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I hear him chasing after me but the second my toes get wet, the ocean steals all my attention.
I’m home.
We surf until the sun starts dropping over the horizon, turning the ocean to liquid fire with its reflection. I sit astride my board during a lull and watch it sink closer and closer to the water, waiting for it to disappear.
“I always expect it to sizzle when it hits the water,” Cove tells me. He’s floating on his board beside me and we’ve been enjoying a companionable silence for a few minutes now.
“I always think I hear it,” I reply.
“It’ll get dark soon, we should probably head back to the beach.”
“Yeah.” I sigh. I know he’s right but I don’t want to. It’s always so hard to leave the water when I feel more at home here than on land.
“We can stay and watch the sun set for a bit if you like. I have a blanket in my board bag.”
“That sounds perfect. One final ride in?”
“You bet.”
We wait for the next set and then take off, catching the wave at just the right moment. I leave Cove in my wake, too focused on the perfect last ride. My heart is in my throat with exhilaration, and I can’t keep the grin from stretching across my face as my board skims the water. I feel like I’m flying, and it’s the most liberating feeling in the world.
Back on land, I wrap myself in my towel and sit on Cove’s blanket to watch the sun go down. He does the same, sitting so close to me that our shoulders touch. It makes me shiver, but not in a bad way. Soft music pours from his phone, setting the mood.
I’m just not sure what that mood is. Ambient, relaxing, or romantic?
Cove notices my shiver and must think I’m cold or something because he puts his arm around me. I drop my head onto his shoulder and sigh in contentment. I don’t often feel peace like this in another’s company, but Cove is such a nice guy it’s impossible to keep him at arm’s length.
A scream goes up from further down the beach and we both turn to see what’s happening. We’re no longer alone in this perfect little paradise; a small group of lads have made a bonfire and are chasing a girl around it. I didn’t notice anyone arriving but from the size of the fire, I guess they’ve been here a while.
“This has been perfect,” I say just as the sun finally sinks beneath the water. “Just what I needed.”
“Do you want to talk about your day?”
“Not really. I guess I just struggle sometimes. With people, crowds, new places. Things like that. Making friends isn’t easy for me but I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.”
“As if I ever would. I know a good thing when I see one,” Cove murmurs, making me feel warm and tingly inside. “What happened today?”
“My teacher…” I hesitate. Do I want to go there? “Nothing really, it sounds so silly saying it out loud now. I guess I just overreacted.”
“There’s no such thing as an overreaction. Your body responded exactly how it needed to in the moment. You did nothing wrong, but by the sounds of it, your professor did.”
“He’s been giving me a hard time, and today he did it in front of the whole class. It was…difficult to take.”
“He sounds like an asshole. Can you report him?”
“I don’t want to make things worse.”
“I can say something if you want? Put in an anonymous complaint or something?”
“No. It’s okay. But thank you for the offer. No-one’s ever stood up for me before. Well, not before today. Today, you’re the second person to offer.”
There’s a pause for a beat, and then he says, “I really like you, Mai-Tai.”
My heart thuds so hard he must be able to hear it. What type of like does he mean? Should I confess that I like him too? What if we’re not talking about the same sort of like? What if I make a fool out of myself?
What if you don’t?
“I like you too.”
