Chapter 7 Rayna
Rayna
Staying in bed a little longer than I normally would, I hear Koby downstairs making breakfast. I really want to go down there. The last few days have been pleasant with Koby, but today I’m feeling a bit insecure and want to wallow a little.
I get this way every few months. Doc said it’s simply fluctuations in my hormones. Just perfect.
My phone lights up, and I have missed some messages.
Louie: letting me know he spoke with Micah, and she offered to head to South Australia to help out.
I love my teams across all the motorsports Infraction32 are a part of.
They are so supportive regardless of where their roles sit.
Perhaps because all our data across the sports are shared.
Everyone feels connected to the Infraction32 brand as a whole.
Jill: A hilarious morning text outlining her current struggle. Getting a teenage girl out of bed and off to school.
A message from Koby comes through as I am holding it, letting me know that breakfast is keeping warm in the oven. He has to head back to his house to meet up with Liam.
A sign of relief exits as I hear the door close downstairs.
Ripping the covers off myself to strip the bed.
I’m sticky and sweaty and get back into the shower to refresh myself.
Some weeks I’m fine, and can go about my day with no hot flushes, but the last twelve hours, hormones feel like they are all over the place.
Feeling somewhat human again, and with a morning to myself, I leave behind my robe and throw on loose shorts and a tank top, something I wouldn’t normally wear but a quick run to the laundry room off the kitchen should be okay.
Heading downstairs with my sheets I throw them into the combined washer/dryer in the laundry and then extract the warmed food from the oven.
As soon as I opened my bedroom door, I knew what he had cooked.
Bacon and scrambled eggs. I don’t know what he does with those eggs, but they are amazing.
My phone rings, and I answer it to Jill’s face outside on her lunchtime walk. New Zealand being a few hours ahead of Australia.
I devour the meal as I talk to her. She asks questions about Koby staying and how Louie is and if he is on track for arriving as planned.
I’ll need to speak with Louie in a few days to see if Micah’s help means he can get here before Christmas.
Then realise, Koby will be around at Christmas.
My mind starts doing mental gymnastics, madly making sure everyone has a room or the ability to share a room.
“Jill, do you mind staying in my bedroom with me now that Koby is here? He’s taken the room you and Teddy were going to have. I’ll have to see if he has any Christmas plans. And if Aria was going to be with him or Courtney.”
“I’m fine staying with you, and Teddy can bunk with Declan to give up another room and I’m sure Marla would be happy to share with Aria. Yay! Sister sleepover!”
“Haha, love it! Okay, thanks for understanding.”
“No problem at all! I better go. Chat soon!”
“Bye!” I return and end the call.
The front door opens unexpectedly earlier than anticipated, and Koby walks in.
“Morning!” he greets after a delay, pausing after seeing me.
I freeze momentarily, forgetting I only have on a pair of shorts and a tank top, expecting to have just put the laundry on and run back upstairs to put more clothes on.
Not expecting him to be around. I must look awful for him to pause and collect himself.
“Morning.” I try to cover myself with my arms, but it’s no good. “I’ll just run up and grab my robe.”
Standing to leave, Koby clears his throat. “Don’t be silly. It’s hot. You don’t need a robe on. Be comfortable.”
I feel anything but comfortable, but I slowly sit back down. “You’re back early?” Trying to shake off the awkward moment.
“Yeah.” He pauses again but recollects himself. “Yeah, I was on my way there, but Liam called and said he got called out for an emergency, so asked if we could reschedule for tomorrow morning. Enjoy breakfast?”
“It was wonderful. Thank you.”
He picks up my empty plate, and takes it to the sink to rinse and stack into the dishwasher.
“I’m heading to the beach. Want to head out with me?” Drying his hands with the tea towel.
Here comes the panic. I’ve not been in swimmers in front of anyone in years. I school my face and think I have caught myself in time.
“It’ll be like old times. You can sit on the beach, and make sure I return to shore.
” He folds his thick arms across his chest, leaning his back against the counter, and my lungs don’t work.
I’m staring, but to be fair, his arms have the floor, and, fuck me, they are saying so much.
Promising me a fucking good time being thrown around, pinned under, pinning me against him. Yes, yes. That sounds good.
“Awesome. Take off now?” Koby breaks my stare-off with his biceps, and I realise my head is nodding.
“Sure.,” I mutter, standing and making my way to my room in a daze.
Throwing on a casual but covering dress I deem suitable for the beach, I prepare myself for a hot viewing on the sand. At least I can palm off any hot flushes on the Summer sun.
Koby steps out of his side of the landing in black boardshorts and a red t-shirt, a waterproof wetsuit bag slung over his shoulder, and throws a smile over at me before heading down the stairs.
Exhaling, I recompose myself and follow suit.
The day is spectacular. For the time of the year and school holidays have not started yet, it’s still quite busy out on the streets.
We decide to drive to a beach that has better parking and a better chance of getting a spot on the sand.
Gathering bags from the boot, the sun is already beating unrelentingly down on us, and we’ve been in it for mere minutes.
I throw on a wide brim hat to protect my face and am grateful I lathered sunscreen on myself before we left, but I can always reapply.
Koby emits a loud and long exhale. “Didn’t happen to bring some sunscreen with, did you? I forgot.”
“I have sunscreen pretty much throughout the entire house, and you still forgot to apply?” I crook a hand on my hip with a head tilt for good measure.
“Some things never change, hey?”
He’s referring to when we used to go to the beach throughout uni days and yes, he would never bring sunscreen, and then ask me to apply mine to his back.
“What would you do without me?”
“Burn to a crisp.”
“Evidently.” I roll my eyes at him and turn to face the direction of the beach. “Old spot?”
His hand reaches for the tote bag over my shoulder and removes it. Placing it on his shoulder along with his bag. Something he used to always do.
“Lead the way, Raven.” He playfully smiles in my direction, using the nickname he gave me the first time we met.
A flutter surges at my old nickname on his tongue. It’s been part of our gentle ribbing for the last twenty years, and it feels nice to fall so easily back into old, comfortable habits.
Convincing my legs to move, I negotiate the first step towards our old spot on the sand, which is a short walk from where the car is parked. Fortunately, our spot is to the right of the surf lifesaving flags.
“Nice and calm today,” Koby remarks as he removes my bag from his shoulder and opens it up for me to pull my towel out.
Enduring a struggle with the wind that is strong enough to flap it around as I wrestle it to the ground and sitting on it to keep it put.
Koby pulls out the sunscreen out of my bag before placing it on the towel next to me, then plops his own bag straight on the sand next to me, pulling his t-shirt off and throwing it on top of said bag.
Sitting down here, watching him spread the cream down his tattooed arms, across the firm lines of his body, I’m mesmerised and grateful my hat and sunglasses hide my gawking.
The glimmering sparks of the ocean behind him not helping this view framing him so spectacularly.
Kneeling down next to me, he waves my sunscreen tube around. “Do you mind?”
Unable to muster any words, I nod and outstretch my hand for him to hand the tube over.
He turns away from me, and I squirt the thick, white liquid into my hand, placing the tube in my lap.
Twisting a little more towards him, I rub my hands together and place them onto his upper back, spreading the liquid across, then down.
Applying firm pressure against muscles that spring back at my touch.
His skin is smooth aside from several incision scars peppered across his left shoulder.
Multiple surgeries after his crash on track when he was eighteen.
How does he have muscles like this at our age?
I’m rubbing in the sunscreen probably a little too long when I realised I have nothing left on my hands, and promptly take them off his skin.
“All set.” I fuss with the sunscreen tube that has leaked a few dots on my legs and rub them in.
“Thanks. Sure you aren’t coming in?” He presses.
“Mmm-hmm.” Still focusing on my lap, and rubbing in the now non-existent cream.
“Okay, but I’ll be back to drag you in. Gotta have a dip and get that salt water on your skin.” And he takes off towards the water.
I watch him run into the water with carefree enthusiasm.
Water splashing around his legs as he makes contact, flicking up to sprinkle salt water on his back and shoulders.
He halts suddenly as two children run in front of him.
One on a boogie board and the other pulling them across the water.
They stop and say something to Koby. He replies, they laugh and run off.
He shakes his head and continues into the ocean until he is submerged mid-torso.
A small wave rolls in and breaks a few metres in front of him.
He ducks under it as it passes, returning to the surface, shaking his head and then running his hand through his hair.
It does look quite refreshing. He dives under some more waves until some bigger ones roll in.
He moves with the waves, body surfing back to the shore then walking back out for the next thirty minutes, and it’s my own private show until he heads back towards me.
Enough time for me to regain a normal breathing pattern.
Water dripped down his body. Glistening droplets falling as he approaches me. I keep my head down, watching the water collect and pool on the sand. “Okay, come on in. It’s beautiful in there. You’ll feel great.” He encourages, raising a wet hand down to me.
I open my mouth to protest, but he shakes his head, sending droplets down on me. “No, no. We’re not leaving here until you’ve headed in. Even just for a few minutes. It’ll help you cool down.”
Knowing he won’t leave this alone, I roll my eyes and put my warm hand in his water-cooled palm for him to help me up.
He pulls my arm up a little too high, and I trip forward into him.
My hand still in his, as my other hand presses against his stomach.
His firm torso under my fingertips and I ache to move them around.
Trace the water drops through the deep ridges from every angle across his stomach.
Dig my nails into his chest, drag them down as my tongue trails across his abs, biting down on the sides of his hip.
“Ready?” he asks. My hand was still in his, hovering over his shoulder.
“Yup,” I say, slipping my hand out of his and step back. Putting some distance between us while I remove my dress.
We walk towards the shimmering ocean in silence. Swimmers and splashers have thinned out and are sunning or playing on the sand. The moment my feet hit the water, I'm instantly cool. The salt water spattered around my legs as I walked further in. Hiding myself in the water.
“Hey! How far you going in?” I hear Koby behind me.
I stop, the water hitting my midsection. Guess I did walk in a bit deeper than intended. Koby stops next to me as we both face out towards the ocean. He’s taller than me, so more of his damn torso is staying out of the water.
Distracted by my side-eyeing his body, I’m taken by surprise.
A large wave incoming. Missing a jump with the wave, it barrels over me.
However, instead of getting pulled further under, I feel Koby’s hand wrap around my bicep, and pull me out of the water.
Once I break the water and the air hits my face, I gasp and open my eyes.
“You okay?” Koby asks. Both of his hands, squeezing my arms, looking into my face. His sturdy shoulders beneath my palms. My body against his. The water running between us. “Rayna?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“I’ll just move us to the shallower water.” As he moves us a metre or so closer towards the shore. I know we are in the water, but it’s a nice feeling to be picked up and moved around.
As soon as my feet are back on the sandy bank, I let go of Koby and back away from him. Staring out towards the ocean, no side-eyeing him. “Thanks,” I rush out.
“Too much on your mind?”
“Something like that,” I mutter.
We bob in the water over a few waves.
“Anything you want to chat about?”
Argh, no. You’re the one person I can’t talk to about this.
“I just want to enjoy the water.”
“Told you it’s great in here.” He smiles, and it almost ends me.
“You’re right. It’s perfect.”