Page 6 of Meet You in the Waves
Mum finally got up to organise dinner and I stepped out onto the deck with a cold beer to enjoy the last rays of the sun. I might have also been motivated by my need to pretend as though I hadn’t been listening in to every note Ajay had just sung.
But nobody else needed to know that.
Christmas morning. It was a low key affair in our house, kind of had been for years. Santa had stopped visiting after Dane had turned thirteen and we were generally a low key family anyway. Mum hadn’t even bothered putting up the Christmas tree this year. She didn’t want to have to deal with it when she returned from her three month cruise mid-March and I couldn’t fault her for that logic.
Yeah, I could have put the tree up myself but there was absolutely no joy in the task of taking it down all on my own. So it had stayed in the box in the attic this year. Such a festive family, us Tempe’s.
I hit the waves before the sun had fully skirted the horizon just as I did nearly every day of the year. The sky was an infinite study in blue and the waves had that silver mercury quality to them that hinted at the day to come.
This was my home out here on the waves and I loved it. I’d grown up surfing this break out the back of our house and it wasthe one thing that kept me rooted here in Esperance to my small town life. There was always that part of me that knew there was more out there, that the world was mine to explore.
But I also knew this was God’s own country and why would I ever want to leave perfection?
The numbers were down this morning, likely on account of the fact it was Christmas day but I had never let anything like that stop me from a morning surf. Not even a polar vortex straight off the Antarctic could keep me from my waves.
At least, that was until I spied a certain someone with a certain head of dark brown curls sitting on the sand, big brown eyes pinned on me as I waited out the next set. I gave him a little show, threw in a few aerials and tricks for good measure. It was what he’d come out here for after all but one more quick glance at him and all of a sudden I decided I’d had enough surfing for the morning.
I rode a wave into shore, scooping up my board and watching with great satisfaction as Ajay’s eyes dipped all the way down my body as I shook out the water from my hair. I was pleased to see Ajay in a pair of boardies but he had unfortunately worn a t-shirt over the top. I freely admit I wouldn’t mind a glimpse of what he was sporting underneath.
“Morning,” I said, big smile on my face as I planted my board in the soft sand and took a seat beside Ajay. His eyes followed my movement, snagging on my abs again before snapping up to my face.
“Morning,” he replied softly. “You’re really great out there.”
I gave a nonchalant shrug, no use for false modesty. “Been surfing that break since I could walk.”
“I could tell.”
“What about you?” I asked, leaning back on my elbows and turning towards Ajay. “You surf?”
“Not for ages,” he admitted. “I used to try and get out every once in a while but I haven’t been since I moved up to Sydney.”
“You should come out with me some time,” I offered. I was kind like that. Absolutely zero ulterior motives to see here.
“Oh I am very much still at beginner level,” Ajay chuffed a self-deprecating laugh. “I think I’d just embarrass myself if I tried.”
“Nah you wouldn’t,” I encouraged. “The ocean is for everyone. I can give you some tips if you like.”
“Really?” he asked, a sweetness and an innocence to his question that almost had me feeling guilty about my plans to corrupt him. Almost.
“Course. I have a couple of spare boards back up at the house you can borrow.”
“Well, yeah. I’d love that,” Ajay returned, a smile spreading across that impossibly gorgeous face. Oh, look at that. I might be in love.
“Good. Tomorrow morning then, first light,” I said, using the opportunity to nudge his shoulder with mine. “I’ll meet you in the waves.”
“Tomorrow morning.”
I managed to keep Ajay out on the sand for a little while longer, enjoying his smiles and big brown eyes, the ones that couldn’t help themselves from dipping to my abs. Dane was a notorious late sleeper so I knew I had Ajay’s full attention for the moment as we shared the rising sun.
He was quiet and kept things close to his chest but that was okay. One of my God-given talents was prying people wide open until we were lifelong best mates and I found myself looking forward to the challenge of seeing what made Ajay tick.
It was with a fair amount of reluctance that we eventually returned to the house and I parted ways with my new obsession. Our lowkey Christmas day was continuing back at the house,Dane staggering downstairs just in time for lunch. I’d been busy in the kitchen helping Mum with the preparations and batting away Ajay’s constant offers to help. I liked that he was aware though. Entitled people were one of my biggest turn offs.Aka Dane.
At the same time, there was something about that sweet boy that just made me want to do stuff for him like making sure the glass in his hand was always topped up and never empty.
Ajay insisted on setting the table and I indulged that whim of his while Mum and I set all the food out on the kitchen island. I loved cooking with my mum. It was one of those things we liked to do together and I was not too shabby in the kitchen after all these years as her sidekick.
The five of us sat around our dining table, the fancy one at that, wearing the stupid Christmas hats that Ajay had set out for us and enjoying the food and the ‘good wine’ that Dad had brought up from the cellar for the occasion. Ajay’s bright green hat squished down those curls of his and I had to force myself to look away as my hand itched to reach out and touch them. They looked so soft.
