i ride it like a wave

Seeing Eliza on one of her first days had been enough for Kai in the ex department. But now, as she saw the very familiar figure in front of her, she just knew it. Something about New York City and the people in it always had a way to make appearances in their life. Even when she thought it was over. She wished she’d gone somewhere else entirely, because now she was seeing a steady parade of exes. Maybe if she could find her middle school ex, she could unlock the portal that would take her straight out of here. Or, even better, let her go back in time and make sure none of this happened. Three was the magic number, wasn’t it? Instead of hiding as she would have done in the past, Kai put her hands to her hips and asked, in a full voice, “Hey, where’s your other limb? Your self-tan queen?” She let the words bounce in a sing-songy way, realizing the rhyme as she started the last sentence. There was a smile at the end, probably as a nervous tick, probably as a smirk. She still had no idea how to approach this, but she knew she didn’t want it buried, especially after her run-in with Eliza. 

“Oh, I could never be landlocked.” It wasn’t even an option. Lindsey had to be somewhere where she could get to the ocean, even if it was hours away. She needed coastline access, or she’d feel trapped. “I’ve gone to landlocked states and it’s just…the air feels different.” Sure, mountains are beautiful, and lakes are nice, whatever, but there was nothing that compared to an ocean breeze. She didn’t think she could ever live without that, and New York had nice enough beaches to go to that she was happy.

“Where are you from? Wait, actually, don’t tell me. I’m guessing you don’t surf. So I’m going to assume you’re either from Somewhere in South Florida or like, lower Texas?” She tried to pin point the places that were still Central or East Coast, but weren’t landlocked. It was always fun to guess based on that. “Right? Even being far enough from an ocean it just feels weird. I know people think it’s like, fresher, but it’s really not.” She preferred the sun on her skin and the ocean breeze. Otherwise, what was the point of being anywhere that long? 

“i’m so glad that we’re on the same page. i didn’t really do any individual sports either but i grew up in a really small town and growing up, the kids kind of spent all of our free time running around outside. roller skating around town was a big thing. i was surprisingly good at it.” as the other woman introduced herself, josie looked her over. she seemed as though she felt really uncomfortable. although josie considered herself to be decently extroverted and really enjoyed talking to people, she was never great in the department of small talk. after a moment of thinking of something else to say, josie nodded and began to speak once more. “i’m josie. josie mirren. nice to meet you too. so! what brings you down to the good old fashion department?”

“I wish that was more of a thing here. Roller skating is pretty fun. Especially when you get to do it all the way to the beach.” Although the girl had not described her hometown, Kai was already picturing a small beach town with kids rollerskating and skateboarding around the town, getting into all kinds of trouble, going to the beach to surf. She remembered when she went to Hawaii once and essentially longboarded everywhere with just a backpack and her surfboard. “Josie Mirren. Sounds like you’re in a movie,” she commented. “I’m just trying to see where my assignment is and all that. New intern things, getting lost.” 

“Well, when you start surfing again,” Lindsey said, simple as that. She figured Kai must have quit for a reason, but she knew it wasn’t her business, so she didn’t want to ask. “Because honestly, I think that’s going to be my best excuse to travel somewhere beachy, aside from deciding to visit my family.” Which didn’t sound like a horrible idea, sure, but Lindsey hadn’t been back down south for so long that it felt odd to just go back for no reason. She hadn’t even gone back to Disney since she left Florida. Not that she didn’t want to, but…there was always a reason not to.

“Yeah, when I start surfing again.” Her voice came out like the end of an echo, barely traveling over to Lindsey, her eyes shifting away. “You’re near an ocean. Now we’re talking. It’s tragic how many people are okay with being landlocked.” She thought back to that conversation she had with someone who was okay with never seeing an ocean until they were fourteen. Kai thought she’d actually have the guts to leave New York forever if there were no ocean here. But there way, so she stayed tied to the buildings. 

↳ KAI CARLYLE

Hawaii was definitely an answer she expected. Even just spending a week there, Lindsey had fallen madly in love with its beaches, and had never wanted to leave. If Jude was ever going to bring up moving again, that was going to be at the top of her destination list. Especially with a Masters branch there, now, a transfer wouldn’t be that difficult. “So, what I’m hearing is, you have to hire me as a photographer for your surfing events so that I can travel with you. That’s what you’re saying, right?” It was too good to be true, and she said it mostly as a joke.

Kai would do anything to be in Hawaii. She’d do anything to still travel the way she used to. New York was a destination for so many people with a dream, but for her it was gray and boring and filled with smoke. It was more of a cell. Like she’d never be able to leave her hometown, not really, and live anywhere else. The air was light anywhere that wasn’t here, with the baggage and the people she knew. “I wish I could do that,” she said, her voice small. She tried to shake herself off. “Unfortunately I don’t get to travel as much as I used to. Quitting the surfing circuit means no more trips.” 

@kai carlyle

summer in the city meant a few different things: hot afternoons, less chances at layering, and lindsey inevitably being hit with her round of missing the beaches of miami. new york city had lovely beaches, sure, but after the hawaii trip, and growing up where she did, new england had no chance of comparing. sure, she was going to drag jude out to the beach one weekend, but what she really wanted was to take a plane back to kauai. “let me ask you,” lindsey turned to kai, “because you’ve seen a lot of beaches in your life, since you surf: what’s the best beach you’ve ever been to?”

Usually, Summer was Kai’s favorite time to travel around and be anywhere but New York. The surf wasn’t as great there, and wouldn’t pick up until August. The end of spring marked the end of the good surf season, and turned New York into lame beaches for her again. She missed big waves. Before, she had the time to go around and travel to whichever she wanted for a week and come back to New York, new and refreshed and ready to go. The problem was that there were no longer sponsors flying her. “It depends on the season. Hawaii hands down has some of the best, but Nazaré in Portugal? Gnarly. And it’s beautiful to boot.” 

“glad that i’m not the only one who’s totally clueless in the sports department.” josie grinned. “my parents never made me do team sports as a kid so i never really figured out how anything worked and i’ve never been able to make myself care enough to learn.” she noted the brunette’s response towards the mention of her clothing and bit her lip. she hadn’t been intending to insult the girl’s clothing choices and hoped that she hadn’t interpreted it as such. oh well, she thought. most people didn’t care about clothing nearly as much as she did, which made sense – she did work in the fashion department after all. “anyways, i don’t think that i caught your name.”

“Oh, completely. I have no idea about anything that involves having to kick, hit, or catch a ball. It’s all Greek to me,” she nodded in agreement. Her parents had never been big on putting her in sports, either. “My parents always just wanted me to be athletic, but not necessary in a team sport. At least, not a team sport in which you have to pass things to people.” As a surfer, it was just her and her board, and the only time she’d ever be on a team is if she’d have made it to the Olympics, which was a big Nope at this point. Not gonna happen. Kai was grateful for the distraction from her clothes. She barely owned anything suitable for an office, and she didn’t want to think about it. “It’s Kai Carlyle. Nice to meet you...” she trailed off as if to wait for the other girl to place her name in the space. 

“things happen, yeah. i get that.” he was curious. of course he was but he wouldn’t ask. besides, unfortunately for her, people seemed to have their secrets spilled against their will all the time around here. “i do mostly overseeing now? i give yeses or nos depending on what i’m looking at. i used to do that sort of grunt work – i do sometimes but not a lot of the time. oh, an intern? i haven’t met another intern for a hot minute.” which was true. but he figured that was a good thing, he supposed that meant and more people were getting promoted for all their hard work, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

“Do you surf? Like, recreationally?” It was the only way she figured he’d know who she was. Surfing was a big sport, but not many people ever recognized her or her name unless they were very into the sport. The most famous surfer she could think of outside of their world was Bethany Hamilton. She had her own movie, so it made sense. “Oh, so you’re one of those big shots, huh?” she joked. “Yeah, I kind of just got the job. I don’t know if maybe I’m kind of hired off season or what.” 

“ah, right. i understand. i miss you out there though.” and again, he figured her reasoning behind quitting was personal, and he didn’t think that he needed to ask her what had happened. it wasn’t any of his business. “i work here, yes.” he chuckled, “i’m the art slash advertising department.” he nodded then asked, “what about you?”

“Oh. Well, I appreciate that. I miss it out there, but you know. Things happen.” She shrugged, feeling relief when the topic got dropped. She would rather focus on somebody else and not the end of her surfing career. “Oh, that’s cool. So you do like... graphic design?” She wasn’t sure how to marry the two together otherwise. “Social Media intern!” 

Josie sat at the counter cheek resting in the palm of her hand. She was supposed to be working on a trend report about biker shorts of all things – particularly ones in neon colors – and she absolutely could not make herself care about it in the slightest. She hated the biker shorts/big shirt look that had been all over Instagram as of late and her distaste for the article of clothing was seriously impeding her ability to get the report finished. A half hour had already gone by since she sat down to write it and she had only managed to get out two sentences. She was glad that the other girl had spoken, now she had an excuse to do something other than work – or attempt to at least. The small talk caused her to let out a small laugh, not because of the girl’s words but because of her own cluelessness towards the topic at hand. “I’m going to be real with you,” she began, turning to face the other girl. “I’m really not the best person to be asking. I know absolutely nothing about sports. Like to the point where I’m honestly not even one hundred percent sure what sport the Mets and the Jets play. Baseball maybe? I should probably know this if I live in New York but whatever. Anyways, point being, I have no idea who I’m supposed to be rooting for.“ She paused, looking the girl over. “Oh, by the way, cute shirt. Very beachy. Where’s it from?”

Kai breathed a little sigh of relief. She had no idea about the Mets or the Jets or hell, even the weather, she hadn’t paid that much attention. If she’d been forced to hold a conversation with someone over that silly little topic she picked and knew nothing about, she would have metaphorically shot herself in the foot for it. All she knew about the Mets and the Jets is that they were a New York thing, their teams rhymed. She had no idea what sort of ball they each threw around, though. “I’m kind of relieved because I wouldn’t have been able to keep up a conversation on that anyway.” She looked down at her shirt, which she’d been trying hard to hide, but obviously failed at it. She shifted a little bit so her jacket covered it a little bit more. Something just made her feel watched in this thing, and it was getting hotter and itchier by the minute. “It’s from Rip Curl,” she said. “It’s like a surf style shop.” 

Ezra’s morning hadn’t been particularly different. He woke up alone and got through his morning routine without any major hick-ups before getting to the office early so he could look over some left over paperwork from last night. He’d only realized how early he’d really come in when someone called out to talk to him. Looking up from where he was scanning his employee ID to get into the building, he looks over to the stranger confused, “Word of advice? the proper defaults are Giants and Yankees and if you want to really sound like you know what you’re talking about you can even say the Rangers. Just a heads up.” he says with a patronizing wink before heading towards the elevator bay.

Kai raised her eyebrows at the response. Sure, she wasn’t great at knowing any sports, she knew what the Yankees did and that was pretty much it. She didn’t know a tennis ball from a baseball if it hit her in the face. She’d spent so much time on a surf board and had never been to any games as a consequence. Part of her still thought none of that deserved the little wink, but she followed him through anyway, buttoning her jacket to hide her shirt more, “Why would I ask about the defaults? Everyone knows what everyone thinks about the defaults.” She shrugs, “It’s kind of... common, don’t you think?” 

THE GIRL APPROACHING HIM SEEMED SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR, BUT HE COULDN’T QUITE PLACE IT. HIS EYES SQUINTED JUST SLIGHTLY AS HE TRIED TO THINK WHERE THEY COULD HAVE RUN INTO ONE ANOTHER BEFORE. Must have been New York related or at work, something along those lines. Scratching his jawline and laughing as the puppy started to show off it’s tricks, bouncing from side to side over his legs, he shook his head immediately. “How do you know this dog isn’t mine and why did you assume it has fleas?” He questioned, brows raising as he stood back up straight and held the dog in his muscular arms at the same time. “Don’t listen to her if she tries to say you look like a stray.” DJ whispered into the pups ear loudly, this way the opposite girl could hear him clearly. Smiling from ear to ear as he drew his face back, he kept scratching and petting the dog happily. “This dog clearly set out to find me tonight, knew I would be it’s best bud, so I feel it’s my duty to take care of it.” God, he knew he knew her, it was coming more clear by the minute until it finally clicked and showed on his face. “Wait, Kai?” He said, eyes going wide as he set the pup down finally to address her properly.

Kai crossed her arms, laughing as Denver spoke to the dog in front of him. It was amusing to her that it took him so long to recognize her. It also confirmed her suspicion that that wasn’t Denver’s dog. Which, of course, she guessed in part because she figured she’d have seen it on his instagram or something. “I feel like I would have seen that dog all over your Instragram if it was yours,” she laughed, pointing to the pup. Somehow she felt they both had the same energy. If she didn’t know better, she’d assume that really was his dog. When the look of realization crossed his face, she nodded, amused, and said, “Oh, come on, do I look that different?” She gestured to her clothes, a little less beachy and a little more New York, as her mother had suggested her to at least wear something that wasn’t shorts, a shirt, and bikini. “Is it the lack of surf board or the fact I’m wearing a real shirt?”

Analise is handing her badge over at reception to be scanned into the building when she feels like she’s being addressed. God, she hopes they’re talking to her and not some other stranger they actually know, she hates being caught between waves and smiles. The eye contact she makes when looking beside her makes her feel a little better about the situation but, taking a moment to take the other woman in, she can’t help but hide a laugh behind her hand, “Sorry, I’m Bostonian, it’s all about the socks for me, and the patriots.” she says, taking her badge back to put in her purse, “But I think the weather is lovely, if not a little warm.” she offers her hand to try and ease the other girl out of her awkward lean against the counter, “Hi, I’m Analise.”

Kai covered herself up a little more when she heard the laugh. She was terrible at finding clothes that were right for an office setting, because well, she wasn’t someone who would find themselves in an office very often. In her life plan, she would have been wearing these type of clothes to some sort of sports awards event and leave it at that. “I don’t know where to proceed from there,” she laughed. She wasn’t sure what the Jets or Mets played, let alone what the Patriots and Socks were. Although, were they maybe baseball? She remembered them being mentioned with the Yankees. “Better than cold,” she said. Kai kept one hand on her jacket to keep it shut, shaking the other girl’s hand, “I’m Kai. Nice to meet you.”