Page 34 of Broken Hearts

“Thanks for today,” she whispers in return.

I nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I add before walking out.

The next morning, I wake early, although it feels like I barely slept. My night was consumed by memories of the kiss I shared with Sage. I’m fucking hard too, and while that is not new, it’s all the thoughts of Sage that are floating through my brain accompanying my morning wood that have me curling my hand around my dick.

“Jesus christ,” I murmur, my eyes closing as I slowly start to stroke myself. It felt unbelievable to kiss her last night. I mean I know she’s fucking gorgeous, but somehow, it was even better than I imagined. I still can’t believe I managed to stop and walk away.

I don’t stop now though, jerking off to memories of that kiss of the way she felt pressed against me, until I’m coming in my hand. It doesn’t take long, and as I lie here in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I have no idea what to expect when I see her today.

With a groan, I drag myself from bed and into the bathroom to clean up before pulling on some boardshorts. Then I head outside, grabbing my board before crossing the street and walking down to the beach. Normally, I’d head a bit further down, try and catch Alana or maybe Kai and Miles, but today I don’t, preferring the solitude of this patch of ocean in front of the shop.

I paddle out, the ocean cold enough to wake me the rest of the way up as I scan the horizon for waves. It’s a still morning though, barely any swell and when I glance further down the beach, I can see I am the only one out here.

Sitting up on my board, my legs hanging over the edge, I turn back to the shop, to the apartment above it. The sliding doors to the balcony are still open, but from here, I can’t see any movement inside. I wonder if Sage is awake; if she too is thinking about that kiss we shared.

I wonder what Mitch would think about it.

Would he kick my ass for kissing his daughter, especially in that moment when she was grieving and upset? Or would he be okay with it? I honestly have no idea because up until a few days ago, I couldn’t even picture Mitch as a father. He took me in and looked after me, but I guess it felt different.

I don’t know how long I sit out here, my thoughts a jumbled mess inside my head, but eventually, I get cold and bored enough that I give up and paddle into the shore. I head straight to my house, avoiding looking up at the apartment.

After I’ve showered and dressed, I head over to the shop to open up, only to find Sage already inside, two cold brew coffees sitting on the counter.

“Hey,” she says, offering me a smile as I walk in.

“Hey,” I reply, joining her behind the counter, nodding a thanks as she pushes one of the drinks toward me. “Thanks.”

“You go for a surf?” she asks.

I shrug, everything feeling weirdly awkward between us after last night. “No swell, so just sat out there.” Sage nods again, taking a long sip of her coffee. “You’re up early,” I say, immediately wishing I could take my words back.

Her cheeks flush a little as she says, “Yeah, couldn’t really sleep.”

“Me either,” I murmur, just as Alana walks in the back door, her “Good morning” far too loud for the early hour.

Alana’s presence does help to push away the lingering awkwardness, though, as she launches into a conversation with Sage, allowing me to head into the office to get started on some paperwork. Mitch had started teaching me this shit a couple of months back, and even though I find it boring as batshit, I’m grateful now because it means I can actually pay people and suppliers and order new stuff.

The morning passes quickly, the three of us managing to work around each other, stocking supplies, serving customers and just getting shit done. I don’t miss the looks Alana gives us, though, her gaze flicking from me to Sage and back to me again, when it becomes apparent we are barely speaking to each other.

On the tenth or so time she does it, I roll my eyes at her, which earns me a quick laugh as she tips her head to Sage and then to me before holding her hands up in a heart shape.

I roll my eyes again, looking away, even as I catch her now walking toward me. “What?” I snap when she stops beside me.

Alana punches my shoulder, not giving a shit about how rude I’m being to her. She’s used to it after all the years we’ve known each other. God knows I was a prick to her when we first met. I can’t actually believe she’s still friends with me.

“What’s the deal with you two?” she asks, her words a low whisper.

“What are you talking about?” I say, turning to open a box of stock that got dropped off.

“I don’t know, you’re like, acting weird and shit.”

I straighten, blowing out a breath as I force myself to turn to Alana. “We’re not acting weird,” I say, even though we kind of are. “There’s nothing going on. We’re fine.”

Alana tips her head to the side, studying me as I try to keep my expression neutral. “So, you guys are friends now?” she asks.

My mind flashes back to the kiss we shared last night, to the way her body felt in my arms, pressed against me. Blinking, I shrug as I reply, “Yeah, I guess.”

She narrows her gaze now. “What do you mean, you guess?”

---