carefully.

“Did you call me hunky?” Jon smirked.

“Stop trying to embarrass me. I’ve already told you that you’re attractive. When you put all that out in the open it’s hard for sober people not to stare let alone buzzed ones.” Winnie gestured to his torso. “It’s no wonder blonde bimbo wanted a piece of you.”

“Were you jealous?” He saw the red tint her cheeks while she scratched the back of her head.

“No.” Pursing her lips she avoided eye contact with him.

“You were!” He slapped his hand down and she crossed her arms. “You like me!”

“I thought it was rude for you to walk all that way to leave me high and dry for the first thing to spread her legs for you.” Winnie glared at him. “She would’ve sucked your dick right there in the sand.”

“I wouldn’t have let it get that far.”

“Oh please,” she drawled, “you brought her back to our area. You might as well have ripped off what little she had on her body and had your way with her.”

“Instead I jumped in the water at the first sign of you not coming up for air.” She huffed out a breath still avoiding eye contact, her fingers picking at an invisible speck on her arm. “Or did you not notice I was the one to pull you out of the water?”

“You were just showing off.” She didn’t want to admit that it had impacted her the way it did. How he made her feel for saving her.

“Yeah, that’s what I was doing.” He downed the rest of his beer.

Keziah shuffled over with a tray in her hands balancing the beverages carefully. Slowly pushing it onto the table she put the round glass with the tiny umbrella in front of Winnie. She hadn’t put Jon’s two glasses in front of him before the brunette had sucked down half of the liquid. Keziah’s gaze moved between the two of them, her hands adjusting the two remaining drinks.

“Is everything alright over here?” The two brunettes glanced at each other before Jon tilted back his head to take the shot of Black Death.

“Just peachy.” Winnie was stirring her drink with the end of the umbrella, her eyes fixated on the swirling motion in the middle of the glass.

“Ok then.” Hoisting the tray into her arms Keziah turned from them. She let out a squeak when a body bumped into her and the two drinks she had gotten for herself and Patrick tipped over. The alcohol spilled over the edge and onto her arms, torso, and finally her feet. The dark haired boy that had collided with her started spewing out an apology. He snatched some napkins off the neighboring table and started pressing them against her. “It’s fine. I can do that. Thanks.”

“I’m sorry. Let me buy you whatever you had.” She took the napkins from him and dabbed at her skin.

“No, that’s not necessary.” She offered him a smile. “I’m perfectly capable of buying my own drinks.”

“Seriously you hadn’t even gotten back to your friends.”

“You mean boyfriend.” Winnie and Jon both looked at each other before looking at Patrick. He had appeared out of nowhere snaking his arm around Keziah’s lower back. “I’ll get our drinks.”

“Sorry man. Wasn’t trying to impose.” The guy walked away to the only other table still occupied. Winnie could see the way Keziah was now looking at the blonde boy.

“Did you see the way he was touching her?” Patrick muttered. Jon nodded with his bottom lip sticking out slightly.

“Boyfriend?” Winnie nearly choked on her drink when Patrick froze in his place. Keziah put her hand on his shoulder with a smile so wide it hurt. “Are you saying we’re boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“I-I, well,” Patrick rubbed the back of his head and then shrugged. “Why the hell not? I don’t want to see anyone else.”

“I don’t want to either!” Keziah was practically bouncing.

“I like what we have and how it’s going and it’s been a few months.” She nodded in agreement sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. “Then it’s official. You’re my girlfriend.” Winnie and Jon both cringed at the high pitched noise coming out of Keziah. She threw her arms around his shoulders and attacked his face.

“Hallmark would be so proud.” Jon started laughing and Winnie took a long drink of her margarita. “Are you guys going to fuck right here? There are still people around ya know. Me, Jon, bartender, onlookers from table one.”

“Just be happy for me!” Keziah broke away from Patrick and pulled on Winnie’s arm.

“I am happy for you!” Winnie slapped at her hands. “Now let me be happy with my alcoholic beverage.”

“Yeah babe, let them soak in their misery while we soak in our new found commitment!” Patrick lifted her off her feet bridal style and spun her around.

“Hey guys,” Winnie called out to them. “Guys watch out for-“ She snickered as the two yelled out in surprise. Patrick’s foot slipped on the sidewalk and they both splashed into the pool.

“You’re right. They are just the cutest.” She barked in laughter joining in with the hockey captain.


Day two of the mini vacation brought the shopper out in Keziah. By mid-afternoon her arms were full of random bags and things Winnie couldn’t wrap her head around. She and Patrick walked around hand in hand until her left arm got too full and she forced him to carry two. Jon kept his pace next to Winnie as they followed the duo around the Square, an outdoor shopping area that would hopefully be their last stop.

“You think if we just casually drop back and stop walking they would notice?” Winnie took a bite of the club sandwich she had gotten not minutes before. Tomato and lettuce plopped back down in the small box holding it and she tried to catch it with her tongue.

“On any regular day I would say yes.” Jon glanced at her and lifted his hand. “You’ve got mayo,” his voice trailed off as he wiped the smudge from the corner of her lips, his thumb grazing her skin carefully. She smiled shyly and muttered a thanks. “But I think Keziah is so caught up in their newfound status she has forgotten we are even with them now.” He took the napkin she offered to wipe his fingers and toss it into the trash can.

“Is there anywhere you wanted to go?” She bit down into the food again.

“My brother’s birthday is coming up and he’s been talking about wanting a new wakeboard.”

“David right?” Jon nodded. “Sorry. I don’t know if you ever realized this but I’m a huge Chicago Blackhawks fan so I know a tid bit about everyone.”

“I forget some times,” he admitted. They turned after she threw away her sandwich and headed back to the surf shop. “but then I just picture you yelling at the ref’s at home games and it all comes flooding back to me.”

“They’re idiots ninety-nine percent of the time,” she argued. His chuckled confirmed her statement. “And hockey is one of the most adrenaline fueling sports out there.”

“Who’s your favorite player?” He saw her blush.

“Past or present?”

“Both.” They walked out from under the overhang protecting them from the sun. Winnie felt the familiar sting on her shoulders. She had opted for a ponytail, tank top, and pair of shorts for their excursion. Rubbing her arm absently she looked at the ground.

“My obvious choice for the past is Gretzky. I never got the chance to watch him play in person but he was amazing even on television. My dad was a fan of the LA Kings so when he was traded there that’s all we would watch. We’d go to games and cheer. I still have a jersey hanging up in my room in California from when he played with them.”

“What changed you over to the Blackhawks?”

“I live in this really big city called Chicago.” He shoved her arm playfully. “I don’t know. I was torn between the two teams growing up. I liked LA because of Gretzky but I loved Chicago because of Roenick. Also the era of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Pierre Pilote. I may not have been alive to see it but those guys were pretty good.”

“So what about now?” He opened the glass door leading into the shop and let her step through first. A guy with long blonde hair and sunglasses sat behind the only counter in the small place flipping through the pages of a magazine. He didn’t acknowledge the duo moving through the racks of board shorts and wet suits. The entire back wall of the store was full of different sized boards, all meant for different types of surfing. Long boards, short boards, wakeboards, body boards, anything Winnie could think of she saw stacked on one another. She ran her fingers along the smooth surface of a long board and smiled softly to herself. “Winnie?”

“Huh?” She spun to face the tall male behind her.

“Who is your favorite player now?”

“Is that what we are talking about? I thought we were here for David.” Biting her lip she went back to looking at the various objects. She could feel him shadowing her.

“We are here for David.” He reached above her head and pulled down a wakeboard splashed in red and black swirls. “Done.”

“Are you sure that’s the one you want to get him?” She scrunched her face. “It’s kind of girly.”

“It’s black and red. How do either of those colors express a girl factor?”

“The pattern on it with the little dots and swirls.”

“Mine has swirls on it.” Winnie pursed her lips to hold back her laugh. “Are you saying I’m girly?”

“No. Not at all.” She took a step back from him and smiled. “I’m just saying your taste is a little feminine.” He closed the space between them with one stretch of his leg, her back pressed against the wall. Her eyes widened and her body went stiff.

“I can assure you I am anything but.” He leaned down until his lips were nearly touching her ear. Winnie had to hold her breath to keep from breathing heavily while her heart beat wildly in her chest. “Do I make you nervous?”

“No.” Her voice defied her. He laughed, his feet carrying him away from her toward the cashier to pay. Bringing her hands to her face she rubbed the skin counting to ten to calm herself down. Letting out a hefty sigh she exited the shop, Jon following not too long after. He was tucking his wallet into his back pocket when Winnie’s phone began to ring obnoxiously. She pulled the cell phone free from her front pocket and was about to swipe the screen when Jon’s fingers nabbed the device. “Jon!”

“Winnie’s phone.” He snatched her wrist with his free hand to keep her from getting the phone. “Oh hey Kezzie! Yeah, Winnie’s a little, tied up right now.” She poked him in the ribs with her left hand and he jumped slightly. Grinning manically she poked him again. “Stop that. No, not you.” Winnie continued the assault on his side until he dropped her arm and blocked her left. “She’s being annoying.”

“Ha!” Winnie walked in a slow circle around him trying to determine what the best course of action would be.

“Where are you guys at?” Jon wrestled with her arms, his smile mocking as she stood with her hands on her hips. “We went to the surf shop. I have to get something for my brother.” His eyes stayed on the brunette as he listened. “That sounds fine. We’ll meet you guys there.” Pressing the end call button on her screen he held the phone out to her. “We’re meeting them back at the hotel so we can go to Clearwater for a boat tour. Keziah has demanded we see dolphins.”

“Of course she has.” Winnie secured the phone in her back pocket and started walking.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Jon was at her side and she side glared.

“I’m mad at you.”

“For what?”

“Holding my phone captive. What if it had been important?”

“It was Kez!” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Ok fine. The next time my phone rings I’ll let you answer it.”

“No matter who it is?”

“No matter who it is.” His fingers tickled the back of her neck when he removed his arm. “There is a catch.”

“I’m not telling you who my favorite player is.”

“Why not? I’m inclined to know who I can’t personally bash into the glass.”

“Like that would stop you.”

“So you’re saying they don’t play for us.” Jon rubbed his hands together and she sighed.

“I’ll tell you what. If you can carry me all the way back to the hotel without stopping, I’ll wear my favorite player’s jersey to the next home game.”

“It has to be a current player.”

“I know.” They stopped walking. Winnie had her hand out for him to shake and he did. “Now, be a good boy and turn around.”

“I don’t think so.” She cried out when he put her over his shoulder and started moving.

“Put me down!”

“The deal was to carry you all the way back to the hotel without stopping.”

“I meant a piggy back ride!” She slapped his back lightly, her stomach already starting to hurt.

“You didn’t specify how to be carried.”

Knowing she had lost the battle she crossed her arms to prop herself the best she could. Her eyes fell to his back side, the movement of his legs and his butt catching her attention. “At least I’ve got a decent view.”

“What was that?” Jon turned his head.

“I said I don’t like you.” They passed a couple holding hands and Winnie waved to them, their looks of confusion enough to make her smile.