‘It’s a free beach,’ I replied, and I was met with a brief nod.
Then Antoine turned to the girls and bent down on his haunches in front of them.
I turned to look at Felix, who stood awkwardly on the sand, and I hated Antoine for making him feel like that when it had been so hard for him to come. There was no need to be so rude.
‘You are ready for the waves?’ Antoine asked. They both nodded enthusiastically.
‘I have a surprise for you both.’ Antoine went to the rack, where he pulled out a board. But it wasn’t a normal board. There were foam bumpers along each edge as well as a handle built on to the front.
‘You can both use this board. We will take turns. Look at this handle.’ He pointed at it. ‘Sometimes the pro surfers use this to learn new techniques.’
‘Wow,’ said Rue. ‘I’m going to be a pro surfer.’
I looked at Wren, who was smiling. ‘It looks much safer.’ She sighed, probably with relief.
Antoine caught my eye, and I mouthed, ‘Thank you.’ And it was only the slightest nod, the tiniest acknowledgement,before he turned back to Rue and Wren. ‘Who wants to try it first?’
Rue put up her hand straight away.
‘La guerrière.Of course! OK, come with me.’ Antoine held out his hand and Rue grabbed it before they walked towards the water. Wren waited on the shore.
Felix and I sat down on the sand.
‘Are you OK?’ I asked. It was so brave of him to come here at all.
‘I think so. If I stare too much at the water, it makes me feel sick. So I will not look.’ He started tracing the sand with his finger.
‘I’ll look for you,’ I said, my eyes settling on Antoine.
I commentated on the whole lesson for Felix, making him laugh when I told him about Rue’s failed attempts to push Wren off the board. He seemed to relax a bit. He held my hand, and by the end, the tension that had almost crushed my fingers had nearly disappeared.
The girls had so much fun, and they were both more stable on the board. Even Wren begged for another go at the end.
I watched Antoine help Wren on to the board for her final turn. She held on to the handle and lay there as the wave rushed her to shore. She stepped off into the shallow water, excited, turning to bring the board back for Rue’s go.
I watched as he held on to the board the whole time, helping to paddle it out and steadying it as the waves swelled beneath them. Rue’s squeal of delight made me laugh as it pierced the air. Antoine swam, and then ran to catch up with her, havinglost her on the wave. He had a huge smile on his face when he reached her, and I found myself smiling too.
‘What is it?’ Felix asked. I turned to him.
‘What is what?’ I said.
‘You were smiling at something.’
‘Oh, just Rue and Wren, how happy they are. It’s nice. You know, Antoine has been amazing with them. Especially Rue. When I first met him, I thought he was just some arrogant surfer. Which he kind of is, but he’s so good with kids.’ I was staring at him again. At the easy way he talked to the girls and made them laugh so much.
‘He is … skilled,’ said Felix. My eyes followed his hand to the sand, where he was digging into it with his fingers. Hard.
‘Time goes so fast here,’ I mused, sighing in the heat of the sun.
‘Yes. Time moves differently in Biarritz. Especially in the summer,’ said Felix. But it was as if his voice had lost energy. Like he wasn’t actually paying attention. I wondered if it was all too much and he wanted to leave.
And then the girls were slowly coming back up the beach, with Antoine carrying the board behind them. I stood up to greet them, while Felix stayed on the sand.
‘Did you see us, Felix?’ Rue asked, out of breath, deliriously happy.
‘I did. You were incredible,’ he said, smiling.
I could feel how close Antoine was before I looked. It was like my body reacted to his presence with goosebumps that raced over my skin. I glanced up to see him drop the surfboard at his feet.
