Page 106 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“You feel it?” Chad asked, watching her face. “The way the water is never completely still? Even between waves, there’s this constant motion, this... aliveness.”
Daisy closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensation. He was right. The ocean beneath her felt like a living, breathing entity, gently rocking her board in a rhythm that was both soothing and energizing.
“Just let everything else go,” Chad said softly. “All the expectations, all the plans, all the what-ifs and should-haves. Out here, none of that matters.”
Daisy opened her eyes to find him watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read, something tender and cautious and hopeful all at once. It struck her suddenly that bringing her here, to this peaceful spot on a day of grief, might be the most thoughtful gift anyone had given her in a long time.
“I never pictured you as the philosophical type,” she said, trying to lighten the suddenly charged atmosphere.
Chad grinned, the vulnerable moment passing. “I contain multitudes, Fields.”
“Did you just quote Walt Whitman?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Or maybe I saw it on a bumper sticker.”
Daisy laughed, the sound carried away by the sea breeze. “You’re impossible.”
“Part of my charm,” Chad agreed easily. “Now, let’s find you a wave to catch.”
He pointed toward the horizon, where a small swell was forming. “That one’s perfect. Remember what we practiced. Paddle hard, feel the wave catch, then pop up. One fluid motion.”
Daisy nodded, suddenly nervous again. “What if I fall?”
“Then you get back on the board and try again,” Chad said simply. “That’s the beauty of it. The ocean doesn’t care how many times you fall. There’s always another wave coming.”
The approaching swell grew closer. Daisy positioned herself as instructed, heart pounding.
“Start paddling,” Chad called. “Now!”
Daisy paddled with all her might, feeling the wave begin to lift her board. Just as she prepared to attempt her pop-up, a familiar voice boomed across the water.
“Yo, lovebirds! Save some waves for the rest of us!”
Daisy’s concentration shattered. She turned to see Rhino paddling toward them, grinning like a schoolboy who’d just interrupted a private moment.
The distraction was enough. The wave caught her board at an angle, flipping it and sending Daisy tumbling beneath the surface. She emerged sputtering, hair plastered to her face, to find Chad beside her looking concerned and Rhino looking sheepish.
“You okay?” Chad asked, helping her back onto her board.
“Fine,” Daisy gasped, pushing wet hair from her eyes. “Just my pride that’s drowning.”
“Sorry about that,” Rhino called, more sincerely this time. “Didn’t mean to mess up your ride.”
“It’s fine,” Daisy assured him, though Chad was giving his roommate a look that suggested it was anything but fine.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Chad asked pointedly. “Like annoying literally anyone else on the planet?”
Rhino grinned. “Nope. My whole morning is free. Thought I’d catch some waves with my best bud.” He turned to Daisy with exaggerated courtesy. “And his friend, who’s definitely not his date.”
Daisy laughed, the earlier heaviness of the day receding under the childish bickering between roommates. “It’s fine,” she assured Chad. “I should probably call it a day anyway. I need to get ready for school.”
“One more wave,” Chad insisted. “You can’t end on a wipeout. It’s bad surfing karma.”
“Is that a real thing?” Daisy asked skeptically.
“Absolutely,” Rhino confirmed. “Terrible luck. You’ll be cursed with flat hair and sand in uncomfortable places for a month.”
“See? Even Rhino agrees, and he never agrees with me about anything,” Chad said.
