Townies

Townies…what are they good for? Absolutely nothing.

Okay, so maybe that statement isn’t fair. Townies are good for sustaining Lakeshore Valley.

A young woman sighs as she throws her arms up, sending her body tumbling back onto the patchwork quilt she’s using to separate herself from the gritty sand of the Great Lake’s beach. It’s the third week in June, and all over the country, families are complaining about the sweltering heat that’s driving up their energy bills as they blast the air conditioner to resist the weather’s demonic pull. However, in this lakeside resort town nestled between a series of hills that serve as the nearest thing to mountains for hundreds of miles, it is a cool, brisk sixty-five degrees, perfect for anyone that would want to be walking around all day.

And walking around all day is what a great many people do in this town during the summer. The year-round population of Lakeshore Valley is a humble 300; there were nine seniors that graduated from the local high school this spring, and the seniors rising to follow them are an overwhelming eleven in number, one of whom lies upon the beach, desperate to escape her duties at the family bed-and-breakfast. It’s nearly eleven, but she’s already been up and moving longer than many of the “townies” she so despises will be all day today.

Sometimes it’s more work than it’s worth, being a Detorre.

The Detorre lying on the beach cups her hands beneath her head, pressing her sable locks against her scalp where they aren’t pooling around her head, extending nearly to the edges of the quilt with length that would travel to the small of her back if loose when she stands. As it is, some of it frames her neck and shoulders as well has her face, all of which is the color of pale cream. In fact, despite living in a resort town where girls her age are allowed (and in some less than savory cases, encouraged) to wear less than they could get away with in more traditional parts of the country, her entire body is this pale hue.

It’s not for lack of trying; she’s currently dressed in a long-sleeved, half-open, translucent men’s dress shirt that reveals her basic, deep blue bikini top and denim cutoffs that are just long enough to be legal. She marvels at how she often sees other girls her age or older wearing even skimpier outfits around town as though nothing were wrong, and other than the ogling that they often get from the male townies, nothing IS wrong. Having the men leering at the town’s eye candy seems to be part of the appeal, as misogynist as that seems. If she has one thing to be thankful for towards her family and the popularity of their establishment, it’s that she’s got plenty of work to keep her in decent shape, even if she’s still nothing compared to her friend.

“Maire!” (This is pronounced the same as the word for a female horse.) “MAIRE!”

The sable-haired young lady sits up quickly as she hears the high-pitched squeal of her best friend traveling through the air towards her, and when she turns to look in the direction of the voice, she’s glad she chose a spot so deserted, purposefully setting up camp as far away from the popular lakeside spots as possible to avoid the congestion of the vacationers she so despises. Dressed in an ivory string bikini that would make most porn stars blush, the blond bombshell of Lakeshore Valley comes bounding down the beach and up to her lifelong friend. Her shining blond hair billows in the wind behind her, doing nothing to obscure shining eyes the color of jade. These jade green depths bore into her friend’s vivid sapphire ones as she stands a yard away, bouncing on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain herself. “Maire” smiles as she stands up to face her properly.

“Maire, you won’t believe it!”

“What won’t I believe, Nym?”

“I met a townie at Mom’s tavern—”

“Why wouldn’t I believe that? It’s late June, Lakeshore Valley’s crawling with townies.”

“—who isn’t a completely obnoxious jerkface!”

This last bit gets Maire’s attention. The residents of Lakeshore Valley universally agree that 99% of the townies that populate their town during the summer months are all snooty, obnoxious, pompous, or otherwise caught up in themselves. This stereotype lends itself mostly from the fact that these townies are, in almost all cases, families that are rich enough to own cabins on the lake that serve as summer beach houses or vacation getaways, and anyone rich enough to own two houses or more cannot possibly be in the same realm as good, working-class folk. Regrettably, in most cases, this stereotype holds true, but the people of Lakeshore Valley steel themselves and offer their best plastered-on smiles until September rolls around and the town quiets back down.

Needless to say, the news that there is a townie in the Valley that isn’t obnoxious and arrogant like the rest is enough to perk anyone’s ears.

“Really? Who is it?” Allison is now infected with Nym’s excited, hyperactive energy, expressing it instead by swaying from side-to-side. She’s normally more reserved, but this news is enough to drop her guard.

“It’s someone I’ve never seen before. From what I could tell afterward, he’s the son of two professional wrestlers that are taking some time off. The father is kind of scraggly, but the mom is gorgeous…”

At this point, Nym’s eyes glaze over a bit, lips curled in a half-smile. Maire gets a bit of a smirk on her face, knowing that gaze all too well. Nym is famous for being genderblind, and she has had her fair share of romantic encounters with members of either gender. Maire lets her have her moment, but quickly starts to get anxious, wanting to hear more, so she snaps in front of Nym’s face. Nym jumps a bit, then shakes her head to gather herself, chuckling awkwardly before continuing.

“She’s pretty, but the one I mainly came to tell you about is the son. He’s our age, but he looks like he’s been working out since he could say his own name.” Nym squirms in place, lips pressing together more firmly as she recalls the appearance of the young man in question. “His hair shines like fire, his eyes are precious emeralds, and he’s so buff…” Nym licks her lips. “I almost wanted to tackle him right there, but I don’t think his parents would have liked that much.”

“No, I doubt they would have.” Maire chuckles a bit at the dreamy look in her friend’s eyes. “So he’s attractive. A lot of townies are attractive at first. You said this one wasn’t a git, though. How do you know?”

Nym is all too glad to explain. “Well, I wasn’t there until they were almost ready to leave, but all three of them were courteous to the staff, and to Mom especially. None of them seemed to be uptight, but the son in particular was warm and kind to the staff, on all levels, not just Mom. Even the maid that went in to clean their room the night before got a warm smile and a generous thanks from him! It seems like he might even be…”

Here Nym pauses dramatically, letting the suspense build between herself and Maire, who is now nearly shaking in anticipation. This story is too good to be true; Nym is telling it with such conviction, but she’s done this before only for the payoff to be that he’s arrogant or fictional. She really seems to be genuine this time, though, and Maire hopes she’s not leading her along.

Come on, Nym, just get on with it and tell me whether he’s facetious or fictional or arrogant or deformed or…

“Humble!”

Nym’s grin puts the Cheshire Cat to shame, and Maire is flabbergasted. Nym has painted the picture of a perfect guy, one that has her heart racing even before she’s even seen him. But how could he be in Lakeshore Valley?

This is too good to be true. She has to be lying; no one like that ever comes here. She’ll probably point him out and he’ll have a pimple the size of—

Maire is shocked out of her thoughts by Nym shrieking at the top of her longs, jumping up and down so vigorously that her bikini’s threatening to come off.

“Look look look look look! It’s him!“

Nym is pointing excitedly off into the distance, and Allison turns around slowly to look where she’s pointing.

He shouldn’t be coming this way…no one comes down here, it’s too far from the restaurants and bars.

Regardless of the convenience level of her chosen hiding place on the beach, there was indeed someone walking along the beach, the waters of the lake lapping at his feet as he casually strolls along, his eyes wandering freely as he takes in the serene majesty of this locale. He doesn’t seem to realize he’s being watched, which is unsurprising, as the girls watching him are little more than specks across a vast stretch of sand and grass. Being further back from the water as well as higher up on the ground, the gawking females have the ideal vantage point with which to do so, and they do so openly.

Dressed only in snug-fitting black swimming trunks imprinted with crimson flame designs, this nameless object of admiration is blissfully unaware of two late teen girls drinking him in. There are several telltale signs that he is the son of two professional wrestlers. With the sun high in the air, causing the sand to glow nearly white and the water to blind those that look directly upon it, his hair shines through it all, igniting their souls with the flamed crest that Nym described before. His vivid crimson locks lie flat, plastered to shoulders and neck that are tan and well-built. There is clear definition in his arms and chest and clear division between six stones upon his abdomen. Additionally, judging from the swell in those tight-fitting trunks, he sports generous thighs that Maire can just imagine are balanced by tight glutes behind.

Well…he’s a hunk…but that doesn’t mean he’s a kind, generous hunk…

Nym squeals quietly, squirming some more as she leans in to whisper in her friend’s ear. “Isn’t he hot?”

Maire can do nothing but shake her head idly, shrugging in her inability to refute her. The closer he walks, the more they are dazzled by his charms without him even attempting to be alluring.

“Well…see ya’!” With that abrupt farewell, Nym rushes off, leaving her speechless friend alone on the beach with a fast approaching tourist of her dreams. He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s strong, he’s respectful, he’s looking right at her…

Wait…he’s looking at me! Oh shi—

His eyes have been drawn away from the natural scenery and to the other person out here to enjoy it. From the look in his eyes, which Maire can now tell are just as vivid and deep an emerald green as Nym professed, he is surprised to see another soul on this stretch of the waterfront, but he is even more surprised to see someone as beautiful as our heroine. Maire becomes sheepish, blushing a deep red as she wraps her arms around herself. The son is still about thirty yards away, so she pretends to have been looking at a gull behind him and gets back down on her blanket. After a few moments, she leans back in a similar position as she was when she first got interrupted by Nym, but she can’t keep from peeking back over at him to see where he is and what he’s doing. She groans and attempts to keep her pose up when she sees that he’s looking directly at her; he’s probably seen her drop back down and try to seem non-chalant, which would make her only seem more awkward.

With the best eye candy she’s seen in all of her post-puberty years in Lakeshore Valley, Maire tries to utilize the feminine wiles she knows she has, but her friend has long since mastered. With her potential mate or crush now close enough for her to clearly see each separate unit in his abdomen as they shift and shine in the sunlight, she reaches for the buttons of her men’s dress shirt and slowly undoes them. A moment later, with all the buttons undone, she peels it off and lets it drop behind her as she arches her back, her bikini top free and housing a moderate bosom that would easily draw an eye from a hormonal teenager, especially when paired with such short denim cutoffs.

The prospect quickly adjusts his path in-order to be walking more directly towards Maire, which makes her nervous beyond description. She is mostly frozen in this hopefully seductive pose as he walks up to her, the contrast between his effortless (not to mention unintentional) allure and her overt, statue-esque appeals laughably apparent in her mind.

If it is just as apparent to the young man she’s just drawn in, he makes no indication of noticing. Instead, he raises an arm behind his head to relieve an itch, the action bending his well-muscled arm and drawing Maire’s gaze right to it. Her eyes glaze over slightly as he stands there like that, but when he clears his throat to speak, she fights to wrench her eyes from his half-flexed muscle and back into emerald irises that she can drown in. Once more, if he notices her overt ogling, he makes no mention of it.

“Hi.”

Such a simple address of the flame-crested boy, but it still excites a whole horde of butterflies in her slim stomach, making her feel as though she might just project some of the higher flying ones onto the young man that has caught her in his gaze. Fighting to remain calm, she responds in kind.

“Hi…”

For an eternity, Maire lies on the blanket, stunned into motionlessness, staring up into this god’s emerald depths. To her amazement and chagrin, he is looking back down into her eyes instead of at the chest that she hast thrust out for that purpose. Maybe he is as humble and atypical as Nym suggested…

“What’s your name?”

Maire is drawn out of her reverie when the divine presence before her speaks, asking her name. Once more, an eternity passes as she fumbles with her brain, searching it desperately for the information he is requesting.

“Maire—Allison! Allison…Maire is my middle name, but only Nym uses it.” Allison blushes a radiant radish red as her dream smiles down at her, still oblivious that he has now been standing there for two whole eternities.

“My name’s Kaji.”

Kaji…such a strange, surprisingly exotic and wondrous name…I wonder where it comes from; I’ve never heard it before in my entire—

“D’you mind if I sit down?”

Allison’s eyes go wide as the perfect guy asks to sit down next to her. Her mind shuts down as her heart races faster than it ever has before. When she tries to tell him in her most entrancing and eloquent voice that he’s more than welcome to join her on the quilt, all she manages to do is flail clumsily as she scoots over, stuttering an invitation that might be “Please do” if her cognitive functions were activated. Despite her flustered fumbling, the shining light of her day sits down next to her, legs extended out toward the lake that both are now looking out at. He doesn’t say anything else right away, just appreciating the beauty of the lakeshore while wondering, along with Allison, at the tension building between the two. Is it love? Is it lust? Who’s to say? Allison certainly has no clues, but if she doesn’t do anything fast, she might just explode.

“So, Allison…d’you live here all year?”

Allison nearly chokes on her own breath as Kaji tries to start small talk. She honestly doesn’t know why he’s bothering, because if he wanted to, he could pounce and ravish her without a care in the world—

“I do, yeah…my dad own’s the Detorre Bed’n'Breakfast. It’s the best joint in town.”

Did I honestly just say my dad owns the best joint in town? What the hell is wrong with—

“Oh? Mom’s heard of that place. Has the best seafood in town, apparently. I’ll have to check it out.”

The fact that this stud of a young man is going to check out her place of employment later makes Allison’s heart beat fifty times harder. He just announced that her dreams have come true, but in her nervous state, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a pleasant dream or a hellish nightmare. We may never know which is true, but we do know that all Allison wants is for Kaji to roll over and—

“You’re the prettiest girl in town.”

Allison once more narrowly escapes the fate of choking on her own lungs. This god, this veritable Adonis that has come and sat down right next to her is telling her that she’s the pretty one. The world is imploding on itself, and the epicenter is on this blanket on this beach on the edge of Lakeshore Valley. That’s the only explanation there is for this inversion of such obvious facts to be perpetrated.

“I…uh, well…you…”

Kaji just raises a hand to silence Allison’s panicked, feverish stammering. He is smiling as he does so, a promising glint in his eyes as he looks at our heroine.

“You don’t have to tell me that, I can tell from how you’ve been acting. I’m flattered, but you’re the beautiful one here. Yes, I work out extensively, and yes, I maintain my appearance, but it’s all means to an end; I’m following in Dad’s footsteps, I don’t really get any pleasure out of it myself. You, on the other hand, bring me great pleasure, just from looking at you. That’s not all I want, though. I want to get to know you. I want to know the beautiful young woman on the inside that I know matches the stunning young woman on the outside.”

Allison is completely dumbfounded by this sudden confession. Only much later would she realize that, throughout this eloquent confession of her beauty and charm, he kept his libido completely under wraps, a surprising display of self-control and restraint. She is unable to do the same, blushing a deep red in the cheeks while thanking the Lord she’s not wearing her thinner bikini.

Before Allison can find the nerve to respond, a blood-curdling scream resounds throughout Lakeshore Valley, and both Allison and Kaji jerk around to try and figure out where it’s coming from.