Kyungsoo couldn’t decide what was worse; the stale air of the plane or the sweltering heat outside. He squinted as he disembarked from his plane, Florida Keys sun mercilessly beating down his face. Kyungsoo could feel the beginnings of sweat forming down his nape, and it wasn’t until he entered the cool interior of the airport did he begin to feel slightly better.

 

He followed the small crowd towards the luggage conveyor belts and waited impatiently for his own to appear. When he spotted his old, beaten-down duffel bag, he made a beeline and quickly inspected it for damage.

 

The main zippers were still closed and intact. Check.

 

Did the failing bag strap snap in half in the middle of the flight? Nope, so far so good.

 

The hole he had to quickly patch up the night before hadn’t reopened and all his books remained safely inside. Great. He straps his duffel bag across his chest and heads for the arrival hall.

 

Kyungsoo had been dreading this vacation the minute his parents ‘surprised’ him with the airplane ticket. He had tried to convince them that he didn’t need a getaway trip to Florida Keys. He even politely explained that he was uninterested in meeting his Aunt and cousin for the first time in years.

 

When that didn’t work, he had resorted to begging on his knees, reminding them that he hated anything outdoors. Surfing on crystal clear waters and tanning under the glow of the sun? The idea had zero appeal and made Kyungsoo shudder.

 

It doesn’t matter in the end, he supposed. His mother’s argument  (‘You deserve to be young and free before university starts. Go and have fun with your cousin!’) won out in the end. Plus there was no way to refund his ticket.

 

Kyungsoo rationalised that since he was already here, he should make the best of it. Maybe a few weeks reading under the sun could actually be fun? He hoped that he and his cousin shared similar interests, and that they would get along.

 

“Kyungsoo!” someone yelled from crowd, gangly arms waving obnoxiously in the air. Kyungsoo felt a twang of embarrassment as people began to stare.

 

The young man was still shouting Kyungsoo’s name and didn’t stop doing so until Kyungsoo reluctantly lifted an arm to wave back. The young man seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had managed to attract the attention of most people in the arrival hall.

 

When Kyungsoo nears, he runs up to him and envelopes the smaller man in a bear hug. He was way too tall in Kyungsoo’s opinion, head being able to rest easily above Kyungsoo’s own. His yellow tank top barely concealed his lean frame, and Kyungsoo could do nothing but feel his muscles press solidly against himself.

 

The young man held Kyungsoo away from himself and gave a toothy grin. “I’m Chanyeol, it’s nice to finally meet you cousin!”

 

Kyungsoo felt blood rushing up his cheeks as the handsome man appraises him. His eyes were sparkling with way too much excitement.

 

Kyungsoo blames his blushing as a result from the staring and whispers of the people around them.

 

“How did you know how I looked like?” Kyungsoo whispers, attempting to hide his face from the crowd. There was no chance they’ll recognize him after this, right?

 

Chanyeol fishes out his phone from his black skinny jeans. Tongue sticking out in concentration, he scrolls around for a bit and holds the screen to Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo goes cross-eyed as he stares at his own family photo from last Christmas.

 

“Mom showed me this photo of you before she left for New York last night,”

 

“Wait, Aunty is gone?”

 

“Yeah, she woke up one night and randomly decided to go on a vacation,” Chanyeol drapes an arm across Kyungsoo’s shoulders and leads him out of the arrival hall.

 

“W-what?” Kyungsoo manages to splutter after seconds of internal processing. “How are we gonna survive? What are we gonna do?”

 

“Relax, Kyungsoo. We have the whole house to ourselves and we’ll have a good time together, just you and me!” Chanyeol pumps his other fist in the air. “We’re going to have so much fun together, just wait and see!”

 

Kyungsoo, still recovering from the shock, keeps quiet. This was going to a long summer.

 

__________________________

 

“That’s it! I’ve completely had it with you,” Chanyeol snarls from the doorframe, eyes sparkling menacingly.

 

“Huh?” Kyungsoo lowers the book slightly to raise an eyebrow at his cousin.

 

What was he on about? Kyungsoo was fairly confident that he had been a good housemate the past three days. He made them dinner every night and always cleaned up after himself. He never made too much noise, instead quietly choosing to read in his allocated guest room.

 

Chanyeol marches up to his cousin. “You never leave this room! You’re here when I leave and you’re here when I come back. This isn’t the fun vacation your parents wanted you to have.”

 

“I’m having plenty of fun, in case you haven’t noticed,” Kyungsoo elects to go back to his book.

 

“No! I promised your parents and my mom that we’re going to have a good time here in Florida. You rotting away in your room…” Chanyeol pulls the book away from Kyungsoo and tosses it to the foot of the bed.

 

“... reading all day isn’t a good time. You’ve refused to go out every day that I’ve invited you.”

 

Kyungsoo thinks back on all the times Chanyeol had asked him out. It was rather fun, denying his cousin again and again. Chanyeol had been coming up with various ideas for activities that they could do together, only to be thwarted every time with a new excuse from Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo had even managed to convince his cousin that his eyes were still getting used to the brightness of the sun in Florida. Somehow, the sun felt so much more brighter down here? Kyungsoo had to excessively squint while looking out the windows before Chanyeol left him alone.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo sighs out as he tries to reach out for his book. Chanyeol is faster, however, and he manages to grab it away before Kyungsoo could touch it.

 

Chanyeol marches around the room, grabbing whatever book he could find, ignoring his cousin asking him about what he was up to. Soon, he has all of Kyungsoo’s books around both arms.

 

“We’re going out tonight, and that’s final. I’m not going to return any of your books if you refuse,”

 

Kyungsoo scoffs, takes out his phone and starts scrolling through his newsfeed. “Take it then, I’ll find something else to do,”

 

“I’m burning them all if you’re not downstairs in thirty minutes,”

 

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, ”You wouldn’t dare.”

 

“Try me,” Chanyeol smiles knowingly before marching out, leaving his smaller cousin gaping behind him.

 

“Time’s up!” Chanyeol shouts loud enough to be heard throughout the house.

 

Kyungsoo hurries out of his room, bounds down the spiraling staircase and heads outside to find his cousin in front of the barbeque pit. Chanyeol has his back turned to him, but Kyungsoo could see his cousin slowly piling things on top of the pit.

 

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo calls out.

 

Chanyeol turns his broad shoulders enough to reveal Kyungsoo’s books stacked neatly in the pit. “Burning your books like I said I would,” he replies cheerily.

 

“What the ?”

 

Chanyeol strikes a match to light it up, holding the flaming stick dangerously close to Kyungsoo’s prized possessions. “Unless you’re ready to go, of course.”

 

He gives Kyungsoo a quick once over, seemingly pleased to notice his cousin’s black jeans and white t-shirt.

 

“I’m ready , just put that thing away from my books!”

 

Chanyeol smiles widely as he blows out the lit matchstick. “Let’s go!”

 

_____________________

 

The drive to wherever Chanyeol was taking him passed by in a beautiful blur.

 

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but admire the beauty of Florida Keys. Everywhere he looked was beautiful. Pelicans were soaring above in alluring circles, backdrop of azure sky behind them. Far away in the horizon, the heavens met with the dark sapphire sea into a clean line. Closer to the shore, the waters were so clear that Kyungsoo had little trouble spotting emerald seaweed  dancing under the waves.

 

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Chanyeol asks after awhile,though his eyes were still focused on the winding road.

 

“Yeah, I guess so. Though I’m still pretty annoyed I’m being taken against my will,”

 

“Oh shut up, you’re being too dramatic,”

 

Kyungsoo snorts at that. Didn’t his cousin just threaten to burn all of Kyungsoo’s books back at the house?

 

“Where are we going?” Kyungsoo asks instead, knowing that it wasn’t worth arguing with his cousin.

 

“We’re going to this diner to have an early dinner. It’s pretty popular among people our age and my friends are already there. I’ll introduce you to them,”

 

“Where is it and how much longer till we get there?”

 

“It’s in the middle of the pincer, where old side and new side are connected. Shouldn’t take more than ten minutes,”

 

“Old side and new side?” Kyungsoo tilts his head and makes eye contact with Chanyeol through the rear-view mirror.

 

“You know we’re in Crab Claw Key, right? And the main bays are shaped like crab pincers?”

 

Kyungsoo nods his head, trying to recall if he saw any crab-shaped bays from his plane on the way here.

 

“The two pincers are called Old and New side. We’re on the old side right now. We’re going to the middle part where the two sides meet,” Chanyeol explains.

 

“Why are they called like that though?” Kyungsoo asks.

 

“New side is a relatively new area, most of the houses there were built recently. The.. ugh… wealthier people in Florida Keys tend to live there. All the houses are well-decorated and obnoxiously big.”

 

“You’re obnoxiously big,”

 

“Shut the up Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol shouts, way too loud for the small distance between them. Kyungsoo could tell that there wasn’t any venom in Chanyeol’s voice, but it doesn’t change the fact that his ears are still ringing.

 

Kyungsoo was still massaging his ears when they begin to near an establishment.

 

It’s a decently sized round building, with picnic benches and tables surrounding it. Kyungsoo could see that the inside was littered with red and white booths, like an old-time diner. It’s pretty packed too, a mostly young crowd spilling out from the wide building doors.

 

“Oh, my friends are here. I’ll introduce you to them,” Chanyeol says once he cuts of the engine. He exits the car and makes his way towards three young men right in front of the diner entrance.

 

Kyungsoo stops in his track, about five metres away from them, and eyes Chanyeol’s friends.

 

There were young, about the same age as him and Chanyeol, but they severely intimidated Kyungsoo. They were casually leaning against black cruisers as they took drags from their cigarettes.

 

The one on the left was the tallest of the three, almost Chanyeol’s height. He was dressed in a tight midnight-leather jacket with even tighter skinny jeans. His face seemed stuck in permanent indifference.

 

The dude on the most right stopped smoking and was now giving Chanyeol a big hug. His sandy-brown hair was messy and side swept across his widely smiling face. Kyungsoo would have pegged him to be the most approachable of three, but was still rather weary of the dude. He was wearing eyeliner, and it made him look both fierce and attractive.

 

The one on the center was definitely the most intimidating. He was tall, dark-skinned and intense. Currently in an off-white tank top and accessorised with gold chains, Kyungsoo could see a dark, tiger-fur coat draped on the cruiser handles behind him. His hair was dyed light brown, contrasting prettily against his tan skin and swaying softly in the ever-present ocean breeze. His eyes were beautifully intense too, and was cemented on Kyungsoo.

 

“Who’s that?” The handsome man asked Chanyeol.

 

“That’s my cousin, Kyungsoo. This is Kai.” said Chanyeol cheerily, oblivious to Kai’s dark expression fixed on his cousin.

 

“The tall one at the side is Sehun, and the shortest one here is Baekhyun,” said Chanyeol. That earned him a pinch from Baekhyun, who then immediately greeted Kyungsoo.

 

“It’s nice to meet you! Chanyeol has told us so much about you,”

 

Kyungsoo merely nodded, making no move to lessen the distance between him and Chanyeol’s friends.

 

“Why are you standing so far away?” asked Chanyeol after noticing the awkward gap.

 

“I don’t really like the smell of smoke, so…” Kyungsoo trailed of awkwardly.

 

“You were right, Chanyeol. Your cousin is a mood killer and completely boring,” said Kai with a humourless laugh.

 

Blinking his eyes owlishly, Kyungsoo took a deep breath before raising his voice ever so slightly.

 

“Excuse me? Just because I don’t smoke doesn’t mean I’m boring,”

 

“Ooo, he’s fierce,” whispered Baekhyun.

 

“You’ve been here what? Three days? And this is the only time you’ve come out. What were you doing inside all this time?” Kai continues, mocking.

 

“I’ve been busy,”

 

Kai snorts. “Oh, right. You were reading. Carry on then, Chanyeol doesn’t need to be burdened by someone like you.”

 

Kyungsoo is surprised at how much an this Kai person was. They literally just met, but he’s already making fun of him? What was wrong with this guy?

 

“At least I don’t risk my life on a daily basis by riding a stupid death machine,”

 

“What did you just say?” Kai said, teeth grinding.

 

“Do you have daddy troubles? That’s why you feel the need to ‘live life on the edge’?” said Kyungsoo, making air quotes, hands and all.

 

Kai moves towards Kyungsoo. Normally, Kyungsoo would have been completely terrified to have a biker approach him like this. But he was indignant and offended. No way would he let someone like Kai intimidate him into submission.

 

“What do you want from me?” Kai asks once he’s invaded Kyungsoo’s personal space. They’re boring holes into each other’s eyes now. Kyungsoo does his best to not look meek as he stares up at the taller man. This dude may have totally pissed him off, but up close, Kyungsoo could appreciate how handsome he was.

 

“An apology. I don’t appreciate being insulted by a stranger,” Kyungsoo replies steadily without breaking eye contact. Kai’s eyes are pissed, but there was a tiny spark in there that only seemed to get brighter as he talked to Kyungsoo.

 

“I’ll take back what I said if you make a little deal with me,” whispered Kai.

 

“Huh?” Kyungsoo asked, confused.

 

“You don’t get to call our bikes stupid death machines without ever riding it. You need to understand. I want you to cruise with me. If you do, I’ll take back everything I said.”

 

“No thanks. I don’t need to prove anything to you,” said Kyungsoo. He separates himself from Kai and begins to walk away.

 

“Let’s have a bet. If you ride my cruiser with me and can honestly say you hated the experience, Chanyeol will stop pestering you about going out. You can spend your entire summer doing whatever you want to do,” continued Kai, undeterred.

 

That immediately catches Kyungsoo attention. He stops walking and looks back.

 

“Seriously? Chanyeol would stop bothering me?”

 

“I will! Just go for a ride with Kai. I promise!” Chanyeol pipes up from behind. He seems really excited now, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“What the catch?” Kyungsoo asks after a moment of thought.

 

“If you end up liking the experience, you have to follow Chanyeol wherever he wants to take you for the entire summer. No questions asked.”

 

Kyungsoo processes all of the information in his head. All he needed to do was ride with Kai, say he hated it and he’ll be free from his cousin the entire summer?  Sounds too good to be true.

 

“Deal,” said Kyungsoo.

 

Kai smirks and walks towards Kyungsoo again. He holds his hand out for a handshake and waits for Kyungsoo to do the same. Kyungsoo is slightly reluctant, but he ends up meeting Kai’s gesture.

 

Kai smiles now, a smile so dashingly handsome that it takes Kyungsoo breath away. “Deal,” said Kai before he pulls Kyungsoo towards him.