The Pursuit

Fifteen

⬻Maggie⤖

Maggie walked down the beach towards the water as it called to her. She inhaled slowly and then held her breath for a moment. She closed her eyes and exhaled. She felt Damien come up from behind her and she opened her eyes. Her body reacted again like it did in the kitchen. Calm down woman, get your shit together, you know nothing about him.

Damien walked past her down the beach to greet another man wearing red board shorts. He was older, maybe in his fifties. He had a tan protruding belly and salt and pepper hair. He wore a baseball cap that was a size too small.  Damien out stretched his arms and hugged the man with a bear hug. He physically picked up the man a foot off the ground and then put him back down. The man chuckled and punched Damien in the shoulder. Their laughter was loud and boisterous.  Maggie felt her feet move and meet up with the men.

As she approached Damien turned and waved her closer. "Maggie, this is Uncle Haku", Damien looked down to Maggie and the stranger extended his tanned hand.

"Nice to meet you Maggie" Uncle Haku said smoothly. His voice was deep and full.

Maggie met his hand with hers, "You as well, Uncle Haku". She smiled at him and looked into his sunglasses shuddering at her reflection.

"You have experience Maggie?", Uncle Haku asked her referencing the surf boards lay around them . She could see Damien fold his arms and take a stance next her. He looked out into the waves.

"With surfing, no", she replied. Damien didn't move, she looked at him and then to the water. The water itself was the perfect shade of blue. Clear at the edge but then shifting into a deeper abyss.

"Alright", Uncle Haku started, "let's get you set up on one of the boards". He turned and Maggie followed. "We'll get you some practice before we throw you in".

Maggie turned back and called out to Damien, "You coming?"

Damien turned and broke his meditation with the water. He gave her a sly smirk and started to follow them.  "Haku, have they been cranking today?" He hurried his pace a bit and met up with Haku.

Haku grabbed a board off the sand and leaned against it a bit, shifting his weight. "Yea, the boys were charging earlier."

Maggie looked at the both of them. "You could go on and take priority for a while", Uncle Haku said to Damien, "I'll get Maggie started and then take her out".

Damien looked at Maggie and put his hand on her shoulder. Maggie felt a rush of air knock through her and her chest soared to life. Shit, what's that about?, she thought. His hand's warmth seeped into her skin and she felt her cheeks warm as she felt herself get aroused by such a simple and innocent touch.

"Have fun, Maggie. Remember falling is part of the process", he winked at her and let go of her shoulder.  He discarded his henley shirt. Maggie felt her jaw drop as she stared at his washboard abs. Her eyes grew frantic and tried to catalog him into her memory.  She felt a hand meet her jaw and close it.

"Don't gawk, it just boosts his ego", Uncle Haku chuckled and let go of her chin. He handed the board that was in his other hand to Damien.

Maggie found her eyes tracing his chest and then his arm. A massive tattoo lined his right arm, from the wrist to the shoulder. The patterns and shapes climbed up his arm to make a sleeve. The black ink wrapped its way around his bicep as he flexed to take the board from Uncle Haku. It's a warrior tattoo, it's gorgeous, she confessed to herself.

Damien met Maggie's eyes and winked at her. Down tiger, she chastised herself. She watched him turn and run into the ocean. "Alright, Maggie, let's focus on you now, not pretty boy". Maggie nodded and turned her attention to Uncle Haku.

Uncle Haku went through the procedures and made Maggie practice a few times. She had purposely turned her body to face away from the water, not wanting to watch Damien surf. He's just trying to showboat, don't give him the attention. You gave him enough already, thinking about the embarrassment she endured when Uncle Haku had to pick her jaw up.

"I think you're ready, let's get you out into the snappers and try it out". Maggie took off her tank top and cotton shorts. She made a mental note to get another bathing suit at some point. Dad must have packed this one, it's gotta go. She looked down at the black one piece suit, and the contrast it made against her pale white legs, and shuddered. You need a tan girl.

Uncle Haku carried the board to the edge of the water and then waded his way in. Maggie made contact with the water and smiled. She looked into the waves and found Damien in the distance balancing on his board as he rode the wave. He's so damn graceful. 

"How long has he been surfing for?" Maggie asked Haku.

"Ah, Dame, has been floating around here his whole life but he took up the board when he was five or so. Been at it ever since", Haku said from the water. Maggie followed suit and dove into the water as it got deeper. 

She came back up and met Haku with the board. "Did you know he was bringing me here to embarrass me?" she asked teasing.

"Ha, ha. Dame doesn't really announce himself around these parts. He just kind of shows up", Haku shared.

"Are you two friends?", Maggie prodded for information.

"Us? No, Maggie", he paused. "We're family", he admitted passionately.

"You are?" Maggie was surprised.

"Yea, when Dame's mom brought him here he just grew on me and he's like a son to me", Haku shared. "Couldn't get the kid away from me until he left for college, then I actually missed him!" Haku chuckled.

Maggie looked out back to Damien in the water. Who is this guy?

After practicing for a while and only falling a dozen times Maggie and Haku called it a day. Maggie could feel her arms lose their function and was exhausted. She felt good though. The soreness was familiar and welcomed. You shouldn't have given up the workouts, she thought to herself.

Maggie and Haku made it back to the shore and Maggie let herself collapse on the beach. Her breath coming back to a normal rate.

"Drink this , and eat this", Haku said from above her as he held a bottle of water and a banana.

"Thanks", she said to him. He sat with her and she felt the sun warm her skin.

"You're good, for a kook", he smiled at her.

"Is that compliment?", Maggie looked up at him and shaded her eyes with her hand.

"Just an observation", he chuckled. He stood as someone in the distance called for him.

Maggie laughed and shook her head. She took a sip of the water and giant bite of banana.  She found herself searching for Damien again. He paddled out and looked forward, sensing the waves and popped up on his board to catch the big wave. He rode the giant wave effortlessly and brought it into the shore. Maggie found herself transfixed again on the tribal tattoo he wore as a sleeve. Damien came closer and she could see his chest heaving heavily. His wet mane of hair dripping water down his body.  She bit her lip and blinked her eyes to come back to reality. 

"Did you enjoy yourself?", Damien asked as he fell to the ground and laid on his back. Don't look, it just encourages him, she told herself. 

"It's not fair that you brought me along to do something you are a pro at", she snarled at him. Her eyes moved to look at his body. Just a little peek.

Damien rolled over onto his side towards her and rested his head in his arm. "Pro?" he smiled. "Why, thank you for that. I guess I am quite good", he looked at her and winked.

Maggie felt herself get warm again and squirmed as she sat. She gave him a dirty look and then laughed. "Not fair, next time we do something it should be something we're both equally good or bad at", she said to him.  She looked at him to see a huge grin spread across his face, his teeth shined through.

"Oh, I have a few ideas for some activities", he put emphasis on the word activities.

Maggie turned and looked away from him and huffed into the air. This is so bad, so bad.