Vanessa
It was Matt’s 17th birthday which meant that the time we had left for leisurely beach days and late nights at “the spot” were limited so we decided to make the most of it by celebrating at his most loved place.
Addison had finally received her driver’s license that summer and was the one to pick me up for our beach trip in her brand new silver Jeep. Unfortunately for me, my parents wanted me to wait until after Graduation before getting mine so I could focus on my studies but with my two best friends being able to drive, it hardly felt as tragic as some might assume.
When she laid eyes on me waltzing out of the house and feeling like a million bucks in my brand spanking new bikini and white sarong, she whistled. “Look at you girl! You look fierce,” she shouted through the passenger side window as she honked the horn.
I groaned as I slid into the vehicle, clicking my seatbelt into place. “Not this again.” Even though most of me felt awkward receiving compliments, there was also a part that was grateful to have such a supportive best friend as my biggest cheerleader.
She slipped her oversized, black sunglasses on her face as she tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder. She looked nothing short of radiant in her strapless red bikini top and matching bottoms. “I can’t help it. My bestie is a hottie. Yellow is definitely your color.”
I giggled as I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. “I don’t know, Addie, I just might have to start trading in my blacks for yellows of all shades. Canary, mustard, lemon. I think you were on to something when you picked this out for me.”
She nodded her head in satisfaction. “Good. Maybe your new outlook on color will rub off on our doom and gloom friend.” She cast a wicked grin in my direction as she arched a delicate eyebrow. “Who knows? Maybe with you dressed like that, other parts of you will start rubbing off on him as well.”
I swatted her on the shoulder as I laughed. “Addison! We’re just friends, we’re only ever going to be friends and I’m actually ok with that now.”
She glanced over at me, biting a cherry red lip. “Are you?”
“Yes,” I replied nodding my head with conviction. “Yea, I am.” I shrugged. “I think I’m over him.”
“Well, alright then!” Addison gave me a high-five. “That’s my girl. Now let’s go get our tan on and find you a new hottie to obsess over.”
***
Matt
I had already been at the beach soaking up the sea for a couple of hours when the girls arrived. The ocean had been my mother’s favorite place and now, it was mine too. I was lying face down on a striped towel and listening to the crash of the waves on the surf. The sun’s rays felt like they were kissing the skin on my back and the soothing sound of the ocean paired with the cozy warmth had relaxed me to the point where I was just starting to drift off to sleep.
I cracked one eye open when I heard the familiar voices of Addison and Vanessa approaching. “Over here,” I called sitting up and dusting the sand off my chest.
Addison’s eyes instantly grew wide when she saw me. “Oh my gosh, Matt! Do you even have any sunscreen on?” She exclaimed, “Your back is all red!”
I craned my neck to try and get a good look. I suppose my skin did feel like it was stinging a bit with the makings of a nasty burn.
“Here, why don’t you let me get that for you?” Vanessa reached into her beach bag and pulled out a bottle of sunblock.
As my eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight, I got my first good look at the girls. And boy what a good look it was. I did a double take at the curvaceous figure in yellow standing before me. I had never seen Vanessa in a bikini before, which was probably for the better because I couldn’t stop gawking at what I saw. This summer had been very generous to her, to say the least. She had curves in all the right places and her swimsuit was doing a fine job in showcasing that.
I swallowed as I reached for my sunglasses in the sand beside me and slid them on to hide my traveling eyes. She’s your friend, I scolded myself. Stop checking her out like she’s some kind of swimsuit model. But boobs..., I countered. Shaking my head, I dragged my hands down my face and groaned softly. You’re pathetic.
I bit my thumbnail as she knelt behind me and started squirting the lotion onto my back. The coolness of the sunblock felt soothing but her touch felt scorching as she gently laid her palm on my skin. “Looks like you got a decent burn going already,” she murmured.
I closed my eyes as she began slowly rubbing her hands all over my back and shoulders, massaging the lotion into my skin. It felt good. Perhaps a little too good. Vanessa continued working on me as she made small talk with Addison, completely oblivious to the effect that she was having on my libido.
She ran her hands down lower and lower until she was at the base of my spine and then she slid her palms back up again. “Sorry,” she muttered into my ear as her breath tickled my skin and I noticed that she smelled like coconuts. “I think I put a little bit too much on. I’m almost done.” She was almost done? I needed her to be done now. I wasn’t sure how much more of her rubbing I could take.
I pressed my fist against my mouth in an effort to get myself under control but the attempt was fruitless. I started to feel the twinge of something that was most definitely not suitable for the public in my shorts and yup, that solidified it for me. She needed to get her hands off me, now.
“Ok!” I said abruptly pulling away from her touch. “I think you got it.” I folded my hands over my lap, praying that they wouldn’t catch on to what was happening to me. If there is a God in heaven then please Lord, let Addison get distracted by some muscled guy with blonde highlights right now. Once she figured out how aroused I was, it would be game over for me and it was all she would tease me about until the end of my days. Then I would have no choice except to just get up and keep walking into the ocean until the water was fifty feet above my head, everything turned black and I was choking for air. Then I would keep going some more because there was no recovering from that level of mortification.
Vanessa laughed. “Matt there’s still sunscreen all over your back. Just let me finish real quick. Don’t be so impatient. ”
If she kept massaging me then I might finish real quick. “It’s fine really. The burn doesn’t even hurt that much,” I lied.
Vanessa and Addison exchanged bemused looks. “What have I been telling you these past two years?” Addison remarked. “He’s weird. But it’s ok, we love you anyways.” She leaned over, placing a kiss on my cheek, the tips of her hair skimming my chest and I nearly jumped about ten feet into the air.
“AAHH! Will you two give me some personal space?” I wondered how long it would take me to dig a hole in the sand that I could just crawl into and die.
Vanessa stifled a laugh as she plucked the bottle back off the towel. “Well, suit yourself then. Maybe you’re ok with burning but I am not.” She squirted some lotion into her palms and began leisurely rubbing her arms, legs, chest….
Swallowing hard, I quickly averted my gaze. Please make it stop, I silently begged. I wasn’t sure what had come over me but all I knew was that she wasn’t 15 year old Vanessa anymore and I definitely was not 15 year old Matt.
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That evening, I hobbled down the stairs freshly showered and clutching onto the railing for support. “Ouch, ouch, ouch,” I muttered through clenched teeth as I slowly took the steps one at a time. I felt like an old man instead of a 17-year-old teenager.
My dad came around the corner shaking his head in disapproval as he eyed me. “Matthew, maybe this will teach you a lesson to wear sunscreen the next time you go to the beach. You look like a lobster.”
There wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t red which was probably a good thing because I was still feeling flustered around Vanessa after what had happened earlier and didn’t want her to catch wind of the embarrassment playing out over my cheeks whenever she got within two feet of me.
I moved at a snail’s pace until I reached the dining room table, gingerly perching on one of the cushioned chairs. No sooner had I sat my ass down, did the doorbell ring. “Matt, can you grab the door,” my dad called out from the kitchen. I groaned as I pushed off the table. “Ouch, ouch.”
My father, who was nowhere near as funny as he thought he was, let out a loud laugh from the other room. “I’m just messing with you, son. I’ll get it. Just continue to rest in that pot of yours and boil yourself some more.”
I rolled my eyes. “Har har, Dad.”
Sitting back down, I heard the sound of Addison’s laughter as she and Vanessa walked into the house. My dad had invited them over for some cake even though I insisted that I wasn’t ten and my friends didn’t need to witness me blowing out my birthday candles. However, Addison lapped up the idea of having new ammunition to tease me with and readily agreed.
She stopped short and covered her mouth when she strolled into the room, followed by Vanessa who gasped when she saw me. “Oh my god,” they exclaimed in unison.
I held up my palm, silencing them. “Shut up. Don’t say anything.” My gaze wandered over to Vanessa. She was back to wearing her usual ripped denim jeans and knotted t-shirt but my brain couldn’t shake the image of her nearly falling out of that teeny bikini from earlier. She tucked her hair behind her ear and I noticed the small studs that pierced her lobes. Had she always had her ears pierced?
She took a place at the seat across from me while Addison sat down next to me. Propping her head in her hands, Addison’s eyes twinkled as she studied me. “It’s nice seeing you in a color that’s not black. Red is my favorite.”
I made a face at her as I clapped my hands, instantly regretting it as I grimaced in pain. “Congratulations, Addie, you know your colors. I thought the only one you knew was pink.”
“So shoot me, I like pink but unlike you, I don’t just stick to one color palette.” I slid my gaze down past her light wash skinny jeans, giving a pointed look at the pink heels she was wearing. She rolled her eyes. “That’s just coincidence.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond before my dad dimmed the lights of the dining room and began singing “Happy Birthday” as he walked into the room carrying a chocolate frosted cake with many a glowing candle stuck into it. I dropped my head into my hands. “Oh, lord,” I muttered.
With a beaming smile, he set the cake in front of me. “Go on, Matthew,” he said clasping me on the shoulder. “Blow out the candles.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No. No. I don’t want to.”
Addison poked me in the ribs. “Don’t be a buzz kill, reaper. Make a wish to collect more souls this year and then cut your cake with your scythe.” I leaned forward, quickly blowing out the candles just to shut her up and she clapped me on the back, hard. “Atta boy.”
I shot her a glare as pain radiated throughout my skin. “Fuck, Addie,” I said through clenched teeth. “You really are the Devil.”
***
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