Page 33 of Reckless Hearts

A couple of the kids snort out a laugh at this, maybe not realizing that Alana’s actually being serious and being able to master both stances is super important if you want to be good at surfing.

“You ready?” she asks, grinning down at me.

“Whenever you are,” I tell her.

Alana claps her hands once as she looks back to the kids and says, “Okay, first up is the regular stance.” She looks back at me, brows raised as if to tell me that’s my cue. “You’re going to want to make sure you’re in the right position on your board, using your hands to push up, straight onto your feet, which need to be evenly spaced beneath you, your left foot forward and your right foot back.”

I do the move quickly and with ease, popping straight up on the board like I’ve done a million times before. The kids all ooh and aah, even though on land it’s hardly that impressive, and I can’t help but chuckle at their response.

“So Flynn has just shown us the perfect pop-up,” Alana now says, smirking at me. “But can anyone tell me the most important thing he did?”

A couple of the kids call out answers, mostly relating to my position on the board or using my knees to steady my stance.

“Nope,” Alana says, shaking her head as she turns to me. “Flynn, you wanna tell them?”

“You gotta keep your eyes forward,” I say, pointing two fingers at my own eyes before turning them to the kids. “Don’t look down or you’re likely to face-plant it.”

This earns another couple of laughs as Alana nods and steps closer. “Flynn’s right,” she says, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

She jabs a soft elbow in my side before shocking the shit out of me when she puts both hands on my waist and attempts to turn my body. “Now the goofy stance,” she starts, and I get what she’s trying to do, even if inside, my body is going completely haywire at having her hands on me again. Somehow, I manage to turn so my right foot is now on the front of the board and my left is at the back. “It’s literally the opposite,” she continues, removing her hands. “Which Flynn will now demonstrate.”

I do as she asks, my heart pounding as I try to get my body under control. I manage the pop-up again, the kids all watching wide-eyed and like they’ re genuinely trying to learn. Me on the other hand, I feel like my mind is a complete and utter blank.

“Okay, everyone good with the two stances?” she now asks, a chorus of yeses sounding. “I want you all to get out there and try both options, okay. If you want to be good, you need to be able to do both.”

“Are you gonna surf with us, Alana,” some kid who is clearly crushing on her asks, puffing out his chest when she turns to him.

“I will,” she says with a smile. “And if you’re really lucky, even Flynn might join us out on the water. What do you think?” she asks, turning to me.

“Hell yes,” I reply instantly, not missing a chance to surf with her again.

We spend the next hour or so catching waves. Alana and I sitting a lot of them out, but occasionally riding one in, even if we have to watch for the constant drop-in these kids do. Alana tells them off every time they do it, calling them a benny or a kook just to rub it in a bit more.

Laughing, I paddle out past the break, straddling my board beside her. “You’re really good with them,” I say, watching as these two kids try to race each other into shore.

“Thanks,” she says, turning to me. “They can be a handful, but they’re good fun.”

“I think it helps that all the boys are crushing on you.”

“What?” she asks with a laugh, her eyes widening.

“Oh, come on,” I reply, chuckling. “You must see it, the way they all watch you, trying so hard to impress you.”

Alana scoffs, flicking some water at me. “They don’t. They’re just excited because they know someone who’s surfing Maui Pipe.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I tease, leaning toward her. “I’m kinda speaking from experience here, so pretty sure I recognize what a crushing teenage boy looks like.”

“Had your fair share of teenage crushes, huh?” Alana asks, laughing a little.

I hook my foot around her ankle beneath the water, pulling her closer. “Still have one now.”

“Flynn,” she whispers, her beautiful blue eyes widening a little, a pained expression flashing across her face.

“I know, I know,” I say, letting go of her foot as a heavy weight settles in my stomach.

Her fingers brush against my thigh as she gives me a sad smile. “We should head in, lesson’s nearly over.”

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