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Summer break has just started and Neil is already sick and exhausted of the absence of organization. Waves crash against the shoreline as Neil curls his toes into the sand, breathing in through his nose easily. He knew this was inevitable, ending up on a beach somewhere in North Carolina. When Matt invited him to join “Matt Boyd’s Summer Break Extravaganza,” he had thought it would be… smaller.
Why he had thought that was beyond him.
He jolts as someone walks to settle next to him. “Sorry,” he mumbles, looking over. He offers an easy smile, one that Andrew takes with familiarity. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Andrew rolls his eyes, putting his weight onto his left foot and looking at the ocean. “It’s like you forget who I am,” he says.
It was a simple thing, Neil realizes. Talking to Andrew was natural. There were no unreasonable notions, no pushing of boundaries. It was just Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard, that was all they needed to be.
“You know,” Neil starts gently, “I’ve never been to the beach for fun.” The unspoken unless burying my mother is considered fun hangs in the air. He didn’t think he should joke with Andrew and the ocean so close.
Andrew hums, sinking his feet further into the sand. “How surprising you are. I thought you would be up there.” Andrew doesn’t clarify further, no gesture to prove what he means. But Neil follows. He angles his head, peering back up the beach at where the team is chatting. Dan is leaning against Matt’s legs, snickering at something Allison is saying. Neil didn’t mind being away from them. It is more comfortable this way, letting himself fall into the rhythm of the waves crashing against the sand, the sound of birds squawking and children yelling. It’s peaceful here.
The ease is interrupted when Kevin races past him, yelling words that are unintelligible. As Neil looks up to see Aaron running across the sand with a surfboard, he beams. “What is he doing?” Neil asks, not expecting an answer.
Andrew snorts, crossing his arms over his chest as he regards his twin. “He’s been here too long. He knows everything about this beach.”
Neil nods once, squinting against the sun. “Can you do that?” he wonders aloud, never lifting his gaze from the water where Aaron was surfing rather impressively. He wonders if Aaron would teach him.
“Pfft. It can’t be that challenging,” Andrew says. Neil likes this view of him, laid back and happy to do anything Neil asks. He finally looks over at Andrew, his hair windblown and his cheeks crimson from the oncoming sunburn. Andrew looks away, pushing his sunglasses to his face in one motion and Neil melts, and it’s not from the heat.
Andrew’s hair is curled at the ends from the humidity and it drops over his eyes and Neil’s heart surges. Sap, he thinks, turning away. “If you can do it, why don’t you?”
Andrew’s face flushes to his neck, and Neil smirks. “Oh,” Andrew says. “You were serious?”
Neil rolls his eyes, taking a step back and gesturing to the ocean. “Go on, asshole.” Neil laughs as Andrew groans quietly, walking out to the water, standing beside Kevin. They talk for less than a minute and then Andrew is mouthing “ Fuck .” Neil stifles a giggle and turns to join the rest of the Foxes.
“Ready for a show?” he asks, smiling when Allison moves to make room for him on the towel she is sitting on. There’s a chorus of “Yes,” and bets are placed on whether Kevin or Andrew will make it longer. Neil doesn’t join in, happy to be able to watch them. Allison bets on Andrew and Neil thinks he gets whiplash from how quickly he looks at her. “He won’t make it long and you know that.”
Allison only grins, winking at him. “No hope for your boyfriend?”
Neil opens his mouth but hesitates. Kevin is talking to Aaron, and he’s laughing and pushing the board through the water towards Andrew. Fuck, he’s going to regret this. “Seventy dollars on Andrew.” The words slip from his mouth and he panics. Andrew is not going to outlast Kevin and he knows that.
“Damn, Neil!” Matt hollers, and Neil blushes down to his toes, hiding his face in his knees.
Allison nudges him with her elbow. “That’s the highest anyone bet. Are you sure?” Neil nods. Lying is easier with nonverbal responses.
Matt runs out to where Andrew, Aaron, and Kevin are still talking. He interrupts them promptly, clapping Kevin on the shoulder. He gets back and breathlessly says, “Kevin bet forty dollars that he could make it longer. Says “It can’t be that hard.’” Matt uses air quotes, just adding to the humor of it all.
Neil smiles up at Matt, shielding his face from the sun. “That’s what Andrew said,” he chuckles, biting his lip. There’s a mutter of a phrase between Matt and Dan and Allison taps his shoulder, pointing to where Andrew was getting on the board. “I can’t watch,” he jokes. Or at least he sounds like he’s joking. He’s about to lose seventy dollars. There’s a flood of curses going through his mind as his eyes follow Andrew’s every move. Whenever he moves his arm against the water, Neil is right there, calculating his movement. The wave crashes over the board and Neil stops breathing as Andrew stands shakily, holding his balance. Neil is aware of Matt watching the timer closely and Dan leaning over his shoulder, ready to tell him to stop when Andrew falls. When Andrew stands, Neil half expects him to fall within the second he starts, but he manages to make half of the wave before he crashes. Neil winces as his back hits the water, feeling the force of the water as if it was his own body hitting it. But a minute later Andrew emerges from the water, hair dripping and chest glistening with water, and Neil realizes this was the best trip Matt could have ever planned.
Andrew shakes his head at something Aaron says, droplets of water visible from where Neil is sitting. Allison nudges him again, but he shakes his head, ignoring her.
“Are you sure you made the right choice?” Allison asks, biting back a smile. Neil nods his head, immersed in the scene happening in front of him.
Kevin sneers at Andrew when he takes the board from him, looking back at Neil with a glare. Neil only shrugs, and Matt yells encouragements to Kevin. Kevin nods, looking back at the slow approaching wave and approaching it with ease.
Neil notices the lack of tension that Andrew had and wonders if he’s really about to lose seventy dollars.
Aaron yells something at Kevin who he nods before standing on straight legs, his knees locking. Neil notices his form is exactly what Andrew’s wasn’t and finds that he is absolutely fucked.
He’s finally accepted his fate and then Kevin hits the edge of the wave and crashes hard.
There’s a sharp laugh from someone in the group, and only when Allison looks over does he realize it came from him. He smiles sheepishly, shaking his head. “Definitely the right choice,” he mumbles loud enough for Allison to hear.
Allison nods in agreement, and when Matt walks over with their money, Allison sighs quietly. “Neil can have it. Pretty boy earned it.”
Andrew is beside him in moments, and Neil is smiling from ear to ear. “And I thought you were joking about being good,” Neil whispers, leaning down to kiss Andrew.
But before his lips can touch Andrew’s, he’s lifted off of his feet and is being put over Andrew’s shoulder. He laughs quietly before hiding it with a cough. “Put me down, Andrew,” he scowls, but Andrew responds by holding him tighter and carrying him to the water where the rest of the Foxes are. “I said put me down!” Neil’s demand was cut off with a sharp stab of laughter, cutting through all of his worries, all the memories clouding his head like a thick haze. It all disappears when Andrew drops him down into the water.
He was under for fifteen seconds, he counted, before emerging and wiping his dripping hair from his eyes. “ Andrew, ” he gasps, shivering at the sudden cold. “You absolute bastard .” He walks backwards, raising an eyebrow in a silent invitation for Andrew to follow. The water is passed his abs when he finally stops moving, dipping down to his shoulders. He beckons for Andrew to follow him with his finger, going underwater again. Pulling himself up again, he smiles when he sees that Andrew is closer now, close enough for Neil to see the curiosity in his eyes. He closes the gap between them, tugging Andrew down with his arms around his neck. “I bet on you,” he says quietly, watching as Andrew raises his eyebrow. Neil’s mouth ventures from Andrew’s mouth to his neck and then back up to his jaw. He can feel every breath Andrew takes.
“How much did we make?” Neil smiles, leaning forward and putting his legs around Andrew’s waist. The water made this easy. Maybe he is glad that Andrew threw him in.
Neil laughs against Andrew’s jaw. “What do you mean we?” he asks, leaning back to see Andrew’s entire face. “You didn’t bet, so you don't get my money.” Andrew scowls, pulling Neil’s head back to his. Neil’s fingers tug at Andrew’s hair absentmindedly, resting their foreheads together. “You know…” Neil starts, turning his eyes down to the water. He slips his hands down Andrew’s chest until he gets to his waist. He looks up at Andrew and smirks.
And then he splashes him.
Andrew falls back in shock and Neil unlatches his legs from his waist, swimming backwards as he laughs.
Kevin appears next to him instantly, laughing with him. “You should run,” he says, and if Neil wasn’t laughing so damn hard at Andrew’s reaction, maybe he would have listened.