Page 6 of Beach B!tch
3
Brinley
I dug deep into my closet and pulled out a sundress I hadn't worn in a couple of years. A deep purple, sleeveless t-shirt dress, it was a touch on the plain side. The only thing provocative about it was the skirt that only came down to mid-thigh. I was tall, okay. Even the longest of short dresses were almost indecent on me. But I thought back to Esa's text earlier this morning.
Esa:Don't take this the wrong way, but do you have a dress? If not, I'll have Bailey bring something home from work for you. Let me know!
The girl had a heart of gold, so I wasn't offended. It made me laugh. She knew me so well already. I had planned to wear a pair of jean shorts and a tank top and flip-flops. I would only stay at the party for a few minutes. No need to get fancy. But it was her party, and she'd asked me to wear a dress. A dress it was then...
I took a long, hot bath to ease my tired muscles. Several cups of Epsom salts went into the swirling water, in hopes they'd be little flakes of magic that would soothe my aches and pains. I'd been at the beach every day for weeks on end now, working on my plays, my timing, my jumping. Once I knew pro status was in my sites, I'd upped my workload to include not just the normal two, but now four times weekly gym workouts to work on my strength. There wasn't a lot of money in this game, especially when you weren't a pro yet, so I didn't have a trainer to help me put together a good program. I relied on my research, what I observed other players doing, and how I was playing in scrimmages.
That's another reason I was so strict about my diet and sleep schedule. Everything had to line up flawlessly to support my body's output. I was asking my body to do extreme things, so I needed to give it the basic materials it needed to stay on top of my game.
My friends on my high school volleyball team always teased me about how serious I was all the time. They even nicknamed me "Beach Bitch" because I was so ridiculously focused on making it big out on the sand court. I think they meant it as a friendly joke, but there was also some genuine nastiness behind their pet name based on the sneers on their faces when they said it.
I wasn't overly warm to people unless you got to know me, and I let no one get to know me back then. What was I to do? Invite them over to meet my alcoholic father so they could go home and gossip about what a loser he was, and by extension, what a loser I was? So, I let them call me Beach Bitch and kept my secret safe. It seemed a fair enough trade-off.
The problem came years later when I realized I had trained myself to keep people out, even though I didn't have a crazy father to hide anymore. I still wasn't super friendly, and that's why I was so surprised that Esa and Bailey looked beyond my awkward facade. I took this as a good sign. They wouldn't judge me as I awkwardly bulldozed my way into their social scene. That kindness being why I was spending copious amounts of time trying to get all fancy for Esa's party tonight.
I slipped on the purple dress, put on some silver sandals I rarely wore, and then coordinated with some silver bracelets, a necklace, and earrings. I let my straight hair air dry as I attempted makeup. I was ashamed to say I'd even watched a couple makeup tutorials on YouTube and still didn't have a clue what I was doing. The winged eyeliner everyone loved didn't seem like a good idea for my inexperienced hands, so I went for some powder, a swipe of blush, and dark mascara to make my eyelashes stand out. Nude lip gloss completed the natural look. I stepped back to assess myself and was pleasantly surprised to see an attractive young woman standing in my mirror. Not a sweaty athlete, or a scared little girl. Just a young woman going to a fun party with friends. It was a new, softer look for me, but it made me hopeful that tonight would go well.
Dean
I left my personal training job on Saturday afternoon in enough time to race home, shower, get dressed, and swing by the store for a housewarming gift for Esa & Ivan. I was running late as it had taken longer than anticipated to get Stefan's hair cut earlier this morning, making me late to all my client appointments. I hated being late, but sometimes that happened when you juggled as much as I did.
The local Target had a decent bottle of wine and I even found a frilly looking apron to give Ivan. Perfect. I meant it as a joke, but he'd probably do something gross with it, like wear it naked for Esa. I cringed at the mental image and hurried to the checkout to wipe that thought from my brain. It all got thrown in a gift bag and I made my way to their house.
Parking was crazy pretty much everywhere in HB so I took the first spot I found in their community, even though it was three or four blocks away. I parked behind a beat up looking old Honda that had three yellow and white striped volleyballs in the back seat. I wondered for a moment if that could be Brinley's car but decided against it. What were the odds she'd be at my friend's housewarming? I shook my head, laughing at myself for wanting to see her so badly. Now I was picturing random cars as hers.
It had been a couple of days since we'd had our exchange at the beach and even though I'd kept an eye out for her every time I drove by those nets; I hadn't seen her. I would have to step up my game and start asking around about her. Track her down. Make her talk to me.
I laughed out loud as I walked through the neighborhood. That didn't sound stalker-ish at all. Jesus, I needed to find another girl who didn't hate me on sight. Hell, maybe somebody at the party tonight.
As I reached their place, I didn't bother knocking on the front door. Judging by the music pumping out the open windows, nobody would hear it anyway. I went in, nodding my hellos to people I knew as I passed through the front entryway. I made it to the kitchen where I dropped off the gift bag and picked up a red solo cup. There was a keg in the corner, so I helped myself before diving back into the crowd and mingling. I was familiar with most of the guys there since most of them were lifeguards either in HB or Newport.
I had just finished my beer when I broke away from the group to find the downstairs bathroom. I walked down the hallway and tried the door handle of the closed door where I could have sworn the bathroom was. It was locked tight, so I leaned against the wall to wait my turn.
I was reaching into my back pocket for my phone when the door opened and a girl walked out, head down. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention and the noise from the party dimmed to a faint murmur. My vision tunneled, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and all I saw was Brinley, stepping by me to walk back down the hall. She hadn't even looked up, so I knew I'd have to stop her to get her to notice me.
I put a hand on her arm, took a step closer and muttered, "Brinley?" It hit me a split-second before her head lifted that she looked like she didn't want to be seen, with her shoulders hunched and her head down. It struck me as odd behavior for a gorgeous athlete like her.
Brinley's head snapped up and her eyes locked with mine. Those gorgeous, green eyes widened with shock as she turned her body toward me. I took advantage of her shock by sliding my fingers down her arm to hold her hand in mine, noticing how our fingers locked together like they were made for each other. She had more clothes on than the other two times I'd seen her, but she looked even hotter in a girly way. The long, tan legs with the short dress were creating all kinds of dirty scenarios in my head.
"Dean?" she whispered. I'd almost forgotten how adorable her voice sounded, especially now, whispering my name. My ego was strutting around, grinning like an idiot, knowing she remembered my name.
"I was hoping I'd run into you. Do you know Ivan and Esa?" I figured that was an innocent enough opening, plus it would help me figure out who else she knew and how I could find her in the future.
The shock of seeing me must have worn off since she straightened up her posture and pulled her hand away from mine. My hand felt cold and empty. "Yeah, I'm friends with Esa. You?" she answered, the frost back in her voice.
"I've worked with Ivan for awhile so we're good friends." I was feeling happier by the moment realizing that we'd have good reason to bump into each other based on our friend circle.
"That's nice." Brinley gave me a fake smile and then spun around, intent on ditching me right there in the hallway.
Damn, the girl walked fast with those long legs. I caught up with her, matching my stride with hers. Looked like we were heading to the kitchen. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. Neither of us acknowledged people as we passed, the tension increasing with each silent step.
"Hey, are you in a hurry? How about we get a drink in the kitchen?" Maybe some kindness, along with my biggest, most charming smile, would help defrost this beauty.
"Um, okay." She didn't look too impressed, or too excited, based on the frown marring her face, but I'd take any extra second I could with her. I steered her into the kitchen, one hand on her lower back, not willing to miss an opportunity to touch her. I felt her back muscles tightening at my touch. The ends of her long hair swayed against my hand with each step. I gritted my teeth to keep my hand from reaching up and gripping that hair with my fist. I wanted her undivided attention, but I knew for sure that would scare her away for good.
