All the Cuts and Scars We Hide by Garry Michael

Thirteen: Wyatt

Dance With Me?

“Are you sure you’re fine?” I asked Kai one last time before heading over to check out the surfing equipment he’d reserved last night from the surf shop next door. He’d been quiet and a bit guarded since the abrupt stop to avoid hitting the deer. I couldn't get him to tell me why, but he'd been sulking ever since. He’d hardly spoken a word during breakfast. Odd considering he’d been the most talkative person I’d ever met in my life.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he shrugged.

I knew better than to push. He was hiding something for sure, but I’d be a hypocrite if I kept asking, something I wouldn’t want anyone to do to me. Everyone was hiding something and whatever his demons were, I promised myself to never push him.

Just like the walk to the diner, we didn’t utter a word to each other on our way to the surf shop which was a shame since I had high hopes for the day. I was hoping to get to know Kai better. I wanted to learn what made him laugh, what he liked, and what made him the happiest.

The automatic sensor attached to the store’s door rang after Kai opened it and I followed behind. No one greeted us once we got in, so we spent a couple of moments looking around the bright interior. The wooden floor squeaked with every step we took, and Kai looked at me and mouthed, where is everyone?

I shrugged my shoulders as if to say I don’t know.I continued to look around and marvel at the selection of different surfboards.

“Those are called foamies,” Kai said from behind me. His warm breath sent shivers to my core. “They’re made out of foam. You notice how much bigger they are from…” he paused, looking around, “they’re bigger than that kind.” He pointed to a group of white surfboards with blue bottoms. “Those are called mini mal.”

The way Kai talked about surfboards lit up his face like a kid in a toy shop. For Kai, these boards were invigorating. Thankful that he’s finally starting to get out of the funk he was in, I asked, “Which ones are we going to rent?”

“Well, since you’ve never done any surfing before, we’ll get you the foamie. It has better buoyancy, and it's wider. Perfect for beginners,” he explained while examining each foamie, perhaps looking for something to hold my two hundred thirty pounds of awkward muscles. His eyes lit up and his lips curled into a smile when his attention landed on a rainbow-colored board. He pulled it out of the rail and handed it to me. “This is perfect!”

“Really?” I crossed my arms and met his eyes.

He tried his best to school his expression, but just like earlier, he hadn’t been able to mask it. He burst into fits of laughter making his eyes glossy with tears. He was the most fascinating man I’d ever met. I’ve had boyfriends in the past. One was in high school and the other was in the military, but both relationships were hidden from the public. Not that I was in the closet or anything, but we didn’t want to be the target of hate during deployment.

“What’s so funny?” I pretended to be annoyed because unlike him, I’d been an expert at hiding and using a façade on demand.

“Nothing, I was just thinking how great you’re going to look on this board while wearing a pink wetsuit?”

I grimaced. “I’d look hideous, people would laugh.”

“I doubt anyone will give you a hard time with your death glares and hard muscles,” he teased after squeezing my biceps. “Not with these guns.”

I just shook my head, ignoring the effect his touch had on me. “Which one are you going to use?”

He grabbed my arm and led me to the other side of the store. “See those two boards with the very pointed tips?” he asked, pointing at two yellow surfboards with red trim about ten feet long. “Those are called gun surfboards. If we were on the North Shore of Hawai'i, I’d be using those. They’re perfect for monster waves. But since we’re not gonna be riding any Jaws today, I’ll settle with these short boards, they’re the fastest and the most responsive.” He pulled a blue board from the rack and studied it front and back. “I can get to you faster just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case of a shark attack,” he winked.

The back door opened and the floor creaked when a young guy with long blonde hair greeted us with a big smile on his face. He was about my height with a slimmer build and was wearing a pair of board shorts under a white tank top which had a blue Hang Loose logo on the front. “Sorry about the wait, we’re short-staffed today and I’m doing both the rentals and the instructions,” he explained. “How can I help you guys?”

Kai extended his hand and spoke, “My name is Kai Lobo and I called last night about renting some boards and wetsuits.”

The kid shook his hand and gave Kai the biggest smile, staring at him longer than I cared for. He was still holding his hand after a couple of shakes, so I extended mine to get his off of Kai’s, and I may have given him a harder handshake than necessary. He seemed to get the point and put on his professional look once again.

Good.

“We’ll take one of the foamies, one short board, the blue one over there, and two wetsuits, medium and…” Kai looked at me for my size.

“Extra-large please,” I finished our order.

“And we won’t need any instructions. I’ve surfed before.”

“Oh, yeah? Where at, Kai?” the punk asked, angering me further by using Kai’s first name.

“North Shore.”

Punk’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “No way! That’s dope.”

Dope? Who the fuck still uses that word?

I glared at him one more time and when the kid glanced at me, he mellowed out and then moved back to finish our order.

Kai looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged.

Whatever Kai was going through earlier seemed to have dissipated once we were near the water. He was back to my chatty Kai, who could charm the world with his dimples.

“Remember what I told you earlier? If you see a wave that you like, belly down, and paddle to it, and then hop up? It’ll take a while before you get your balance, but once you do, it’ll be worth it.” He went around to check my back to make sure that I was all zipped up and the attentiveness and thoughtfulness made my chest tighten.

I’ve never had anyone care for me like him, not even my father. I sometimes wondered what it would have been like if my mom survived her battle with cancer. Would my life have been different? Would she have supported me when I came out?

“Ready?” Kai asked, staring at me with those warm caramel eyes.

“Yes.”

Kai tapped my cheek and gave me a wink before turning to run the short distance to the shore and into the surf of breaking waves. He looked back to where I was planted. I was satisfied to just watch him put on a show, but he gave me the Hang Loose hand gesture before waving for me to join him in the water.

“Ready for another one?” Kai asked, minutes after the rest I’d recommended because we’d been swimming and riding the waves for two hours, in my case that meant standing up and face-planting from the board.

Sore from all the falls I’d taken on the water, I wanted to say no. But my mission included doing anything to keep him smiling and laughing. Plus, if I was honest with myself, I enjoyed his bright smile and the melody of his laughter. I wanted to be close to him. So, knowing that my twenty-eight-year-old body that felt like it was sixty would punish me later, I said, “Always.”

“Awesome! I think I’m ready for the big one.”

I knew he meant waves, but my mind wandered somewhere where it didn’t belong. Once again I was thankful for the tight wetsuits we were wearing to keep us warm because it hid my growing erection. “Why don’t you go ahead and show me how it’s done? I’ll take a video.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” I pulled my cell from the waterproof case that came with the suit and got it ready to film Kai.

“Don’t film my wipeouts, okay?” he warned, but the tone of his voice suggested otherwise.

“I won’t make such a promise.”

“That’s okay. I don’t wipe out,” he winked and ran toward the water.

His cockiness only served to make him sexier.

Heading home, I should’ve been tired after our long day of driving, surfing, and checking out the boat Avery asked me to appraise, but I was fired up. The sun was just setting, giving a perfect view as we drove.

“Too bad that boat wasn’t what you were looking for,” Kai said, combing his hair with his fingers, his skin was rich like honey after playing on the beach for hours.

“Nah, we really didn’t need another one, but Avery saw it online and thought it was a great deal.”

“I’m still in awe about what the three of you accomplished.” His compliment warmed my heart. I’d heard those words before from our neighbors and clients, but it felt different coming from him somehow.

“Thank you. It was tough at first, but with the three of us, we’re managing just fine.”

Kai just nodded and returned his attention back to the road, the sea, and the setting sun.

“Do you have any other plans for the rest of the night?” My face warmed up as soon as the words came out of my mouth, but it’d been said so I decided to go for it. “I was wondering if you want to order pizza and have dinner with me? My place is coming up.”

Kai was just looking at me, his expression not giving anything away. My pulse started rushing seconds after he hadn’t replied. I was about to take my invitation back when he responded.

“Sure. Want me to call Sopranos?”

I blew out a shaky breath and just nodded, fearing my voice would give my excitement away.

“Hawaiian, okay? Or are you one of those pizza snobs who hate pineapple on their pizza?”

“I love Hawaiian,” I blurted.

“They’re the best,” he teased and just like earlier, my mind wandered elsewhere.

I’d never been conscious of my home until Kai was in it. I looked around to make sure the place was presentable. Thankfully, I’d straightened up earlier, making sure everything was copacetic. Preferring to keep my house clean, my place looked like it always did, but I was hyper-critical because of my desire to impress the man standing next to me. My small, beachy home was the typical grey shingle-sided house that appeared all over the island. I kept my decorations minimal with grey furniture paired with whitewashed tables and bookshelves. I’d taken several photos of the boats and had them framed in whitewashed wooden frames. It wasn’t much, but I got plenty of compliments on my simple yet stylish decor from Avery and Elizabeth. The furniture was also sturdy enough for Elijah to jump around whenever he visited. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Nice place, I love your framed photos. Did you take those?” Kai asked when he entered the living room.

“Yeah, I did over the past few years. I’m glad you like them.”

“Who’s the kid?” Kai asked, pointing to the only photo in my house that had people.

I couldn’t stop my smile when I looked at me and Elijah sitting in one of our catamarans. “That’s Avery’s kid, Elijah.”

“Oh,” Kai smiled before moving along. He began checking my vinyl collection next to the record player I got from one of the garage sales last year. “You have an amazing collection,” he continued before pulling one of them from the shelf.

“Thank you. Wanna play that?” I stood next to him and glanced at the music he picked.

He nodded and handed me the record. Giving me a shy smile before claiming a spot on the couch.

I joined Kai once the record started playing and tried to remember the last time I was this excited to share experiences with someone.

Bonnie Raitt’s song was playing in the background. Kai’s stare was intensified by the low light from the floor lamp reflecting off his eyes. He started humming the tune and slowly closed his eyes while he tilted his head, swaying left and right in sync with the music. The tip of his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “I love this song,” he said as he exhaled, his lips parting.

“Kai?” I whispered under my breath.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. They sparkled when he gazed at me. “Yeah?”

I swallowed hard before continuing. “Can I kiss you?”

He stood up and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I followed his every move. He reached out a hand, “Dance with me first?”

I let him pull me up. I didn’t know how to dance, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had. But to get a chance to finally kiss him, I’d figure out how to waltz.

I’d do anything.

He grabbed my other hand and he wrapped both of them around his waist, resting them above the curve of his ass. When his arms wrapped around my neck, our faces were inches apart. He started swaying his hips and I attempted to follow his lead.

The chorus of the song began. The warmth of his breath was hotter than the summer sun. The way his hands played with my hair was intoxicating. I closed my eyes to enjoy every sensation.

“Do you like that?” he asked, our bodies swaying as one.

All I managed to do was nod. I opened my eyes and found him staring at my lips. This man was driving me crazy and he had no idea. I didn’t know what I wanted more, his body flushed with mine, his hands caressing my hair or his lips on mine.

My heart was beating so hard, my body was vibrating with each pulse. I moved my hand to his front, tracing his abs through his tight t-shirt, slowly moving up his chest then around his neck. I lowered my head and moved his closer to mine. Feeling our breaths mingled between us, I ghosted his soft lips. All my nerve endings gathered around my mouth. I pulled away just a little and then we kissed again, harder this time. He opened to give me access to his sweet mouth and my tongue dived in. We continued our dance, only this time it was our lips. We kissed with abandon, willing time to stop and for the music to never end.

The doorbell rang and broke the spell we were under. The awkwardness that I could’ve sworn would follow never arrived. Instead, Kai stole another kiss before he answered the door. Damn you, pizza delivery guy!

“Oh, hi! Is Wyatt home?” Avery’s voice woke me out of my stupor.

“Yeah, Wyatt’s here. I’m Kai by the way.”

Avery peeked through the opened door, confusion all over his face. “I just came by to say hey, I didn’t know you had company,” he said with an awkward wave.

“I have a large Hawaiian Pizza for Wyatt,” the pizza delivery guy called out, joining the commotion.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, I’ll take it,” Kai said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket to pay.

I took the opportunity to grab Avery’s attention and mouthed Please go, hoping Kai wouldn’t see my attempt to kick my cockblocker of a friend out of my house. “We just got back from the beach and we’re really tired,” I said when he didn’t move.

Avery looked between me and Kai putting two and two together causing his eyes to dance with mischief. “Well, nice to meet you, Kai.” he offered a hand.

Kai better not invite him in for pizza.

“Thanks for checking in,” I said, urging Avery to fuck off with my eyes. “I’ll see you later. At. Work,” I stressed, wondering if my gritted smile was enough to get the point across.

Avery laughed because the asshole was enjoying this. “Oh, yeah, sure. I hope to see you around, Kai.”

“That would be cool. Nice to meet you too, Avery,” Kai said before closing the door. “Well, that was fun. Now, where were we?”