Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
I pointed at my bottom drawer and told him to choose whatever he wanted. He dug out a pair of multicolored swim trunks and waved them above his head like a flag. Then he stepped into one leg but lost his footing and almost fell on his ass. He regained his balance and shot a comical glance my way before shaking his hips so his flaccid penis swayed from side to side. I chuckled at his antics and pointed at the door.
I wasn’t sure I agreed with Gabe, but he had the right attitude. I didn’t want to waste a moment worrying about the past or the future and take a chance I might miss out on today.
Some days autumn in Southern California felt like summertime. According to the calendar it was early November, but the seventy-degree temperature, blue skies, and zero breeze screamed beach weather. We rode bicycles from my house to the boardwalk. Evan and I kept a couple of extra bikes in the garage for friends to borrow to go barhopping or to cruise to the beach. I gave Gabe an old, black three-speed with a basket and snickered at his enthusiastic fist bump when he realized his backpack would fit with the towels and Smashball paddles. We stopped at a small market along the way and bought sandwiches and pre-cut watermelon to snack on before continuing to the beach. Then we locked up the bikes, tossed our belongings on the sand, and ran to the water.
When the first big wave rolled in, we caught it and let the current pull us into the Pacific. Gabe came up for air with a whoop. I laughed when he smacked the water’s surface the way he did after he’d made a great play. I swam to his side and impulsively hugged him. There was no one near us, and we were far enough from the shoreline that no one would notice anyway. Nonetheless, I was surprised when he yanked me against him and fused his lips to mine. He pulled back with a grin and pointed to the wave cresting behind him.
“Let’s ride this one in. Last one to shore has to massage my feet. Ready? Go!”
He was long gone before I could reply. I had no hope of catching up to him, but I gave it my best effort. Gabe greeted me with a devilish grin before hurrying toward our backpacks. He grabbed the Smashball paddles and a tiny red ball and motioned for me to join him on the wet sand before handing me a paddle.
“I should warn you that I’m really good at this,” I boasted. “Evan and I got up to two hundred this summer.”
“If that’s the world record, we need to beat it.”
“That took forever. There’s no way you and I can do it in one go.”
He adjusted his sunglasses and scoffed. “Not with that attitude.”
“I didn’t know you were so competitive outside of the pool,” I griped.
“I was born this way. Can’t turn it off. I’m a firm believer that you should never stop till you get what you’re after. And today we’re all about chasing number two hundred and one. Let’s do this, baby.”
Gabe wasn’t kidding. He was wildly competitive. We didn’t hit our goal the first two tries, but we were getting better. One hundred and seven and then one fifty-three. I made him take a break to eat but agreed to continue the quest afterward.
We spread our towels on the sand and unwrapped our small feast. Gabe tore into his sandwich with gusto. I chuckled at his blissed-out expression and focused on the glitter of sunlight across his handsome face. Damn, he was beautiful. He reminded me of a warrior with his proud carriage and furrowed brow. He was the kind of guy who was willing to work hard and make sacrifices where necessary, but he wouldn’t give up. If he set his sights on a goal, he went for it full-board.
“You’re really going to the Olympics, aren’t you?”
Gabe gave me a shrewd once-over with a roguish grin. “Where’d that come from?”
“I dunno. You don’t let go when you get an idea in your head.”
He finished chewing, then nodded. “Probably true.”
“That means I could be here until midnight playing Smashball with you,” I groused playfully.
Gabe chuckled. “We’re gonna do it, Der. Never a doubt. See, it’s all in the way you look at it. You say ‘until midnight,’ but the real goal is ‘until we hit two hundred and one.’ Subtle but it makes a difference. One is based on time and the other on achievement. The achievement is the important part. If you can get timeliness to mesh with achievement, even better. So to answer your question…yes. I’m going to the Olympics. I don’t know when or in what capacity, but it’ll happen.”