Page 116 of Ride the Wave

He’s magic out there.

My shoulders relax as I watch him carve across the face of the wave, whipping his board around when it skirts across the lip as the water curls, the white foam cheering him on at the heel of his board. His technique and commitment to each turn is breathtaking to watch as he glides along the water. It’s a much bigger and better wave than his competitors took, and he’s playing with it, dancing along its surface as it swells.

Speeding up to the lip of the wave, he takes flight.

I gasp as he spins in the air, a full rotation, before his board glides down the white water of the wave. The crowd on the beach erupts into cheers and applause. My hands are clasped over my mouth as the wave comes to a foamy finish and he dismounts from his board, before the jet ski arrives to take him back out there.

Fuck me.

I don’t need to hear the points he just earned to know that’s going to be one hell of a good score. What a start to the contest! I’ve never seen him surf like that. I don’t know what propelled him to pull out all the stops – seeing his rival Ethan again, the thought of his mum in the crowd somewhere, what his dad said about having fun, being here in Bells Beach after all this time – but something has put fire in his belly and my God, that was breathtaking to witness.Has-been my arse.He just performed better in his first wave than anyone else has in these heats all morning.

‘Leo Silva is back, baby!’ a fan yells out nearby, prompting another round of applause from the crowd.

‘You better believe it,’ I mutter to myself, grinning from ear-to-ear as I spot him back on his board in the distance, watching the swell and reading the water.

31

On the evening before the third round of heats – Round of sixteen – Leo checks his phone to find an email from his mother formally inviting him to her black-tie ball, celebrating the launch of Bind Together For Our Oceans, her new fund that will support projects dedicated to restoring and conserving marine ecosystems.

Dear Leo,

Congratulations on your continued success in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach stop of the World Surf League Championship Tour. Although my various work commitments here in Australia have prevented me from attending the early heats, I hope you can attend tomorrow night’s event at The Langham Melbourne. Invitation attached.

Please RSVP to the email address stated on the invitation by tomorrow morning at the very latest.

Your presence would be much appreciated – Leo, I would love to see you.

Mx

Sitting on the sofa next to me, my legs lounging across his lap, Leo is watching me as I read it through, studying my expression. I do everything possible to give nothing away, reading the email out loud with a neutral expression and in as emotionless a tone as I can manage. The room falls silent as I open the attachment, checking out the elegantly designed invitation. It looks like it’s been sent from a member of royalty.

‘What do you think?’ he asks when I lower the phone.

‘What doyouthink?’

He drops his eyes, his hands tapping lightly on my knees. ‘It looks like a nice event. Very grand. I’d have to find a tux.’

‘You would.’

‘I did miss a call from her publicist this afternoon. She left a voicemail.’

‘What did she say?’

‘A lot of it was her gushing about how well I’d done in the first two heats, how my mum was really happy for me and disappointed that she’d been forced to miss them. Then she went on to say that I would be receiving an invitation to this event and it was completely her fault that I hadn’t been sent one before – sounds like she thought Mum had asked me and Mum thought her publicist had asked me.’

I nod, my eyes fixed on him. ‘Classic mix-up.’

‘She said Mum was excited that I would be coming.’ He lifts a hand to rake it through his hair, leaving it sticking up all over the place in an adorable way. ‘At least I know now why she didn’t show at the last few heats.’

‘True.’ I glance back down at the email. ‘It’s quite formal language.’

‘That’s just how my mum communicates,’ he explains. ‘But she did add at the end that she’d love to see me. That’s, like,big.’

My lips twitch into a weak smile. ‘Yeah? I can understand that. My dad always messages quite formally.’ I watch him as he heaves a sigh. ‘What are you thinking? What do you want to do?’

‘I don’t know. I should turn it down. I’ve got Round of sixteen tomorrow, so I’ll be tired from that, and I should stick to my early nights. I should be unwinding, getting my head in gear for the next round if I’m lucky enough to get through.’

I tilt my head. ‘A lot of “should”s being thrown around here, Leo. What do youwantto do?’

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