08: I Like You

Kris tortured Tao with more reggae music as they cruised about the island that night. Finally, Tao could take it no longer and smacked Kris' hand away from the radio, then surfed through the stations until he found one drowning in electronic beeps and mirror-rattling bass.

"How do you listen to that !" Kris yelled over the music, grimacing as he flipped the blinker and took the next left, blonde hair thrashing violently in the wind.

"Well it's better than the you listen to!" Tao perched an arm on the door of the Jeep and leaned out, reveling in the sensation of the wind pushing against his face and eyelashes. He liked distractions. They kept him from taking in things he'd rather not notice, like the way Kris' long fingers grasped the steering wheel, handmade hemp bracelets clinging loosely to his bony wrists. Tao caught himself staring at the lanky surfer and groaned.

Breaking his gaze from the road, Kris chanced a quick glimpse at Tao before turning down the radio. "What's that ugly look for?" he asked, smile crooked and eyes gleaming with mischief.

"I don't like you." Tao tightened his jaw and glared.

"I think we've established that." Kris shook his head and trained his eyes back on the road again.

"Yeah, well good," replied Tao.

"But I like you!~" Kris sang into the wind, grinning cheekily.

“I told you! Don't say that!" Tao reached over and socked Kris in the arm, taking satisfaction in the painful wince he received in return.

"Why not?" pressed the surfer.

Tao was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Um... well... just... just because!"

"Because why?"

"I don't ing know! Do I have to have an answer for everything?" Tao huffed, crossing arms.

"No. I just thought it'd be nice to know what goes on inside of that stubborn little head of yours." Kris shrugged and relaxed back into his seat.

"Not a whole hell of a lot!" snapped Tao without thinking.

"HA! Well I already knew that!" snickered Kris, warranting a fist to the arm in the exact same spot as before. "OW! THAT HURT!"

Tao leaned over and yelled into Kris’ ear, "GOOD! I HOPE YOUR ARM FALLS OFF!"

"Jesus!” Kris blinked at the ringing in his ears and rubbed the soreness out of his arm,. "I have a surfing competition coming up you know. It'd be a shame if my arm fell off."

Tao's anger evaporated. He knew how important that competition was to Kris. And if he were to be completely honest with himself, he was actually a little bit jealous of the surfer. Tao had yet to find something he could do well. He was horrible at surfing, so-so at customer service, failed miserably when it came to making normal friends, and couldn't hold his alcohol for . He was pretty good at arcade games, but that didn't exactly win him a gold medal either. The more he thought about his lack of accomplishments and talents, the more he started to think he belonged on this godforsaken island of misfits.

Kris flipped his blinker and pulled into an empty beach access, parking under the orange glow of a street lamp before cutting the noisy engine. Only the shrill chirping of crickets and distant hiss of the ocean kept them company during those silent minutes until Kris spoke. "Actually," he began, clumsily fiddling with the car keys in his hand, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

The way Kris’ voice trailed off at the end stirred Tao’s insides, "W-What is it?" he asked, observing a moth as it crawled across the front windshield.

"There are a couple of competitions coming up that I signed up for,” Kris tilted his head just a fraction, “And after that comes Maverick's."

"Maverick's?"

"The big guns. Win that and you're pretty much guaranteed to get sponsored."

A light bulb went off in Tao's brain. Maverick's must have been what Kris' late father had never been able to accomplish. "What does that have to do with me?" asked Tao warily.

"I could use a little help... if you're willing." Kris continued fumbling with the keys in his hands, still unable to look directly at his passenger.

"Me? Why not Jongdae or Luhan? They're much better at surfing than I am!" Tao turned to face Kris.

"You don't have to be an expert to help out.” Kris’ voice faded off into a mumble. “I'd rather it be you anyway."

Tao didn't know what to think or where to start. It probably wasn’t wise to agree to something when he didn't even know all of the details. However, the instant their gazes locked, he saw the faintest hint of desperation in Kris' eyes. Any remaining doubt crumbled in that moment. "Okay," he agreed.

Kris practically jumped out of his seat. "Really! You'll do it!"

"Yeah, I guess I'll do it," Tao quickly blurted out an excuse, "Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do this summer."

"This is great!" exclaimed Kris while throwing an arm around Tao's shoulders and ruffling his hair.

"Would you stop it! It's not that big of a deal!" Tao wiggled out of the surfer’s hold, cheeks tinted pink and scowl nowhere near as severe as intended.

"You won't regret it, I promise!" Kris smiled from ear to ear, eyes beaming with gratitude. "Well, now that that's settled, wanna go for a walk on the beach?"

"Aren't you worried about your house?" asked Tao. He could just imagine the state it was in but hoped the important things had been left untouched. He had to admit, that surfboard in process was pretty impressive.

"I'd rather discover the aftermath than walk into the actual tornado," stated Kris, seemingly indifferent to his potentially wrecked house.

Tao couldn't argue with that. "Fine. But the second one of those crabs runs across my foot, I'm done."

"Fair enough," replied Kris, "They're more scared of us than we are of them anyway."

Unfastening his seat belt, Tao hopped out of the Jeep, sandals scuffing against gravel as he smoothed out his windblown hair. Kris snatched his hand as he zipped by and tugged with force. Tao lurched forward before falling in line with the surfer's swift stride, pulse hammering at the sight of his hand encased by strong, capable fingers. Kris looked over his shoulder and Tao quickly lowered his eyes to the ground. This was a stupid idea. He never should have agreed to it.

Much to his relief, Kris remained silent as he led them down to the sandy beach. They turned to the right and passed under a dimly lit pier before venturing into darker territory. There was no moon hanging in the sky that night, only brightly speckled stars eclipsed by the occasional passing cloud. The ocean rolled in and out lazily, the night sky reflected within its foamy waves as Kris and Tao ambled along the deserted shore.

Kris threaded his fingers between Tao's, taking a more relaxed stride as he inhaled the salty breeze. He wasn't sure what he was doing, and in hindsight, he probably wasn't doing it right either. He took note of Tao's tense shoulders and clammy hand. The guy was like a fortress, guarded so heavily that it was nearly impossible to penetrate. Kris was constantly pushing Tao's buttons just to get a reaction, and this situation was no different. Since Tao had agreed to help with the upcoming competitions, they needed to get used to being around each other anyway. What better way to do that than with a mild invasion of personal space?

Kris smirked as he leaned into Tao's side, pushing them both towards the ocean until their feet met water. "Dammit these are leather sandals!" whined Tao, bending over to rip them off of his feet before they could get completely ruined.

"Whoops," snickered Kris, pulling off his cheap five-dollar flip-flops.

Tao stuck his nose into the air, sandals held firmly in hand as he stomped through the receding water to escape. Kris refused to let go even if it warranted a temper tantrum.

"Let go!" snapped Tao.

"Nope," replied Kris.

"Why not!"

"Don't want to."

Thank god for the darkness because Tao knew he was blushing. If not for the salvation of night, he would have ran off by now, leaving nothing but a stream of curses in his wake.

"Then you can carry these." Tao shoved his sandals into Kris' chest. "Drop them in the water and you die."

Kris grunted as he scrambled to take hold of the sandals before they could fall. It wasn't until he'd gathered both pairs that he realized he'd been tricked. Tao was finally free and vocally gloating about it too.

"Man you're stupid," chortled Tao.

"Since I'm so stupid, guess I don't have to hold onto these sandals of y--"

"NO! No, don't drop them!" Tao ran back over, squinting through the darkness just to be sure his precious sandals weren't drowning.

Kris smirked, "Gotcha."

"That wasn't funny."

"I thought you didn't like sandals."

"I didn't. But I do now." Tao wasn't exactly sure when it’d happened, but at some point he'd grown to like them.

"Come on, Taozi. I'll take you to my favorite spot at the end of the beach. And don't worry about the crabs," Kris approached, grin widening, "I'll protect you."

Tao snorted, "I constantly have to remind myself of why I'm friends with you."

"Really? And why are you friends with me?" Kris asked curiously as they resumed walking.

Tao hated it when Kris asked such questions. He sifted through his brain for a plausible answer. He found one, it just wasn't the one he'd expected. "I don't know," Tao tried to sound nonchalant about it, "Guess it's because you haven't given up on me yet."

Kris' breath hitched. He'd never received this level of honesty from Tao. He wanted to delve deeper but knew he shouldn't. Tao was quick to retaliate but even quicker to shut himself down. Curiosity spurred Kris onward despite the calculated risk. "What do you mean?"

Tao shrugged before deciding to throw caution to the wind just to see where it would lead him. "Well my mom gave up on me. ‘Course, I can't really blame her for it. I've been a real jerk to her over the past year or so," Tao paused. This was a lot harder to say out loud than he thought it would be. He took a breath and continued. "She was always pressuring me to talk to my dad but I always avoided it. In the end, I guess she got tired and dumped me on him anyway."

"Ah. So that's how it happened. And your dad?"

"I think I was about five years old when it happened. He just didn't come home one day."

"That's... really ty." Kris cringed at his words but what else was he supposed to say? I understand? No, because he didn’t. He knew what it was like to have something and then lose it, but it was a completely different experience to have something and be incapable of grasping and holding onto it. He wasn’t sure which was sadder.

"Yeah... it was."

"Well," Kris offered a more positive outlook, "At least you get to have some down time for the summer. It must be hard having to stay with your dad after all this time, so..." Kris paused before taking a gamble, "If you ever need a place to just, you know, crash for a while? My place is open. All you have to do is ask."

Tao was taken aback by the unexpected offer. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Nah!" Kris waved it off. "It's no big deal. Besides, I bet you make a better house mate than the rest of our idiot friends. Which reminds me, I bet my house is trashed."

Tao smiled. He felt lighter, like some of the weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. Although, he still felt the need for a change of subject. "How long have you been friends with them anyway?"

"It varies. I've known Luhan since he opened the surf shop a couple of years ago. Minseok, I knew all through high school. Jongdae, I met senior year. I've known Lay since we were kids. And none of us knew Sehun until Luhan hired him a few months ago. Then there's you," Kris grinned, "The city kid that fell into our laps."

Tao scoffed, "Um, no. You dragged me around the entire damn island and blackmailed me into meeting your friends."

Kris laughed as he swung their sandals back and forth. "Guess I did do that, didn't I?"

Tao skimmed a foot across the water as they continued walking. Their current conversation was much easier than any of their previous ones, but that wasn't what worried Tao the most, it was the fact that he was actually happy about it that did. Tao panicked and quickly sought out another distraction. Thankfully, he was provided with one when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the screen.

"Is it your dad?" asked Kris while nosing in for a look.

"Yeah," replied Tao distantly.

"Are you going to answer it?"

Tao's eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, and he could just make out Kris' concerned expression. Realization hit unexpectedly. Kris didn't have a dad anymore, but he did. That knowledge bothered Tao on such a level that it made him feel guilty. He swiped his index finger across the screen and answered the dreaded phone call.

"Hello," he droned into the speaker.

"Tao? Where are you? It's late." His dad's voice was tired and thick with worry. Normally, everything the man said made Tao fume with anger. It took every ounce of willpower for Tao to keep his cool.

"I'm on the beach with Kris," he replied curtly.

"The young man I spoke with on the phone the other night?" inquired his father.

"Yeah," Tao sighed, patience wavering.

"You should bring him over to the house. I'd like to meet him."Tao sighed again and quickly looked to Kris for silent support. Somehow, the surfer's encouraging smile supplied him with the patience he normally lacked. "I'll... think about it," he replied distractedly.

There was a pause on the other end. For a split second, Tao thought he'd lost the call until his father spoke again. "Maybe you can bring him by the house tomorrow. I bought a bunch of hot dogs and hamburgers today. We could grill out. You know... guy time."

Tao had every intention of flat out rejecting the offer, but Kris had already invaded his air space to in on their conversation. "Hot dogs!" mouthed Kris silently, "Yum!"

Tao shook his head and shoved Kris away. They absolutely were not having a cookout with his dad tomorrow. Nope. Not a chance. He didn't want to...

Goddammit.

"Okay," Tao agreed with a frown, feeling utterly defeated.

"Really? Err... well that sounds great!" His dad sounded legitimately excited. Although, Tao was positive it was for all of the wrong reasons. In fact, he was willing to bet money on it. Suddenly, the old man cleared his throat and took on a more authoritative tone. "I want you home in an hour, Tao. No excuses."

Tao felt his anger surge but managed to stuff it down before speaking through clenched teeth. "But. I. Rode. My. Bike. DAD."

Hushed grumbling could be heard from the other end. "Fine," replied the elder, "You have an hour-and-a-half. If you're late, there will be consequences. Your choice."

"Fine!" Tao smashed his finger into the touch screen several times to end the call. He crammed the device back into his pocket and ran a hand through his hair with a huff.

Kris cleared his throat. "Good job, Taozi."

Tao turned and shot daggers from his eyes. "Are you making fun of me?" he seethed.

Kris raised a hand defensively. "N-No! I was serious this time! Believe it or not," he laughed.

"Oh," replied Tao, anger waning.

"So what else did he say?"

"That I have to be home in an hour-and-a-half."

"That doesn't give us much time to make it to the end of the island and back."

"Oh freaking well," griped Tao, "Guess we'll just have do it some other time."

Just then Kris reared back and flung their sandals to the dry end of the beach. Before Tao had a chance to say anything about it, the surfer grabbed his hand and yanked him into a slow jog. "Not if we run!" Kris grinned as he picked up the pace.

"Noooo!" Tao tried wiggling his hand loose. "I don't run!"

"Well it's time for you to start you lazy little !"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?"

"I called you a LAZY LITTLE ."

"YOU'RE DEAD SURFER BOY."

Kris took off like a marathon runner, seeming to glide across the sand as he dashed this way and that. Tao followed closely behind for a while, screaming curses at his friend until he realized distance was gaining between them. Kris turned around every so often to give Tao a smug pep talk while running backwards, which only served to irritate Tao even further. It wasn't long before his lungs and legs started burning as he struggled to keep up. Eventually, he tuned Kris out and focused on the sound of his breathing and the slap of wet sand against the bottom of his feet.

Tao lost track of time during his state of mental ease. All that mattered was the gradually approaching pile of rocks that marked the end of the island. At some point, Kris had fallen in line with him, and oddly enough, Tao couldn't even remember why he'd been angry in the first place. Maybe this simplicity of nature was what drew people to the beach. Or maybe it was the promise of summer companionship that captured the weak of heart. Tao wasn’t sure which category he fell under, but he hoped it was neither, because he couldn’t afford to get attached to this place.

Eventually they reached the end of the island and slowed to a walk. "See, you're a natural born runner." Kris rested hands to hips while catching his breath.

Tao's curt laugh came out more like a wheeze. To substitute his lack of words, he flashed Kris the finger and continued gasping for air.

Kris chuckled as he took a couple steps back. "You know, Taozi, I--" But he never got the opportunity to finish. Kris walked straight into a large tidal pool and sank into it first, arms and legs splayed over the sides at odd angles. Kris' shocked expression undid Tao before he had a chance to fully process what had happened.

"AH HA HA HA!" Tao doubled and pointed. "Gee! Doesn’t this look familiar! HAHAHA! Karma is a you dumb !" His teasing was quickly silenced by a glop of sand oozing down the front of his neck and down his collarbone. Tao wiped it away before it could finish running down his shirt. Kris rose from the pool, clothes dripping wet, smirking from ear to ear. "I don't know what you're thinking," Tao warned, "But you better not do it."

"Do what?" asked Kris as he approached innocently.

Tao held out a hand as if to stop the surfer's advance. "I'm warning you, Kris. Don't you dare--"

In a split second Kris had Tao over his shoulder and was taking off into the water. Tao cursed and kicked with all of his might. "LET ME GO!" he screamed.

Kris let go alright. He dropped Tao right into the water with a satisfied smirk. Tao coughed and sputtered while wiping salt water away from his eyes and mouth. Some of it had even gotten up his nose, making his sinus cavity burn and eyes water from the sting of salt. Kris looked as though he felt sorry and extended a hand. Tao thought about smacking it away, but conjured up a devious plan instead. He accepted Kris' hand, but just as the surfer was pulling him up, Tao pulled as hard as he could.

His plan backfired.

Kris landed right on top of him with a surprised yelp, sinking them both into the water before they could regain their bearings. Tao remained perched on his elbows, blinking away water and gaping while Kris struggled to steady himself on his forearms. Kris looked at their position--soaking wet, chests pressed together, and legs tangled--then looked up at Tao through wet lashes. The waves sloshed in and out gently as they continued staring at each other, eyes searching and chests heaving from overexertion.

Tao took one look at Kris' perplexed expression and swallowed. His pulse began pounding against his ribcage so fiercely that he was sure Kris could feel it. Though he couldn’t break his gaze, he looked for a distraction, anything to take his mind off of the surfer on top him. He focused on the warmth of the water, but quickly realized Kris was far warmer, so warm in fact that it felt as though the heat of summer were at his skin.

Suddenly, Kris reached up and threaded his fingers through Tao's dripping hair, tugging gently at the strands, eyes searching Tao’s as he debated over something untold.

"W-What are you doing?" Tao asked hoarsely, scalp tingling as a shiver fluttered down his spine.

"I don't know," replied Kris breathlessly, "But I'm gonna do it anyway."

Tao gasped when their lips touched, all previous thoughts becoming scattered with the tentative glide of Kris' lips against his own. This wasn't right. It shouldn't feel good, but it did, and Tao had no control over his actions when he grasped the surfer's shirt, pulling him closer, craving the warmth he'd been avoiding for so long.

Kris became lost in the young male beneath him, senses overloaded by shuddering breaths, the taste of salt on sweet lips, and the press of skin through wet clothes. Tao drove him crazy in more ways than one, and it had all led up to this, whatever this was. But in the back of his mind Kris knew this was pushing the limit. It was too much, even for him, so he pulled away and removed himself from Tao, tongue involuntarily slipping out to savor the lingering flavor on his lips.

Tao remained frozen, gaze heavy as his mind slowly processed what had just happened. When everything sank in, he sat up abruptly and stared at Kris with a horrified expression.

The surfer sat in the water, rubbing the back of his neck as he fished for an excuse. "I... sorry... it just... um... yeah."

"W-Why?" asked Tao, still drowning in his own shock and embarrassment.

Kris laughed nervously. "You just... and then I... and... stop looking at me like that!" Kris averted his gaze.

"How in the hell am I supposed to look at you?" Tao huffed, smacking a fist into the water.

"I don't know!" said Kris.

"Well I don't either!" replied Tao.

Their argument died off just as quickly as it started. Kris cleared his throat and stood up, hesitating a moment before offering a hand to Tao, eyes focused on the pier in the distance. Tao smacked Kris’ hand away and stood up, nearly falling back into the water in his haste to reach dryer territory. They stood on the beach together, wringing the water from their clothes and hair, neither one of them having the nerve to actually look at each other.

"You probably don't have much time left before curfew," said Kris after shaking out his blonde locks, "We'll stop to grab your bike and I'll drive you home."

"That's alright," replied Tao, "Just drop me off at the surf shop and I'll bike home from there."

Kris didn't argue. Quite frankly, he was lucky his head hadn't been completely bitten off, so he swallowed his argument. "Ready to run again?" he asked warily.

Tao rolled his eyes. "No. But I don't exactly have much of a choice now do I?"

They jogged silently all the way back, stopping only once to grab their sandals before walking back up the beach access. Then they hopped into Kris' Jeep, the radio, and pulled out onto the road, shivering as the wind dried their clothes. It wasn’t long before Kris pulled up at the Black Pearl Surf Shop.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll take it from here," stated Tao as he unfastened his seatbelt.

"Are you sure?" asked Kris with concern. He didn't think riding a bicycle this late at night was safe, but then again, Tao was extremely stubborn.

"Yeah. What about your house?" asked Tao as got out and shut the passenger door.

"Don't worry about it," said Kris, "They're gonna clean up their cluster . They just don't know it yet."

Tao grinned at the thought of Kris inflicting misery upon their friends. "Okay. I'll call you about the stupid cookout with my dad tomorrow," Tao paused, "Wait... what's your number? You haven’t given it to me yet."

"I don't have a cell phone," replied Kris as he put the Jeep into reverse and started backing out, "And neither do you!" he called out with a bright-eyed grin.

"What?" asked Tao. Then his blood ran cold. He stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out his waterlogged phone. It was a gonner. Kris had killed it when he dumped him in the ocean. "YOU !" he screamed, "I HATE YOUR GUTS!"

"That's a shame!" shouted Kris as he pushed on the gas, "Because I like you!" Then he took off across the gravel parking lot, leaving a trail of dust behind him, reggae music blaring through the summer night as he laughed into the wind.