The Hazards of Sex on the Beach

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “I’m more numb than anything.”

  “That’s normal too.” Reed smiled. He was trying really hard.

  “Maybe once classes start tomorrow things will feel more normal.”

  “I bet they will. You’ll get used to being back.” Mallory didn’t sound very convincing.

  “Guys, I’m fine.”

  “You’re fine? You had sex with a random guy on the beach. That’s not fine.” Juliet put a hand over her mouth.

  “Uh… should I not be here?” Reed looked between Juliet and me.

  I swallowed hard. “I have no regrets.”

  “Which scares me.” Mallory reluctantly slid out of the booth.

  “I needed to live. I needed to feel alive. What’s so wrong with that?” I could feel tears stinging behind my eyes. I needed to get away. I’d thought I could handle being back on campus, but now I was starting to doubt it. There was only one thing that was going to take my mind off Aaron, and that involved getting back to my room.

  Reed rested his elbow on the table. “Juliet, you’re in charge. I’ll walk Cara home and be right back.”

  “Does that mean I’m supposed to stay too?” Mallory asked.

  “Yes.” Juliet grabbed Mallory’s arm. “We love you, Cara. Try to get some sleep.”

  I forced a smile and headed for the door.

  Reed caught up with me before the door closed behind me. “This situation sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does.”

  “But maybe you need to look at it differently. Maybe you’re lucky.”

  I turned to look at him. “Lucky? I can’t wait to hear this.”

  He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Just that you found out now instead of months from now.”

  “Did you know?” I asked in barely a whisper. I’d have never asked in front of Juliet.

  “No. I’d have made him tell you.” Reed was telling the truth. He was just like that.

  I nodded. “I figured that much, but I had to ask.”

  “So, who’d you have sex with on a beach?”

  We turned onto my block. “You can’t ask me that.”

  “Why not? We’ve known each other a long time.”

  “You’re Aaron’s best friend.” I sped up as we passed the Kappa house.

  “We’re friends too, aren’t we?” He matched my pace.

  I nodded. “His name’s Chase.”

  “Nice. Just know that I’m here if you need a guy to talk to or anything.”

  I stopped short two houses down from mine. “Why are you being so nice?”

  “Because you’ve always rooted for me with Juliet, you’re an amazing friend to her, and I care about you. What Aaron did sucks. There’s no way around that, but you’re going to get over him eventually.”

  “I’m already over him.” At least I wanted to be.

  “You might not want to be with him anymore, but you can’t push away over a year of memories that quickly.”

  “How’d you get so sage? You sound like you’re forty.”

  “Too much time with my uncle, I guess.” He cracked a smile. “You going to be okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” I started toward my steps. “Thanks for the walk home. Tell Juliet and Mallory good night for me.”

  “I will. See you around.”

  “See ya.” I half waved before heading inside.

  I made small talk with a few girls before finding my way up to my empty room. After a quick shower, I got changed and slipped into bed. I closed my eyes and thought about a sandy beach and a sexy guy I’d never see again.

  Chapter Three

  Juliet was true to her word, and she brought Mallory with her. They were back in the room twenty minutes before I had to leave for class.

  “You guys didn’t have to stop by here. I know it means you got up earlier.”

  “You’re worth sacrificing sleep over.” Juliet changed into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.

  I was wearing something nearly identical. I generally dressed up more for class, but I wasn’t feeling it. There didn’t seem to be any point.

  My change in class attire didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Didn’t you pick up that new sweater dress right before break? Have you worn it yet?” Mallory shoved some books in her tote bag.

  “Nope, but I’m not in the mood to dress up. We’d better get going.”

  “We have plenty of time.” Juliet exchanged looks with Mallory. Had I been that way when they were going through issues? I hoped not.

  “And before you ask, I’m not going on Thursday, but you guys should.” I’d forced myself to forget about the Kappa mixer until I heard some of my sisters discussing it in the bathroom. There wasn’t a chance I was going.

  “Obviously none of us will go. Do you want to do a girl’s night out? A movie night?”

  “You guys both need to go.”

  Mallory shook her head. “Not a chance.”

  “You’re going.”

  “Whatever you say.” They exchanged looks again.

  I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Are you both on the main quad?”

  “Yeah. You’re stuck with us for the whole walk.” Mallory linked her arm with mine. “Whether you like it or not.”

  I laughed. “I like it.”

  We headed toward the academic quad, stopping to pick up some coffee on the way. I waved goodbye to both of my roommates before walking toward the doorway of the history building. I’d decided to add some European history into my schedule.

  “Cara, hey.” Aaron appeared out of nowhere, blocking my entry.

  My mouth went dry, and I couldn’t speak. My chest tightened in a painful way, and I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I attempted to step around him. He reached for my arm, but I pulled it away.

  He pretended not to notice the way I recoiled from his touch. “It’s good to see you. I’ve been so worried.”

  Worried? I finally regained the ability to speak. “I have to go.”

  “Come on. Just give me a few minutes. We need to talk.”

  “I can’t be late.”

  “Get off that, Cara. This is more important than a history class.”

  Something suddenly dawned on me. “How’d you know I had class here now?”

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes, it does.” Annoyance and anger replaced the ache in my chest. “It definitely matters.”

  “I know people who work at the Registrar Office. You weren’t answering my calls.”

  “I didn’t answer your calls, so it seemed okay to show up outside my classroom?” Seeing him was even worse than I expected. The sight of him brought back all the hurt and anger tenfold.

  A group of guys walked over, forcing Aaron to step back. I followed them directly inside.

  “Cara, come on!”

  I resisted the urge to turn back. There wasn’t a chance in the world I was letting him make me late for class.

  Aaron texted me while I was in class, telling me to meet him for lunch. I ignored it, relieved that the proposed meet-up meant he probably wouldn’t be waiting outside the building. When I didn’t show up for lunch, he’d hopefully get the clue that I wasn’t interested in making up. He’d had his chance with me, and he blew it.

  ***

  Aaron texted me three times when I failed to show up for lunch, but then the texts stopped. I took it as a sign that he was giving up, but I was still on my guard. Seeing Aaron sent such a surge of pain through me that I wasn’t sure I could handle it happening again.

  I made it through Wednesday and Thursday without seeing him again, but I knew I couldn’t stay that lucky.

  That night, I literally begged my friends to go to the mixer without me. I knew they didn’t want to leave me behind, but they also didn’t want to send their boyfriends to the mixer without them. They reluctantly agreed, but only after I promised them I had other plans. Of course, my other plans involved watching something on TV, but that was the same thing as meeting
friends for coffee and dessert, right?

  I waited until the house emptied out before heading downstairs to comb through the communal movie collection. When the last of the laughter died down, I made my move.

  The house wasn’t as empty as I thought. Mallory’s little sister, Jade, nearly walked into me on my way down the stairs.

  “Hey, why aren’t you at the mixer?” I gave Jade a funny look. She didn’t even live in the house yet, so why was she there?

  “Because I’m going to a show tonight I refuse to miss. It’s one of my favorite groups. I thought you might want to come with me.” She held one hand out palm up as if in offering. I couldn’t tell if she was inviting me along to be nice or because she really wanted the company. I had a feeling Mallory had called her.

  “You have an extra ticket?” This all seemed way too coincidental. Had Mallory planned this all along? Clearly, they’d seen through my charade.

  “I got two from the campus radio station. Now that I’ve got my own show, I get to take some of the tickets.”

  “So, I don’t even have to pay for it?” Part of me searched for an excuse to get out of going, but another part liked the idea of doing something that didn’t involve sitting around the house alone. Whether my roommates were behind it or not, maybe the show wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “Nope. Plus I’d be grateful not to have to go alone.”

  “What kind of music is it?” The ticket was free so I wasn’t really going to argue, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

  “It’s indie-rock type stuff. More on the alternative side of things. The band’s called Chance of a Lifetime.”

  Indie-rock group? I wasn’t into music enough to know much about that scene, but the nice thing was I knew Aaron definitely wouldn’t be there. “Do I need to change?” I glanced down at my pink Delta Mu tank top layered over a black tank top and paired with a jean skirt. The weather was a little bit cool for a skirt, but I was tired of wearing jeans constantly.

  She shook her head. “It’s going to be casual, so it’s fine.” Jade was wearing jeans and a fitted black t-shirt. She was one of those girls who pulled off casual classic perfectly.

  “Okay, cool.” I really wasn’t in the mood to change. I really wasn’t in the mood for much. Skipping the Kappa mixer was almost as hard as getting used to sleeping in my own room. Somehow I doubted Aaron was having the same problem. I obviously didn’t want to go, but it felt so strange to miss it. It was just another reminder of how much of my life had been tied up with his.

  We took a cab down to The Music Attic on Ann Street. Jade didn’t have a fake, so we weren’t going to be drinking, but finding parking didn’t sound appealing either. Considering the tickets were free, I figured I could handle splitting a cab.

  I’d never been out with just Jade before. She was Mallory’s little sister, not mine, but she’d always seemed like a really sweet girl. Unusually quiet for a Delta Mu, she added some balance to a house full of extremely outgoing personalities. My own sorority little sister had decided to transfer schools, yet another disappointment to swallow over winter break. Hopefully she’d be happier going to school closer to home.

  A line formed outside the front entrance of a building I’d have never believed was a club. It looked more like a stop on a historical tour rather than a concert venue, but that’s the thing about Charleston. A lot of the city is old.

  I gazed around at the line, unsurprised that I didn’t recognize a single person. This wasn’t really my scene. Besides, most of the line didn’t seem like college students. There was something refreshing about the change.

  We waited in line about fifteen minutes until we reached the small desk. “Hi, my name’s Jade Cambridge and there should be two tickets here for me.” Jade was way more in her element than I was.

  “Okay, here you go.” The guy taking tickets smiled at her. She smiled shyly and looked down. Interesting. I’d never seen a guy have that effect on Jade before.

  I eyed the bar on our way into the surprisingly small space.

  Jade must have caught me looking. “It’s okay. You can get a drink.”

  “No, I’m doing tonight alcohol free. But I could use a water. Want one?”

  “Sure.”

  Jade waited while I bought two bottles of water from a busy bartender.

  “Now, where do we go?” There was open space in front of us and a staircase leading up to a balcony. The place was fairly empty, but we were early. My guess was it was going to be far more crowded by the time the show started.

  “Are you up for standing?” She eyed my flip flops.

  “Absolutely. I’ve never been front row at a concert. I might as well experience it.”

  “Okay, cool. The opening band is pretty cool too. It’s a group of three sisters.”

  Opening band. No wonder the place was still nearly empty. Most people waited until closer to the main act to show up. “Oh, cool. I always think it’s interesting when bands are made up of family members.”

  “The lead singer and drummer in Chance of a Lifetime are brothers. The other members are friends of theirs from college.”

  “It sounds like you know a lot about them.” I twisted off the top of my water and took a long sip.

  “Yeah, they’re one of my favorites. My friend introduced me to them about a year ago, and I’ve seen them play a few times.”

  I followed Jade all the way up to the front of the room. We were literally standing right by the stage. “Cool.” I glanced at my watch. It was show time, so hopefully the opening act would be on soon.

  As if in answer, the lights dimmed. The screaming crowd got me excited even though I had no idea what kind of music this sister trio was going to perform.

  The girls were dressed kind of punk rock, so the more alternative sound of the music surprised me. One sister each played guitar, keyboard, and drums, and they all sang.

  It turned out they were pretty good. It was more chill than what I usually listened to, but the girls were pretty badass, which I could respect. Jade seemed somewhat into them, but I could tell she was just biding her time before the main act. I wondered if opening acts knew that, and if it bothered them. Maybe it was a rite of passage they didn’t reflect on much.

  Before long, the girls finished their set. The crowd thinned a little behind us, and I was positive the line to the restrooms was out the door. One of the benefits of not drinking alcohol was that I wasn’t in that line.

  After a set change and a quick sound check, the lights dimmed again and the crowd went wild. I looked back at the stage. Hopefully Chance of a Lifetime was even better.

  I craned to see in the near darkness, then slowly the lights came up, and I needed to pass out. “Oh my god.”

  “What?” Jade grabbed my arm. “Are you okay?”

  It was hard to hear her over the screaming crowd and the rushing in my ears. “What’s the name of the guy holding the guitar?”

  “That’s Chase. He’s the lead singer.”

  I groaned. Chase, as in blazer guy from the beach, stood at the mic. “Seriously? How is this even possible?”

  “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming out!” Chase spoke and any doubts I could have pretended to have about his identity were officially gone. I’d never forget that sexy voice, or the body that went with it.

  “It’s possible because he can sing…” Jade yelled to be heard over the music that had suddenly started.

  “I slept with him,” I shouted. I’m not sure why I even admitted it.

  “What? You slept with Chase Denton?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

  Thankfully the music drowned it out for everyone near us.

  “So, that’s his last name… yeah, we hooked up on the beach over break.”

  “I don’t even know what to say.” She looked at me like I’d just admitted to having super powers or something.

  “I was upset and drunk, and he was sweet.”

  “Have you heard from him since?” She finally released my arm. �
��How did you not realize who he was?”

  “I wouldn’t give him my number, and I don’t know. It didn’t come up.” I turned back toward the stage. Despite my nightly dreams, I’d started to forget some of the details of his face. Seeing him again flooded me with memories of our steamy and nearly magical night in the sand.

  Jade watched me. “Wow, we should talk to him after this.”

  “I bet he doesn’t even remember me.” He’d been drunk that night too.

  The first song finished. “I thought you guys might want to hear some of the new stuff we’ve been working on. This one’s called Sex on the Beach.”

  The crowd screamed, and a horrible thought hit me. Was it about me?

  He grinned at the crowd’s response. “And no, it isn’t about the drink.”

  “Wait… you said you met him at the beach.” Jade nudged me. I pretended not to hear.

  Blonde haired vixen with that perfect smile

  Dragging me backward all along

  But I’d do anything to get you down in the sand

  Won’t you join me for some sex on the beach?

  Chase looked out in the crowd, and his eyes suddenly landed on me. His face froze as he continued to play. A moment later he smiled.

  Nothing off, nothing to hide

  So young, so full of life

  But I’d do anything to get you down in the sand

  Won’t you join me for some sex on the beach?

  “This is one of those moments you’re never going to forget,” Jade said from next to me. I couldn’t respond. I was too fixated on Chase.

  She was right, but not for the reasons she thought. I was so embarrassed. A guy was on stage singing to a room full of people about having sex with me on the sand. Classy. Very classy.

  Left so fast, barely got it right

  Need some more. But no way to find you tonight

  But I’d do anything to get you down in the sand

  Won’t you join me for some sex on the beach?

  His eyes never left my face, and I swear he licked his lips as he took me in. I thought I’d get a reprieve from the intense stare after that song, but no. He sang the next one looking at me, and I felt like my whole body would melt.

  After giving me a break from his stare for one song, it was one about a broken heart, he turned back, and watched me for the remainder of the set. I barely moved an inch as I waited for the second set. On one hand, I wanted to run away, but I also wanted to see and hear more. I was enthralled with the music—and watching this completely different side to Chase. Memories of our night together flowed through me on repeat as I watched the shorter second set. I was both disappointed and relieved when it was over.