Language of Love

Chapter 11 - Fending off Fan Girls

The sun had barely risen as Abi jogged down to the beach. She paused at the bottom of the ramp to kick off her trainers, then continued her jog down to the waterfront.

It was 6am, but lifeguards were already setting flags up towards the North End. Abi dropped her bag and sat on the sand to watch the few surfers already on the waves. A little towards South End, she spotted one she recognised. Seems he'd come down early to sneak in a decent surf before he taught her.

Abi sat and watched him surf for half an hour before he noticed her. When he finally did, he immediately slung his board under his arm and walked over to her. She rose from the sand and walked down a bit to meet him.
"Hey." He said as he stepped into her space slightly and then seemed to hesitate uncertainly. Abi leaned forward to kiss him softly. His free hand slipped round her waist and drew her closer until she was against his damp chest, his hesitancy gone as he deepened the kiss. After a while, they pulled away.
"How long have you been here?" He asked.
"A while. I thought I'd fit in a run before we met up. Then stopped to watch the Ocean and spotted you. Didn't want to interrupt your surf. You can keep surfing if you want. We weren't meant to meet till 7."
"Nah. I'm good. Let's get you in the water."
They began to walk up the beach towards the tunnel. Troy slipping his hand into hers.

At the tunnel Troy passed his board to her, then grabbed another.
"Chappo's lent me his for today." He explained when she eyed the crispyrider tag on the board.

They were soon paddling out to catch a wave. Once in the calm beyond the waves Troy checked she remembered what he'd taught her previously.

Abi fell off the first few times. Having now seen that she was a fairly strong swimmer, Troy didn't rush in to pull her up each time. Though Abi didn't fail to notice that he was always close by and watching when she surfaced or got dumped. She was sure she had gained a few more bruises by the time she eventually found her feet on the board and managed a few waves without falling.

The beach was getting busier when she had to admit her shoulders ached too much to keep paddling out. They pulled their boards onto the sand and lay out their towels beside them. Abi collapsed onto hers with a groan.
"You're doing great for a beginner. Not many find their feet as quickly as you." Troy praised.
"Think I'll need to work on my upper body strength at the gym. Paddling is hard work."
"I try to go out every day for a paddle. Gotta train hard to keep up down here."
"I only really got into exercise a few years ago. The only physical thing I did enjoy as a kid was swimming at my local pool. Caitlinn had me watch the lifeguard challenge episodes, I think you're all superhuman."
Troy laughed. "I don't feel superhuman by the end of it."
"Summers coming to an end soon, isn't it? When's the challenge?"
"2 weeks. Think we are all secretly ramping up the training." Troy rolled on his side and looked down at her.
"There's a lifeguard barbeque at the end of the season. The guys bring their girlfriends, wives and kids along. Wanna come with me?"

Caught in his intense gaze Abi felt he was asking more of her than just going to a barbeque. Did this somehow signify them being a serious thing?

She nodded in response, feeling herself blush. He moved closer and ran his thumb over her blushing cheek before leaning in and kissing her.

"Alright, lovebirds, get a room." Maxi interrupted them as he walked past on his way to South End. Troy fell back onto his towel with a put upon sigh, making Abi giggle.

They eventually made their way up to a cafe for a late breakfast. Abi wrinkled her nose up at the healthy smoothie Troy opted for and ordered herself a bacon sandwich and a coffee. He stole a bit of bacon and offered her a sip of his smoothie. She reluctantly tried it and made a face before rinsing her mouth out with coffee whilst he laughed.

They were just finishing when they were approached by 3 excited girls.
"Gonzo! We love BondiRescue! Can we get a photo?"

They didn't even seem to notice Abi and she could see that Troy was really uncomfortable as he made eye contact with her. She smiled at him reassuringly, then rose from her chair and held her hand out towards the girls.
"Hi. I'm...Bambi." She hesitated and decided not to give her real name. The girls looked between her and Troy as Abi continued. "Nice to meet you girls. Shall I take the photo for you?"
One excitedly passed over her phone, thanking her, as Troy stood from his seat. They all huddled round Troy whilst Abi took the photo. One girl lingered with her hand on his arm. Troy moved away, but her hand followed. Abi stepped round the table seemingly to return the phone but conveniently knocking the girls hand away with her arm, as she passed the phone back to her friend, whilst also now positioning herself at Troy's side between him and the handsy girl. He slipped his arm around her waist, giving her a subtle squeeze.
"Ohhhh, are you two together?" The girl with the phone squealed excitedly.
Troy looked questioningly down at Abi before replying with a blush.
"It's new, but yeah, seems that way."
"Oh my God! Do we have like the exclusive on this?!" another of the girls practically screeched, whilst her handsy friend looked a bit put out.
Abi couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry love, Insta beat you to it."
"Please let us get a photo of you. We can Insta it to you so you both have it."
Troy and Abi exchanged looks. Abi gave a little nod.
"Sure." Said Troy.
"You can tag Troy in, but with it being so new we're not linking me in yet." Abi said.
They posed for a photo, and 2 of the girls hugged them before all 3 went on their way.

"Thanks for being so understanding." Troy said as he pulled her closer to his side.
"I live with Caitlinn. She's prepared me well for fangirls."
Troy laughed.
"Whippet gets it much worse. Don't know how Gina puts up with it. You really okay with the photo of us they took?"
"Yeah. Think I'm going to have to get used to this. Pretty sure the cameras filmed me in the tower helping out yesterday, and I left my number for the guys in case you need help with translating, so figure I'll be about."

They walked back to the beach and sat on the sand together. Troy told her of some of the more crazy things that had happened at Bondi and she shared stories of her family in England in between comfortable silences where they watched the waves and the other beachgoers.

Abi felt so comfortable in his company. It felt good to just be herself. Her last relationship she'd always felt like she had had to try to impress constantly, be someone she wasn't. When she'd started being herself, he'd started criticising her and trying to control her, and she'd quickly ended it.

Before they knew it, it was time for them both to head off to work. With both their work patterns not matching again, separate nights out planned with friends and Troy increasing his training, they agreed to meet up the following week.
Abi pulled him into a kiss before he could leave.
"It's going to be a really long week." He sighed as he pulled away, then seemed to realise he'd said that out loud and looked embarrassed. Abi leant into him for another kiss.
"For me too." She told him, giving him a final soft kiss before running up the ramp and disappearing along the promenade. Troy watched her go, running his hand through his hair, then heading off to the tower.