Page 34 of Ask No Questions

This time, Alexis had the plan. “Something simple, you don’t want to overwhelm him either. Tie a balloon to his locker with a note inside asking him. Then you can show up and ask what his answer is.”

“I think I can handle that. Okay, it’s just you, Aubrey. Who are you going to ask? Mike, Luke, or one of the football guys?”

“I don’t know yet. I don’t really know anyone well enough to ask yet.”

“Maybe you should take Luke up on his offer and see if you’re interested in him. He’s pretty focused on surfing, but you might be able to pull him away from that.”

Alexis and Talia looked at me with puzzled expressions. “What offer?”

“He offered to teach me how to surf, but I don’t know if I’ll do it. I can just learn from you guys.”

Talia balked. “Where’s the fun in that? You have to do it! Text him now and set it up. The dance is a few weeks away; we don’t have much time.”

“Fine, bossy.” I pulled out my phone and sent Luke a quick message. I wasn’t expecting a response at all, but seconds later, my phone buzzed.

“He said yes! Tonight at six... Crap! Does anyone have a wetsuit I could borrow?”

Fifteen

Luke suggested the beach by Mac’s house since it was easy to get to, and I knew where it was. When I pulled up to the house, I was surprised to see Steven standing in the open garage.

“Hi, Aubrey. Are you meeting Kay?” He was standing in board shorts with a towel around his shoulders. He must have just gotten back from surfing himself.

“Nope, McSteamy.” He laughed at his nickname and shook his head, feigning disappointment. “I’m meeting a friend down at the beach. He’s teaching me to surf, and Mckayla told me I could borrow her wetsuit.”

“You mean you’re finally going to learn to surf after all these years of me offering to teach you? What does this kid have that I don’t?”

I chuckled and turned as I heard a car approaching the house. I waved when I saw Luke behind the wheel of a small truck with two surfboards in the bed. He hopped out of the truck and came up to meet us.

Steven leaned toward me before Luke got too close, “Oh, I see now. I’m not a young, seventeen-year-old, sponsored surf prodigy? I see how it is, Aubrey.”

I laughed and shrugged him off.

“Hey Mr. P, how’s the surf today?” Luke smiled at me before turning back to Steven.

“Eh, it was all right, perfect for teaching. There was plenty of white water for her to get comfortable with.” I looked between the two of them, trying to decipher the strange language they were speaking. They kept talking about the conditions as I turned to the garage in search of the wetsuits. I found a black mass in the back corner and began picking up each one trying to guess which one would fit. Finally, I found one with pink writing and a heart on the chest that looked about the size I would need. I held it up to ask Steven if it was right.

“Is this one Mckayla’s?” They both turned at my voice as if they forgot I was still there.

“Yeah, that one should be good for you. She has a spring suit in there and a 3/2 mm but it’s probably too warm for that one, so just stick with that one.” There was that strange language again. Shaking my head, I moved toward the door to go into the house.

“Where are you going?” I turned toward Luke who was walking back from his truck with his wetsuit hanging across the board he held under his arm. I must have looked confused since he continued. “Don’t change up here. It’s easier to put it on dry, but I want to take you down to the water first so you can test it. Plus, I want to show you what to do on the board before we get in the water. Just hold onto that for now. I have towels in the bed. Grab those for me, and I’ll get the second board.”

I fought the urge to run into the house and plop on the couch safe from the water. Steven must have noticed my hesitation. “You’ll be fine, Aubrey. I bet you’ll end up liking it.”

I had asked to do this. I needed to remember that and focus on the positive: spending alone time with Luke. I grabbed the towels and followed Luke past the house and out to the sand. When we got a few yards from where the water was breaking, he set both boards down, so the fronts were pointed toward the houses.

“We’re going to start out learning the basics here before we get in the water, so you are comfortable with the movements. Sound good?”

“I thought you said you wanted to feel the water and test it.”

He started to remove his shirt but dropped it when I reminded him of what he said. “Here’s the thing… I want you to get in the water, and if you feel it now, there’s no way that’s going to happen.”

I looked at the water. It didn’t look cold. Could water look cold? I smiled at myself, grateful I hadn’t said any of that aloud. “You’re just going to throw me in there and hope I don’t die of hypothermia? You’re cruel!”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. Lay on your board, and we’ll get started.” This time, he finished taking off his shirt, and I froze at the sight. His broad shoulders and chest gave way to defined abs, an obvious result of his active lifestyle. I had admired his shoulders through his shirts, but I was not prepared for this! I could almost feel the drool sliding down my chin.

I turned away from him, hiding that I was smiling like a madwoman. I took off my dress, suddenly wishing I had chosen a more conservative style. I looked down at the bikini, making sure everything was in place before turning toward him. I focused on the board, not wanting to look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me. Once I was lying on my stomach on the board, I met his gaze. His boyish grin was going full force as he stood over me. I could feel the blush rising on my face.