Beaches and Beers

​We hated love. We hated Valentine's day. We hated weddings. We hated it all, we really did. We had each other. We were a dynamic duo. We were each other's wingmen. We would go out to bars, and girls would buy us drinks. We would sleep over at girls' places and leave before they woke up the next morning. We didn't believe in love. We didn't believe in soulmates. We didn't believe in fate. 

Valentine's Day: the infamous day where single people cry alone at the bar and go home to drown their sorrows with chocolate and booze. Yes, we were single but to us, it was just a reminder to stay single so we didn't have to spend money on someone we were inevitably going to break up with. Valentine's Day 2016 landed on a Sunday so we did what we did every other weekend. Shirtless, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down and our surfboards lined together in the back seat as the wind slicked our hair back. We couldn’t have been happier. Would guys in a relationship be able to spend their Sunday mornings doing as they please with their best friend? We pulled into the parking lot and the girl working at the booth let us through without paying. We never got her name and we didn't care enough to, though she had been giving us free passes for about a year now. We grabbed our surfboards and two six-pack Corona Beers, one pack for each of us, from the backseat of the car. The bottles clinked together as we lifted it, yet another reminder of why we were happy to be single, beer. Would we be able to enjoy a beer together on a Sunday morning if we were in a relationship? No, we would be making breakfast for two as we sip coffee on the balcony listening to the birds chirp. How cheesy. 

It was a random Saturday in 2018. Between that time, Mel had gotten rid of the notion that he had to stay single. Mel had grown up, he had gotten married. On weekends, Mel didn't have time for me anymore so it was just me, my surfboard, and my six-pack of Coronas. The clouds had slowly moved over the sun to create an overcast as the tide was getting higher. From the lifeguard tower a voice boomed "ALL SURFERS, COME TO SHORE". Of course I didn't heed his advice and I continued on. I looked around to check my surroundings and made accidental eye contact with a wavy haired brunette wearing a bright red bikini that showed off every single curve of her body. That's the girl I'm sleeping with tonight, I thought to myself. She quickly averted her eyes and stared straight ahead with such determination. Riding the waves back to shore, I glanced to the left and saw the red bikini girl smack the water with her body. I paddled in her direction to help her but as soon as I got there she popped up like a meerkat and pulled herself back onto her board. 

"Are you okay!?" I asked her, slightly panicked. 

"I'm all good," she chuckled, as she started to speed off. 

I immediately got back on my board because my competitive nature wasn't going to let me lose to a girl. When I reached the end of my run, I saw her standing there waiting for me. I won't lie, I was kind of amazed. She stuck her hand out and I shook it firmly, as if we were closing a deal. 

"Great run, I'm Abby" she said with a smirk on her face.

"Amazing, I'm Carter" I replied breathlessly.

"Catch you later," she said as she threw up a peace sign. 

She immediately strutted off to meet her friends and I thought it was the last time I was going to see her. I guess she was the one that got away,

Usually I would've meandered to some random bar with Mel to find one-night stands but now he needed to, as he claimed, spend time with his wife. I hated her. She was literally gatekeeping Mel from me. I swear she has a stick up her ass. However, I decided to continue our tradition and wandered off to a tiki bar across the street after putting my surfboard back in my car. The Coronas I had chugged gave me a little buzz but it was wearing off so I walked up to the bartender and asked her for a whiskey sour. She gave me my drink for free and said "on the house" then smiled. I stayed by the bar, chatting up the bartender to get more drinks as the bell on the door rang and Abby nonchalantly walked in with two of her girlfriends. I can't remember what they looked like. She glanced at me, or at least I thought she did, and then sat as far away from me as possible. I wasn't quite used to this, as girls would usually throw themselves at me at the bar. A few minutes later a girl plopped down next to me and offered to buy me a drink. Of course I said yes because who doesn't like a free drink? She told me her name was Maia. No, maybe Michelle? I can't remember. As she was talking to me and ranting about how she was unable to find a guy to give her the time of day, I couldn't help but constantly peek at Abby. She had ordered a Corona with lime and downed it in five seconds. I was mesmerized. Something about Abby intrigued me and I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of her. Maia, or Michelle, or random bar girl, had left but I didn't even notice. Abby's eyes? Hazel. Teeth? Perfect. Body? Hot. I had made a life long promise to myself that I would never pursue a girl for more than just sex but I saw her as potential for more and my brain was nudging me to go talk to her. Smoothly, I hopped out of my seat and made my way over to her. 

"Abby right?" I asked as I leaned over on the bar table. 

She peered up at me with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Carter. We surfed together" I muttered, losing a little confidence. 

"Oh that's right!" she exclaimed. 

I was confused, bewildered even. I didn't know how she couldn't remember me, every girl I had talked to found me irresistible. I awkwardly grinned and asked to buy her a drink. At first she was hesitant but eventually took me up on my offer. Abby chugged it down, shamelessly burped, and said a quick thank you. I don't think I've ever bought a drink for a girl before, it was such an odd feeling. She hopped up from the barstool in a rush to leave with her friends. Right before she was about to walk out the door I asked her for her number and she reluctantly typed it into my phone then scurried away with her not-so-hot friends. After Abby had left, I stayed at the bar in hopes of finding a girl I could take home for a one-night stand but Abby's face with her perfect cheekbones and glistening eyes were ingrained in my mind. Was it her confidence? What is because I enjoyed the chase? I don't know what it was about her. All I knew was that I wanted her, desperately. No one else I would sleep with that night would even come close to Abby I closed my tab and went back home to sleep in my one pillowed king bed, alone. 

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing that came to my mind was Abby. I grabbed my phone and texted her Hey Abby, It's Carter. 10 minutes passed. I picked up my phone and nothing. My heart dropped a little bit. I told myself to forget about it and that I was better off without her. That morning was the same as any other. I walked into work and said hi to every girl that smiled at me. As soon as I sat down, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I felt a rush of excitement. I immediately reached into my pocket and checked my phone. Hi Carter! Had an amazing time last night! As I was smiling at my phone I responded right away asking, Would you like to go out sometime? Maybe tonight? What seemed like a million hours passed and I thought to myself, did I come off too strong? Why isn't she responding? As I packed up my briefcase to leave, Abby texted back,  Sure. The fact that I was overthinking my texts was concerning for me, it's something I never really did and it was always a weight lifted off me. I guess this is what it feels like to actually care about someone.

When Abby agreed to go out with me, I worried if she didn’t have a great time, I’d never see her again. I remembered how great she smelled the night before and took extra care as I prepared for their date. I even cracked open that cologne my mom gave for my last birthday – a bottle that I’d never needed before. I was freaking out because I didn't know how to dress for an occasion like this. I needed Mel. Right. Now. I dialed Mel's number and once he picked up I screamed "Get your ass over here right now! SOS". Three minutes later Mel bursts through the door screaming my name. "Mel here!! MEL AT YOUR SERVICE". I told him my dilemma and he began rifling through my closet. Mel pulled out a navy blue suit that I'm pretty sure I've only worn once, and that Mel wore twice. The love doctor has helped me. 

We agreed to meet downtown. I felt like I was obligated to take her to some fancy restaurant. Usually I took my first dates to this taco restaurant but she was different. She deserved more. I realized that I didn't know much about her, or really anything at all so I had no clue what kind of food she liked. Okay okay, she likes the ocean right? She must love sushi then. I thought to myself. I gave myself a mental high five for making that connection. We met outside the parking structure of the Santa Monica beach. She stood outside the structure as the wind hit her hair perfectly. I swear, I saw a halo above her head that day, I'm not even exaggerating. Abby looked spectacular in her skin tight mini skirt and bright red top that made every feature of her face stand out. She looked at me up and down, giggled, and said, “should I have worn a gown?” I had put on my nicest suit, one I haven't worn for years because I wanted to look nice for Abby. Freaking. Mel. He chose this out for me. At first, I was a tad embarrassed that I didn't quite exactly dress for the occasion but the embarrassment eventually passed as she complimented the way I smelled. That was our relationship. We never took ourselves too seriously, and everything that came out of each other's mouths were hilarious. 

I opened every door for her, as a gentleman does. When we sat down, I tried so hard to impress her so  I ordered the tasting menu which came with wine pairings. I was usually really good at interpreting girls' emotions but I couldn't seem to figure out how Abby was feeling. Did she think I was being pretentious? Was she impressed? When the waitress came back with our wine,  I tried to sniff it the way I’d seen it done in movies but the floral scents made me sneeze. She giggled at me and said, “cut the crap, Carter, can we just have fun like normal people who aren’t in their fifties? I don’t even know how to use chopsticks.” At that moment as I asked the waiter to bring two forks, I knew I was going to marry that woman. 

We sat there until closing time and they had to kick us out of the restaurant. From that date, I learned more about her than I ever did with all the other girls I had been on dates with, combined. We talked about where we went to college, jobs, hobbies, hell, we even talked about our families. It wasn't like those fancy first dinner dates where we had to act all proper in front of each other to keep from embarrassing ourselves. We both felt comfortable. Our laughter boomed and ricocheted from the dome ceiling back to our table as I felt eyes on us. I couldn't care less though, I was sitting across the most stunning woman ever. 

After we got the check, which I paid for of course, we headed back home. I walked her up to her car expecting a hug or a kiss goodnight. She opened the door of her car and got in without any hesitation. I was caught off guard and was a deer in headlights. "I had an amazing time, thank you so much for dinner!" Abby said with a bright smile on her face that exposed her dimples. 

"Thank you!" I said with no hesitation. Thank you? I really said Thank you? I thought to myself. "So I'll see you soon right?" I asked. 

"Maybe" she replied, then winked and shut the door. We didn't kiss, we didn't even hug goodbye. If this had happened to me before, I wouldn't want anything to do with the girl again. This was the first time I desired something other than sex.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                That night I went straight home to sleep in my king bed by myself, but feeling less alone. 

From that first date, it took two more dates to finally get her to hug me and then three more to get a kiss from her. It took me 10 dates to finally see the inside of her apartment. However, I can safely say, it was worth the wait. Now I know why people say, "good things come to those who wait". They weren't lying. 

Fast forward to 2021. I strolled on the shore of Santa Monica Beach by myself. At peace, I watched and listened to the waves as they crashed onto the sand. Mel's car, which used to be a bright red mustang, now a minivan, drove into the parking lot. Mel hopped out of the car and brought Abby with a makeshift blindfold covering her eyes. With all the Corona bottle caps Abby and I have saved over the years, I wrote I love you in the sand on the shore of Santa Monica Beach. I uncovered her eyes and brushed her hair out of her face. I got down on one knee, spilled some cheesy romantic words to her that I never imagined would come out of my mouth, and asked, "Will you marry me?" Through her uncontrollable sobbing I couldn't hear what she said but I assume she said yes because here we are now, January 30th, 2022, happily married, sitting on our balcony, sipping on our coffees.

Where did our wedding take place? Of course, the beach. By the time we were getting married, we were pretty rich. I was motivated to work hard for Abby, she deserved to be treated right. We flew into Santorini, along with Abby and I's family to set everything up for our wedding. We vowed that we would always take care of each other, no matter how fat we get. We vowed that we would go surfing at least once a week. We vowed that every Sunday morning, we would sit on our balcony and watch the sunrise. We vowed that our banter would always continue so our marriage would never run dry.

We woke up next to each other every morning. We brought each other breakfast in bed and kissed each other's foreheads. We surfed together every Saturday and Sunday morning and basked in the warm California sun as we sip on our Coronas. We discovered new bars every weekend until we couldn't find any more. It took us about 3 years to find every single bar in Santa Monica. We bought a home and signed the lease together. It was a two story house along the shore of the beach where our balcony overlooked the horizon. Every morning when we were both free, we watched the sun peak over the ocean. At night, we would make dinner together, even though we didn't really know how. Our relationship was far from perfect, but we slowly started to adjust from the single life. We went from living alone to having a permanent roommate. We had to learn how to share, how to compromise, how to give in. We would get into arguments from time to time and some nights we would sleep facing away from each other. But when we woke up, we would somehow be facing each other. We slept in my king bed never having to fear that we would die alone. We told each other "I love you" every morning and every night, all that sappy cheesy crap I remember telling myself I would never do. 

It's funny how one person can change your mindset towards life, I never thought this is the life I would be living. I always thought life was out to get me. No wonder Mel got married, this is the life. Beach, Coronas, and sunrises with my best friend, what else could I ask for. Maybe Abby was right, maybe our star signs align with each other. Maybe soulmates did exist and the universe seems to have sent Abby towards me. If I me from ten years ago saw me now, he would be dry heaving and gagging, I know that for sure. 

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