Whirlwind Summer (Mark McMorris Fan Fiction)

Chapter 20 - Coco

We woke up the next morning pretty early - which for us was 8am. The sun was already beating down on Oahu but it wasn't hot enough yet to make going outside unpleasant because there was a nice breeze blowing. I threw on a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top on top of my bikini and then put on a pair of white sneakers - my go to shoe for summer days. Then we were ready to go. We made our way to Sunset Beach, which was no longer than a 15 minute walk away from our hotel, and where we planned on spending the morning, relaxing on the beach before the sun got too hot. But first breakfast.

We picked up some açai bowls from this cute little cafe called The Sunrise Shack and ate them gazing upon the ocean. "I could literally see myself living here" commented Tessa as she observed the locals going about their daily business. I followed her gaze to a group of surfers that had just arrived. They looked as chilled as could be, tanned and smiling, as they headed down to shore to catch a few morning waves. "It would be so sick to grow up here" I agreed, observing the surfers as they dived into the water, laughing and splashing around. We finished our breakfast and after smearing some additional sunscreen on, walked across the sand until we found a nice spot to lay down our towels.

We tanned for a good hour, our bodies overheating in the scorching sun. I was so relaxed lying there on the beach that I almost fell asleep. "Alix" nudged Bea, prodding me with her finger to get my attention. "Yuhhh" I replied, moaning. "We're going to hit the water" Bea informed me, asking if I wanted to join them. "Give me 1 more minute" I grunted in response, waving them away. "I'll join you in a sec". I lay on my back a couple more minutes and then sighing, forced myself up. I needed a break to cool down and the glittering blue ocean looking very inviting. I made my way down to the shore, and shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand, looked to see where the others had gone. I spotted them and started wading towards them, when I was suddenly winded by a large object that came crashing into my side. "Ooof" I grunted, clutching my hip.

"Omg I'm so sorry" a female voice called out from in front of me. "My surfboard just escaped my grip...I'm really sorry" she apologised. I looked up and my eyes met with those of a friendly looking girl, who looked to be about in her mid-20s. I recognised her from the group of surfers we'd spotted earlier. Her short blonde hair and bubbly personality had stood out from afar. "Don't worry about it" I told her, shrugging it off, "Although I think it might leave a little bit of a bruise" I joked, looking down at where the surfboard had hit me. It was a little red and sore so it looked like it would leave a bruise, but it hadn't cut me or anything which was good. "I'd say put some ice on it but there isn't really any near here" she said jokingly. I smiled at her. She seemed nice.

"I'm Coco by the way" she told me, extending her hand. "I'm Alix" I replied, grinning at her. "So do you surf?" I asked jokingly. She laughed. "You could say that" she answered, smiling, "It's kind of my job actually". "Ohh so you're also a pro?" I said. Makes sense because she looked amazing out there surfing. "Do you know many?" she asked, quizzically. "Oh well no not surfers, snowboarders, but it's weird cause I've met so many pros in this last week" I told her, clearing up the confusion. "Omg I used to date a snowboarder" she laughed. "Oh what a coincidence - I'm kind of seeing one" I added, shaking my head in disbelief at what a small world this was. "Noooo" Coco gasped, surprised, "Who? I might know them". "Umm...Mark McMorris" I told her, shyly. We hadn't defined our relationship yet so it felt weird telling someone else.

Coco recoiled - startled by what I told her. Her face showed a hint of sadness and I thought, pain? "Are you okay?" I asked her, nervously, unsure why she'd changed her tune. She obviously knew Mark well if she had reacted in that way. Then it dawned on me. "Oh shit you're Coco" I said loudly. "Yeah" she replied, "Umm Mark and I..." "....used to date" I finished off for her. We looked at each other awkwardly. Mark had told me that Coco was from Oahu but honestly what were the chances that I would bump into her.....and talk to her. It was a crazy coincidence. There was a weird silence between us, a heavy tension in the air, making this situation all the more awkward.

Coco broke it. "So how long have you known Mark?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously. "Umm....well, honestly we met last week" I replied, "My friends and I are on a year out and we were in LA when were ran in to Mark and umm Seb, Ståle and Darcy..." I added, trailing off. Her face clicked the names immediately. She knew them well too. "That's cool" she relied. Her whole bubbly demeanour had completely changed....she looked sad when I spoke to her about how I'd met Mark. I hesitated, unsure of how much to tell her. "So are you guys serious?" she asked, nervously, her eyes betraying the fact that she obviously still felt something for Mark. I was about to reply when we were interrupted by Anastasia yelling my name.

"Alix!" she called loudly, wading towards us with the others in tow. "There you are" she commented. "Umm hi" she added awkwardly, noticing that Coco and I had been in the middle of a conversation. I took a few breath, turning to face them. "Umm guys...this is Coco Ho....Mark's ex" I told them. Their mouths dropped. "Coco, this is Anastasia, Bea and Tessa" I said, pointing them out. 

Hope you like this chapter. Thought it would be interesting to include Coco in this storyline more than her just being Mark's ex in the background. Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT to let me know what y'all think. ❤️