Page 26 of F*ck You

10

Chase

Everything was calm as I sat in the sand digesting breakfast. Lee’s smile appeared to be a permanent display in my mind—I couldn’t stop thinking about it. She seemed much different from the girl I’d met not that long ago who arrived here with her insides in tatters. I had no idea about all she’d been through until recently, and the story she told still haunted me. I did have to give her major props for being strong enough to leave. I could tell she thought she was weak, but she was much stronger than she gave herself credit for, and I wasn’t only thinking that because of the tough exterior she showed to the world.

Letting others in was a difficult thing to do, and there was no way I was going to walk away just because she’d flattened a few bumps in her road.

My fingers were warm as I dug them into the sand behind me, staring out at the water and the people swimming. The waves were going to be great today, and I was looking forward to getting back out there. I had more energy than normal to burn off.

A surfboard stuck into the sand in front of me. “Well, that can’t be good.”

I looked up to see who was responsible for blocking my view and found Meg grinning at me. “What?”

“That’s the widest grin I’ve seen on you, and it’s not your surfing grin. Let’s see if we can narrow this down.” She tapped a finger against her chin, pretending to think hard. “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

I covered my mouth with a fist in a terrible attempt at a mock cough.

“I knew it. Spill.”

“Well…” Uncertain what to say, because I really didn’t have any idea what was going on, I searched my thoughts for the right words.

Impatient with my slow response, she placed a hand on her hip. “Is it that new girl? Giana has it out for her for some reason, which can only mean she has something to do with Larsen and probably you too.”

I shrugged. She hit the nail on the head.

“I knew it.” Her eyes widened before she was distracted by something behind me. “Looks like the new recruits are here. It’s time to give some lessons. Your lovesick, puppy exterior will need a leash for the next two hours.” She left the board in the sand, blocking my view of the ocean, as she went to greet the newcomers, and I got up to join her.

They were a group of four friends here for a week’s vacation, and they booked a lesson with us for four of those days. Their faces lit up with excitement, ready to get started. With Meg as my assistant, we ran them through the safety tips and board moves before taking them out onto the water.

Their rented boards did a good job keeping them afloat, and only one of them managed to not fall off throughout the whole lesson. The others’ balance seemed to improve each time they got back on the board, which I was grateful for because every time someone fell, I kept thinking back to Lee.

Normally, I never rushed after someone like that after they fell off, especially since they were always tethered to the board and would be alright. I didn’t understand why I felt the need to hurry to her until afterward, when she returned my kiss.

Distracted by my inner thoughts, I didn’t see the next wave coming for me and barely managed to arch my back and tilt the board upward to avoid being swallowed by the wall of water.

“Where’s your head at, Chase?” Meg hollered, as she paddled her way toward me. “Here comes another, get ready.”

At her words, I cleared my head, signaled to the trainees to turn their boards around, and then we all pushed forward to ride the wave.

* * *

Lee

Chase wasbusy with his next class, and regardless of him saying I could hang around, I didn’t want to bug him while working. So, I decided to take a walk along the beach. It was much more relaxing than the run of death I’d attempted before.

Waving as I went by, I dipped my toes into the water and strolled along the shore. The tide revealed hidden gems beneath the sand, and I picked up the shells I found most interesting, including a dried-up sand dollar.

I felt the urge to check my phone and either respond to messages or delete every last one, but I realized I’d never gotten my phone back from Larsen. I didn’t know what he was planning to do with it or even why he kept it. I was a bit out of it last night to realize I didn’t get it back. I only remembered noticing him slide it into his pocket and not giving two shits about it.

Pouring out one’s soul to two people she’d just met at their kitchen table was enough to drain the energy from anyone and make recalling things much more difficult.

As though my mind brought him to life, I saw him not too far up the beach, and I headed for him. I was in a much better mood today than I had been in a long time and greeted him with a friendlier smile.

“Hey, how was surfing?” he asked as I reached him.

“It was great. I caught a wave and drowned.”

His eyes widened in shock, and I rushed to reassure him, feeling bad for worrying him.

---