The Worst Summer Fling

”And summer is the worst time possible
To fall in love

Oh the sound of the
Breaking waves
And the darker skin
And brighter eyes

Oh if you fall in love in summer
There’s no remedy

And your blond hair
And blinding blue eyes
Is there even a way this could’ve gone right?

And that surfer look
And wild eye gaze
Was there ever a good ending for us?

We only exist in the summer
As we taste the salty air when we lick our lips
Or the burning pavement
That we walk on with bare feet
And the dazzling ocean water
Cooling down our skin

But that summer gaze on you, babe
You were the worst summer fling”

***

To be honest, I never really liked the summer.
I’m just more of a winter guy, you know? I prefer the cold. And I get easily sunburned, too.

It was my first time in California. When I entered the city, it was just like in the movies. It had nothing in common with London, I thought. I couldn’t see a drop of rain anywhere.

My family was wealthy, so our summer house was more than comfortable. It had a beautiful view to the ocean.

The first thing I did after packing out my stuff, was going to the beach. Although I really didn’t like the warmth, I did like to read a good book with a nice view.

Thor, my older brother, was all the opposite. He loved the summer, the water, the sand. He was so exited to finally leave the rainy weather and opt for a warmer climate.

At the beach, they were a large amount of people. But it also was a large beach, so I picked myself a quiet place to lie and read. I could still hear the laughs and the voices for afar, but that didn’t bother me.

Time passed, and from moment to moment I lifted my gaze to admire the view. People were there too, but that just complemented the landscape.

A little girl, holding hands with who seemed to be her dad, scared of entering the ocean.
An older man, putting sun screen to his wife’s back.
A blond guy riding the waves, passionatly.

I didn’t like summer, but the beach was a special place.

I continued reading, and the people continued being a part of the landscape.

***

The day after, I walked around the town.
My parents were busy working, even though it was vacation. But I was used to it.

Thor had met some friends in the first day already, but that didn’t surprise me. He lived for the party and for the social life. Thor invited me to come and hang out with him and his new friends, but I would rather explore the city.

The small town I was a very hilly land, so I was either waking down a very steep way or walking it up. And the houses- unlike other places in the US- were not as tall as skyscrapers and looked more similar to village homes. I personally liked that better.

It was so different from London, because everywhere I looked I saw a part of the ocean. It was beautiful, even if I didn’t like summer.

I walked through a shop and looked at myself in the glazier.
I had a sleeveless blue shirt on and I wore the necklace that Thor gave me before coming to California. I didn’t particularly like it, but Thor said it looked good with my shirt.
My dark blonde curls were a mess, so I tried to fix them with my fingers.
Then I noticed the shopkeeper looking at me and the blood rushed to my cheeks.

I awkwardly smiled at her and kept going.

It was about morning when I was walking around. Even so, I felt the sun burn my skin.

I damned myself, as I had forgotten my sun screen back in London.
I saw a little store at the edge of the street and decided to drop by to buy a bottle of sun screen.

As I walked in, I felt my skin cool down. I did love the feeling of entering a place with air conditioning, after walking around in a hot place.

I looked for the sun protection section and searched the bottle for a while, and I winced when I heard a loud noice behind me.

I quickly turned around and saw a blond guy, kneeling on the floor and trying to pick up a lot of cereal boxes that had fallen from the shelf.

He had a sort of vest, so I assumed he was one of the employees.
He managed to lift all the boxes and put them back on the shelf.
“Hope boss didn’t see that… heh” I heard him saying to himself.

I turned around again and grabbed my sunscreen. Then, I went and paid.

***

That evening, I went to the beach again. This time with my brother and his friends, but I kept a bit of distance.

“Yo, don’t wanna come with us?” asked one of the boys. I just shook my head and made a sign to the book I was reading. Thor just rolled his eyes with a smile and ran to the water.

I hid my gaze behind my book. But again, it was nice to admire the view some times.

I looked around with my sunglasses on and found interesting situations.

There was a young couple hanging out in the sea, the man hugged her from behind.
Or a dog running wildly inside the water and jumping playfully with his owner.

Then, I saw a surfer. He had blond hair and he rode the waves as if he was born for it.

I then realized, he looked quite similar to the employee from the store. He was, in fact, him.

I followed him with my eyes as he left the water and walked heavily on the sand, holding his board with one arm.
It was around 7 in the afternoon, so he probably had just finished his shift and decided to meet the waves.

I saw him walking towards a group of young people and he started chatting with them.

It was a small town, so I might just see some of this people again.

***

Later that evening, my family and I went to a restaurant to have dinner. It was called “il Cielo” and that meant “the sky” in Italian. I think. I wasn’t that good in Italian, because I rather studied French. It was more of an elegant language.

“So, Loki, have you made any friends yet? Thor has got a whole friend group, you know” my father, Odin, said while we were waiting for the food.

I looked at him silently. “No, father. I find these Americans… rather different from us. Don’t you think, Thor?”

Thor was chewing the bread that was served before the food and shook his head. “Not at all, brother. They’re very fun to be with. I don’t know why you stick your head inside your books instead of hanging out with us”

I rolled my eyes and took a piece of bread, too.

“Darling, I’m sure you’ll find someone to spend the holidays with.” my mother told me, with her loving voice and I smiled at her.

“Oh, I think Thor already found someone” I joked ironically. “That girl, Jane, I’m sure you’ll have more than fun with her” I mocked him and I then I felt a poke on my side.

“She’s one special American” said Thor, half way smiling, so I rolled my eyes.

***

The next day I went to the beach, again.
Thor didn’t come with me, as he was hanging out with “his friends” but I knew that meant he was with that one American girl.

I smiled at the thought, even though I knew it wouldn’t last because the summer holidays weren’t forever. I just hoped he wouldn’t fall for her, or someone could get very hurt.

This day I felt more like going in the water.
As I arrived to the beach, I left my beach towel somewhere near the coast, I took of my shirt and jumped in the water. It felt refreshing.

I swam a little bit, but I watched my things to be sure no one would steal them.

As I looked around, everything was covered in beautiful sunshine. It was around 5 o’clock, so the sun wasn’t too strong nor too weak.

At the beach, there were as many people as yesterday. I watched the scene and I couldn’t help but find it beautiful once again.

Then, I saw him. This time that blond surfer had neither a board under his arm, nor a vest around his chest.
He was resting shirtless on a lounge chair. There were some people around him, who seemed to be his friends. They were playing some sort of card game, but the surfer wasn’t involved.

Suddenly, he looked back. I was just floating in the water, and we were making eye contact.
I didn’t look away, because he was pretty far from where I was and I just assumed he was looking at something else.
He looked away once again. I walked out of the water and shook my head to shake the water out of my hair. I took my things and brought them to another place, not too far from the crowd but still enough to have my peace and quiet to read.

My hands felt strange as I held my book, because they were impregnated with the salty water. But I lied down on my stomach and felt peaceful as I started to read.

***

"Hey! Have I seen you here before?"

I quickly looked up from my book. I was so concentrated in my lecture that I didn’t see that person coming.

Approaching me was that young man with blonde hair and blue shorts. It was him, the surfer. I paralyzed for a second. 
His gait held an unusual confidence I hadn't seen before.

"Excuse me?" I replied. I did hear what he said, but him spontaneously talking to me took me off guard.

"Oh, sorry- You were reading!" he switched from confidence to a somewhat bashful yet friendly demeanor.
"I've noticed you here quite often! It's odd we haven't met yet," he said, taking a seat beside me. "I'm Mobius."

Behind my sunglasses, I observed him for a moment before glancing at the hand he extended. Mobius, huh? The surfer, Mobius.

"I'm Loki, a pleasure to meet you," I replied, reciprocating the handshake.

He seemed pleasantly surprised at my name. "Loki, huh? That's not something you hear every day in California," he quipped confidently. "Guessing you're not from around here?"

"No, just here for the holidays." What was so special about my name?

"Holidays, huh? Do ya work or still in school, kid?"

I hadn't noticed until then, but he seemed older than I initially thought. He was more of a man than a boy.

"Neither. I'm homeschooled and don't need to work," I stated. I was a wealthy kid, after all.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ah, I see. Still in school, though. How old are you, Loki?"

His fast questioning made me pause. Was I under investigation? He seemed peculiar, perhaps just too American.

"Oh- sorry again. Didn't mean to make ya uncomfortable, really. I just like chatting with new folks, y'know?" he said. "I'll tell you a bit about myself, aight? I love surfing in the summer. I've been working at the store to save up for a new surfboard. You gotta see it, it's insane!"

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he rattled on. He was, in fact, the man from the store. He looked quiet different now, because his vest was gone and his hair was messy and wet.

"So, how old are you?" I finally asked, my first question directed at Mobius.

I wasn't very talkative with strangers, but with time, I tended to open up. I was a bit of a chatterbox once I got closer to someone, though opportunities for that were rare. Well, you can’t expect much from a golden-locked, lonely, rich boy.

He grinned at my query. "Turning twenty-four next weekend! We're throwing a beach party. You should drop by!"

I smiled quietly. He was almost 24.
"I turned 18 last winter. Wasn't much of a celebration, but I did get a new car," I shared.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, a new car! That's cool. If I'm lucky, I'll get a sip of some good quality beer!"

I pursed my lips, forming a small smile.

"Hey, man, we gotta head out!" I heard someone calling behind Mobius. 
Presumably, it was his friend.

Mobius turned towards the voice and gestured with his hand. "Sorry, buddy, gotta go. Promised to help my friend fix his bike," he said, rising to his feet. He playfully nudged my shoulder before departing, and a salty drop from his hair fell on my nose.
"See ya ’round, Loki!"

I watched him leave the beach, hopping onto a motorcycle with his friend.

Glancing back at my book, I resumed reading, content in my solitude.

***

“Loki, could you please go buy some milk?” my mother asked while I was watching TV on the couch. I looked at her over my shoulder.

“Why can’t Thor go?” I answered, grumbling.

“Thor is spending time with Jane, remember? Besides, you know the city better than we do now.”

I rolled my eyes but still kissed her cheek before grabbing some money and leaving the house.

In the way to the store I thought about Thor and Jane. What would happen if Thor really fell in love with her? He couldn’t leave London, he had a stable job and lots of friends there.
Well, he was 26, so he could easily restart somewhere new. But my parents would miss him.
Alright, I would miss him too. He was my big brother, after all.

What if he got hurt? It wasn’t his first girlfriend, not at all, but I didn’t know how American girls functioned. Were they heartless? I hoped not.

I arrived to the store and looked at the shiny letters on the front.
“the Cali Waves” was it called. Apparently, surfing was very common in this city.

It was the same store where I bought the sunscreen, so I knew my way around. I walked through the shelves and easily found the milk.

As I went to pay, there were no people at all.
Not even the checker was there.
It was just 7 in the morning, but I still expected someone working here.

I turned around to look for some workers, as I heard my name behind me.

“Loki, buddy!” someone called, with that loose and pleased voice I heard just the other day.
“You’re an early bird, aren’t ya?”

I turned around and saw that blond surfer, with his employee vest and a coffee mug in his hand.

“I see you’re one too” I joked. Mobius laughed.

He shook his head playfully. “Not at all, friend. I’d be sleeping on my bed ‘till lunch time if it weren’t for that surf board, can’t miss any of the extra hours” he laughed. “So, you wanna pay for that milk?”

I walked to the cashier and let him scan the box of milk in silence.

“$4.85, please” he said and I paid him. “Thanks, buddy”

“Of course. Keep the change.” I answered.

He smiled thankfully “So, you’re busy tonight?”

I looked up at him. I was in vacation, so I could do whatever.
“Not at all. Why?” I asked him curiously.

“Well, we’re throwing a party for my birthday! Remember? If you wanna drop by, we’re gonna hang out at the beach at 10 tonight. Wait, here’s my number if you wanna know anything else” he took one little post-it that was lying on his desk and quickly wrote his number on it, then gave it to me.

I took the paper carefully between two fingers and looked at it, then at him.
“Of course. I’ll text you.” I told him, not sure of what I had to say.

He stretched his lips forming a wide but crooked smile and showed all his glowing white teeth.

I’ve seen that smile in the movies before. Typical, charismatic American smile.
And he was a typical, classically attractive American surfer. Blond and everything.

“Looking forward to see ya there” he said, winked at me and turned around to keep working.

My gaze got stuck on him for a moment before leaving, and then I went back home. With the little paper held tight in my fist.