Page 87 of Beyond The Break

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I knew the photographers were there before we went to the main level. This doesn’t bother me at all, so don’t let it bother you.”

He runs a hand through his hair, releasing a long breath, before he grabs the paper and tosses it into the recycling bin. His expression is remorseful as he turns back toward me. I can see the doubt written all over his face as he stares at me, probably wondering if I can handle this lifestyle.

“Come here,” I say, pulling myself up until I’m seated on the island counter.

He walks over, his head hung low, stopping in front of me. “I should’ve known she was going to start following us around.”

I sigh and pull him towards me, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck. He places his hands loosely on my hips as he looks into my eyes.

“Once we have our disguises, we won’t have to worry about this anymore,” I tease, playing with the soft hair at the base of his neck, “are you up for a surf lesson today?”

One corner of his mouth twitches. “Actually, I was thinking we should get our disguises instead.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “But you have surf practice with Gabriel today. Would we be back in time?”

He clears his throat. “Of course we will.”

Unease settles in my chest as I watch him busy himself with a stack of mail, his eyes distant. He hasn’t surfed since Tuesday, and today’s Sunday. He told Gabriel he wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday and Thursday and then we both left for his boattrip on Friday, returning last night. He wasn’t at the morning practice today either.

I don’t want to take part in him skipping out on another practice, especially since I should be working on the campaign seeing as I blew it off this whole weekend, but I can tell he shouldn’t be alone right now. His spark is gone, and I want to find out why.

“Okay,” I say, hopping off the counter.

He looks up at me, relief written all over his features. “Great, let’s leave now.”

Bluewater Bluffs isbeautiful with its large snowcapped mountains and vibrant wildflowers. It’s a bigger town than Saltwater Springs, but the community still seems tightknit. We walk hand in hand along the cobbled roads as we pass a café, the smell of fresh bread and desserts float in the air and my stomach grumbles in response.

It took us longer than expected to get here. Mostly due to Griffin driving extra careful the whole way while his thumb brushed circles on my thigh. Ever since telling him about the accident, he’s been more cautious on the roads. I don’t mind it, it’s sweet that he cares enough to do that. However, because we got here late, we skipped lunch, and my stomach is not happy about it.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” He gestures to the café.

I nod. “It smells amazing.”

He opens the door for me, a bell above the door chiming softly as I step inside. Honey-colored wooden beams crisscrossalong the ceiling while large shelves line the walls, displaying local coffee bean packages.

The smell of vanilla mixed with coffee engulfs me as I walk towards the counter, my eyes travelling to the glass display that has flakey croissants dusted with powdered sugar, chocolate scones, and an array of cookies.

As I make my way to the counter, my mouth begins to water as I gaze at the array of baked goods. Eventually, I come face to face with a cheerful red-head, her apron dusted with flour.

“Welcome to Sunrise Café, what can I get you today?”

I look up at the chalkboard menu that hangs over her head and thank my lucky stars when I see a wide selection of sandwiches, my stomach growling in approval.

“Hi,” I smile at her, “can I please have a turkey and avocado sandwich?”

“Is freshly baked ciabatta bread okay with you?” she asks, punching in my order on her tablet.

“That’s perfect. Can you also add a medium chai latte with a vanilla shot to my order?”

“Done and done.” She looks back up at me with her big brown eyes, smiling.

Griffin clears his throat and walks up beside me. “Is the roast beef and cheddar on sourdough any good?”

She smirks. “I wouldn’t be selling it if it wasn’t.”

His lips pull up into a polite smile. “Alright, I’ll get that then, with a medium black coffee.”

He pulls out his wallet and pays for us both, intertwining his fingers with mine when he finishes. We watch her put together our sandwiches, wrapping them in parchment paper before sliding them over to us along with our drinks.

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