Page 40 of Ride the Wave

‘She only just arrived, Anna; you’re embarrassing her,’ Marina scolds, grabbing my hand and pulling me away towards a group of people hanging at the front of the bar, leaving Anna giggling into her glass. ‘You have to forgive her. She likes to play matchmaker. Here, these are two couples so you can relax. They speak English very well too. Everyone,’ she raises her voice, stepping into the huddle of four, ‘this is my new friend Iris.’

I’m grateful for the introduction and soon ease into conversation with Marina and her friends, who politely ask why I’m in Burgau and then move into a debate about the best surf spots along the coast. While they talk, I try to stealthily spot Leo amongst the crowd of people here, but I’m busted within a couple of minutes.

‘Looking for someone?’ Marina asks innocently, leaning towards me.

‘No, not really.’ I shrug, but then buckle under her pointed look. ‘Okay, fine, I was wondering if Leo might be here. You said he was coming.’

She gives me a triumphant smile. ‘I thought I saw you two getting cosy on the beach the other night.’

I splutter, dabbing my mouth with the back of my hand. ‘That was work! It was the first interview. I finally managed to pin him down and get him to talk to me.’

‘On a beach in the moonlight,’ she says dreamily, nudging me with her elbow.

‘It was not moonlight; it was early evening! And he chose the beach. Anyway, it didn’t go well.’

She looks confused. ‘Really? It looked like it was goingverywell from here. He was laughing, you were laughing. He looked… relaxed, which is a good step. The only time he’s truly himself is when he’s on a board in the water. I think in another life, he was a merman.’

I look down at the floor guiltily. ‘He was fairly relaxed at the beginning, I think. But I messed it up. I think he’s mad at me, actually.’

‘Well, I don’t know what happened in the end, but I can tell you that from over here, I could see that big smile of his,’ she says sternly, forcing me to look at her. ‘And he doesn’t smile like that for anyone.’

I’m distracted by the crowd parting behind her – and there he is.

He’s with a couple of guys, wearing a relaxed white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, highlighting his gorgeously tanned arms, and navy board shorts with flip-flops. Even though he’s not just stepped out from the sea, his thick, brown hair is tousled and messy. His hands in his pockets, he’s laughing at something the guy next to him is saying, the two of them joking with each other. He looks so at ease with his friends – the real Leo I got a glimpse of at the beach – so different to what he’s been like with me.

He glances over and our eyes meet.

My breath catches and my stomach flips. I really shouldn’t allow him to have this kind of physical effect on me, but my body doesn’t seem to care.

Marina follows my eyeline before turning back to face me with anI-told-you-soexpression, so I quickly feel the need to explain.

‘I kind of tricked him into talking to me,’ I say hurriedly, as he turns purposefully away. ‘I didn’t mean to. Well, I did. But I wanted him to talk as though he wasn’t being interviewed, but…’ I sigh, dropping my shoulders, defeated. ‘I may owe him an apology.’

‘Then apologise,’ she says simply.

I take a swig of wine. ‘Not my forte.’

‘Yeah? No shit.’ She grins at me. ‘Iris, don’t worry. He’ll come to you anyway.’

‘I don’t think so.’

She shoots me an all-knowing smile. ‘In that dress? He’ll come to you.’

As kind and positive as Marina is being, she’s wrong. He doesn’t come to me.

I’m introduced to several of Marina and Anna’s friends, and I try my best to focus on the person I’m talking to, but my eyes are always drifting to where I last saw him, wondering if he’s still there and whether he’s getting closer. At some point, I know I have to bite the bullet and apologise. I’m not going to be able to enjoy myself at this party if I think that the article has gone sideways. Once Leo has forgiven me, I can focus on relaxing.

Craning my neck to try to spot him a bit later, I get a tap on my shoulder.

‘Can you do me a favour?’ Anna asks loudly above the music that’s been turned up, as I spin round to find her right behind me. ‘Can you go to the storeroom at the back of the bar and grab another few bottles of wine? There’s no more in the fridge and I can’t find Marina anywhere. I would do it myself, but—’

‘Of course, you can’t get the drinks for your own party!’ I put my empty glass down on the bar. ‘Leave it with me.’

‘You seem like the kind of girl who would know the best wine to choose,’ she says, placing a hand on my arm. ‘These losers don’t have classy taste like you.’

As her friends pretend to act offended, I laugh and leave them to it, walking round the bar and through the door to the room at the back. As the music descends into muffled background noise when the door shuts firmly behind me, I take a moment to appreciate being on my own. It’s been nice meeting everyone, but a little overwhelming. One guy seems insistent on telling me all about his deep-sea fishing adventures and, while interesting, I’m a little grossed out by the series of pictures I’ve been taken through.

Putting my hands on my hips, I survey the room in front of me. The wall at the back is lined with fridges, and across the middle of the space, there are rows of wine cases and branded beer boxes. I might as well take my time with this task. I don’t want Anna to think I grabbed the first bottle I came to.

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