Page 14 of The Tides Between Us

I stared at him, counting five of my heartbeats. He was throwing me off guard. I felt like I was trapped within his waves, unsure of how to break through the surface.

Giana

What are your intentions, Declan? I know you’re not just talking to me because of Pop-Tart.

His eyes shimmered under the sun and I caught specks of green around his pupils. “You’re right,” he admitted with no hesitation. “I’m fully invested in Pop-Tart’s recovery, but she isn’t the only one who caught my attention. I want to know more about you, Giana. I want to knowyou.”

His words caught me off guard and I was lost in the shifting golden hues of his irises. A million questions ran through my mind. Consider it fate that he walked into my life. It was as if the ocean gifted him to me by presenting him with an injured turtle. The way the dots connected, it sent a warmth flooding through my body.

“Time is fleeting, life is short. People come and go, and I don’t form attachments.” He said it with such simplicity, yet his eyes were burning directly through mine. “I don’t often take an interest in people, but there’s something about you. Something that makes me want to know what makes you tick. You have my attention and I can’t shake it off.”

It took my brain a moment to catch up as I processed everything he said. Over the years, I had learned how to read lips well, but there were times when my brain almost lagged. It was if everything needed a moment to sink in after I fully absorbed the words.

“You have my attention and I can’t shake it off.”

I swallowed roughly over the lump that formed in my throat. Besides my friends and family, it wasn’t often that I had someone’s undivided attention. I didn’t let people get close enough that they would be able to hurt me. I knew I was treated differently by some because of my hearing deficit. I didn’t fault them for it.

I just understood how some people worked.

And at the end of the day, you were always disposable in someone else’s life.

There was something different about Declan, but I didn’t repeat the words back to him. Something about him called to me. Like our souls had once known one another and they were reconnecting. We had so much in common. He was so attentive and interested in everything I told him. I couldn’t quite explain it.

We were both ocean souls.

We breathed the same salty air. We both had the sea running rampant through our veins.

His hand was still closed over mine as I held on to my phone. My skin burned from his touch, setting forth an internal inferno. My fingers moved diligently and lightly as I tapped another message on the screen.

Giana

What do you want to know?

I lifted my gaze to his. He was so close, I could smell the ocean on his skin. His hair had since grown damp and his eyes were glistening beneath the rays of light from the sun traveling through the sky. His lips parted. I dropped my eyes to them.

“Everything.”

CHAPTERSEVEN

DECLAN

The sun was already climbing higher into the sky and I stared at Giana, lost in her bright blue eyes as we sat on the beach. I could sit here and watch her all goddamn day. Her eyes bounced between mine. I wasn’t lying. I wanted to know everything I possibly could about her.

Freckles were sprinkled across the bridge of her nose, spilling across her cheeks. I wanted to memorize every single one. My eyes traveled across her perfectly symmetrical features. There wasn’t a single imperfection and even if there were, she still would have been perfect in my eyes. There was a small scar just below her eyebrow. I fought the urge to reach out and touch it.

“Are you hungry?”

She tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows pulling together. My swift movements through conversation were throwing her off-balance and I instantly felt a twinge of guilt.

“Come get breakfast with me?” I offered, my voice quiet. I was always relatively confident and it was rare that I questioned my own words or thoughts. Giana had me questioning everything. I just wanted it to be right. Everything needed to be right for her.

She studied me for a moment, her expression softening. I watched her gaze as she directed it out to the ocean and she stared out into the distance. My breath was frozen within my lungs and I waited. Finally she looked back at me, a small smile on her plump lips as she nodded.

I sighed a breath of relief. For a second, I was afraid she was going to turn me down. I climbed to my feet and held out my hand for her. Her chest rose and fell as she stared at my hand for a fraction of a second before sliding hers into mine. Her skin was warm against mine and I helped her to her feet before releasing her.

Giana took a moment to brush the sand away from her body. My shorts were mostly dry. She bent down to grab her flip-flops and we walked side by side until we reached the end of the beach. The sand was like powder, so we bypassed the showers that were off to the side. Giana walked ahead of me, but as we reached the street, my hand darted out to grab her wrist.

She turned back to look at me with surprise laced within her expression.

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