Page 67 of Monsters within Men
“I thought you grew up next to the ocean?”
“So? We didn’t swim in it in sub-zero conditions.”
“You’d have hated Christmas day with my family. We went into the sea every year without fail. Without wetsuits.”
“You’re mad.”
“Is that a no to paddleboarding then?”
There was no resisting Noah’s sad voice, so he sighed and got to his feet. Noah cheered, and ran to the paddleboard like an excited puppy, dragging the cover off to reveal a large blue and white board and a black paddle attached by a cord.
“It’s actually a one-person board, but you can easily fit two on if you’re careful.”
“If I get wet—”
“You’ll only get wet if you’re bad at it.” Noah grinned. “Or if I push you in.”
“I think you’ve forgotten it’s my birthday.”
Five minutes later, Noah helped—or rather dragged—Zeke onto the paddleboard after him. Noah wedged it onto a rock so they could board, but it still rocked unsteadily as Zeke found his balance kneeling down behind Noah. His terror caused Noah to roar with delight. When they were ready, Noah used his paddle to push off from the side, and the gentle current pushed them downstream.
“There’s not really much paddling in paddleboarding after all, huh?” Zeke said.
“Wait until we turn the corner.”
They continued gliding gracefully over the water, Noah’s strong strokes propelling them forward even faster. When Zeke lurched to the right, Noah reached back and pulled him further towards him. A sense of déjà vu struck him, and it took him a few moments to place his other memory of his face being so close to Noah’s neck—on the back of the motorbike, on his first day with him. He pulled Noah against his chest, closing his eyes to enjoy the closeness of his body, resisting the urge to nuzzle into his shoulder blades.
“Hey.” Noah ruffled his hair. “Don’t fall asleep on me. We need to land here so we can carry the paddleboard back to the mill.”
‘Landing’ involved several failed attempts to stop the paddleboard by ploughing the paddle into the water in a specific direction, usually resulting in them twisting backwards to travel further downstream. Noah was howling with laughter by the time they finally managed to stop—Zeke resorted to gripping a large handful of rushes on the riverbank to anchor them.
The board was surprisingly light, so it didn’t take them too long to walk back up to the mill. As they walked, Noah pointed out birds he could see in the trees, and offered up a fun fact for each one. “Chaffinch. Historically kept in cages and made to compete in fierce competitions.”
“To the death?”
“I mean, I think it was more like which bird would sing the longest, but your idea is much more interesting.”
They hid the paddleboard under the mill again, and Noah returned to his rock, with Zeke sitting on the muddy earth opposite.
“I have something for you.” Noah rummaged through his bag before passing him a postcard, and a small, oddly shaped object wrapped in brown paper. “It’s from everyone,” he added, a light blush creeping up his neck. “Sorry that it’s not a proper card. I was working with limited resources.”
Zeke marvelled at the multicoloured swirls of watercolour paint on the postcard, forming human-shaped silhouettes. Ten of them standing in a line. One dog-shaped squiggle sat on the far right of the group.
“It’s meant to be us, I think. Frankie did it. I think she was missing her past life decorating cakes.”
If he forced it to, he could make his brain assign squad members to the silhouettes. Habib, half a head taller than the rest, muscular arms crossed. Meredith and Savannah, legs crossed, arms outstretched in yoga poses. Noah’s ponytail. Zeke’s glasses.
He traced the brushstrokes. “Wow.”
Noah ducked his head. “It’s probably a bit much.”
How was it possible for his heart to feel so heavy and light at the same time? He turned the card over to read the inscription, recognising Noah’s scrawling, child-like handwriting:Happy Birthday, Zeke! All our love,followed by nine hastily scribbled names.
He picked up the package. Unwrapping the thin parcel paper, his fingers brushed soft wood.
The paper fell away.
His jaw dropped open.
