Klutz and the Sympathetic

On a humid Saturday morning, we all planned to go to the beach for a get together, mostly to ride the waves though. One of Tatiana's friends had an older brother who owned a surfboard rental on the beach and was willing to lend us some at no charge. Killing two birds with one stone, having a little picnic hangout while we were there didn't seem like such a bad idea.

I showed up with my crowd in a burgundy colored bikini, my long wavy hair up in a loose bun, and a pair of Ray Bans sat snuggly across the bridge of my dusted freckled nose. From afar, I could see Tatiana and her friends already on the beach, setting things up. She was wearing a black and yellow wetsuit top with a black bikini bottom, the two piece was definitely working in her favor in accentuating her curves and bust. She looked incredible.

"Tat!" I called out to her.

She perked her head up and looked around for the source calling her name, almost resembling a puppy. I chuckled and waved to get her attention and immediately upon seeing me, she bounded over.

"Hayley! You made it! You look amazing, babe!" She did her usual exaggerated body dance she'd do every time we met up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We've got a couple more minutes till Brad shows up. That's Phoebes bro. He's really cool, he'll let you pick which board you want, even off the pricier shelves, but he'll make you sign a waver for em'."

She whispered playfully.

Just as Tat promised, Brad finally showed and opened up the little surf shack. Even more true to her words, he let us pick any board we wanted - just as long as we agreed to sign that waiver - and then we were set for the waters. I wasn't that great of a surfer, I could guide my board and ride the little waves, but my surfing skills were clearly a little rusty, especially compared to Tatiana's.

She was a bonafide surfing babe. Practically running circles around me as I took my time trying to properly land a good wave. And Amazingly, her clumsiness didn't even show through once the entire time. I amused myself with the idea that maybe she had an off/on button for her ineptness that was broken for the most part, but only switched completely off when she touched water.

The sun was still beating down on us despite the hours that had come and gone but time meant nothing to the ocean. Bursting with life and energy, it had compelled Tat and I to stay in the water ahead of everyone else. Tatiana nudged me in the arm as we floated in place; staring out into the abyss of the ocean line.

"Hey, I wanna show you something. A little secret." She winked and started to paddle out. I followed behind tentatively, apprehensive about this "secret place." Tatiana's surprises weren't always great ones.

I followed her to the other side of the beach until we reached a hidden island amongst the rocks. I gaped in awe as I'd never seen the place before and Tatiana heaved her board up onto the edge of the island. Turning around, she gestured for me to hand my board to her and then she hoisted me up after. I looked around and realized just how secluded the little island was. The big rocks that jutted out around the edges obscured the beach shoreline and the people scattered among it. It really was like a secret hideout.

"C'mon, I haven't even showed you the best part, yet." Tatiana teased as she grabbed my hand and led the way.

Tatiana was much taller than me, a full head taller than me to be exact, and I knew that. But being that close to her only reminded me of the pressing size difference. Her skin was also more tan than mine and she was definitely a lot more fit. If she stood in place, she could totally embody an entirely different persona. I gripped her hand tighter as the slippery rocks beneath my feet slid as I walked.

Eventually, we reached what seemed to be a little cave entrance with a small overhang above it just big enough for somebody to fit through. I looked at it puzzled and then at Tatiana, who had a big toothy grin on her face as she gleamed at me. My face darkened at the sudden revelation.

"Tat, don't tell me you want to go in there?"

"This is it. Right in there is a place you'll never have seen before. C'mon you've gotta trust me. Please?" She urged me, grabbing both my hands and swinging them playfully. It took a couple more seconds of her pleading before I finally relented. I really wasn't sure about this, but I trusted her.

"Ok, I'm gonna go in first. When I call you, then you can go, alright? Make sure to go head first and belly crawl all the way, otherwise you'll get stuck." She ended with a smile. The hairs on the back of my neck rose at the thought of being trapped in such a small space and at Tatiana's seemingly calm disposition about it. Then she turned away from me, lowered herself onto her stomach and started to inch her way down the cave entrance. I watched as she slowly disappeared.

For awhile, I could hear her as she crawled through, then, there was a silence for a long time. No call back, no movement, just the ocean waves bashing against the rocks and distant voices from the shore. I started to get worried and began to yell her name, but halfway through, a sudden echo of a voice called my name. It was Tatiana letting me know it was my time to go. I sighed in relief. Geezus.

I shimmied my way into the caves entrance head first and sucked in a big breathe before I crawled. It was so dark and cold, but not as small as I thought it'd be. The cave floor traveled in a downward slant and there was just enough space for me to fully raise my head and look all around me. I felt like I had been crawling for forever. I peered down the cave and could make out a feint greenish light just ahead of me. Confused, I continued to crawl towards it until I realized the light was water. Suddenly, I was at the end of the tunnel, my shoulders and neck submerged by the cool water as I slide out.

Immediately, Tatiana appeared almost out of nowhere and bear hugged me from behind. "Hayley, you made it!"

I gasped and clumsily grasped her arms wrapped around my shoulders, almost batting her away but holding back as I realized it was her. Our cheeks were mushed together as she hugged me and her whole body leaned against my back. I turned around and splashed water on her for scaring me. She swam a couple inches away, laughing her infectious laugh.

"So, what do you think of my secret place?"

I paused for a moment and really looked at the place. It was beautiful. We were underneath the cave and the light that I had seen was the light pouring in from outside, from other entrances to the open sky above us and passageways that branched out from where we were. Even more mesmerizing was the water's blue and green coral colors reflected across the cave walls, surrounding us in a myriad of glowing light jumping across the walls as the waves came in.

I'd never seen anything so incredible in my life.

"Tat, this is amazing. I can't believe you found this place. Do the others know about it?" I said in a daze as I swam in circles, admiring everything.

"No, just you. You're the only one besides me who knows now." Tatiana simpered. I glanced at her and caught her looking at me with a grin that could eat you up. The sight was so charming I couldn't help but laugh at her childishness. At the same time, I couldn't help but admire her green eyes that seemed to radiate from the waters reflection. Her hair was slicked back and her lips looked so glossy. She looked like a goddess of the sea.

"Just me? How lucky. The others would get mad if they could hear you now though." I teased her.

"Let's just say this is to repay for the ice cream." She smirked.

I feigned a gasp. "You didn't show me this just out of the goodness in your heart? Typical! I won't take it!" I splashed her in the face for fun and caught her open mouth. Immediately, a sadistic grin formed on her lips and she splashed back; slapping the water in a frenzy.

We laughed like children as we splashed each other, caught in the euphoria of the moment. We couldn't even see each other anymore as we blindly and messily sloshed the water; causing waves to rock us all about. I tiptoed closer and closer to Tatiana during the commotion and wrestled her arms before she could even realize I was there.

Then we were wrestling each other for dominance, trying to dunk the others head underwater. Tatiana grabbed ahold of my shoulders and lifted herself up so that her weight could push me down, but I snaked my arms under her armpits and without mercy, tickled her like crazy. She whimpered and lost her grip and I hopped on her like a shot. I slipped my fingers underneath her thighs and hoisted her up out of the water and onto her back, both of us crashing below the surface again.

We rolled and tossed about in the water, our legs all tangled up and our bodies pressed up against each other. But we were having too much fun to be self-conscious about that. Somehow, she got herself behind me and grabbed my arms with one hand, the other hand pushing the back of my head into the water again. My butt bumped into her crotch as I tried to back out of her grip and swiftly twist my arms free. She pounced on me relentlessly though until eventually, I was pressed up against the wall.

We stopped for a moment to catch our breathes. We were breathing heavily, our chests rising and falling so close to one another as we looked each other in the eyes, the slight smile in our lips not gone unnoticed. My hands rested by my side as I tried to catch my breath while Tatiana had hers taught against the wall, boxing me in.

Our cheeks were flushed red, our hair a wet mess, and it was at this moment that I thought to myself how much fun I was having right now.

She smiled at me again and for a long time, it seemed all we did was stare at each other, no words exchanged, no movement. Then, Tatiana's face blurred from view and a soft sensation filled my rosy lips. Tatiana was kissing me. I felt her nose rub against mine and her soft breaths caressing my face. I was so stunned I couldn't even react until she quickly backed away.

She made a sound that was a mix between a scream and an awkward laugh, her face reading that she couldn't believe what she just did. She held her lips and gulped, looking at me with wide eyes.

We didn't know what to say to each other. What COULD we say at that moment?

I touched my own lips lightly, feeling where hers used to be just a minute ago, and glanced up at her again. I didn't know what I was doing anymore. Tentatively, I took a step towards her and went in for another kiss; pulling back slightly with uncertainty halfway, but eventually reaching her again. I pecked her softly. The shock more present on her face this time. I think I wanted to tell her it was ok.

She bit her lip and gave me a look that I couldn't read. Confusion? Permission? She bent down and kissed me back anyways, and our mouths opened this time, accepting each other's tongues and breathes. Our kisses escalated into a hurried and passionate frenzy and our hands began to roam as our tongues danced. She cupped my face and held the back of my neck as I pressed my hands on her breast and between her shoulder blades. Something had taken over and possessed us, something beyond reason or control.

She pushed herself against me until I bumped against the wall, and we rubbed our bodies together as we locked lips. Her thigh peeked between my legs and pressed lightly on my crotch as I held her hips close and caressed my foot along her calf. Our bodies were so hot I couldn't stand it.

Then a voice came from above us. We stopped, scared we might've been caught, and listened to the multiple voices that seemed to have grown in number. It was our friends calling us, probably looking for us.

Tatiana and I looked at each other one last time and I smiled at her sheepishly. Her lips turned up too and she scratched her cheek, not sure what to do next.

"Let's go back. They're probably worried about us." I finally said.

"Right, yeah." She answered.

We straightened ourselves out and swam towards one of the other exits in the cave and grabbed our boards. We paddled back to shore and met up with our friends who had been searching for us for the past 30 minutes. We got a lecture and apologized and packed away our things when we got back to our location - the sun was setting and now the once blue sky was bleeding blood orange. Not a word was said between Tatiana and I. We couldn't even look at each other. By the time we finally departed, I didn't even say goodbye to her as the tension was too much to bear.

Days went by like that. Not speaking. How could I say anything to her when I couldn't even explain it to myself? Why did she kiss me? Why did I kiss her back? I couldn't explain.

We avoided each other too, made up excuses whenever our friends wanted to hang out. There was only ever one of us there when we came together, and only ever one of us not. Our friends started to notice, started asking questions, but everybody just thought we were fighting. How I longed to say we weren't, but then again, what the hell were we doing?

I was too chicken to address what happened, so I let the days go by. The days turned to a week, then three weeks, then a month, and then I really started to regret not speaking up first.

I sat up in my bed in the middle of the night, feeling guilty as hell. I missed Tatiana. Really, truly. And I knew I was doing her wrong giving her the cold shoulder like this. I inhaled a deep breath and decided to call her, but just before I could dial her number, the ringtone went off. I jerked and glanced down at my phone. It was Tatiana. I swallowed hard and clutched my phone, slowly putting it to my ear.

"Hello?" I hesitantly spoke.

"Hey, Hayley. Been awhile." Her voice sounded happy, but unmistakably awkward and forlorn.

"Hey," was all I could muster, "it's great to hear from you again."

"Haha, yeah. You too," there was a slight pause as she tried to get the words out, "hey, um, you wanna go somewhere with me?"

I sat there perplexed by the sudden request.

"Just for a bit." She added.

"Uh, yeah yeah I do. I really do. Where at?" I finally breathed.

"The beach. Next to the boardwalk. Come as soon as you can, ok?" God, I missed the sound of her voice.

"Sure. See you there."

We hung up and I fell back onto my bed, my heart beating out of my chest. What the hell was wrong with me?

I'd ridden my bike down to where she wanted to meet and stopped just short of the sands edge to look for her. A movement caught my eye and I saw her sitting on a nearby bench. She stood up as she saw me. We smiled, something we hadn't done in what seemed like forever. Walking side by side down to the shore, we didn't say much, but it was nice just to be together again. To feel her presence.

When we got to shore, she laid down a blanket I hadn't noticed she was holding before, but then accidentally stepped on it and fell face first into the sand. I snorted and clasped a hand around my mouth as she gave me a pained smile and a chuckle escaped her throat. I moved to help her up and she finished laying the blanket out. Sitting down, she patted the spot next to her. The air felt more breathable again. I did as she wanted and we kind of sat in the silence; looking at nothing in particular. Finally, I spoke up.

"About that day. Tat, I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I don't know what I was thinking. I think we were both just caught up in the moment and things just happened. I-I didn't know how to face you, after that." I struggled to say.

There was a long silence until finally her voice penetrated the thick tension in the air. "Do you like me, Hayley?"

I was stunned by the question. "What?"

She turned to me and looked me seriously in my caramel eyes. "Do you like me?"

"O-of course...I do. You're - one of my closest friends."

"But friends don't kiss friends, do they?" She weakly smiled. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I think I like you more than as a friend. I think I've liked you like that since before we kissed. I'm the one who kissed you first. I'm the one who should be apologizing, but I don't want to. Because it wasn't a mistake that I kissed you. I don't regret it. Do you?"

Her eyes were pleading, and I swallowed at the confession. Tatiana liked me? In that way? Then the jumbled mess in my head started to make sense. It was so simple. The guilt began to eat me up as I watched her face, so close to falling apart at the prospect that I'd say yes, and the fact that I'd made her think so.

I put a hand on her cheek and shook my head. "No, I don't regret it. I've missed you so much. I've missed talking to you and seeing you, I thought I'd ruined everything. But I don't regret anything that has to do with you."

She placed her hand over mine and laughed in relief, her eyes wet with tears. I leaned forward and put my lips on hers and slowly, like butter, we melted into the kiss. She shifted her weight and turned to lay me on my back as we kissed, pressing her forehead into mine to guide my way down onto the blanket.

And like that, it was as if we hadn't been apart at all. She combed her fingers through my hair as I opened my legs to envelope her fully. I wanted to feel every inch of her, her warmth, her passion. Raking her backside, I pulled her dress up, exposing her long legs and her perky butt, until it was bunched up at the small of her back. I moaned as she kissed my face and along my jaw while I slipped my fingers underneath her dress and trailed my nails across her tight back. Her panty clad pussy rubbed against the crotch of my cotton shorts and I squealed in delight.

Tatiana kissed and licked her way down my ear, neck, and collarbone until she rose and moved up my body so that she could straddle me. My hands fell to her bare thighs and squeezed as I watched her strip her dress off and toss it. Like a magnet, my eyes followed her hands as she sensually caressed her neck and brushed her fingers down her chest until she reached back and unclasped her bra. Nobody else was on the beach tonight, just the two of us with only the full moon watching us.

Her breasts bounced as she tossed her bra and she leaned back so that I could look at her. My breathing was shallow, I could hear it, and I was having a difficult time swallowing as I took her entire being in. "What are you waiting for? Haven't you teased me enough?" I smirked; licking my lips.

A devious grin curled her lips and she reached to pull my hoodie off. I eagerly raised my arms and lifted my shoulders off the ground for her and returned my hands to her thighs, where I thought better, and tugged at her panties. She opened herself to me as I to her, and finally, we were both enraptured in each other's naked skin.

She nestled herself into the crook of my neck, kissing and swirling her tongue over my shoulder while she caressed and pinched my breasts. I moaned and jerked underneath her; digging my nails deep into her butt cheeks while I kissed her ear. Then, without a word, she moved down my body, just enough so that her hand could reach my pussy. Her open mouth hovered over mine as she looked at me with sultry eyes, letting me know she was going to touch me. I nodded and felt her hand travel over my breast, across the ridges of my ribs, into the dip of my navel, where it finally rested at the top of my slit.

My breathing was coming in deep shallow counts, anticipating the moment I wanted so badly. I cupped her face and leaned up to kiss her with as much fervor as I could possibly express in a kiss, wanting her to know how much I loved her. She dipped her head down as I dropped back and wrapped my arms around her neck.

"Tell me when to stop, ok?" She breathed into my ear.