Lotus

Four - 8: Ocean

“While we jumped right into life, she took her time, going at her own pace, and bracing herself for what was ahead of her.”

     The weekend planned for the beach outing finally arrived. Kai and Jason were excited about being able to surf again. Originally, Ren was opposed to going to the beach. The only thing that interested his perverted, adolescent male mind was seeing Rina in a bikini. The waves were too violent and the water was too sandy at the beach they planned on going to. He preferred the calm, clear waters around this island he visited one year with his family.

     Meanwhile, Rina was excited for the outing. She loved going to the beach, but she was worried about what to wear. She was self-conscious, afraid that her body would be an upsetting disappointment to the boys’ possible fantasies, or even an expected disappointment if they already thought her body was unsatisfactory. She was nervous enough from the thought of being surrounded by three, shirtless, and very handsome boys.

     “What should I wear?” she asked her sister.

     “A bathing suit,” her sister replied.

     “Ah, you’re no help.”

     Rina dug through her summer clothes, hoping to find something nice to wear. She pulled out her black bikini set, figuring that its simplicity was ideal. What made it cute was the little heart charm that hung between the two bra cups.

     “Make sure you bring a hoodie and a towel,” her sister advisd. “I don’t want those boys looking at you inappropriately.”

     When she said this, Ren felt a sharp pain surge through his head. He was still at home, getting ready.

     The weather was nice as Kai said it would be. It was surprisingly warm, on the border of what Rina would consider hot. As long as the water was warm, the four would be in for a nice, relaxing day together.

     Before long, Kai arrived to pick up Ren and Rina. When Rina stepped into the car, Ren was a little shocked to see her wearing a hoodie over what looked to be an elegant sundress. The casualness of the hoodie seemed awkward.

     “I’ll teach you how to surf, Rina!” Kai said as he drove. “You can swim, right?”

     “I drown after the water reaches the top of my head,” she replied bashfully. “I love swimming, but only when the water is above my waist.”

     “Have you ever drowned before?” Jason asked.

     “No, but I forget to breathe,” she replied, even more embarrassed. “You should really only worry when the water is seven feet deep. I get too tired to keep floating.”

     “You’re the opposite of Ren,” Jason laughed. “He’s like a mermaid.”

     “What?” Ren asked defensively.

     The other three in the car laughed. The day was already off to a nice start.

     During the car ride, Ren and Rina fell asleep on each other. Ren was sound asleep with his head on Rina’s lap. Rina rested her head on her right hand, her arm leaning on the window. Her left hand laid itself on top of Ren’s hair.

     The story behind their precious, little sleeping positions was simple. Ren did not want to rest his head against the car door as the car had already been jerking from the bumpy road. Seeing that he was uncomfortable, Rina allowed him to rest his head on her leg.

     “It’s squishier than I expected,” Ren said.

     Rina smacked him on the head, but began patting it, then combing through it with her fingers. The soothing sensation of this quickly caused him to doze off. She soon followed after.