12-01-2015, 12:03 AM
August, 2005 - Age 15
Montrose Beach is crowded today. Ian and I managed to snag a space, but it’s hard to relax with all these shrieking kids around. We just came back from the water and my legs are covered in sand. I keep trying to brush them off, but then it just sticks to my hands. Ian is stretched out on his towel with one arm over his eyes like he’s trying to block out the sun. Normally he’s the first person to complain when the beach is crowded, but today he’s just… I don’t know. Chill. He didn’t talk much on the way over.
Beads of water are drying on his skin. I feel like maybe I shouldn’t stare at his chest, but it’s hard not to.
One of the kids next to us drops his ice cream bar in the sand and just leaves it there. Melting.
I think Ian might be asleep. Out of curiosity, I lean over and slide my finger over the stripe of hair on his armpit. He gives this little jolt and smacks my hand away, blinking.
“Dude, do not try to tickle me right now.”
“Sorry.” I grin down at him, but I’m not actually sorry. He looks up at me like he’s just noticed something and gives this little laugh.
“How are you already sunburned?”
“Huh?” I glance at my shoulder and realize he’s right – it is pretty red. “Oh shit.”
“That’s going to hurt later.”
I frown. It’s already starting to hurt. “How are you not sunburned?”
“Because I’m not a pale person from the land of Caucasia.”
We both kind of laugh at that. When Ian looks away, he still has this lingering smile. He stretches like a cat, arching his spine and giving this little sigh. When he doesn’t say anything for a while, I ask, “What’s up with you today?”
He just looks at me, smiles again and bites his lip. I raise my eyebrows but he still doesn’t answer. Finally he just covers his eyes like he’s embarrassed and turns away from me. “I made out with Naomi yesterday.”
Oh.
I feel kind of sick all of a sudden. The smell of that kid’s ice cream is making me nauseous.
“Oh.” I should say something else, but I don’t know what to say. “That’s cool, I guess.” He turns back and looks at me, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
“Yeah. It was really cool, actually.” He sits up and rests his arms on his knees. “We drove up to Madison with her mom and saw her grandparents - which was less boring than I thought it would be. Then Naomi and I took a walk in the arboretum. It was so fucking pretty there. I should’ve taken pictures.” He shoots a look at me and gets suddenly quiet.
I think the sun is giving me a headache. “I was there once, I think. When I was like… five or six.”
“You should go back. Maybe we can go some time.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
I look away and watch some of the kids playing in the waves. Ian doesn’t say anything for a while, then gets up and shakes out his towel. “Let’s get out of here.”
We don’t say much to each other on the way home.
Montrose Beach is crowded today. Ian and I managed to snag a space, but it’s hard to relax with all these shrieking kids around. We just came back from the water and my legs are covered in sand. I keep trying to brush them off, but then it just sticks to my hands. Ian is stretched out on his towel with one arm over his eyes like he’s trying to block out the sun. Normally he’s the first person to complain when the beach is crowded, but today he’s just… I don’t know. Chill. He didn’t talk much on the way over.
Beads of water are drying on his skin. I feel like maybe I shouldn’t stare at his chest, but it’s hard not to.
One of the kids next to us drops his ice cream bar in the sand and just leaves it there. Melting.
I think Ian might be asleep. Out of curiosity, I lean over and slide my finger over the stripe of hair on his armpit. He gives this little jolt and smacks my hand away, blinking.
“Dude, do not try to tickle me right now.”
“Sorry.” I grin down at him, but I’m not actually sorry. He looks up at me like he’s just noticed something and gives this little laugh.
“How are you already sunburned?”
“Huh?” I glance at my shoulder and realize he’s right – it is pretty red. “Oh shit.”
“That’s going to hurt later.”
I frown. It’s already starting to hurt. “How are you not sunburned?”
“Because I’m not a pale person from the land of Caucasia.”
We both kind of laugh at that. When Ian looks away, he still has this lingering smile. He stretches like a cat, arching his spine and giving this little sigh. When he doesn’t say anything for a while, I ask, “What’s up with you today?”
He just looks at me, smiles again and bites his lip. I raise my eyebrows but he still doesn’t answer. Finally he just covers his eyes like he’s embarrassed and turns away from me. “I made out with Naomi yesterday.”
Oh.
I feel kind of sick all of a sudden. The smell of that kid’s ice cream is making me nauseous.
“Oh.” I should say something else, but I don’t know what to say. “That’s cool, I guess.” He turns back and looks at me, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
“Yeah. It was really cool, actually.” He sits up and rests his arms on his knees. “We drove up to Madison with her mom and saw her grandparents - which was less boring than I thought it would be. Then Naomi and I took a walk in the arboretum. It was so fucking pretty there. I should’ve taken pictures.” He shoots a look at me and gets suddenly quiet.
I think the sun is giving me a headache. “I was there once, I think. When I was like… five or six.”
“You should go back. Maybe we can go some time.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
I look away and watch some of the kids playing in the waves. Ian doesn’t say anything for a while, then gets up and shakes out his towel. “Let’s get out of here.”
We don’t say much to each other on the way home.