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Adonis slipped a board under his arm as though it weighed nothing, while Nicholas and Ryan struggled to coordinate themselves with their boards. They’d been instructed to work as a team, one at the front, the other at the back,sharing the weight, Adonis informed them. Nicholas wanted to point out they were total strangers, so teamwork may not be their forte, but Adonis was already striding off towards the sea.

By the time they caught their instructor up on the shoreline, both Ryan and Nicholas were sweating profusely and seriously pissed off. Adonis appeared not to notice the tension, running them through the basics once more before launching himself into the crashing waves.

As he stepped into the sea, Nicholas felt ice-cold water travel up both legs. His genitals shrivelled and his heart pounded so hard he wondered if he’d die right there and then. Weren’t wetsuits supposed to keep you warm? The water around them was angry, churning up seaweed as foaming white horses crashed against the sand. Adonis shouted instructions, but they were carried away on the wind, father and son following blindly, as the water deepened and the cold reached their bones.

Nicholas should never have mentioned he’d surfed before. The result of boasting was being left entirely alone to fend for himself, while Adonis focused all his attention on Ryan. He gave up trying to get on his own board and watched in awe as Ryan began paddling ahead of a wave, jumping up as it pushed him on, and standing up, arms flailing for a precious three seconds before falling flat on his face into the water.

“Woohoo!” came Ryan’s scream as his head surfaced from beneath a wave. “Did you see that, Dad? I did it!”

Nicholas gave a thumbs up, unable to shout congratulations due to the lump blocking his throat. He paddled further out, the salt water washing away the salt water streaming from his eyes. As he lay on his board, buffeted by wave after wave he wondered what it would have been like when Ryan was younger. He could’ve bought him to the beach, played cricket with him, built sandcastles. He could’ve done all the things with his son that his own dad did with him.

A black clad figure broke into Nicholas’ thoughts as Adonis slid through the water like a seal. “Your boy’s doing great,” he shouted. “How about you give it a try?”

Nicholas was happy lying splayed out on top of his board, but his pride accepted the challenge and he maneuvered the board around, looking over his shoulder as a large, angry wave headed his way.

“Remember what I told you,” yelled Adonis. “This is a big one so be careful. Ready? PADDLE!”

Nicholas began paddling furiously. He felt the wave hit the back of the board, lifting him higher and higher. His mind went blank of all technique he’d been shown and he tried to scramble first to his knees then to his feet. The board wobbled precariously beneath him and the world went into slow motion as his feet left the solid board and his head cut into the wave.

Nicholas had felt fear many times in his life, but nothing compared to the sensation of being pulled under the black water, tossed around like a rag doll, not knowing which direction to swim to reach the precious air his lungs craved. Time stood still as his senses dimmed. After what felt like a lifetime his head made contact with the sky, and he took deep choking breaths. Adonis and Ryan appeared beside him, each grabbing him under an arm, dragging him through the water towards the shoreline.

Back on firm ground, Nicholas threw up a stomach full of seawater and held his head in his hands trying to get his breath. Ryan sat next to him, stroking his back and telling him-Everything’s alright now, Dad. Just take deep, slow breaths. That’s it, you’re doing really well.

Nicholas took his head from his hands and looked into his son’s eyes. They shared the same green eyes, but Ryan’s were all the more startling thanks to the thick lashes he’d inherited from his mother. Relations between the parents had been formal at best, strained at worst. Nicholas admired Karen’s wariness to his new role in Ryan’s life. It was a sign of her protectiveness as a mother. It had taken a lot of persuading before she’d allowed him to bring Ryan away for a couple of days, even more so as it involved time off school. Hearing Ryan’s compassion, Nicholas felt immense gratitude to the woman who had single-handedly raised his son. The grumpy teenage act was just that, an act, he now realised. A method of self-preservation against being let down again. Nicholas grabbed Ryan’s hand and squeezed it. To his surprise, Ryan pulled it away, but only so he could reposition it across his father’s shoulders.

“I think my surfing days are over, mate. But you carry on. I’ll watch you from here.”

“Are you sure? I won’t leave you if you’re still feeling shit.”

“I’m fine, honest. Off you go.”

Ryan grinned and ran back into the waves, jumping on his board and paddling out into the sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

KATE STEPPED OUTSIDEcarrying a full bin bag and narrowly missed tripping over the boy on her front step.

“Ryan? What are you doing out here?”

Ryan tried to blow smoke out from the corner of his mouth, but ended up choking and needing a few back slaps from Kate before he could catch his breath.

“Does your dad know you’re out here smoking?”

“Yeah, none of his business though.”

“Fair enough. I don’t suppose you can spare one of those?”

“I’ve only got rollies.”

“Even better,” said Kate, taking a pinch of tobacco from the offered tin and expertly twisting the thin paper into a tube. Ryan offered her a light, and she sat beside him on the step, taking a deep drag and trying not to cough.

“You don’t look like a smoker.”

“I’m not really. Gave up a few years ago, but the odd one now and then can be very tempting. Anyway, I thought all young people were into vaping these days?”

“Yeah, most are.”

“But not you?”

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