Page 25 of Below the Barrel

She shakes her head, looking down at her lap as she fidgets with her fingers. “I wanted to apologize for yelling at you at Bells.”

I whistle and sit back in my seat. “IstheMalia Cooper apologizing to me right now? Today must be my lucky day.”

“Oh shut up,” she says, pinning me with a frown. “This is why I don’t apologize.”

She huffs and gets up, grabbing onto the doorframe of the helicopter to get out, but I stand and grab her arm, tugging her toward me gently. She turns to face me, our bodies almost touching.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, princess. I know you were just caught up in the moment.”

“It doesn’t make it okay, so I’m sorry.”

Her eyes wander my face, pausing on my lips a few times before she finds my eyes again.

“Okay, I forgive you. Will you go back to doing training with me in the mornings instead of avoiding me now?”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t avoiding you.”

I smirk, seeing right past her white lie. “Oh, no, of course you weren’t.”

I walk past her, unable to hide the smirk as I step off the helicopter and extend my hand for her to take. She hesitates for a moment, before sliding her small, soft hand into mine and letting me help her out.

Progress.

The next morning,the energy is electric as we prepare for the competition at Margaret River. The break here is legendary, powerful and unpredictable. Gabriel told us the waves here can reach up to fifteen feet on a good day.

The men are competing first today. I paddle out, the swell already building and the waves rolling with a demanding force. The water here is colder than I’m used to, and the sharp reef below is at the back of mind as I position myself for the right set. The moment the first wave rises, I’m on it, dropping down the face with speed and precision. It’s massive, curling over my head into a barrel. I can feel every shift, every surge, and I move along with it, carving sharp turns and cutting through the spray.

The ride is exhilarating, the kind that makes your heart race and your senses sharpen. It reminds me of Maliah. I finish strong, riding the wave all the way to the inside, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I kick out. The rest of the men’s round goes like this for me, and I’m not surprised when I see that I’ve ranked highest.

As I finish paddling back to the shore and find a spot to sit on the beach, I turn my attention to Maliah watching as she prepares to paddle out. Her eyes are focused and determined today, and I’m confident she’ll give it her all.

She paddles out confidently and waits quietly to catch a wave, and when she does, I watch as she pops up on her board smoothly, her movements fluid as she navigates the wave with precision. She’s in control, completely in sync with the water, and it’s clear she’s in her element. She carves through the face of the wave with ease, her turns sharp and controlled. There’s no hesitation, no second guessing—just pure focus. She finishes with a smooth cutback, the spray of the water catching the light as she rides it out, and as she paddles back out to the lineup to continue, I can see the hint of a smile on her face.

Her eyes meet mine for a brief moment and I can't hold back the pride from my smile as I clap. There’s a glint of satisfaction in her gaze, a quiet acknowledgement that today, she’s back to her confident and fearless self.

By the end of the day, we’ve both done our best, and when the scores come in, we’ve managed to climb from sixth place up to third. She turns to look at me with a happy smile, one I can’t help but return.

“We should be able to get back to first place in the next competition,” I say as we turn to walk towards the car, “as long as we both perform like that again.”

She nods in determination before we hop in and head back to the hotel.

NINE

MALIAH | WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA

“Okay,screw movie night, we need details,” Eliana says the moment she jumps into the group video chat.

I feel like a deer caught in headlights as I stare at hers and Kairi’s curious gazes through the screen.

“Details on what?”

“You and Koa, obviously,” Kairi says, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, he’s been talking to the boys, but Fin refuses to give me details.” Eliana pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.

He’s been talking to the boys about me?

With a deep sigh, I spend the next hour filling them in on everything that’s happened so far, including the night I spent in his room. By the end of it, Eliana’s jaw has dropped to the floor and Kairi is squealing while she covers the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

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