Riding the Surfer (Straight to Gay in College #2)

1. Chapter 1

Mark just needed to get away from it all. Away from his family’s expectations. Away from the pressure to be what everyone else wanted him to be.

That was the point of the road trip. Just him and the bros. Off to the beach to catch some surf and chicks. A different kind of surf and turf. Both ending with getting wet.

They’d been planning it for months.

It was supposed to be the highlight of the summer.

So of fucking course his so-called friends had ghosted him.

The truth had trickled out through texts while he drove. The trip was “irresponsible.” They all had summer volunteer jobs or summer classes that they couldn’t miss. He was weak for needing a break.

As if finals hadn’t almost broken them this year.

As if they hadn’t spent weeks talking about how excited they were for the trip.

As if it had all been one giant fantasy for them.

He’d known he was the black sheep of the group. His attempts to fit in always fell a little flat. But to abandon him without a word?

Fuck them.

He didn’t need them.

The drive to the beach was long and lonely, but he’d return with enough stories to make them green with envy.

The plan was simple. Rent windsurfing gear. Show off his skills. Get his dick wet with as many chicks as he could.

He’d just… ignore the fact that he was used to impressing girls with his test scores, not his body. Like that time he’d memorized every bone in the body the fastest.

When he rocked up to the beach, no one knew who he was. There were no expectations of who ‘Mark’ was. He could be whoever he wanted to be. He didn’t need to be the dutiful son or the perfect student. He could go wild. Break all the rules…

Maybe being ghosted was a blessing in disguise.

He could rock his favourite tight, bright red swim shorts his friends had instantly labeled as too gay and not give a fuck.

***

Mark strode up to the rental hut where the beach met the parking lot with the confidence of someone who knew they were good at anything they put their mind to.

Lessons were for losers. He’d watched enough videos to know what to do.

He wasn’t going to rent one of the large beginner boards, but he would play it safe and get one of the medium ones. He wasn’t an idiot.

There was a group of hot girls in bikinis standing around the rental hut, chatting amongst themselves and enjoying the view. AKA the employee inside the hut with his back to them, tight ass and rippling back muscles on display.

Mark slid past them and cleared his throat. With authority. Couldn’t look weak in front of the girls. Had to make a good first impression if he wanted to get laid.

The man turned around and Mark’s eyes were assaulted by the hottest man he’d ever seen. “Hey there little bro! What can I hook you up with?” the bronze god said.

“Give me the best board you’ve got,” Mark said, the words bursting out without thought, chin in the air.

Little bro? Just who the fuck did this surf bro think he was?

Mark braced himself for the questions and interrogation of his skills. All pretty himbo jocks were assholes. Especially when there were girls watching.

“Sure thing, bro!” the man said without hesitation. “You picked a good day for it, there’s a strong westerly wind. I hope you have a blast!”

The shocking positivity took the wind right out of Mark’s sails.

“Oh. Thanks.”

Mark should have taken it as a sign. That he should back down and not get in over his head. But if getting ghosted by his bros hadn’t made him change course, then neither would this overly friendly man.

“Here, let me help you with that,” the man said after watching Mark struggle to carry the board and sail at once.

“I got it,” Mark snapped.

In Mark’s experience, offers to help weren’t genuine; they were about proving superiority. No one meant it seriously.

“No worries, bro!” said the ray of sunshine. “I know you do! Can’t wait to see you cutting it up out there.” The man leaned in to whisper, “I need an excuse to take a break, help a brother out?”

Except for this guy, apparently.

“As long as it’s because you’re bored.” Mark begrudgingly agreed.

“You here for the day?” the man asked, confidently setting out down the beach. Carrying the board and sail as if they weighed nothing.

“Nah, a week.”

“Fuck yeah! I teach the more advanced windsurfing lessons, so if you ever want to up your game, I’m your man! Just ask for Bodhi.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

But no thanks.

Mark had to look away. He instinctively wanted to hiss in the face of Bodhi’s sunny personality like a vampire. No way would he survive a day of lessons.

Mark wasn’t fooled. He knew Bodhi’s type. Jocks like Bodhi were always showing off their muscles to make up for their lack of smarts. Compensating much? And Bodhi’s muscles were massive.

Like… really massive.

The urge to reach out and touch them was real.

But that would mean encouraging Bodhi when Mark just wanted to be left alone. How was he supposed to shine and attract chicks with someone like Bodhi standing next to him?

“I love teaching,” Bodhi said. “So you’d be in good hands with me. Promise.”

Did Bodhi not read Mark’s ‘leave me alone and fuck off’ energy, or was he just too dense to notice?

Bodhi groaned obscenely as he stepped into the surf. “That hits the spot. Thanks for humoring me, bro.”

Damn straight. Mark didn’t need anyone.

“Mind if I chill here with you for a sec?” Bodhi continued. “Anything to delay going back there.”

Bodhi jerked a thumb at the girls loitering around the rental counter. Trying to help Bodhi get his dick wet, no doubt.

Which, good, that meant Mark’s plan had a chance to work. They were thirsty for windsurfers like him. He just wouldn’t think about how little muscle definition he had compared to Bodhi.

“Sure,” Mark said.

Bodhi and Mark were now up to their thighs. The gentle waves lapping against them and pushing them together while Bodhi set up the board for Mark.

“Here bro, up you get. Your so lucky with the wind, you can take off from here.”

Okay. Mark could do this. No room for self-doubt. He couldn’t back down. He’d look like an idiot who’d bitten off more than he could chew.

Which he was. But no one needed to know that.

“Thanks,” Mark said. “You don’t need to keep helping me. I don’t want to cockblock you from the girls.”

“Ugh, them,” Bodhi said with surprising feeling. “They’re not even here to windsurf, can you believe it?”

Yes. With a body like that, Mark could believe it one hundred percent.

“That’s rough buddy,” Mark said with zero sympathy.

The surf bro was drowning in chicks; he had nothing to complain about.

“Ha!” Bodhi barked a laugh. “You’d think so. But I’m here to windsurf! And honestly, nothing beats teaching someone the ropes. Seeing them go from zero to one hundred is the best feeling in the world. Now, no more stalling, up you get!”

With Bodhi holding the board steady, Mark climbed onto it. First onto his belly, then onto his knees. The sail sat flat in the water, ready for him to pull it up and catch the wind.

So far so good. Now came the hard part - standing up. Easy.

The board wobbled, even with Bodhi holding it steady.

“Been a while,” Mark said, feeling the sudden need to explain himself.

“I also teach refresher lessons. Like I said, if you want to up your game, I’m your guy!”

“…Maybe,” Mark conceded.

Bodhi was being so consistently genuine and nice. Mark couldn’t help but be drawn in.

Maybe Bodhi wouldn’t be judgmental. Maybe Bodhi wouldn’t turn learning into a competition. Even though in Mark’s experience, everything was a competition.

Ugh, what was he thinking? That was weak, loser talk. His friends had taught him better.

He didn’t need any help.

He’d do it all on his own or not at all.

He’d-

“Shit!” Mark cried.

The board slid out from under him, sending Mark flying backward.

And straight into Bodhi.

“Got you!” Bodhi said.

Strong, muscled arms enveloped Mark in a warm embrace, catching him bridal-style.

The silence that followed was incredibly awkward.

For the first time, Mark found himself desperately wishing Bodhi would say something. Anything. He braced himself for the laughter. The “I told you so”. All the things he’d come to expect from friends and family.

But Bodhi didn’t. He held Mark tighter. A firm and solid wall of muscle and warmth.

“So,” Bodhi said, chest rumbling against Mark. “About those refresher lessons?”

More time with the most relentlessly positive person Mark had ever met?

Ugh. Fine.