Page 28 of Boundaries

He comforted me as an adult does a child. There was nothing in it. I felt safe and warm as he held me against his chest.

The Present

And that was the first and last time Mason McKenna was ever nice to me.

After that, things were never the same. I’d rode Mabel so hard, the impact from that had made her lame and she had to be put to sleep three days later.

I would never forgive myself for that. And neither would Mason.

Mason had treated me like an adult does a naughty child. Back then I had never thought of him as a man, at least, not an attractive one. When did things suddenly change? Sometime before the kiss, I would say. I pushed the memory of that away as it did all sorts of crazy to my insides.

I thought about how Mason had been with me in the pub and that strange sexual pull. It had come from nowhere. My head was now full of questions with the main one being; when did our relationship become an adult one? It was like that age gap had suddenly been swallowed up.

Yes, he was attractive and a good kisser but allowing anything like that to develop was up there with me taking a bullet. Why on earth would I ever want to torture myself with the nightmare that was Mason McKenna? So, he was good-looking with a super fit body, but he had severe social issues and treated me like shit most of the time. Getting involved with him would be glutton for punishment stuff, surely? My head was a jumble. I was obviously starved of attention or something, maybe sexually frustrated and it was giving me messed-up signals.

I needed Alex to finish what Mason had started.

As I finished off at work and walked home, I texted Betty. I needed to party and maybe find some sexual release. I must be desperate if I was having those types of thoughts about a man who had always been my arch-enemy. Maybe I just needed to rid myself of my V-card and hand it to Alex. Get rid of the thing. All my friends had had sex and I was like the sad little virgin. I wasn’t saving myself or any of that sappy shit, I just hadn’t had the opportunity or encouragement. Alex was a bit of a square and the other boy I had dated had attempted to suffocate me with his tongue. A total turn-off.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I needed to partake in some experimentation and I had the perfect boyfriend to do that with. So far, we had only kissed, Alex hadn’t really tried anything else and although inexperienced myself, I knew enough. I was a strong, confident female and there was nothing wrong with making the first move. The kisses I had shared with Alex, were nothing like the one with Mason. His was more like a sensual attack.

Thoughts on what to wear started to circle my thoughts. I had to look my best and would go all-out flirt mode.

I was a Taylor-Joy, Alex wouldn’t be able to resist me. No man would.

*****

The day of the beach party arrived and I popped my head around Jenna’s door to ask if she wanted to go, but she wasn’t in her room. I wasn’t stupid, she was probably out with Nixon.

After what Mason had said in the pub, I’d decided to take a step back. Jenna was delicate, but she wasn’t a fool; once the novelty had worn off, Nixon’s selfish side would resurface. Their relationship was a ticking time bomb. It was just a matter of playing the waiting game. It would blow up again. That’s what happened when you put two people together that are wrong for each other.

I just hoped Jenna dealt with it better this time, but at the end of the day, if I needed to step in at some point. I would.

I’d chosen to wear my silver bikini, under a blue Levi denim skirt and a white tank top. It was my most daring and skimpiest piece of swimwear. But I needed to bring out the big guns if I was going to entice Alex. He hadn’t been the most passionate when we’d kissed, and I needed to encourage him to step it up a notch. I refused to compare him to the madness that was Mason’s mouth, and I didn’t mind taking control, but it would be nice if he met me halfway. Alex was probably just nervous and a virgin like me. Nothing like Mason, who had probably slept with most of the girls in the village.

The party was due to start at ten that morning. There would be volleyball and other games, the usual burger vans, and plenty of booze. I’d teethed a bottle of wine from our cellar and a couple of beers for Alex. He was driving and so wouldn’t be able to drink much.

We spoke about numerous subjects on the way over but mainly about his mother’s health, which was rapidly deteriorating. I decided that this was probably why he had been so withdrawn lately and I offered him a sympathetic ear.

Alex looked nice in beige chino shorts and a black tee. If he thought I looked good, he didn’t say anything. He also didn’t check out my legs which was a surprise, considering how short my skirt was, my thighs were almost on show.

I had pulled my long hair up into a ponytail and left my face free of makeup. I wouldn’t catch the sun if I was caked in it.

As we pulled up into the car park where the South Shore was, there were already a variety of cars parked and a few people in the process of unpacking camping chairs and iceboxes.

Climbing out of the Volvo, Alex and I walked toward the back of the car to collect our stuff from the boot. We had a camping chair each this time. Last year I’d sat on a blanket for most of the day and the next morning I couldn’t feel my arse. There was nothing worse than a numb bum.

The sun was strong on my skin and I cursed the fact that I’d forgotten my sun hat. I wasn’t overly pale but I didn’t do well in hot weather. Maybe I could fashion something from my tank top?

There was a definite party vibe in the air and I could hear music filtering up over the sand dunes that sat in front of the car park, blocking our view of the beach and the sea.

Seagulls screeched around us, like white dots against the bright blue sky and I could smell seaweed and salt from the ocean. The sound of the waves licking the sand in the distance was welcoming. The sun was fierce and I loved how it felt against my face.

Carrying our chairs, a spare blanket and a carrier bag of drinks, Alex and I made our way over the dunes, the sand was gritty and bled into my sandals and in between my toes.

As we passed over the peak of the last dune, the party revealed itself. This was usually a quiet part of the beach, but not today. Today, it was party time.

The tide wasn’t all the way out, but there was still a large area of beach which was covered with pockets of people. A volleyball match was in full flow and there was a handful of guys and girls in the sea, but most of the partygoers were sat in groups, drinking, and chatting.

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