Bandits with Feelings

bandits with feelings (part 3)

  Nick revved the engine and I grab hold of his waist. "Remember, have fun." Nick reminds me. We start moving and I feel the lurch of the bike. The bike zooms forward and I almost fall off. Not seeing another choice, I wrap my arms tightly around his waist. I feel his stomach let out a long breath and I feel his hard abs through the t-shirt he was wearing underneath the leather jacket. My heart starts beating super fast as the wind breezes through my body. In a way, this is somewhat calming. The loud engine drowns out my thoughts and the fact that I feel Nick still breathing is keeping me sane.

My hair whips behind me and the view is blurred because of how fast we are going. Soon, I smell the saltwater and Nick stops in front of the beach. He helps me off the motorbike and I take off the helmet. "You have fun?" Nick asks, shaking his fluffy brown hair.  I shrug. He takes my leather jacket and holds it. "Follow me." He says. We walk side by side and our fingers graze every now and then. We walk to a small shack. We go inside and I see that all the walls are covered with surfboards. Nick walks up to a woman and holds up the number two with his fingers. The woman nods and looks at me. She hands me a green surfboard and I assume is my size. The woman gives Nick a yellow surfboard and Nick makes us walk across the beach. Sand goes in my shoes and I feel the heat of the sun hammering down on my skin. My surfboard is super bulky and a little bit heavy. If I was normal and eating normally, I would be able to hold this thing.

"Is you excited?" Nick asks, turning around. I shrug. "You ever surf before?" He asks. I shake my head. "You'll have so much fun." He says, smiling. Some point during the walk, he takes off his shirt and droops it over his shoulder. I see a tattoo of a bird on his back. It's hard to spot, most of his freckles cover it. I see another shack and we enter it. Nick picks out a wet suit and hands it to me. "Put it on." He encourages. I look around and I see a tight changing room.

The wetsuit fits around my curves comfortably and doesn't make me look too skinny. Nick has his on and we run to the beach. "All you gotta do is lay on your stomach and paddle until you think you got a wave. When you got a wave, all you do is balance on the board and hold on. It's easy, a pretty girl like you will get it." Nick instructs. My heart flutters and I suddenly feel super confused. Nick is good-looking, maybe a little hot. But I can't afford to fall for a criminal like him. I'll just end up in jail. Again.

I nod. "Let's go," I say. He smiles. "Alright." We wade into the water and it feels super nice and cool. The water is so blue and shiny, it's almost cunning. When the water reaches my ribs, I get on the board and so does Nick. I dog paddle to deeper waters and I see a pretty big wave coming at me. "Now!" Nick exclaims. I press my hands on the board and push myself on to my feet. The board wobbles beneath my feet, so I spread my arms to keep my balance. My feet go steady and I feel like an eagle. The wind whooshes through my hair and water splashes in my face. I'm doing it! I'm surfing for the first time. I let out a big smile. I hear a hearty laugh and I see Nick right beside me. "You're doing it, doll! You're doing it!" He exclaims. He swishes his hips effortlessly and rides the wave. I try and mimic him and my heart skips a beat. I bend my knees and I feel like I'm flying.

Nick does a cool trick with his board, maybe to show off. He rides over to me and gives me a fist bump. "I told you that you would get it!" He yells over the crashing waves. We continue to surf for a long time. I lost track of time and all I know is that I'm alone with Nick in the ocean on a surfboard. Finally, my legs get tired and I get off the feet and onto my stomach. "You alright there?" Nick asks. "Tired. Can we take a break?" I ask. "Of course." He joins me on his stomach and he dog-paddles back to shore. "That was fun." I pant. "I knew you would have fun." He says. Our hands touch underwater. His fingers curl around mine. My instinct tells me to yank away my hand. Water splashes in my face as I do. "What's wrong?" Nick questions, concerned. I feel my cheeks burn. "Nothing. I-." I splutter.