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“Great. Now for the hard work,” Jayce calls, and it’s his grin and the look on his face that helps me to forget the cold and focus on him—and the waves.
He’s not wrong about the hard work.
Wave after wave, I try to time and push up to my feet, but every time, I lose my balance and plunge myself into the sea. And every time I re-surface, I see Jayce’s smiling, and often laughing, face. It certainly lessens the pain, but I’m starting to think that surfing is impossible.
“Come on, one more try.” Jayce pulls me up as I brush the water from my face.
“Last go. I’m getting tired of landing in the water.” Less tired of Jayce’s hands on my skin.
“Practice makes perfect.”
“Easy for you to say.” We both wade out before I jump onto the board and paddle further out than I’ve been yet.
“Okay, remember to paddle hard, position and then pop.” We’re both looking for the wave that will break my losing streak.
“This one. This one!” Jayce helps to get me set. “Ready? Go!” He pushes me off, and my arms take over, paddling and pulling through the water. Just as I get the speed up, I push with my arms and plant my feet, so I’m in a funny crouch. This time, I’m not straight down, my balance stays with me, and I straighten my knees a little until I’m kind of standing.
The shock of succeeding and the rush of adrenalin are exhilarating, and I start to laugh as I glide the remainder of the way in on the wave.
I jump down from the board and turn around, looking for Jayce, who’s racing through the waves to catch me.
“That was awesome.” He picks me up and spins me around in the water. My arms wrap around his neck, and I happily get carried away in his embrace.
“I’m not sure about awesome, but at least I stood up.” I look up at him, and our eyes lock. He doesn’t miss a beat and brings his mouth to mine, kissing me like I’ve been hoping he would since yesterday. It’s slow and gives me time to savour the seconds. Our lips are cool and salty, but just as I’m ready to deepen the kiss, it’s over in less than a second. I’m already missing his lips pressed on mine, but we’re both knocked forward by an incoming wave.
“I say we end on a high.” Jayce smiles at me, his hand in mine.
I shouldn’t be disappointed that our kiss was over too soon, but I am. And then I’m struck by another unsettling feeling. Time with this boy isn’t going to be enough. It’s only been two days, and I already want more. And a slither of apprehension dampens my mood further. I’m not going to want this to be over. Am I just setting myself up for a fall?
CHAPTER7
JAYCE
Then
The next few days go past in a blur.
A blur of sand, sea, and Zee.
Because that’s all I’m interested in.
After the day in the surf, watching her do something she’s never tried before, I can’t get enough. And not just of kissing her. She tastes of sweetness and salt—my personal recipe for happiness. She brings everything into focus and gives me a destination to head towards.
The weather stays sunny and clear, which keeps the family occupied. Of course, I make sure I do the obligatory stuff with them when Zee is working. And actually, spending time with the twins on the beach is fun in itself.
We buy ice cream and walk around the little town, and Zee watches me surf on her breaks from the deck, or she sits on the sand and waits for me to finish.
She doesn’t go back in the water to surf with me. But, to my surprise, she does come with me as we walk over the headland and rocks to do a mini form of coasteering. Her shriek as she jumps from the rocks into the water with me lights me up as much as the adrenalin needed to make the jump.
Nothing we do has any special significance. Nothing we do is expensive or flashy, but that’s not how it feels to us. Every minute is precious between us as though we both understand there’s a finite amount of them, and we want to save every one for each other.
I jog out of the waves, shaking the water droplets from my hair. It’s been a week since I arrived, and more and more tourists arrive in Tregethworth every day. The beach is big enough, though, and I know where Zee will be. She’ll be basking in the sun on the soft sand, an easy distance from Molly’s.
It doesn’t take me long to find her, but I take a second or two to appreciate the view. She’s stretched out on a towel with a cap—my baseball cap—over her eyes. Her skin looks warm and glistens against the pale yellow of the sand. I make sure to keep out of her sunlight and place my board down in the sand before sitting next to her.
With my forefinger, I gently trace the letters of her name on her stomach.
“Hey! That tickles.” She bats me away and sits up, putting my hat on properly.
