It only took one bit of ragebait to draw you all out. Until now, I thought maybe five people were actually reading the novel. But apparently, saying Peter can't do yoga poses summoned everyone. At least now I know you're out there and that's nice.
Anyway, he's just unwilling, so it's a hurdle. Think of it like dad noises when they sit down or get up. It's not that they can't do it, or that it hurts, just that the hassle forces the noise out. Peace.
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May dragged me home. Both of us hit the shower. Separately. Sadly.
She came out wrapped in a towel, hair wet, skin dewy. Like she was starring in some Dove commercial made for men with suppressed issues. I sat on the couch, face half-smashed into the cushion, still questioning my life choices. My back popped again. My legs refused to uncurl.
Then she said it.
"Let's go beach."
I groaned. Not a sound. A whole soul collapse. Like my ancestors heard it and said, "Damn."
"Is your next plan to kill my manhood with blue balls? First yoga session with all-age buffet and now beach with skimpy a la carte?"
She vanished into her room and returned with a modest, although striking, two-piece. The top was a deep wine red, with thin straps and a straight neckline. The bottom matched, high-cut but not flashy, hugging her hips. Her skin glowed under the hallway light. No tan lines, just smooth skin that made me blink a little slower.
"How is this?" she asked, tilting slightly.
I gave her a slow once-over. "You look like a horny widow in denial."
She smirked. "I will take that as a yes."
She wore a skirt and a T over the swimsuit, probably for the dramatic strip tease she was planning at the sand. Modesty wrapped in bait. She moved through the kitchen like a MILF-powered hurricane, slinging snacks, water bottles, sunscreen, and a towel so big it could double as a burial shroud.
"Go and get ready," she shouted, not even glancing at me.
I was still flat on the couch, balls begging for mercy.
"For fucks sake. At least let me optimize my internal pressure systems," I muttered, dragging myself up.
She didn't even flinch. "You mean wanking?"
I groaned. "Of course I mean wanking. I don't want to get arrested at the beach with a constant tent."
"Then be quick. I don't have time to babysit your balls."
I stumbled toward the bathroom, yanked my shorts down. Five seconds in and the mirror was already judging me. I ignored it. Turned on the shower, cold as hell, braced a forearm against the tile, and handled the tension like a man in a hostage situation. Yeah, not narrating my wank.
Done. Shower. Rinsed. Dried. Threw on beach shorts, loose tank, sunglasses, and sandals with enough sand scars to count as beach veteran gear. All in five minutes. I was that horny.
[System]: Baby~ What a waste of natural resources. I could have sucked horniness out of you in a dream.
I groaned for the third time this morning. "Yeah, not time."
I stepped out and grabbed the cooler bag. May was already by the door, her legs were oiled. Probably sunscreen, but still shiny enough to reroute traffic.
"Ready?" she asked, too casual.
I nodded. Grabbed the keys. We walked of course. The beach was not far. Half an hour by foot. Cabs were for lazy people and tourists. The street was alive. Cars honking, vendors shouting, a kid threw a water balloon at his brother and got slapped by their mother in 4K. May giggled. My sunglasses were hiding the fact I was staring at the sway of her hips like they held secrets.
By the time we reached the beach, it was crowded. Families under umbrellas. Couples pretending sand was romantic. Dudes flexing next to volleyball nets like they had jobs that involved oil and mirrors.
May pulled off her T-shirt and skirt in one motion. My brain stalled for a second. Her back was smooth, waist curved, legs long enough to ruin family picnics. A dad tripped over his own sandal watching her.
She looked over her shoulder. "What?"
"Nothing." I dropped the cooler and towel. Sat down.
May laid out her towel next to mine and stretched out. Her thighs had that summer sheen. Every guy within twenty feet was trying not to stare and failing hard.
As I was about to close my eyes and let the sand cook my ass like a lazy rotisserie chicken, I saw them.
Jessica. MJB. And that black woman from school. Same paper-bag-holding woman who looked like she once stabbed a man with a slipper and prayed over it.
She smiled. "May."
May stood, wiped the sand off her thigh, and hugged her like they used to dodge bills together.
Jessica and MJB looked right at me. Both of them had shades on. Both looked like they remembered me. Probably saw me in school. I saw them too. But we never spoke. Not really.
I had no idea how May knew them.
MJB had on a yellow bikini top and high-waisted shorts. Piercings caught the sun. She managed to stand with attitude. The kind that made you feel judged for existing. Jessica looked the same as ever. A loose T. Bikini top underneath. Shorts slung low. She had that resting 'don't talk to me unless you want a verbal kick in the teeth' face.
The older woman hugged May tight. They exchanged words I could not hear, but May smiled. Like they were catching up after burying a body together.
MJB looked at me. One eyebrow arched. Eyes scanning like she was checking for lice, shame, or a hidden boner. They dropped their stuff nearby. Beach bags. Towels. MJB had a speaker. Small. Bluetooth. Already playing something with bass that sounded like someone grinding on regrets.
May sat back down, handed the older woman a bottle of water, then looked at me. "That is Adina. Friend from years ago."
Since May gave me the "Be nice or I will dangle you from your balls" look, I put on my best old-school Peter face. Full polite mode. "Hello, Adina. Nice to meet you."
She smiled back with that aunt energy that said she could kill you with kindness or a sandal. "I heard a lot about you, Peter."
Then she turned slightly, motioning to the girls like they were gift-wrapped secrets she brought from another life. "These are Michelle Jones and Jessica."
I gave them a small wave. Neither of them waved back. Not even a twitch of acknowledgment. MJB had her arms folded, chin tilted like she smelled something disappointing. Jessica just stood there with hands in her pockets. Both in shades, both unreadable, both acting like this was a family court summons, not a beach hangout.
I was itching to know how Jessica was tied to Adina. Way too much distance. The vibe said 'familiar but not intimate,' like family brought together by paperwork, not love.
Lucky for me, May asked the question like she had been waiting to toss it out. "I never saw Jessica before. Is she new in the city?"
Adina's smile dimmed a notch. Just one. But enough to notice. "Yes. She had some rough time. She is my late husband's niece, so she lives with us now."
Well, that answered my question. After I saved her from Purple Man, she said she had an aunt nearby. I just didn't expect that aunt to be MJB's mother. Funny how life worked. I rolled back onto the towel, ready to scorch my lazy ass and stare at the sun like I had no regrets when May said, "Honey, help me with sunscreen please."
Damn public beach. If this was some private setting, I would have tried my chance with those high thighs and sideboob flashes. The view was legally provocative. My dick twitched in protest, reminding me I had already traumatized it this morning.
I sat up, grabbed the sunscreen bottle, and squirted a generous amount onto my palm. It felt cold. May turned slightly, offering her back without a word. The red bikini strap sat there like a dare. Her skin shimmered, soft and warm under my hand. I started slow, rubbing circles into her shoulder blades. Her breath hitched just a little. Not enough for others to notice. Enough for me to log it in my horny archives.
From the corner of my eye, I saw MJB watching. Eyes half-lidded behind those oversized sunglasses. Jessica had already flopped onto her towel and was pretending to ignore everyone, earbuds in, probably listening to something angry and anti-men.
Adina was busy opening her bag, pulling out a plastic container. Probably snacks or some homemade guilt wrapped in Tupperware.
I did the same for the arms and legs, steering clear from dangerous areas. Not that I wanted to, but I had to. If I had let my hands roam the way my brain wanted, I would have started something that SPF could not protect either of us from. She then grabbed the bottle, squirted some onto her palm, and turned toward me with the kind of grin usually followed by a war crime charge.
She slapped it onto my back like I was the main course at Thanksgiving. Rubbed hard too. Not sensual. Not slow. Just aggressive moisturizing like she was trying to scrub sins into me instead of out. Her fingers found every sore spot yoga left behind.
"Relax," she said.
"This is violence," I grunted.
She pressed harder. "This is therapy. You are just too dramatic."
"You are turning my spine into a breadstick."
She ignored me and dug into my shoulder blades. I felt muscles twitch I didn't even know existed. Someone walked past and paused to stare. Probably thought we were doing a live couples massage session. Or foreplay.
She slapped my lower back once and said, "Done."
I exhaled like I had survived a minor exorcism.
Adina pulled out a container and popped it open, starting to pass snacks like she had planned this beach meet for weeks. May did the same, grabbing our stash from the cooler. Juice boxes, sandwiches, chips. They didn't coordinate, but it still turned into a buffet. Adina handed MJB a samosa, Jessica got something wrapped in banana leaf. May gave me half a sub and a juice box.
"So Peter, you and Michelle are in the same year, right? How come you don't know each other?" Adina said between bites.
"I don't think we ever shared a class."
MJB shrugged. "I would have remembered if we did."
May smirked. "That usually means you were either loud or annoying."
MJB tilted her head. "And he does give loud energy."
Jessica was chewing like the conversation was a side quest. She pulled out one earbud and glanced my way.
"Oh, and Jessica started your school too," Adina added, like she had just remembered her. "You can be friends."
Jessica looked at Adina, then at me. "Yeah, sure."
It sounded like she would rather be friends with a fork.
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You can read up to Chapter 85...
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