Coby goes on a few 'dates' with Nina: they meet for lunch & have sex in the backseat of her car a couple of times a week. It fits easily into Coby's surf schedule, and it fits into normally carefree & casual style. But for some reason, when Coby meets Nina for lunch this particular Thursday and follows her out to her car, he finds himself saying, "I think I'm going to take a pass on this today, Nina." Of course she stares in shock at him, and Coby knows that turning it down now, like this, is the same as walking away from it. And Coby just doesn't care, that's the whole problem. "What the hell do you mean, 'take a pass on this'?" Nina demands. Coby shrugs, "I dunno, Nina, I'd kind of rather be at the beach, I guess. This is getting boring..." She slaps him in the face, and he deserves it. It's like something has got hold of his mouth today, nothing is coming out right. "Don't I mean anything to you?" she asks. "No, of course not," Coby answers & takes another slap. "Look, Nina, if you're looking for someone to care about you, don't go picking up guys like me. I'm kind of messed up right now, so I'm being honest with you: the next guy you pick up will probably lie & tell you he cares. So, you know, be careful," Coby leaves Nina with final words of warning, slipping away without a goodbye, dodging any final slaps to the face.

It's not like she matters, Coby won't miss her & if he misses the sex, that can be scored up readily. "You look like you need a cold one," Callie says, brushing against him as she serves him his beer. "Thanks, babe," he says & she ruffles his hair affectionately. Callie is always good for a toss...Coby stares out at the Pacific, watching the waves roll in...he isn't interested in a toss right now. He's been in the surf for hours, he's exhausted, exhilirated. He'd like to go home with a girl after this drink, but he doesn't have the energy for even an easy girl like Callie, he wants a girl, but it has to be one he can relax around. Ti, Rebecca...Rebecca, Ti..it's not like he has to choose between them, neither of them want him. But they both play in his head, his high school crush & the girl that broke his heart, and Coby would like to at least narrow his misery down to pining after one girl, figure out which one he loves, which one of them is making it impossible to enjoy his life outside the surf.

"Hey, Coby," Hayley says with a chirpy smile as she nexts to him, "I'll have a Pink Thong," she orders a drink from Callie, frowning now that Coby has company. "'Sup, Hayley?" Coby asks, a bit surprised she's speaking to him. Since she stormed out on him, she's turned her nose up at him every time he's run into her outside the apartment. "I'm dating a European," she says with a smug smile, "He's Belgian, you know. He took me to Santa Cruz, it was so cool. Have you been to Santa Cruz? The beach was so awesome!" Coby laughs, "Yeah, I've been," he says simply, an understatement considering how much time he spends surfing up north. But he's caught on the 'Belgian' part, it's ringing a major bell in his head, he just can't figure out why. Belgian, he thinks, that should be important, but all he can come up with is the chocolate place on 4th & Santa Monica: he's been by it a million times, but never been inside...

Rebecca is with Heather when Coby comes by for his weekly visit to his sister. Heather jumps up & greets him with a smile and a hug. "Hang for awhile, Coby," she says, "Rebecca is here & it will be like old times, the three of us." Coby has no idea what she's talking about, it was always the two of them: he would get in on it when he could, to get near Becca, but there was never any 'three of us'. He sits with the women in uncomfortable silence: whatever they were talking about before he came in, they don't want to continue now. Heather asks Rebecca something about the political scene up north, and the conversation is suddenly animated between the two girls, and Coby has no idea what they're talking about. Coby smiles at the thought that this is very much like those 'old times' after all, he sits barely noticed, not following their discussion at all, just waiting for opportunities to catch Becca's glance.

Heather gently pushes her guests out the door shortly after Amber comes home, before Ulises returns from work. Rebecca walks with Coby out toward the street where their cars are parked. "Why don't we meet by the beach for a drink," Rebecca suggests, and Coby agrees readily, since he was trying to work himself to asking her just that. "So what's the deal with the cop?" Rebecca says glumly as she meets Coby in the bar. "What cop?" Coby asks, puzzled, looking around. "Heather's cop," she answers & Coby sees what she means. "There's no 'deal', Becca," he answers, "He's been great to Heather ever since they met. They really love each other." Rebecca shakes her head, "You don't know that he's 'great' to her Coby, you aren't always with them," she says, staring out at the sunset. "Well, I was there when they got married, and I've hung around Ulises when Heather's not around, he's a great guy. He fixes my ex-girlfriend's car all the time." Rebecca shakes her head again, but this time with a faint smile as she pats his hand. "You're very sweet Coby. You & Heather both. But face reality, cops don't just fall in love with pot dealers & live happily ever after. There's got to be something else to it," she insists, and then turns her attention to her beer. Coby hasn't had much luck in the 'true love' department, but his sister has, and he doesn't like seeing it challenged. "Why is this suddenly your business, Rebecca?" he asks harshly, "I'm not with them every minute, no, but I've actually been around them. Which you haven't. So don't be hassling Heather, you know she's sensitive about stuff," he says. Rebecca smiles triumphantly, "Exactly, she's avoiding letting me meet him. Because she knows I'll see through him." Coby rolls his eyes, "Or maybe she knows you've already made up your mind about him, Becca." Rebecca glares at him and then gazes out over the ocean. After a few minutes, she turns back to him. "You live around here don't you? Why don't we go back to your place?" she says.

So Rebecca follows him home, they order pizza, smoke & hang out with Tanner until it's really late, never once mentioning Heather. Well, Tanner mentioned her, several times, moaning that he never got at date with her before she married, but that's different. Tanner finally heads off to his room, leaving Coby & Rebecca alone: now would be the time to make his move, if he were sure it was what he wanted to do. There are so many ways it could go wrong, and Coby would rather never have her at all than have her hating him afterwards. So he hangs back, considers, and it's Rebecca who moves on him. "There's no point being shy about it, I can tell what you're thinking," she says, grabbing his arm and pulling him up the stairs. Coby has wanted this ever since he started wanting girls, he's fantasized about making love to her in every possible way, and he expected it be a long night of slow, romantic passion. Instead it's a furious, grinding half hour of grunting, wordless sex. Coby reaches his arms around her after, pulls her close to hold her all night, but Becca pulls away. "I got a job interview and shit tomorrow," she says with a sigh, "I should get going." She fumbles around in the dark for her pants, Coby keeps the lamp off, not helping her, "You're getting a job?" he asks "Does that mean you're staying?" He doesn't ask if they've just had a one night stand: if the answer is yes, he doesn't want to know yet. "If I get a job, I'll be staying for a little while anyway," Rebecca answers, pulling her shirt over her head. "I don't really know what my plans are yet, long-term. I'll give you a call, okay?" she says as she heads out the door. Coby has said that without meaning it so many times, he has a hard time believing it now from someone else, someone like him.

Coby lays in the dark, feeling like he might actually cry. It's incredibly late, but he calls Ti anyway. "Are you up?" he asks and she laughs, "No, I'm talking in my sleep." "Are you alone?" he asks in response. She's quiet for minute, then says, "Yeah, I'm alone." "Are you sure?" Coby asks, wondering why she hesitated, and if the French guy is right behind her. "Yeah, I'm alone," she says again sighing with a kind of anger, "He works late a lot, okay? What's up Coby?" "Nothing," Coby answers, "I just need a hug...I'll settle for a phone call. I miss you, Ti..." "Aw, Coby," she purrs in his ear, "I hear ya...You want to talk about it?" Coby doesn't want to talk about 'it', but he does need the company, so they talk about nothing until the morning sun is high in the sky.

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