Page 17 of The Tides Between Us

A smile tugged on my lips. A chuckle vibrated in my chest as she pulled a page from my own book. I liked it. The sudden shift in conversation. She kept me on my toes.

“There’s not much to tell,” I replied with a wink before taking a sip of my mimosa.

Giana narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips in defiance and disbelief.

“I have a specific pair of board shorts that I have to wear for every competition I surf in.”

She lifted the phone from the table and her fingers moved across the screen.

Giana

Does that actually work?

I thought of my shoulder and frowned. “Well, it did. Until it didn't anymore.” I met her gaze that was filled with curiosity. “I dislocated my shoulder a few weeks ago at a competition in Hawaii. I came here to stay with my brother while I’m going through physical therapy.”

Her eyes jumped back and forth between both of my shoulders.

“My left one.”

Her eyes met mine with a ghost of a smile written across her lips.

Giana

Just like Pop-Tart’s…

It’s almost as if it were fate.

My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed roughly. “And this?” I questioned her. “Is this fate too?”

She winked as she showed her phone to me once more.

Giana

Maybe it is… or maybe it’s just breakfast.

CHAPTEREIGHT

GIANA

Rolling over in bed, I looked at my phone to check the time. I hadn’t set an alarm to watch the sunrise and when I saw it was already quarter past nine, I was far too late to catch a piece of it now. My room was dark as I closed my curtains before climbing back into bed, so I could to enjoy my morning of peace. I didn’t have any plans for today, there was nowhere I needed to be. Staying in bed a little while longer seemed like the perfect start to a lazy Sunday.

Nestling my head deeper into the pillow, I closed my eyes and pulled the blankets back up to my chin. My eyelids fluttered shut and it didn’t take long before sleep began to creep in. I was somewhere between being half awake and slipping into the darkness when a harsh light was abruptly cast across my room. I could see it with my eyes closed.

I opened them, quickly sitting up as I saw someone viciously pulling open my curtains. My heart raced in my chest and I was in a state of fright while my eyes adjusted to the light. Instantly, relief swept through me and I narrowed my eyes at my brother’s back.

He turned around, smiling brightly as his blue eyes met mine. “Rise and shine,” he spoke the words while simultaneously signing them to me.

I gave him the middle finger before signing back to him.“Go away, Nico.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Come on. Out of bed,” he urged as he walked over and pulled the blankets away from me. “Wes and I brought breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.”

My stomach betrayed me as it growled. Nico rolled his eyes. “Quit being dramatic.” He spun on his heel without another word and marched out of my bedroom.

An exaggerated sigh escaped me. I climbed out of bed, even though I just wanted to stay there for a little while longer. I knew my brother and his persistence. If I didn’t come out, he’d come back in for me.

I slid my feet into my slippers and adjusted my pajama shorts before making my way out into the kitchen. Wes was sitting at the breakfast bar with his back to me and Nico was opposite of him, pulling Styrofoam containers out of a plastic bag.

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