do you like my stupid hair? [julia]

A heat wave had hit Hossegor and Bodhi Martin was taking full advantage of it. The uncharacteristically mild temperature and good waves put the twenty year old in an exceptionally good mood; the grin painted on his face more than telling as he hopped down the stairs of his sponsor's board house. One of the perks of representing a major surf company in a competition in the area? They never failed to put their boarders up in a pad within walking distance of the coast. There was just over a week left until the big weekend of competitions, and Bodhi wanted to get as used to the waters as he could seeing as he had been in France for just less than a month.

Barefoot and draped in an oversized flannel and board shorts, the Australian made his way across the street to the beach access, hopping along the hot pavement. The location wasn't far off from the tourist trap filled with shops and a huge boardwalk. Bodhi was, for once, thankful for the strangers that surrounded him. Normally, he preferred something a bit more secluded when it came to surf, but the man found the people of Hossegor to be quite entertaining.

Bodhi wasted no time to ditch his shirt and head into the water. There were a handful of surfers out, the waves hit their peak earlier in the morning, but the man was convinced he could still have a spot of fun for an hour or so. A kid, who had to be just over ten, caught the Australian's attention as he struggled the paddle out past the breaking point of the waves. Bodhi always had a soft spot for kids, and teaching them had become a bit of a passion since his stint in India. "Mate!" He cupped his hand over his mouth, motioning for his attention as he paddled toward him. "Lay down, like this," The man motioned for the boy to lay flat like he was in anticipation for the wave. "Now paddle!" Bodhi dug deep into the water to give him the idea. "And dive under... now!" He yelled. The boy shot out of the water with a smile, clearly pleased with himself.

As much as he wanted to spent the rest of the evening helping the bloke, Bodhi's hunger had taken priority and the food stalls were calling to him. The man quickly headed to the a stand he knew sold a killer burger that was famous among the other boarders and he grabbed one to take back to his belongings. If he could ever find them. He swore he had set his board down just by the water, but the growing crowd made everything look the same. "Shit," He said between a bite of his food, his Australian accent ringing out among the cacophony of accents and languages. Reaching a free hand up to shield the sun, Bodhi scanned for his tell tale red flannel shirt.

Although normally a lover of cooler weather, London had begun to grow terribly dreary lately. Julia was craving some sunshine, even some nice warm weather. So, when Leon began saying he needed to take a business trip to southern France, Julia made an effort to make it known that she was interested in tagging along and helping him out in whatever way she could. After some careful wording, Leon agreed to take her on a assistant status of sorts. The young blonde figured it was better than nothing--a little work put in, but for all intensive purposes, this was a vacation to Julia, especially considering the beautiful area they were located in.

Today Leon was meeting with some someone Julia didn't really care to keep in her mind, but it left her with the better part of the day to herself since he said he'd be going to dinner with this whoever tonight anyway. Deciding that she didn't want to be cooped up in her room all day, the German girl chose that she wanted the day at the beach. After loading her pale skin up with all sorts of lotions to protect from burning but also one that would let her get some color, she made the short walk to the sandy shores. The beach was a little crowded, but after careful looking around, Julia was able to find a less occupied area of the beach, that gave her a nice view of the water and the boys in it, she noticed. 

As she set a large towel out to lay on and removed her shorts revealing the bright blue bikini in full, Julia sat at looked out at the people playing in the water. She was particularly interested in what she had learned were called surfers. Having never been exposed to the sport in her youth, she found it strange and fascinating to watch. As her bright blue eyes scanned the ocean, she quickly noticed a very tanned man with a surfboard, ditching his clothes carelessly and heading into the water like he was desperate for salt water. As she watched him--interested by his sport and his hair--she saw him begin to show a younger boy how to surf. Biting down on her lip, the teen debated asking the man if he could give her a quick lesson. Although she doubted she'd be any good, she was adventurous and always willing to try new things, but she had no idea how to even go about trying to surf on her own.

It seemed that fate wanted her to talk to this man though, because he no sooner was heading to one of the stalls near Julia. A playful smile lighting up her face, Julia took this as her opportunity to learn a little about the sport, but first she wanted to make an interesting entrance. Noticing that he left his clothing on the beach, she made her way the few yards away and sneakily stole his flannel before he finished ordering from the stall worker. The seventeen year old had always been bold and although she knew this plan could back fire easily, she didn't really care. The chances of seeing this man again if her plan went wrong were slim, so she figured there was nothing to loose. She hung the shirt around her shoulders, the fabric loosely waving in the beach wind around her slim shoulders.

As she approached him, Julia prepared to speak French, but heard a distinctly English word, but not spoken in an English accent that she was aware of. Confused, but still feeling confident, Julia approached him with a playful smile. "Loose something," she asked playfully, her German accent obvious in her English.

A mouth full of burger and a his hand still shielding his eyes from the sun, Bodhi nearly choked when a blonde woman stepped into his line of vision with his shirt draped over her shoulders. He had hit the jackpot - what he could only assume was an attractive French, blonde woman was playing a game with him and he wasn't about to forfeit. "Y'know..." Bodhi pushed some curls out of his face to get a better look at his new friend. "Red doesn't really suit you," He couldn't help but grin. The Australian man was notorious for his cruel sense of humor. Essentially, any negative comment from his lips really meant the opposite. Bodhi hadn't stopped to think this stranger might take it the wrong way, though - sometimes he forgot he wasn't surrounded by his thick-skinned peers.

"It's funny, I used to have one just like it..." Bodhi continued his charade with a chuckle, taking a step closer to the blonde. "In fact..." He leaned close to her to read the label on the inside of the collar. "Looks like we got it at the same place, too!" He added with a shrug of his shoulders. "I miss that one heaps, really," Bodhi attempted his best frown but it didn't suit his usually happy features. "I'd be willing to trade three fourths of a burger for it, even. Right now, if I could," He glanced down at the messy meal, unsure if she would even want it.

"Best burger in town," Bodhi quickly added, doing his best salesman impersonation that ended up far more cheesy than he had hoped. "Definitely worth waaay more than an old flannel. I don't even know why I'm making this deal, I don't even know you..." Bodhi pondered to himself in jest. If the girl wasn't scared off after this encounter, he knew she would be able to hang. "I'm Bodhi," He reached out a hand, sprinkled with ketchup and mustard. "Shit, sorry," The man promptly wiped the condiments on his board shorts and enthusiastically extended his greeting once more. Bodhi was never one for formalities, clearly. He was notorious among his friends and co-workers for being border-line too laid back about most things. People never understood how he could worry so little, but Bodhi, true to his character, wasn't bothered by it.