The Beach Brat

Chapter 2-2

It was rare Finn felt old in his job as a lifeguard. The beach was populated by families making sand castles, teenagers paddling in the surf and elderly people sat on deck chairs. There was a range of ages, and he snuggled nicely in the middle, not overly thinking about his twenty-seven years spent on the planet.

Out clubbing was a different story. Most of the people chatting and laughing were younger, and he was at the limit of the age range. Late twenty’s, but he immediately felt like his age doubled when he saw all the fresh faced men and women. They drank colorful drinks through straws and were dressed to flash flesh. The women walked on points, and the men were tanned and smooth.

“Still think you’re too showy?” Trent asked.

“No, but I’m starting to think my party life is over.”

Trent tipped his head back and barked a laugh. “Get over yourself.”

Finn took a slow sip of his beer. He had to make it last, had forgotten how much drinks cost in clubs. He sat in the corner off the room, as far away from the speakers and flashing lights as he could get. Each time he spoke to Trent, he had to lean over and shout until his lungs ached. Trent flinched, then got his revenge by shouting his reply to Finn’s ear. The lights, the noise, the stickiness, and the bottles rolling around the floor, there wasn’t one thing Finn missed about clubbing, and he had to keep reminding himself why he was there.

“Maybe you can seduce him with your awesome dance moves?”

Finn narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose. Standing on one spot, casually swaying wasn’t sexy, but it was all Finn could do.

“I’m not dancing tonight.”

Trent raised an eyebrow. “Saving all your energy for the bedroom.”

“I won’t get to the bedroom if he sees me dancing.”

Trent laughed, then took a sip of beer. “So how are you planning on seducing Brody?”

“By being myself.” Finn mumbled.

Trent bunched his lips together then nodded slowly.

“Yourself, but maybe a slightly more confident you.”

“I’ll just say hey and go from there.”

Trent raised his eyebrows, then leaned over the table. “Well he’s just walked in.”

Finn glanced over his shoulder. He barely recognized Brody with his clothes on. His white vest clung to his chest, and over the top he wore a sleeveless denim jacket. Round his neck was a cord necklace, with what looked like a shark tooth dangling down, and he wore three beaded bracelets on his wrist. He looked more like a surfer than when he was on his board riding the waves. Reece and Emily were either side of him, bobbing their heads even though they weren’t on the dance floor.

“You gunna go over?”

“He’s happy with his friends.”

Trent rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s either you go over there and try your luck, or you watch some other guy do it.”

Finn’s stomach fizzled with the imagined seduction of Brody. He couldn’t bear to sit and watch someone else chat him up and take him home. Finn scratched the back of his head, then stood up.

“Okay, Okay…” He grabbed his beer, knocked back the last mouthful, then hissed with refreshment. “I’m going.”

Trent leaned forward in his seat, and smacked Finn’s arse. “That’s my boy.”

Finn stilled, flashed a venomous look at Trent as he smirked, then headed across the room. He passed the dance floor, full of young men and women jumping in unison, and grimaced. Reece and Emily had moved on to the dance floor and appeared in flashes thanks to the strobe lighting. Finn spotted Reece waving his arms in the air, and Emily swaying side to side with her eyes closed.

Brody waited by the bar, and each step towards him increased Finn’s heart rate. He stopped behind Brody, swallowed away the tightness in his throat, then tapped his bare shoulder. Brody turned fast. His lips were spread in a smile, and his cheeks were rounded. As soon as he saw Finn his smile froze then dropped. It wasn’t the desired reaction, but Finn could practically hear Trent cheering him on and forced himself not to retreat.

Finn scratched the back of his neck to hide his shaking hand and grinned, but it wasn’t returned. Instead, Brody darted looks to the dancefloor where his friends bounced.

“We’ve seen each other around at the beach but never actually said hey to each other. So, hey.”

He certainly wasn’t smooth, and he didn’t turn to see if Trent was watching the awkward exchange. Brody’s cheeks grew red, and he looked pleadingly over Finn’s shoulder, as if begging someone to intervene.

“Hey…” Brody whispered to his shoes.

Finn opened his mouth to say something else, something smooth or confident, but nothing came out. He laughed awkwardly, then scrunched his brow.

They stood in silence for the longest ten seconds of Finn’s life, then Brody lifted his head, and briefly pointed to the dance floor. “So, I’m going over there…”

Finn frowned in confusion, then stumbled back as Brody brushed by. He turned and watched as Brody squeezed his way through the mash of people to get to his friends on the dance floor. He started bouncing to the music along with everyone else.

Finn had waited two years, and that had been the extent of their conversation.

He refused to rush back to the table with Trent and waited in the queue to buy a drink he didn’t want. When he walked across the room, with his unwanted beer in his hand, he didn’t glance at the dance floor once.

“So, that went well…” Trent muttered.

Finn shrugged. “Not in to me after all.”

Trent drew his eyebrows together, then shook his head. “Sorry, I was so sure…”

Finn waved the comment away and tapped the rim of his glass. He felt stupid but didn’t want to run from the club because of Brody’s rejection.

“Plenty more fish in the sea.” Finn mumbled.

Trent lifted his beer. “Exactly, get your rod out, and catch them.”

Finn offered a small smile, but he knew it didn’t look genuine. Then he raised his beer to his mouth, at least if he was drinking, he didn’t have to speak.