Well. Isn’t that bloody convenient. Hard not to suspect this was the plan all along.
I hook an arm under him and keep us moving, searching for somewhere quieter.
We end up tucked behind a boulder at the base of an overhang. It’s like a shallow cave, somewhere we can hide from the rest of the world.
Exhaustion hits me hard the second I drop onto the sand. My body’s soaked in sweat, my lungs burning from the involuntary workout.
This is a total mess.
Yosh rests his head in the curve of my neck, his grip weak as he reaches for my hand.
“I’m sorry for this,” he murmurs against my skin.
I squeeze his hand, lacing our fingers together before kissing his knuckles.
“Hey. This isn’t on you. It’s my fault for taking you there in the first place. The whole night was a total disaster.”
He pushes himself up. It takes everything he’s got. His lips leave their mark behind my ear, right where he knows it short-circuits my brain.
“Not all of it,” he whispers.
“Not all of it,” I echo, the smile lingering as I ease him across my lap.
“Get some rest, love. Sleep will help.”
My fingers find the buzz cut along the side of his head, massaging his scalp to calm him.
He lets out a couple of tired groans, the tension leaving his body. I think he knows it’s safe to let go now that I’ve got him.
“Sapphire...”
“I’m right here, love. Not going anywhere.”
Bloody hell. I didn’t think I was able to care like this anymore. But it feels good. So fucking good.
I keep stroking him, even after his eyes fall shut and his breathing evens out.
The sea is restless tonight. Waves shove at the shore like a snowball rolling in reverse, spilling forward before the ocean pulls them back again. Over and over.
I latch onto that rhythm, and before I realize what I’m doing, I start singingOcean of Night. First song I ever wrote. The one that shoved us straight to the top.
A bitter laugh.
Back then, I’d thought I had it all figured out, that I knew who I was. What life was supposed to look like.
I didn’t have a fucking clue.
I try to trace it back. When did it all start?
Maybe that November day when Jay had dragged Calvin and Eli home with his brilliant idea of starting a band. They needed someone to play the guitar, and I already knew my way around the violin after that summer travelling with Uncle Ian and his clan.
No one cared I was still in primary school, and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world.
I was cool, hanging around with my older brother and his mates.
Life was simple. We had no money, our first instruments prehistoric hand-me-downs from the church. I didn’t care. I was happy.
Touching that broken guitar had set everything in motion. One thing tumbling into the next, unstoppable, until it led me here. To a deserted Caribbean beach, holding someone I care about more than I ever thought my broken heart would ever allow.
