09: Secrets

Tao rolled around in bed for hours, cursing himself for allowing Kris to get under his skin, if only for a millisecond. Although it was dark in his room, he recalled the incident on the beach in vivid color, replaying the moment their lips touched over and over like a broken record. The more he thought about it, the more flustered he became. And the more flustered he became, the faster his heart thumped.

With a frustrated growl, Tao sat up in bed and flung the covers aside. “This is ing stupid,” he muttered, hanging his head in defeat. “The next time I see Kris, I’m going to knock his lights out.” His words may have been sharp, but they held no weight. Tao doubted whether he’d be able to look at Kris, much less touch him without becoming completely flustered.

Sighing heavily, he got out of bed and walked over to the window. The first telltale signs of morning were brewing on the horizon. He was due for work at the Black Pearl Surf Shop by 11:00 a.m., which meant more work he’d rather not do, not to mention Kris was guaranteed to show up at some point. Tao conjured up a number of unpleasant scenarios, all of which ended in guaranteed sabotage.

Clad in a black pair of cotton shorts, Tao pulled a t-shirt from the dresser, yanked it over his head, and tip-toed downstairs. He needed the ocean breeze on his skin in order to calm his nerves. His reasoning proved solid when he stepped onto the back deck. The instant the salty air filled his senses, Tao felt his shoulders relax and pulse slow to a steady rhythm. His eyes slipped shut as he listened to the hiss of the tumbling surf. Suddenly, he was met with the overwhelming urge to hop on a board, paddle out, and surf away his frustrations. Tao could see why so many surfers preferred taking on the ocean first thing in the morning. It was peaceful. No one was around to invade his personal space, ask him questions, strike up meaningless conversation, or get in the way of the perfect view. It was just Tao, the sand, and the beach. In that moment, that was all he needed. Tao smiled softly to himself. He'd finally found his resolution.

It wasn’t long before he found himself clad in a tank top, swim trunks, and his favorite leather sandals as he hopped onto his bike. He pedaled down the road in the hazy blue light of early morning, intent upon reaching the Black Pearl Surf Shop before the sun could peek over the horizon.


-


Despite a head-splitting migraine (courtesy of numerous alcoholic endeavors at Kris’ house the night before), Luhan arrived at work ahead of schedule. He pulled into his usual spot at the edge of the parking area, and with an accidental jerk, jolted the vehicle into park. Luhan stared out the open car window, mouth agape as he squinted and blinked several times in order to assess the scene before him. Exiting the car, he closed the door and pulled a James Bond maneuver on his way towards the back corner of the surf shop.

He stuck close to the building as a ghost of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. Tao was surfing. Looking much like a clumsy baby seal thrashing among the waves, Tao hopped onto his longboard several times only to lose balance and fall off immediately after. Then Luhan watched as he smiled, eyes crinkled into half-moons, and tried time and time again to correct his posture and catch a wave. It was the happiest Luhan had ever seen Tao, and although excellent blackmail material, Luhan didn’t have it in his heart to disturb his employee.

Backing away slowly, Luhan retreated through the employee entrance before flicking on the lights. He had to ready the store for the day ahead. As he reorganized several racks of merchandise, Luhan shook his head, a thoughtful chuckle rumbling in the back of his throat. The ocean had a way of changing people. He’d seen it happen before. Tao had entered their group with a heavy weight on his shoulders, but after applying himself toward something meaningful, Luhan could see there was more to Tao than his guarded exterior.

Tao reminded Luhan of his younger self, back when life was much more complicated and much less forgiving. It was for that specific reason that Luhan was determined to push Tao to his full potential (or kick his , whichever came first), because deep down Luhan wished someone had been there to push him when he’d needed it the most. But the past was past, and Luhan wasn’t one to linger on it. He had plenty to keep himself occupied with anyway.

Luhan snickered while fixing a tangled rack of t-shirts. First he’d taken Sehun under his wing and now Tao. He was acting like a mother hen, which was amusing in a humorous sort of way, but that amusement waned with the realization that one day his chicks would fly the coupe. Luhan burst into laughter at that thought.

He didn’t say much when a bright-eyed Tao entered the surf shop, dripping salt water all over the floor. Instead, Luhan offered him a clean pair of swim trunks and a surf shop t-shirt with the excuse that they were the new work uniform. The younger didn’t argue, and Luhan didn’t elaborate. Deep down, though, they both knew it was total bull.


-


“My fingers are burning!” whined Jongdae as he continued scrubbing the kitchen floor while on his hands and knees, the fumes from the lemony cleaner burning his nostrils.

“Shut the hell up and keep scrubbing! You should’ve thought of that before you decided to purchase a kiddie pool, put it in my kitchen, fill it full of instant pudding, and bet on chic wrestling! I mean, goddamn Jongdae, if you’re so ing creative, why not use it for something productive!” Kris glared, focusing every single molecule of his malicious energy towards inflicting pain and misery upon his friend.

“I was drunk! It seemed like a good idea at the time!” Jongdae blinked several times, the horrendous fumes now making his eyes water.

“Not my problem! Now keep scrubbing! I’m gonna go check on the others. When I come back, this floor better be spotless!” Kris stomped off through the trashed living area, nearly tripping over several empty beer cans and some girl’s abandoned underwear along the way. When he arrived outside of the bathroom, Minseok was in the shower, curtain pulled back as he scrubbed the tiles furiously.

Minseok looked up at Kris leaning in the doorway and smiled. Although Minseok’s clothes were smelly and post-party hair littered with blotches of pudding, it didn’t appear to bother him at all. “Almost done with the shower. I assure you I will find the person who puked in your shower instead of the toilet. I have a feeling this was Park Chanyeol’s doing.”

Kris frowned. Chanyeol was from another clique of surfers that Minseok hung out with from time to time. He wasn’t much of an issue (even though he was one marble shy from being a total coo-coo-clock), it was the other surfers in the group that caused Kris annoyance and distress. He’d run into them occasionally on the south side of the island. They had a territorial mentality, didn’t like it when other surfers invaded their turf, and didn’t play nice either. Not that Kris couldn’t handle himself. He just hated it when they distracted him from practice.

“I hope you won’t be doing anything like this in the future again. At least not in my house, Minseok,” Kris sighed while folding his arms against his chest.

“Yeah, it did get a bit out of control. I swear I only invited a few people.”

“Just... don’t do it again. I’ve got enough to worry about.”

“Sure thing. And um... sorry.” Minseok looked legitimately remorseful, and probably was. The guy didn’t have one malicious bone in his body but did have a bad habit of acting on impulse.

“When you’re done in here let me know. The living room is still a disaster. It’s going to take forever to get whatever the hell that is out of my carpet.” Kris left the bathroom to check up on Sehun, who was in Kris’ bedroom pulling the blankets off of the bed. “You better take those to the dry cleaners and wash them reeeeeaaallly well. Better yet, just throw them away and buy me some new ones. I don’t think I can stomach the thought of sleeping on them again after what happened in them last night.”

Sehun turned a bright shade of apple as he stripped off the pillow cases, leaving the bed completely bare. “I’m sorry for the... I’ve never drank that much before... then Luhan... and the... yeah. Just... don’t say anything to the others? I’m still sorta... confused... about it.” Sehun was mumbling so much that Kris could hardly make sense of what the younger was saying, which was more than fine. He'd much rather be kept in the dark about what went down in his sheets last night anyway. Maybe buying a new mattress wasn’t such a bad idea either.

Kris took a calming breath and exhaled slowly. He couldn’t find it in his heart to tear into the kid when he looked so pitiful. Sehun was known for his steely exterior, but much like everyone else, he'd seen straight through that facade right from the start. It didn’t seem right hounding Sehun at the moment, but that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve to be punished. “Throw those out and go buy me some new ones. When you get back, I’ve got some more work for you to do.”

“But I don’t have any money. I had to fork it over to my uncle,” replied Sehun as he picked up the massive pile of blankets and sheets.

“Not my problem, kid. Figure it out. I’m sure Luhan won’t mind helping you out.” At the mention of Luhan’s name, Sehun seemed to come undone around the edges, his calm exterior melting into one of slight panic. Kris almost felt sorry for him--almost. But his sheets and mattress and just no. This was precisely why he didn’t like people coming into his room. His sanctuary had been invaded and defiled. If it weren’t for the fact that his boss did him constant favors, said boss would be in the same position as everyone else right now.

It took hours to get everything cleaned up. Somehow, Sehun managed to scrounge up some cash and bought Kris a really nice set of blankets and sheets that rivaled the quality of the previous ones. Jongdae bought Kris four twelve-packs of beer as a peace offering, which Kris gladly accepted. And Minseok paid for the carpet cleaning service which cleaned the carpets so well that they ending up looking better than they had in years.

By the end of the morning, the party’s aftermath had turned out completely in Kris’ favor. Thankfully, his work room had been left untouched. Had it been destroyed, there would’ve been a few bodies buried in the backyard. Kris was grateful his house had survived, and for the time being, that was good enough.

He had bigger fish to fry anyway.


-


Not only was the surf shop far busier than Tao had predicted, but Luhan had given him weird looks all day long. Every time Tao stole a glance, he’d find Luhan side-eyeing him with a smug grin. Eventually, Tao'd had enough and mashed the register’s keys with a huff, resulting in several errors that blipped up on the screen.

Luhan leaned against the nearby wall, watching his employee with amused interest before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “What happened?”

Tao turned around halfway. “Huh?”

“What happened?” pressed Luhan, “There’s something different about you.”

Tao stuttered, “W-What? D-Different? There’s nothing different. I’m fine.”

Luhan pushed off the wall and walked up to Tao, chin tilted upwards, gaze suspicious and unwavering. “Spit it out. And before you try to blow it off, just know that I have connections. I’ll figure it out, so you might as well spill it.”

Tao turned back to the register and lingered there a moment before glancing around the shop to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. “If I tell you, you have to swear you won’t tell anyone. I’m serious. If you say anything, I’m outta here.”

Luhan shifted on the spot, arms crossed casually behind his back. “Fair enough. I accept your conditions. Now out with it.”

Tao’s trembling fingers found their way to the bottom of his shirt where they began twisting the fabric nervously. “Kris and I left the party last night,” he began.

“Yeah,” replied Luhan, “I noticed. Where did you guys go anyway?”

Tao looked up, surprised that anyone had noticed their exit last night. “We went to the beach.”

Luhan raised a brow. “That late? And for that long? What were you guys doing?”

“Um...” Tao’s hands were suddenly clammy. “We went for a walk... on the beach... and--“

“You little s!” interrupted Luhan, voice barely above a whisper yet laced with fierce accusation. He leaned in toward Tao and looked up through his lashes. “So... what went down? Or rather, who went down?”

It took a moment for the implication to sink in, and when it did, Tao choked on his own embarrassment. “That’s! Wha--NO! THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!”

Luhan’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t tell me you guys like, held hands or something high school like that.” Tao opened his mouth to respond but quickly clamped it shut. “Ahaha! Are you kidding me!” Luhan guffawed, “You’re freaking out over that!”

“W-Well,” continued Tao, face heated, “That’s not everything that happened.” He wrung the fabric of his shirt, hearing the pop of one of the stitches snapping under the strain.

Luhan grinned evilly. “Really now? So then you guys--?”

“Yeah,” Tao nodded. Thankfully Luhan caught his drift, and he didn’t have to elaborate any further.

“So, how was it? Is he as clumsy as he seems?”

“WORSE!” Tao turned back around, startling the customer that had silently approached the register. “Sorry,” he blurted out a quick apology to the young, blonde-headed girl.

“Don’t mind him,” Luhan flashed a charismatic smile, “He just had his first kiss is all. He’s not all here today.” The girl looked at Tao and giggled.

“LUHAN!” yelled Tao as he punched his boss in the chest. “I told you not to say anything!”

“Whoops.” Luhan shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “It slipped out.”

Tao growled as he took the customer’s purchases and rung them up. This was precisely why he didn’t share personal information with people. Regardless of that, he had a feeling he could trust Luhan to withhold the information from the others, especially Kris.

He took the brunt of Luhan’s teasing for the remainder of his shift but refused to dish out the details despite the other’s relentless poking and prodding. There were just some details he refused to disclose, mostly because he couldn’t stomach the thought of reliving the moment himself.

While working, Tao came to a solid conclusion: He did not like Kris, at all, not even a smidgen. Actually, he probably liked ants more than he liked Kris. Tao snorted at that thought and continued wiping down the counter. Luhan hadn’t told him to clean, but he figured it was better than standing around idly, left to the mercy of his own wandering thoughts.

A few hours into his shift, Luhan popped out from the back room with store phone in hand. “It’s your dad.”

Tao snatched the phone from Luhan and placed the receiver to his ear. “Yes?” annoyance evident in his tone.

“Why aren’t you replying to my texts? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the past two hours!” fussed his father.

“My phone broke,” replied Tao.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me? I can get you a new one--“

“That’s not neces--“

“Do you really want to incur your mother’s wrath when she can’t get in touch with you?”

Damn. His dad had a good point. That definitely wouldn’t be pleasant. “Do whatever. I don’t care. Is there a reason why you called? I’m trying to work,” Tao leaned onto the counter, rolling his eyes dramatically at Luhan who chuckled under his breath.

“Oh, yes. The cookout. I figured we could eat around five.”

Tao had forgotten about it. He hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Kris yet and didn’t know if he’d be able to do so without punching the guy in the face for kissing him. Because he absolutely did not kiss him back.

“I don’t know,” began Tao, “I’m not sure how long Luhan needs me today.”

“Don’t worry about it and just go!” called Luhan as he wandered into the back room. “You’ve done enough work for today. I can handle the rest.”

“It’s settled then!” exclaimed his dad.

Tao winced at his defeat and mumbled a curt reply into the receiver. “Fine. We’ll be there by five.” Click. He scowled as he sat the phone on the counter and took a deep, calming breath.

“Hey, Taozi! Watcha doin’?” asked Kris out of nowhere, causing Tao to nearly jump out of his skin.

“Well I was fine until you walked in,” replied Tao, eyes narrowed.

Kris extended a large hand and ruffled Tao’s bangs gently. “Just the words I wanted to hear,” he hummed with a sparkling smile. Tao grumbled several curses under his breath before yanking out the register tray and starting his end-of-shift reports.

“It’s at five,” said Tao, gaze focused on scribbling his cash totals into the appropriate columns.

“What is?” asked Kris.

“The cookout.”

“Oh yeeeeaaah! The cookout! Good because I’m starving!”

“Who says you get to go?” Luhan's bright-blonde head poked out of the back room.

“Well Tao invited me so...” retorted Kris with a shrug of his bony shoulders.

Luhan crinkled his nose. “Fine. I see how it is. You invite Kris but don't invite your boss. I see how you are.”

“For your information, boss.” Tao shook his pencil in Luhan’s direction. “My dad invited him, not me. I don’t even want to go to this stupid ing cookout.”

“I was just messing with you, Tao. Damn... don’t be so uptight.”

“I am not uptight.” Tao gritted his teeth.

“Yes you are,” replied Kris and Luhan simultaneously.

Tao opened his mouth to argue, but instead threw the pencil at Luhan. It hit the door frame next to the other’s head and bounced off before hitting the floor with a plink!

“Pffft!”  snickered Luhan, “You missed.”

“Next time I’ll be sure to aim for an eyeball.” Tao quickly finished counting the last of the cash and zipped it into the bank envelope. “Here,” he said while pushing the envelope into Luhan’s chest.

“Why thank you, trusty side-kick!”

“I am not your side-kick.”

Tao, Kris, and Luhan continued to bicker until it was time for Tao and Kris to leave. Their banter provided a sense of normalcy since all three of them were harboring secrets. Such was the way of the Black Pearl Surf Shop.