Page 5 of Wilder Love
Ryan bobbed his head like this was nothing out of the ordinary for Shane, like he picked up strays every day. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“You believed the Great White story too,” Travis said.
Ryan shrugged. “You never know. Shit happens in Shane’s world.”
“A case of hero-worship,” Travis said. “You’re shameless.”
Shane tsked and shook his head. “There he goes, getting jealous again.”
“I know, right?” Ryan said as we descended the wooden staircase to the beach.
Shane and Travis were discussing the direction of the wind and the size of the swells in surfer lingo. Hollows and tubes. Left and right breaking.
When we reached the bottom of the staircase, I toed off my Chucks and leaned down to pick them up.
“Nice to meet you,” I told the guys, giving them a little wave. They echoed my words and I pushed through the soft sand, striking out on my own. When I reached a spot that felt just right, not too close to the staircase or the empty lifeguard stand, I dropped my board, backpack, and shoes and sat cross-legged, collecting the soft sand in my hands and letting it sift through my fingers.
Shane backtracked and stopped in front of me. He had thin white scars on his shins, I noticed before I lifted my eyes to his. “How long are you sticking around?”
“Not sure.”
“If you’re still here when I’m done surfing, I’ll give you a lift.”
“Thanks.”
He turned to leave then doubled back again as if he’d forgotten something. “Do you want to catch the fireworks tonight?”
Oh my God. He was asking me out. I shouldn’t say yes. I really shouldn’t. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
Shane crouched in front of me. “Cool. Give me your phone.” I dug through my backpack and came out with my cell phone. A pre-paid flip phone from Walmart. In other words, a burner phone.
“Are you a drug dealer?” Shane joked when I handed it to him.
“That’s my side gig. Kind of like your serial killer gig.”
He chuckled as he entered his information and pressed the call button, so we had each other’s numbers. Cutting the call, he handed my phone back to me with a smile. And I died just a little.
“Catch you later, Remy,” he called over his shoulder as he headed toward the water.
I watched him paddle out to where Ryan and Travis were. He looked at home out there, straddling his surfboard. Relaxed, like he was in his element.
When he caught his first wave, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. He zigzagged across the top of the wave, doing cutbacks, his body bent low over the board and riding the wave for all it was worth. He caught air and did a one-eighty—his board stayed underneath him like it was an extension of his body.
I was all jazzed up just from watching him. Like a vicarious adrenaline rush.
Zooming in with my camera, I snapped photos of him as he rode wave after wave. Stealing pieces of his soul without him knowing it. It was so beautiful. Poetry in motion. Zipping across the waves with so much speed, grace, and flexibility I was in awe. I watched the other two surfers for a comparison. There was none. Travis was good, Ryan was just okay. But they were nothing like this guy. I knew he was special. I knew he was good. Like, really good.
For one, he was a bigger risk-taker than the other two. Shane left it all out there, not holding anything back, yet he made it look effortless. I noticed that other surfers gave him the right of way. Dropping back when he was charging a wave, like a show of respect, a nod to the fact that he was the superior surfer.
I didn’t know how long I sat on the beach. Long enough for the sun to get stronger, the heat more intense. For the surfers to multiply and the beach to get crowded. The ocean color changed, the sunlight making the water sparkle like thousands of blue and green diamonds.
I could watch them surfing all day long. Not them.Him.
My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since last night. Reluctantly, I left my spot on the beach and trudged across the sand. When I reached the top of the stairs, I turned around for one more look. From this distance, I couldn’t be sure, but I thought he was watching me leave.
Did I really have a date tonight?
* * *
