The Beach Trip Reignited Passions

"Look! There it is!"

"Wow, perfect!"

We could now see the waterfront as we cleared past the treeline. After two and a half hours of driving, mom and I had finally made it to the beach. Crossing onto the white bridge, we saw the crystal blue seafoamed waves toss and splash. Seagulls darted off into the distance towards the sun. Small bright triangles sailed giving the illusion of traveling fast along the water. It felt wonderful to start a beach trip at the very beginning of summer. It was a long tiring baseball season and this proved the perfect break.

As we traveled further onto the bridge peak, being a typical boy I decided to ask the important questions only now.

"Who is all going?"

"So uncle Mark, Aunt Renee and the kids are already there, then your older cousins Ashley, Dan, and Lana are also heading up tonight."

"Okay." I acknowledged. Uncle Mark's kids were younger than I but knowing they were always up for doing fun things made me even more excited. Won't be me getting stuck with the adults this time!

"Oh and the older cousins said they brought some friends"

"Who?" I asked.

"I don't know if you remember Kiara, she had been over once or twice when we had gone upstate to see them. And Jess, I don't think we've met Jess before."

I don't believe I had met them before either. I must've been very young.

"Okay," I replied. Most likely they're just going to be hanging out with the college kids then.

**********

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at the bright tan pastel colored beach house. Instantly I could see my cousins' grey Subaru SUV parked outside. The house was a good size, could probably fit all of us without packing in too tightly, however the chances of having my own room with 10 people in there seemed a tall order. The garden was kept very well along the outside, trimmed hedges lined the walls, some aloe Vera and dragon trees decorated the corners. Upon leaving the vehicle, I could see the nicely placed wide windows lined with white frames. One large arched window sat above the modern front door. Mom knocked on it and pressed the golden handle down easily.

"Hello we're here!" My mom shouted excitedly walking through the beach house door. I felt the cool air conditioning breeze into my face. The arched front door window allowed a generous amount of light to fill the main room and stairs which wrapped up to the 2nd floor's banister-lined hallway.

"Hey! You made it!" Instantly we were showered with greetings from the family, my cousins poured out of the adjacent rooms giving me the warmest hugs.

"Alright! Lets get your things in your rooms and we go to the beach?" Uncle Mark said rubbing his sunburnt hands together.

All the kids clamored with excitement. They showed me to the room containing a bunk bed, mirror closet doors, a bathroom and other usual things.

"This one's yours, Chris." Jonathan pointed to the bottom bunk. "I got here first so I get the top bunk!"

"We got here first so we claimed the bigger bunks before you!" Erika boasted.

"Fine by me." I replied. No way I was climbing up every night to go to bed.

"You have to sleep below Jonathan. He snores!" Complained Mackenzie as if she'd gone through it before.

I placed my things on the bottom bunk and got ready to head to the beach. Before Jonathan and I left the room, we heard our parents greeting people once again. Didn't even hear the front door open.

"Oh the big kids are here." Erika crossed her arms with a bored tone. I could anticipate it now, her bugging them while they played cards and ignored her late at night.

Jonathan and I walked back out the hall to the main room. Instantly I saw my cousins Dan and Ashley hugging the parents. Lana followed, emerging from the bright light outside. Ashley turned to me first.

"Hey, Chris!" She looked directly at me with her green eyes. She was one of the taller ones, about 5'11, with long naturally curly brunette hair. She was slender but not skinny. She had played softball and ran track, hence her strong long toned legs. She wore frayed Jean shorts and a black tank top. She walked over with open arms and embraced me.

"Good to see you!" I said.

Next was Dan. Dan was probably the stud of the family. He stood not too much taller than I, about 6 foot but he had been physically active much longer than I. His swooshy "Justin Bieber" style brown hair flowed behind him. I didn't see him smile a lot but when he did, he exemplified a pleasant and collected attitude with it, the type you'd try to recreate in the mirror. I wouldn't admit that I copied it but my similarly styled and colored hair told otherwise. He wore a black O'Neill shirt and red lifeguard style shorts, not bothering to match.

"Hey boss," He said, giving me a typical bro hug with a touch of family love.

"Hey man." I hugged back.

Lana cheerfully smiled and laughed, welcoming all the overwhelming greetings including mine. Her eyes were bright brown, her nose was more pointed than round, and her lips were wide. She had an infectiously cute smile and personality. She somehow absorbed every bit of Italian in her lineage with darker skin and fuller cheeks. She had no qualms wandering within people's personal space and she talked mostly with her hands. People knew her as the touchy-feely type. She wore straight long black hair, her cutoff black tank top curved along her sides and turned into frayed Jean shorts.

Two more girls stepped in from the blinding light at the doorway. My cousins introduced them to my mom.

"Hi, I'm Kiara," said the first girl with a beaming smile revealing her pearly white teeth and cupid watermelon colored lips, not sure if my mom remembered her from before.

"Oh I remember! Long time ago!" My mom replied. "You and Chris were much younger."

Kiara's long curly auburn hair flowed nearly down to her waist falling onto black jeggings which outlined every feature of her toned thighs and calves. The sunlight fell upon her head painting it into a bright ruby color. She wore a tye-dye T-shirt. Her nose curved upward ever so slightly allowing you to see the full features of her warm bowed lips at all times. Her eyes were noticeably bright and blue.

Jess asserted herself immediately, walked forward and greeted my mom, "I'm Jess," she said wearing a stoic smile. She was more bold, initiative, and unreserved unlike Kiara Her dirty blonde hair was wrapped up in a ponytail by a black scrunchie. Her nose was symmetrically pointed, slightly bigger than Kiara's and complimented her bold characteristics. Her lips were fuller and bubblegum pink, very gifted proportions. She had gazing blue eyes. She reminded me of the typical popular girl that dudes in highschool would swarm after. She wore a grey tank top, showing a little cleavage and cashmere white shorts. So casual but it worked perfectly for her. Her fine details didn't require much scanning as they all came together quickly. I could see she might have stood nearly my height.

I looked back over at Kiara. She stared at me and I could now see her aquamarine eyes clearly. She caught me so I pursed my lips naturally looking away. Not a fan of staring or getting caught staring. As the adults began their typical talking phase, I pretended to be involved with what they were saying, really just staring at the carpet waiting for them to hurry up so we could head out. I couldn't focus on what they were saying and realized too late I was just staring blankly. Naturally I turned back to Kiara. She was still staring, side-eyed at me. I looked down at the ground, my eyes wandering on autopilot. Took a look at my Underarmour shorts and Quiksilver shirt. Did I have a stain or a hole? Was I standing awkwardly? My eyes made their way back towards her. She reverted almost instantly from the parents back to me, catching me again. Quick, have to break eye contact and see what happens.

I looked over at Jonathan.

(Say anything)

"So you wanna go to the beach?"

"Yeah." He one-worded me. He kicked his feet in boredom.

(Come on Jonathan, you're supposed to be my distraction.)

I could feel I was breathing deeper. Obviously he wanted nothing more than to just get on with the beach. I stepped aside toward the hallway to change into my swimshorts.

*****

When she stepped into the house, Kiara noticed the usual suspects. Mark, Renee, Lana, and the kids. Ashley invited Jess who most likely came because of Dan. Lana had invited her personally. She admitted Dan was cute but she wouldn't tell him personally as other girls probably told him that all the time.

But she had not seen Chris in years. He was a nice looking little boy when she'd last seen him. Now he had grown older so fast. After quickly recognizing most faces through the door, she spotted him standing in the hall. He wore athletic Underarmour shorts and a Quiksilver T-shirt that nicely fitted his body. His lean body allowed his biceps to peek out underneath his sleeves. His swooshy brown hair resembled Dan's, almost as if he were his identical little brother. Just under his pant legs you could see clearly defined quad muscles and calves.

Then his brown eyes met hers, lightened by the sun like pools of ripe honey. He had grown into such an attractive older boy. She noticed him look aside showing his concave nose and pursing thin lips that gave his youth away. The evening sunlight shone through the arch window and provided a perfect view. She looked back at the parents, still remaining in deep college discussions amongst the cousins and Jess. She'd rather wait to be asked instead of barging into the conversation. While Jess stole the attention of the conversation, she looked back at Chris to see the bright pools of honey gazing at her again. He turned to ask Jonathan a question, then darted around the hall providing a quick view of his defined calves and tight but generously padded curvy butt. She pursed her lips at the sight, tongue pressed lightly inside of her teeth.

"What about you, Kiara? Are you enjoying college?"

Her concentration broke at precisely the right time. "Yeah! It's going good. I recently just came back from the trip to New Zealand."

"Wow, which part? Did you have fun out there?" Chris's mom asked. Typical adult conversation.

Kiara smiled widely, "We were in Auckland. It was life changing. I definitely recommend going at least once."

She thought of that eye opening experience she took part of at a spirit festival in the middle of the trip. An encounter of a lifetime, harnessing the realization of importance that comes with forming and kindling connections with people on so many different pathways. She learned the significance of establishing a solid bond between the ones she may come to love and respect.

On a beach vacation with her friends and their family, why wouldn't she start here?

******

I changed out of my Underarmour shorts and put on these cool white nike AIR swim trunks I snagged at the store before we left. Looking in the mirror, I didn't take into account how tightly it condensed against my ass and accentuated the exact shape. Although it felt nice to know I had a robust figure, it's not the type of attention I live for.

As I walked down the hall, someone traveled the opposite direction. I looked and saw it was Kiara. She looked directly into my eyes, they were crystal blue. I saw her cupid lips curl up into a smile. My legs felt heavy then stopped. Before I could say anything, she had already spoke.

"Hey!" She greeted me pleasantly.

"Hi." I replied not breaking eye contact.

She seemed to step forward slightly but it could've just been me leaning.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time! How are you?"

The kindness in her voice helped break me out of my nervous trance. I could talk, however my mind probably still wouldn't let me say anything intelligent.

"Yeah! Everything is going good so far." This is usually the part where people hug and not stand awkwardly apart like I'm doing right now.

"Come here!" She outstretched her arms, "You're all grown up now!".

I accepted and threw my arms around her, embedding into her tye-dye shirt. She was surprisingly my height, about 5'10. I felt her soft skin while still tingling from my nervousness. "Yeah a long time ago I know!" I chuckled nervously. She held me for 2 solid seconds then dragged her hands off as we released. Awkward old me, greeting a family friend 20 minutes after seeing her, no big deal.

"Your mom said you've been playing baseball this season!"

"Oh yeah, both infield and outfield... I do all positions like 2nd base and I'm pretty good at batting and all that haha."

(Here we go, she's gonna think I'm an oddball just like everyone else. And you're not even looking at her, you're staring at the wall outlet in the hall. Good job Chris, you're weird.)

She giggled, showing her pearly whites behind her cupid smile.

"Are you glad you're going to be graduating?" She said much more pleasantly than at first.

"Yes, I couldn't wait to leave! Ready to go onto bigger and better things."

"Are you going to play in college?" She looked down and up.

"We'll see! I hope so but time will tell. I'd like to though." I said with a smile. "If not, I've got some other things in mind."

She admired his ambition. "Wonderful. Well it's good to see you again! You gonna be here the whole time?"

"Yes I will!"

"Good, it'll be fun!"

She began walking away.

"Are you?" I asked last minute.

She turned around surprised at first, her dark auburn hair swaying along, "Yes, I will." She walked out to join the big kids getting their things settled in.

****

Once Kiara organized her things in the designated room, she contemplated what to wear at the beach. She had brought three pairs of swimsuits, all of which would allow her body to catch a generous amount of sun.

"How's this look?" Jess asked pressing a white bowtop against her chest.

"Oh my Gosh! That looks so cute!" Ashley complimented. "Where did you get that?"

"These are Chanel," she said putting them down then bringing up a blue and white striped pair. "And these are banana republic."

Kiara was amazed. She didn't want to stroke Jess's ego any further since she likely had more coming from Dan or other men when they got to the beach. "I think for the first day you should pick those!"

"Oh cute!" Lana commented, already fueling Kiara's predictions. "Kiara where's that black halter bikini you showed me?" She gleefully asked.

"Here, this one fit so nicely. Thank you for going with me to get this" Kiara smiled back.

Lana leaned closer, "What about the sexy red and white-lined ones we got the day we went to Target?" She said quietly

Kiara picked them out from her travel case, "Here," she smiled presenting to her.

Ashley, immediately upon seeing how thin the strings were, interjected "Oooh that one will look sexy on you! Not while the kids are with us though."

Jess's eyes widened in approval. "Girl you can wear that whenever you want," she whispered.

"There are two young boys coming with us. She can find something less revealing." Ashley replied.

Lana raised her eyebrows in delight as if proud she picked one that received positive approval from all four girls.

"Let's just keep it simple for now," Kiara said as she stripped and put on the black halter top. The front had a cross design leaving less but still visible cleavage. She wore primarily C cups which displayed firmly in any top and fell naturally to the sides when bare. But while her chest was definitely eye-catching, it did not discount the sculpted curves along her thick thighs, waist, and butt. She pulled up the black bottoms which fit either way, modestly aside her hips or hiked up along the tops of her round buttocks.

She looked in the mirror making sure her red hair still kept her nicely natural curls. She ran her fingers through letting it fall onto her lower back. All of the girls looked at her, even Jess. Before she was done adjusting, Jess stood next to her smirking with her phone ready for a selfie. She already had her pose figured out but Kiara had to quickly adjust and smiled. The pictures were taken, Kiara thought she was out of place compared to Jess's near flawless body but she generously complimented her saying how she looked gorgeous and her curves were out of this world. Lana smiled at her through the mirror while Ashley took some selfies of her own tilting her head putting her dark brown curls on full display.

Despite Jess standing next to her, Kiara still felt good about her body. Modest and timid but currently had a healthy self esteem about herself. It could fleet if the other girls treated her badly like her previous friends in the past had done so harshly but this was a different time. She was over them and the trip to New Zealand helped her distance and separate from them altogether. Now she had a healthy group of friends she could enjoy her time with.

Unbeknownst to the family, Kiara had been involved with Lana for a while. She liked women but the right type of man could possess the chance of piquing her interest. Not that she would need one, but she pondered how exhilarating it would be. What about Dan? She'd always thought Dan was attractive, a fit open-minded (maybe?) young man. However he had already demonstrated his chemistry with Jess. Upon leaving for the beach, Dan offered to drive while Jess got to take the front seat allowing them to talk and laugh with each other the entire drive. She didn't bother even thinking about getting in between them whether they had a fire going or not. She had already been on the ugly receiving end of that result with previous now nonexistent friends, both intentional and unintentional, usually the latter.

Chris.... There was Chris. That handsome young boy had grown up into a young man. Judging by his demeanor, she could not tell if he had a girlfriend before or even kissed a girl. He had to by now, being as attractive as he was at this age, maybe been in a relationship or two. She thought of his flowy brown hair, his lean biceps, his wonderful lips and even his tight ass. Maybe he never found the right connection with another girl before. Still, even he made her a little nervous. She was drawn towards him, an unknown force that attracted her. And she could feel it from him too. The thought of him possibly opening up to her liberated her from the shackles of ego and meaningless stigma. She saw the way he looked at her, hoping to God he felt a similar attraction. The first step towards her attraction would be to get acclimated, get to know him better. Establish comfortability in himself to encourage the feeling of opening up.

Kiara took one last look, turning to inspect her glutes one more time. Her fair round cheeks showed a rosy tint and faintly reflected the bedroom lights. The negativity from high school drama lingered ever so slightly but she learned to embrace herself. No doubt in her mind, she had something to pride herself on, he would definitely notice. After all, why not have a little fun and probe him a bit?

****

"Ready?" Jonathan asked.

"Yep! Let's go!" I replied.

Both of us had donned our new swimsuits we picked up at Kohls. Surprisingly they sold some hidden gems that fit very well from time to time. I wore my Billabong shirt while he wore some lame logo shirt that said something cheesy like "Yeah buddy!". We walked out with towels in hand. Dan ran by to grab something from the car. The rest of the kids dilly-dallied around the living room until the big kids got ready.

"Did you bring the nerf ball?" I asked.

"Yeah I put it in dad's bag." He said.

"Lana, watch out!" Mackenzie innocently yelled pointing a water gun at the stairs.

"No, Mackenzie. I have a shirt on." She retorted.

I looked up at the stairs where the older cousins and friends were stampeding down. Lana was wearing jean shorts and a black cutoff shirt. Immediately I noticed Jess trailing behind her. But behind her, I saw bright skin moving between the banisters. Long auburn hair appeared catching the golden light from the window. It was Kiara, trotting down the stairs wearing a black cross halter bikini underneath a white V-neck and grey shorts. I watched her walk most of the way down.