Summer

The lazy days of summer were coming to an end. The best way to spend the remaining hot summer days was to hang out at the beach with sunglasses and sun hat in tow.

 

Yoona’s hand was wrapped around a bottle of pina colada, sipping it occasionally while her eyes were busy scanning the shoreline for a particular person. She lifted the rim of her large sun hat and sat upright to get a better look when she finally spied her target.

 

“Seriously, you should just lie next to the lifeguard’s high chair instead of craning your neck. My neck aches just looking at you,” Jessica nagged as she massaged the back of her neck.

 

“Shhhh!” Yoona frowned, silencing her friend. Both of them were lying under a huge beach umbrella some hundred metres from the lifeguard’s chair.

 

A slim and fit woman, dressed in a dark blue rash guard and bikini bottom, was strolling along the shoreline. Her sun-kissed skin had a healthy glow and her legs were toned. She stopped to smile and chat with some of the beach goers before heading back to her high chair.

 

“The queen has returned to her throne,” Jessica proclaimed in a dramatic manner. Yoona nicknamed that particular lifeguard’s chair as the throne because that was where the female lifeguard sat.

 

“She’s so hot! Definitely hotter than the summer!” Yoona could only dream since she didn’t had the guts to approach the lifeguard. She noticed the athletic lifeguard when she dropped by the beach a week ago and her interest level had been increasing eversince.

 

“You’ve been ogling at her for the past week. Isn’t it time you take action?” Jessica commented lazily while flipping through the latest fashion magazine.

 

Yoona shrugged her shoulders. “I’m satisfied with just admiring her from a distance. How can a mere mortal like me get close to a Goddess like her?”

 

“If you don’t try, you wouldn’t know. At least it makes my time and effort of accompany you pay off,” Jessica added sarcastically.

 

“I’ll buy you more drinks and magazines. Just leave me to my fantasies.”

 

The following day, Yoona dragged Jessica back to the beach again for an obvious reason.  However, the lifeguard wasn’t around. In her place was a young man with bleached hair.

 

“Looks like she’s away today.” Jessica shielded her eyes from the sun’s rays.

 

Yoona let out a sigh of disappointment. It seemed the female lifeguard was off duty.

 

Since Yoona was insistent on waiting, Jessica left her friend at the beach while she went shopping at a nearby shopping mall. Jessica wanted to escape from the sweltering heat.

 

Yoona kept her eye on the beach while strolling along the footpath. Her instinct told her that her crush was at the beach but she had no idea where she went. Unfortunately, Yoona wasn’t paying attention to the uneven ground and her left flip flop was caught in a small porthole. The next instant, Yoona fell forward, landing on one knee and using one hand to prevent her face from hitting the ground.

 

“Argh!” Thud!

 

The sound of a board hitting the ground and Yoona’s shriek happened almost simultaneously. Hurried footsteps ran towards her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Two hands held either side of Yoona’s arms and sliding to her armpits while slowly lifting her up.

 

Yoona saw a pair of feet with green flip flops. Her eyes travelled from the toes to the shin, then the thighs (oh those hot honey thighs) and stopped at a neon green bikini bottom. There was a word ‘Barrel’ printed near the hem of the bikini bottom.

 

A lump formed in Yoona’s throat immediately. She slowly lifted her head up; her eyes moved from the hem of the bikini bottom to the sharply-defined abs (chocolate abs to be exact). Her heart rate was increasing by the seconds and she was sure her fingers and toes started to tingle. Moving along, her eyes rested for a brief moment at nature’s finest creation, a woman’s chest. The smooth curves, accentuated by the combination of bright blue and neon green bikini top, were staring back at her. Water droplets reflected the sun’s rays off the womanly humps, causing Yoona to feel dry in the throat.

 

“Oh, you’re bleeding. Wait for me here, I’ll get first aid,” a kind voice said.

 

Yoona snapped out of her daze when her butt rested on a wooden bench. She saw the back of a slim-built woman with long wavy hair dashing towards a nearby lifeguard post.

 

“Is she…” Yoona wondering if she was dreaming. She lifted her right palm and saw the angry red scratches caused by breaking her fall. A short distance away laid a surfboard. Putting two and two together, Yoona realised who the person was. The lifeguard must had just gotten back from surfing when she spotted Yoona falling down. A huge blush swept across Yoona’s face.

 

The female lifeguard came back moments later, holding a white first aid kit. She squatted in front of Yoona to apply antiseptic on her bleeding knees.

 

Yoona winced and her leg twitched whenever the cotton bud brushed onto her wound.

 

“Bear with me, I’m almost done,” the lifeguard said.

 

Yoona took the opportunity to study the lifeguard up close. The lifeguard’s features were strikingly beautiful and her jawline was sharp. She had the most attractive pair of dark brown eyes with dark lashes.

 

“I’m done. Can you walk?” The lifeguard stood up and packed the first aid kit.

 

Yoona attempted to stand up and it appeared she was alright except for the throbbing pain from her knee.

 

“Thanks. I’m such a klutz,” Yoona said with an embarrassed laugh. This was definitely not to way to meet her crush.

 

The lifeguard smiled. “Be more careful next time. It would be such a shame if your pretty face was scratched.”

 

Did she say I have a pretty face? Yoona thought to herself.

 

The lifeguard gave Yoona’s arm a light pat before turning around to retrieve her surfboard.

 

Yoona took a step forward and almost tripped for the second time. Her long arms flew in front and landed squarely on the lifeguard’s shoulders.

 

The lifeguard was startled but managed to stand still as she felt the person behind leaning onto her back.

 

“I..I..am so sorry!” Yoona stuttered. She hadn’t realised that the strap on her left flip flop came off, causing her to slip. “My strap came off.”

 

A tinge of red appeared on the lifeguard’s face. She stood really still while she felt Yoona trying to stabilise herself.

 

“Do..do you need a towel?”

 

“Huh?” Yoona was puzzled by the lifeguard’s question.

 

“Your strap. It came off… I can get you a towel from the lifeguard’s post in case the other strap is loose.”

 

Now, Yoona was completely baffled by the lifeguard’s statement. It took her another ten seconds before she understood what the lifeguard was saying.

 

A loud laughter erupted. Surprised, the lifeguard turned around when she felt the pair of hands disappear from her shoulders.

 

Yoona was bending over in laughter. “I meant the strap on my flip flop, not my top.”

 

The lifeguard wanted to dig a hole in the sand and bury herself in embarrassment.

 

Seeing how Yoona was laughing heartily, the lifeguard couldn’t help but join in to laugh at her own silliness.

 

“By the way, I’m Yuri.” Yuri stuck her hand out for a handshake when they finally stopped laughing. “I’m a part-time lifeguard at this beach.”

 

“I know.” The reply was too quick.

 

“You know?” Yuri raised a brow, puzzled at Yoona’s reply. Afterall, she wasn’t wearing her usual rash guard and she was off duty for today.

 

“I mean…”

 

“My friend has been ogling at you for the past week and doesn’t have the guts to approach you.” A familiar voice said.

 

Yoona turned to her side and saw Jessica busy fanning herself with a folded brochure.

 

“Sica!”

 

“Oh, really?” Yuri chuckled.

 

“I’m Jessica, the friend of this klutz.” Jessica pointed to Yoona before looking back at Yuri.

 

“And I’m Yuri, the person who gave first aid to the klutz,” Yuri said teasingly.

 

“I bet she is hoping for CPR instead of this. I told her to try pretending to…” A hand quickly sealed Jessica’s mouth.

 

“Sica!” Yoona glared angrily at Jessica.

 

Jessica leaned close to Yoona and whispered. “Yoong, this is your only chance. Grab it! I’m going home first. Bye!”

 

With a wave of her hand, Jessica smiled and headed towards the carpark. There was an awkward silence lingering in the air.

 

“Sorry, Yuri. Just ignore my friend. Thanks for attending to me. I will make a move,” Yoona said hurriedly, about to follow Jessica.

 

“Hey, would you want to have dinner?”

 

“With you?”

 

Yuri chuckled. Yoona was beginning to find Yuri’s chuckles very adorable and she wanted to hear more.

 

Yuri nodded. “With me only. Unless…you want the other guys to come along?”

 

Yoona’s eyes widened with shock. “Oh, no. I mean, it is okay. Just you. And me. I mean, just us.”

 

Yuri grinned. “I’ll just wash up and change into something more comfortable. How about waiting for me at the café? I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

 

Yoona knew her summer, to be exact, her summer romance, was about to start.

 

 

= The End=

Inspired by Yuri’s Barrel photoshoot.