Page 39 of We Thought We Were Invincible
“I didn't want you to know.” He pressed the side of his face into my hand.
“Hate to break it to you, but we know your dad is an ass.”
That made him smile, and he finally broke our embrace as if realizing for the first time that he was in my arms.
“Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Amelia.”
“What about Amelia?”
“Just…” He gestured from me to him. “Us. And I'm with Amelia.”
“Jamie.” I put a hand on his arm to calm him. “I just hugged you because you looked like you needed it. Don't get so full of yourself, yeah?”
He looked away from me and chuckled before grabbing his bag and heading into the house to change.
What I didn't tell him was that being that close to him made my heart pound so hard it hurt, but then it hurt more when it stopped. Oh man, what was I doing?
Something inside of me had been turned on and I was afraid it wouldn't stop.
I had feelings for Jamie Daniels.
16
Callie
I ran down the beach, my board tucked under my arm, and splashed into the water. Jamie was right behind me. We weren't the only ones there, but there were enough waves for everyone.
“Race you,” Jamie shouted.
I grinned as the water lifted my board. Securing the Velcro leash around my ankle, I got on and paddled furiously. Jamie had a head start and was in much better shape than me so he pulled ahead, looking back every now and again laughing.
The car ride had been awkward, but that was forgotten as soon as the waves came into view. It was a single-mindedness not unlike what we'd experienced skydiving. Maybe that's why I'd felt so at home up there.
We hadn't had any good surf days for over a week now and it felt good to be back. As my hands scooped water, arms burning, my mind cleared, the confusion of earlier taking a back seat to pulsing adrenaline.
Extending my arms, I dug my board through a large wave as it crashed around me. Coming out of it, I saw Jamie glance back, his blond hair dripping. He grinned, making me lose focus for just a second, long enough for a wave to flip me over. I clung to the smooth wood, squeezing my legs around the edges, and righted myself.
Jamie was laughing.
“Bastard,” I mumbled, unable to hide the sheepish smile on my lips.
“Need a little help?” he asked, feigning worry.
I kept moving, trying to catch up. We made it out past the breakers, far from the sandbar.
He was sitting with his legs dangling in the water when I reached him.
“Not a word,” I said.
“Then you wouldn't want me to ask if you want the first wave?”
“So, you ask now?” I laughed. The last time we'd both been out here, he'd cut in on my wave, making me fall. I hated falling.
His only response was a shrug. This was new territory for us. For years, we'd rotated around the same circles. Okay, he'd been the center of the circle and I'd been on the outside. But still, we'd been around each other when we were with Colby or Jay. That was only the second time we'd hung out together on purpose in years.
It was the first time we'd surfed together.
I pretended to scan the waves, not really seeing them. My mouth grew dry, the salt on my lips not helping any. I didn't know how to do this. Be friends. With Jay, it was always easy. Nothing with Jamie was that simple.
