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I just hope she likes my surprise and doesn’t wind up more pissed at me.
Bria
When he told me to wear a swimsuit, I should have known right then to be wary. And then when we drove an hour south, I should have connected the dots after my brother texted a few weeks ago about a place where you could go surfing inside. But now that we’re walking in, I feel an ache in my soul, and truthfully, I sort of want to run back out to the truck.
“Surfing? Really?” I shoot him a glare. “You donotlisten. I told you before, I don’t surf anymore.”
“Calm down, grump-ass. Maybe I’m taking you mini-golfing.”
Widening my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest. “Areyou taking me mini-golfing?”
He scratches the top of his head and cringes. “Uh…no. But, look, just hear me out,” he says, stopping in front of me and tilting my chin upward to look at him. “I know you said you don’t want to surf anymore. But listen. This is inside surfing, which, like, hardly even counts. But even if it wasn’t…you love surfing. I saw it in the pictures and videos you posted.”
“Pictures and videos that you creeped,” I correct him. “Keyword:creeped. Not saw.”
“Saw. Creeped. Tomato, tomahto. Sort of irrelevant, wouldn’t you say?” He shrugs. “As I was saying, this is inside surfing. It’s not the salty ocean. I mean, it might be a saltwater pool. I don’t really know. And I’m probably not going to go drink some of it to find out. But that’s beside the point. We’re inside. It’s different. It probably won’t even feel like surfing.”
When I try to pull away from his hold, he grips my cheeks. “Your dad wouldn’t want you to give up something you loved just to hold on to that last memory, Bria. The way you talk about him? The way you smile when you mention the good memories? He might have had his demons, but he wasn’t a bad guy. He’d want you to remember that day together but carry on doing something that brings you joy. Maybe this could be the first step toward getting back in the ocean.” His eyes dance with hopefulness. “I know it would make you happy. And, fuck, Bria, I want to see your smile.”
When I avert my eyes from him, he dips his head down further to force me to look at him. “If you don’t want to do it, we’ll leave right now. Or we can do the rock-climbing wall or the indoor driving range instead. Hell, we can even do mini-golf even though I hate that shit. But if you want to try it, even if it’s just for a second…I’m here to try it with you.”
When I look in his eyes, I see nothing but consideration and empathy. I wonder how in the world any girl wouldn’t fall head over heels for this man. I guess maybe it’s because he doesn’t give them the chance. Or maybe he doesn’t show himself fully to them the way he does me. Either way, spending time with him is dangerous for my heart. But I can’t leave him like everyone else does.
“Are you going to try too?” I whisper. “To surf?”
“Sure.” He grins. “I’ll give it a whirl.”
Imagining him wiping out makes the pain feel a little less severe. He’s a dude who’s so talented, but everyone knows you can’t just decide to surf one day. It takes time and patience.
“Okay.” I blow out a breath. “Let’s do it. But for the record, I loathe surprises.”
“Says the chick who took me to Disney World and made me look like a pedophile in my shirt and Mickey hat on the Small World ride.”
“Again…youlovethat hat.” I roll my eyes. “You hung it on your freaking wall.”
“Yeah, and you love surfing,” he says sternly. “Let’s go, little Wildflower. Show me whatcha got.”
As he turns, he grabs my hand in his. And suddenly, everything doesn’t seem all that scary.
That is, until he lets go.
Brody
She’s an animal. An absolute beast. They turn the waves up to a more intense level after a few minutes of her dominating the water, and still, she surfs them like it’s nothing. At first, she looked unsure and uncomfortable. But little by little, her face lit up, and I could tell it felt good for her to be back in the water. Even if it isn’t the ocean.
A good part of my life has been spent using my humor to make others laugh. With her, I take it further by actually doing shit that will make her smile. Even I can’t explain why I do it. All I know is, with her, it’s all I want to do. Slowly but surely, she’s become my favorite human being. And I don’t even think she realizes it.
“Lookin’ good, Collins!” I yell, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Them legs, girl. Dang!”
She grins at me, giving me a thumbs-up. Her blonde hair whirls behind her in a stream of waves, and her golden body glistens with water. I know the dudes running this thing are checking her out—how could they not? And it irks me. Watching their eyes drinking in her perfection right now has me balling my hand into a fist. But I have to keep it together. This is her day.
After a few more minutes, she jumps off and walks over to me, wringing her hair out.
“You looked great, babe. I’m proud of you.” I pull her wet body against mine, putting my arms around the bottom of her back. “Did you like it? Or are you still mad at me for bringing you here?”
“It was surprisingly fun. And almost…healing.” She narrows her eyes, scrunching her nose up. “And the second question? Well, the jury is still out. For now.”
I tickle her sides, and she squeals in my arms.
