Chinese Eyes

Jeez, I'd done my best to be a complete bitch and she was smiling. What the heck did I have to frigging do to annoy her? Ohhhhhh yeah, this should work. "Sure Mom, and hey, wow, there's a plunge pool out there on the terrace..."

"It's lovely isn't it, Charlie."

"Yeah, it is. I'm gonna try it out." One heart attack, over easy, coming right up.

"Get yourself unpacked first, Charlie, and we can go get dinner later. That was a long flight."

"Yeah." I kind of yawned coz it had been.

I did unpack, at least until I found my new bikini, the tiny one from Victoria's Secret and I slipped it on and I was out and in that plunge pool and it was so nice. "Coming in Mom?"

I half stood up, waving so she could see how tiny that bikini was coz that was sure to get her going. She was still on her phone, looking a bit distracted, talking the way she usually talked. With animation. A great deal of. When she poked her head out, all she said was, "Charlie, that bikini's a little revealing isn't it? Do you have something a bit more conservative for the beach?"

Wasted effort, I guess. Bloody hell.

"Yeah, I do," I said, deflating. But I wouldn't be seen dead in it. Especially not here coz winter or not, driving in, I'd seen some bikinis that made the one I was wearing look totally conservative even if it was maybe not as hot as I thought it would be. Not that I thought my Mom would agree, but then she hadn't even blinked at the one I was wearing. Jeez.

I guess I'd have to go shopping. Get something a little more radical. Something guaranteed to blow Mom's mind.

"Gidday." I kind of looked up from the brunch menu in this café right down on the beachfront where I could look at the sea and this Chinese girl was standing next to my table looking down at me.

"Hi?" I said.

"Mind if I join 'ya?" she said. "If I sit by meself one of those dudes is gonna try and feed me a line." You could cut that accent with a knife. Must be Australian-Chinese.

"Yeah, go for it," I said. "I'm Charlie."

"Tiff," she said. "That's Tiffany. You from the States?"

"Yeah," I said. "You can tell, huh? Came over with my Mom, got in yesterday. You from round here?"

"Melbs," she said. "Up here for a few weeks with some friends. They're off surfing. Me, I was feeling lazy 'n looking for some tucker but those dudes over there, they just won't give up." She grinned. "Saw you and thought hey, safety in numbers." She looked up at the guy eyeing us as he walked over. "Piss off, mate, you've got a buckleys. I'm with me girlfriend." She reached over and took my hand. Held it.

"Ah shit," the guy said, total disappointment written across his face. "Bleeding lezzies."

"Mmmmm," I said, lifting Tiff's hands, kissing her fingers, giggling at his face, watching him walk back to his mates.

"Good one, Charlie," Tiff was giggling herself. "That flicked him off."

"Hey, whatever works," I said, pushing the menu across the table. "Want to order? I know what I'm having."

"Sure," she said, opening it. "You doing anything after this?"

"Not really," I said. "I was planning to look over the beach." I shrugged. "Mom's doing her own thing 'n we just got here and I don't know anyone here at all."

"Hang out with me," Tiff said. "I've been here before, I'll show you round. Not doing anything else today." She grinned. "Welcome to Oz."

"Thanks," I said.

"Bloody lezzies," one of the dudes said as they walked by.

"Bite me," Tiff said. "It's shark week."

Shark week?

"Blood in the water," Tiff said, very helpfully.

I couldn't help it, I giggled. "Yum yum."

"That's fucking disgusting," the dude said over his shoulder.

"We really should hang out," Tiff said. Giggling.

"I'm gonna have the lambs fry."

"What's that?" I liked lamb.

"What're you ordering?"

"Bacon, eggs and toast," I said. Hard to go wrong with those.

"Stick with it," she grinned.

When her order came, I was kind of glad I'd taken her advice. I mean, I know you all think Chinese'll eat anything and yeah, so, but there are limits. So, okay, Tiff was Chinese, but still...

"I gotta go shopping, Mom," I said the next morning.

"Sure, dear. Do you need me with you?" Mom was texting away, looking totally distracted. No idea where she'd been yesterday but she hadn't got back until real late and I'd told her this morning that I'd met this totally cool Aussie girl down on the beach yesterday and we were hanging out today. Tiff was gonna take me shopping. For a few things. Like a new bikini coz that Victoria's Secret one I'd thought was okay, well, it was totally too conservative.

Made me look like a tourist.

"No, I'm good, Mom. Going with Tiffany."

"That nice Australian-Chinese girl you met yesterday? Oh, it's so nice that there's Chinese everywhere isn't it. You have fun." Mom did look up then. She was smiling. "Can you look after yourself all day, Charlie? Maybe hang out with your new friends? I won't be back until late." She dimpled. Blushed.

What the...? Oh, whatever, I wasn't here to look after my Mom.

"I'm okay, Mom. Tiff's here on vacation as well, she's got friends here. I'm good." Jesus, Mom. I'm eighteen. I'm not a little kiddie. Of course I can look after myself. Credit Cards. Shops. Beach. Guys. New bff. Of course it's not a problem.

Tiffany lifted a bikini off the rack. "Hey, check out this Minkpink number," she said, passing it to me. "It totally slays."

I took it from her and looked and yeah, it did. It totally slayed and it was so small I thought it was, like, an eyepatch or something. I kind of looked at it and swallowed. It was tiny. I mean, I didn't want conservative but I wasn't into, like, nude swimming and this really didn't cover much. I might even have to go get a bikini wax and it wasn't like there was much to wax. That's how small that bikini was.

"I think I'll get one for myself as well." Tiffany took a matching one.

"Cool." I held onto mine. "I'm gonna get a couple more." Something that covered a little more.

"Yeah, check out these ones from Zulu and Zephyr. And hey, Billabong right here if you want something a bit less rad."

So yeah, I did. Ended up buying a couple more. Ones that covered a bit more than that Minkpink one anyhow. I knew what Mom'd say, but I wasn't gonna be wearing them for her, was I? She wasn't ever going to see the Minkpink one. Not ever. As for the Wicked Weasel one. Nope. No way. I only had it coz Tiff insisted on buying it for me. I could wear it in the plunge pool by myself.

"Let's grab a coffee and go check out the beach action," Tiffany said after we'd strolled out the door and that hadn't taken long. July in Brisbane. Winter. Not crowded. Tiffany said it was winter, anyhow. Twenty one Celsius and it was supposed to go to twenty three. Didn't seem that cold to me. Not after winter in Kansas.

She'd grinned at me. "Might be some hot dudes and hey, it's not too cold, we can try out those bikinis, see what they attract."

"Sounds like a plan," I said. I mean, Rick was history. I'd seen his Instagram posts. Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey and they were all over each other. Well, screw him. I'd try out one of those bikinis. Not the Minkpink or Wicked Weasel ones though. See what I attracted. I'd be doing some posts of my own soon. Once I found some photogenic guy. There were a few around. That'd show Rick he was history.

I wanted to cry.

Winter or not, it was a sunny day and early afternoon, it was beautiful. Back home, day like this, I'd have been down the pool like a shot. Today, yeah, well, Tiffany and I were in those matching Minkpink bikinis and me, I was feeling a little embarrassed coz they really did not cover very much. I mean, I'd wanted something a little hotter than that one Mom hadn't liked, but, uh, Jesus...why the heck had I let Tiffany talk me into wearing it?

Those side tie bottoms left very little to the imagination.

"Hey, Charlie," my new bff, and yeah, that was Tiffany, she nudged me. "Check out this guy, he's like, coming over. He's been checking you out, I can tell."

He had been. I'd seen him, except I'd thought it was Tiffany he was eyeing up. That dude was sure looking hot in his beach baggies and an old shirt, unbuttoned. He was totally ripped, all lean and muscled and kinda shaggy blonde hair and oh my god drop dead gorgeous. He really was looking at me too and Tiff hadn't been joking about that. Oh Jesus, he was. Blue eyes too. Eyes the color of a tropical sea. Eyes that just melted me.

"He's looking at you," I said, cheeks flaming coz this Minkpink bikini didn't hide much and he sure was looking. I'd have rolled over, face down on my beach towel except, well, there was pretty much next to nothing covering my butt so I just kind of sat there and drew my knees up and curled my arms around them. Bikini wax. That's all I could think of for a moment. Not just a bikini wax. I was going to that spa at the resort and I was gonna get the full treatment. Not just a Brazilian. Frigging everything.

"Hey, Alex," Tiffany called out, waving. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you here today."

"You know him?" I didn't quite hiss.

"Oh yeah, from way back in Melbs. Known him for years."

"Hey, Tiff, great seeing 'ya. It was total crap up north so I came back. Hey, whose 'ya new friend?" He grinned and okay, that grin was so hot and me, I was like ice under sunlight, just melting. Instantly. Smiling back. Blushing. Oh my god, I thought I'd grown out of blushing when some guy looked at me.

"This is Charlie, Alex," Tiffany said. "She's from the States, here for a summer vacation with her Mom. Great time of year to come to Brisbane." She grinned.

"Hi, Charlie," Alex said, and yeah, he was totally looking and I was just blushing like crazy. Even my boobs were pink.

"Hi, Alex," I said, and he was looking at me and I'd kinda seen that look before and never been interested but now, well, Rick was history and I did want a few snaps for Instagram. So okay, dumb American time, and hey, I can do that one real easy. "Are you here to go surfing? Isn't it a bit cold?"

Coz I'd stuck my toes in the water and it'd felt frigging freezing. I was staying with that heated plunge pool on our balcony and the indoor pool at the hotel coz that was heated too.

"Came down to check out the break." He grinned. "You ever been surfing, Charlie?"

"Ah, no, never. We live, like, in the middle of the mid-west. I've only ever been in swimming pools."

"You want to learn to surf? I'll take you out." He glanced at the sea, and those waves looked pretty darn big to me. At least waist high. "Not much of a break but hey, get you onto a board and try it out."

"Mushburgers," Tiffany said.

"Not anklebusters anyhow."

"Nobody else out there, Alex. You're gonna look like a grom, mate."

"Nah, dudes here know me. Anyone asks, I'm teaching Barney here the basics." He grinned at me. "If you'd like to give it a try?"

"I'd like to, but, uh, the water was a bit cold."

"Lays and Phoenix 're with you today aren't they?" Tiffany said.

"Nah, gone off down to Byron with Lachlan and Colin. Ken was already down there."

"You've got their spare stuff in the Sandman, right? Lays'll let Charlie use her spare wetsuit. And her spare board, that old longboard of hers. You know she will."

"Yeah," Alex said, not quite hesitantly.

"Go on," Tiffany said. "Take her out, it's not like she's gonna get another chance."

"Yeah, well, okay," Alex said. He gave me that grin. "You in?"

"Uh, yeah, okay," I said hesitantly. "What's a wetsuit?"

"Come and see," he said. "Might as well come with us, Tiff." He grinned. "Come on, Charlie. Rattle 'ya dags."

"What?" What the heck?

"Rattle 'ya dags?" He laughed. "Move your ass. Shake your butt."

"Huh? Okay, I'm coming." I made sure I walked beside him though. I didn't want him looking at my butt. He did keep glancing my way though. I kept glancing his, coz, oh yeah, hunky dude.

"Okay, what now?" I didn't mind him looking now. That wetsuit of Lays, whoever she was coz none of them were around, it covered a lot. Full length legs and arms and it'd been a struggle to get it on but it was on. Good fit.

"Okay, this here's the leash. It goes round one ankle and stops your board getting away from you when you fall off." He was fastening it around my ankle and I kind of liked seeing him kneeling there doing that.

"Okay, grab the board, we're off."

"Can you look after my..." I gestured to my little pack. Looked at Tiff.

"Yeah, no worries," Tiff said. "It's good with me, you guys go have fun and don't forget the sunscreen."

"Crap," Alex said, chagrined. "I did."

"Yeah well, pretty obvious where your mind is." She laughed.

"Here, you help her, Tiff." Alex passed her this tube of stuff. I looked. Zinc Sunscreen? Waterproof? He was lathering this gunk on anywhere that wasn't covered, which was basically his face, so I did the same.

"Come on then, let's do it." I grinned, walking towards the water and the closer I got, the bigger those waves looked and when we were in the water, frigging hell, they were huge. Kind of scary and that first wave hit me, the water came up to my neck and I was totally freaking. I mean, it was getting deeper and how did you swim in stuff like this? With big waves and stuff.

"You, uh, ever been swimming in the sea before, Charlie?" He was looking at me kind of weirdly.

"I'm from Kansas," I said, and okay, I said that rather primly. "We have swimming pools."

"Well, this'll be different for you," he said. "Just don't freak out if you go under, okay. Wetsuit'll help you float, you're on a leash so your stick's not going anywhere 'n I'll pull you out of you look like you aren't coming up." He grinned.

"Shit, thanks," I said just before the next wave washed over my head and holy frigging heck I was swimming for my life until this hand grabbed me and pulled me up.

"Glug," I said, spitting out water. "Bwahh blugg bwaaahh this shit tastes awful."

"Seawater," he said, all frigging helpful. "It's salty. Try not to drink too much." Then, "try and keep an eye out for the waves hey, Charlie," as the next one hit me and sent me flying but I hung onto my board this time and the frigging thing floated at least and so did I. Sort of.

"Come on, slide up and lie on it like this," he said after I wiped my eyes and he was grinning at me. "We'll paddle out a bit beyond the shore break."

"Isn't it, like, going a bit far out?" We were frigging miles from the beach now, that's what it looked like. And those waves were breaking waaaay the frigging heck out there. I'd looked at a map. That was the Pacific out there. It went all the way to frigging South America and I wasn't, like, that great at long distance swimming.

"Nah, you got your stick to lie on, wetsuit helps you float, you're with me 'n it's a flat calm day and the tide's coming in. You're gonna be cool. Come on. Yeah, up on it like that."

Coz I was kind of sliding up onto my board the way I'd seen him and it actually wasn't that hard was it and .... bwaahhh blug blug.

"Shit." Where the frigging heck did that come from. Flat calm my ass.

"Watch the waves, Charlie." He was laughing so I kind of glared at him and slid back up onto my board, spitting salty mouthwash. "Paddle into it. Like this."

Okay, another one and I did and the board kind of rode up the wave and I hung on and didn't quite lose it...

"Now paddle like fuck coz there's a big one coming." So I did and it was and I rode up over it, hanging onto the edges of the board like he was and not quite totally freaking but wow, up and over and paddling again through the foam and the next one was coming and I was over that and this was actually kind of cool.

"Come on, Charlie, one more and we're outside the break." So I paddled hard and made it and kept going and the next one was just a green swell with no white and Alex was there, sitting up on his board and how the heck did he just sit there like that?

"Okay, get yourself turned around and pointed towards the beach and you can watch me catch a wave and then I'll come on back and we'll do it together, 'kay? I'll show you and talk you through it. Fastest way to learn, none of that surf school bullshit."

"Uh, sure. Whatever." I kind of figured out how to turn the board round but crap, it took me a while.

"Like this, you watch for the wave coming and then you're going to paddle like crazy to get on it. So watch how I do it, I'm gonna catch it and then kickout just about right away and come on back."

So I watched and he started paddling and the wave picked him up and he was on it and next second he was up on his knees and then standing and curving around and over the top of the wave back towards me, dropping back down onto his board and paddling out and how the heck did he do all that?

"You see that, we're gonna do that together, except we're not going to stand up."

"...keep down on the board, don't lift your head to high, it'll shift your weight back on the board and you'll slip of the back of the wave."

"...paddle harder or you're just gonna slip off the back like you just did. Let's get back out a bit and try again."

"...okay that's a bit better but you started a bit too late and you gotta keep paddling so the swell picks you up."

"...oh yeah, go Charlie..." coz oh Jesus I was really moving and fuck the wave was breaking over me but the nose of my board was out the front and I kind of slid forward a little and my board angled down and I was going faster and hanging on to the edge now and keeping out front of that wall of white behind me and holy guacamole this was fast and Alex was kind of right next to me lying on his board racing through the water grinning at me.

"That's it," he called and he'd eased over closer somehow, almost right next to me as we raced towards the beach and my board was actually bouncing a bit and this was just, like, wow! Cool!

"If you want to turn a bit just move your weight left or right. Like this." He eased away, eased back, and I could see he was shifting on his board so I tried it myself, cut sideways away from him and then back in a fast S and there was that oh crap moment as the board suddenly angled towards him and then I'd lost it and that white wave washed over me and the board was gone, the leash jerking my ankle as I tumbled and stroked hard for where I figured the surface was.

My head popped up, I sucked in a breath, grabbed the leash and the board was there and I hung onto it and got raked over by that next wave and then it was past and I was on the board and paddling straight out as hard as I could, cutting over the next breaking wave and keeping on and Alex was right there beside me.

"Way to go, Charlie. Let's get out there and do that again, there's a good set coming."

So we did and oh boy, this was just awesome coz I caught that next one first time and I was...

"...totally amped, huh, Charlie?"

"Oh yeah, like, this just slays..." and it did. It really did and it wasn't sucky at all.

"You look sort of buggered, Charlie." Alex hauled me up onto my board about three hours later coz I just couldn't lift myself on. "Noodle arms?"

"Buggered?" I asked, just lying there. "Noodle arms?"

"Tired. Exhausted. Buggered." He grinned. "Noodle arms." He flopped his arms loosely and yeah, I got that one.

"Yeah, I'm buggered," I said. "Completely." I'd have laughed except I was too tired. Talking was hard work. Lifting my head was hard work. "Jesus, who knew you could exhaust your eyelids."

"Few weeks of this and you'll be a lot fitter," Alex grinned. Coz I'd already told him I was here for a couple of months and hey, so was he.