Midnight Parking in Olmos Park

Chapter 7: Michael

For the first time in years, I woke up feeling great. 

I stretched my entire body out, inducing me to moan unwillingly. 

It's funny how stretching can cause me to make the weirdest sounds in the morning. 

I stumbled out of bed and left the bedroom to use the bathroom. I don't remember drinking that much water last night, but my bladder begs to differ.  

When I looked in the mirror, my eyes were puffy, so I splashed some cold water on my face. There was still sand in my personal areas, but I was too lazy to wash it off last night when I returned to the house. 

Now, my sheets are probably filled with particles of Olmos Park Beach, which will have to pay a visit to the washer when I finish in here. 

"Michael?" My dad knocked on the door. "You okay, bud?" 

"Yeah," I say loud enough for him to hear me. "I'll be out soon."

I strip down before stepping underneath the warm water. Usually, I'd be taking a hotter shower, but I don't want to irritate my morning skin.

The water was helping. I rinsed off for about five minutes until I just got lost in my own thoughts and forgot what I was doing. 

My conversation with that guy, Jase, was the most unexpected thing I had ever encountered. Well... the second most unexpected thing I had ever encountered.

My father still takes home the trophy for the first.

The only thing I remember about him was how broken and tired his eyes seemed. His eyes were so dark, not even the bright moon could get them to sparkle. His hair reached a little past his ear lobes, nothing too crazy. His physique was way more built than my own, so there was no doubt that he could kick my ass in seconds. 

Back in Castle Hills, guys like him aren't the type I'd talk to because of their large egos. 

But, Jase's was different. 

He spoke to me as if he wasn't the most attractive guy that was on that beach last night. 

It's still hard to comprehend that I got high with someone I barely met. 

Oh, well. Maybe it's just a one-time thing. I doubt I'm going to see him again, but if I do, I wonder how he's going to react.

I wouldn't expect him to talk to me, because we are only strangers to each other. Yes, we did have a personal conversation, but it's not like we became blood brothers after.

We had a basic "guy" handshake, then said goodnight. 

Now, I'm back to reality. 

"Michael?" My dad knocked again. 

And it was barely day 2 of the summer.

+++

Dad brought us out to the shops by the pier after breakfast at Clearview Diner.

Since he was a local, he basically knew everyone who ran these tiny stores. Some of them were long-time friends from when my parents were still married. 

I didn't really care for most of them, except the Trinity's. I used to run with their daughter, Vero, back when we were little kids. She was the first friend I ever made in Olmos back then, but we lost touch with each other after I stopped coming back. 

They owned a smoothie bar, which was one of the best by the beach. I remember how long their lines used to get, especially during the Fourth of July. 

We stopped by so we could grab a drink since the summer heat was starting to kick off the day.