Wooo we are getting into the story!  Can't wait for this...

Chapter 02: Surfing Before I Came

Austin Taylor.

The son of my mom's best friend.

The boy I've been crushing on since I was young enough to crush.

Let's put an age on that... 10? Is that the earliest I've crushed on a guy?

Does Miley Cyrus count?

Barney?

Barney wasn't a crush though. Bit weird that my mind went straight to a purple dinosaur.

"Hi," I repeated, staring up at him.

He's about seven inches taller than me, like the length of a head.

I tried not to focus too much on his head. Or his eyes, since they were practically hypnotic. I looked at his lips, how they seem seconds away from curling into a playful smile.

And I didn't want to look any further down because he was still wearing his navy zip-up hoodie... unzipped...

In the years that we hadn't seen each other, Austin had grown from a hyper kid into a muscular guy. He was older than me and he used to lord that "wisdom" over me.

The last time he saw me, I was probably in my polly pocket era. Neon green, pink and yellow all in one outfit.

Pigtails maybe.

He spoke with a faint smile, "You've grown, Lara." 

I got chills from his smile. Or the air con. 

I mean, seriously, my mom turns this place into an ice cube in summer.

The living room was bathed in natural light pouring through large windows. Near the windows, a hammock chair rocked in the artificial breeze that the air con generated.  

An antique telescope stood tall in one corner and the floor beneath us was glass, with a smooth mosaic of driftwood, beach pebbles and delicate seashells underneath. Mom's artwork was plastered in a giant canvas on one side of the room, taking up the space of the entire wall.  

The beach house has been my home since as long as I could remember.

Now, Austin Taylor was here and, this time, it sounded like we would be sharing it. 

Before we could say much more, one of the floor-to-ceiling windows opened, and my dad strolled in. Technically, it was a door.  A back door that could only be opened by someone with the right fingerprints. Family.

Normally I'd get nervous if dad walks in on me with a guy but, technically, Austin was mom's guest. And dad knew Austin well.

Dad was in loose, brown pants that he rolled up to his knees and slip on loafers.  It was funny watching him greet Austin like an adult this time. And it was odd seeing Austin taller than my dad.

After they exchanged a few words, he asked mom to step outside.

Our living room had these large glass windows that overlooked the back garden and I watched mom and dad walk down a cobbled path, stopping to talk to each other more privately next to some lavender bushes. 

Watching them through the window, encased in a window frame, was like watching a moving painting.

I stared at them for as long as I could to avoid the fact that it was just Austin and me in a room together, and I had zero clue what to say to him.

He probably still thought of me as a little kid.  And I... well, I didn't.

"Are you really staying with us this summer?" I asked.

"That's the idea."

"Why?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. 

"My parents are working and Gloria's on vacation," Austin replied, "I guess I need a baby sitter."

Why?

Before I could ask, the back door flung open again, and a gust of nine-year-old energy came swooping in.

"AUSTIIIIN!" my little sister screamed, running towards him and flinging herself on him.

He scooped her up into his arms, "Lola, I almost didn't recognize you! You're as big as your sister now."

Austin cast me a playful look while holding my sister in his arms. 

I couldn't help but smile back, "And just as mature."

Lola's grin turned into a scowl as she pressed her little hand against his chest and declared, "You're wet."

"Barely," he replied, touching his own chest to prove the point. "But I was surfing before I came."

"Lola, did you hear what daddy was saying?" I asked my sister, pointing at our parents talking outside.

We always underestimate what a nine-year-old hears. 

She nodded and wriggled her way to the ground. Austin lowered her until her little shoes clicked on the living room carpet. 

Then, he let go.

"They're arguing. I heard mummy talk about Austin and then daddy say," she put on a deep voice and widened her stance to act like our father, "I didn't know he looked like that."

I glanced at Austin, "You did walk in here half naked."

His hoodie hadn't been zipped up and his chest was visible for us all to swoon over.  Including my dad, apparently.

"Like I said, I was surfing," Austin answered, confused as to why he was still defending himself over this, "You live by the beach."

Austin was still kneeling beside Lola and looked back at her with a smile on his face as she continued to cosplay our dad. 

She continued to act like our dad, putting her hands on her hips and repeating in a deep voice, "We have two teenage girls in the house and I don't like what I saw."

"What did he see?" Austin asked, getting more confused by the minute.

He casually leaned an arm against his knee and stood up.

"What did mom say?" I asked Lola, hoping my dad didn't see anything in my reaction.

My dad is an observant guy and I totally didn't trust my facial expression in Austin's presence. Or in general.

"Mom said," Lola got into a new character, pulling her hair up for a second before it fell back over her face and putting on a high-pitched voice, "He's like a son to us. We know that boy as well as we know our own."

My phone rang again in my pocket, and I silenced it.  I knew who the caller was. 

"Ssh, they're coming back," I put my hand on Lola's shoulder to stop her prancing around like mom so loudly. 

Austin had instinctively done the same and the three of us innocently stood side-by-side, holding onto Lola as if she was our daughter, as her real parents walked back into the house.

Sounds like my father had gotten cold feet about this little summer arrangement.

"How come you didn't care to tell us about this?" I asked them the moment they walked back into the house.

Feels like pretty big news for my parents to casually drop on me day of.

Mom slid the door shut and locked it, "Because we discussed this last week while you were at school. Austin's mom came over and we thought it made sense since he'll be working at the surf shop here, by the beach, this summer."

Does it make sense?

"Austin used to stay here all the time when his mom was doing her residency. It'll be like one, long sleepover," she added.

I vaguely remembered that. 

"And while we look forward to welcoming Austin in our home, we are going to have rules in this house," dad said, pointing at Austin, "That starts with you keeping your shirt on, no funny business between the two of you and no illegal substances-"

Austin said, "I don't-"

"I'm not talking about you," my dad said, staring at me.

I stared back.

And then changed subject, looking at Austin, "That's all you packed?"

Avoiding heavy conversations is my specialty. I am constantly in denial.

Austin rephrased my question, "You want to know what I'm packing?" 

The boldness.

In front of my parents.

I wanted to melt into the ground and I felt a beetroot blush rise up my cheeks. Who needs makeup when you have a recurring supply of Austin Taylor at home?

"I have a duffel bag in the car," Austin answered, unphased by his own question.

My dad still stared at me.

Did Austin deliver that line so innocently that no one realized?!

Or am I just a corrupted soul?

"Look! A funny man!" Lola pointed out the window.

Thank goodness for her distraction.

We looked over. Outside the window, Will was waving his long arms in the air, mouthing, "TACOS. MOVIE."

Oops.

"Oh snap, I forgot! The movie!" I rushed towards the door, forgetting my bag, ran back to the hallway to grab my bag off a side table and then back into the living room.

Amidst all the drama of my new roommate, I'd totally forgotten Will was outside. 

"Bye," I waved at everyone except Austin, patted my sister on her head and disappeared out the back door.

Will greeted me the moment I walked into the heat, "You're a terrible friend.  You forgot about me, didn't you?"

"I forgot how cold it was in there," I pointed back at my house as I beat Will to his own car.

Denial. Like I said, it's my specialty.  

A/N: So do we have a posting schedule yet??  What d'you think - Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays?  All three?  

JK that pace would kill me.  Next one will be on Tuesday!!

Toodaloo!