Page 39 of The Tides Between Us

GIANA

Declan pulled his Jeep into the small parking lot by the public beach access area. My brother’s car was already in one of the spots with Malakai’s parked next to his. Declan parked next to the two of them and when we got out, he refused to let me help him unload or carry any of the stuff we brought along. I followed after him, pulling my sunglasses down over my face to block out the bright sunlight.

Declan had two chairs on his back, his surfboard tucked under his good arm, and a bag with towels hoisted over the other shoulder. A smile pulled on my lips and I shook my head at his back as I watched him trudge through the soft white sand. The ocean breeze drifted across the shore, blowing my hair around my face.

There were only a few other groups of people on the beach and I caught sight of Harper’s bright blonde hair as she stood beside Winter, Nico, and Malakai. Malakai was shoving the end of an umbrella into the sand as Nico unfolded their chairs and set them up. Harper and Winter were both standing off to the side, lost in conversation. And there was Wes, fumbling with an E-Z Up.

Both of the girls' heads whipped in our direction as they saw Declan and I heading toward them. Winter raised her hand to wave us over and I smiled at the sight of them. We’ve had our girls’ nights and I’ve hung out with my brother a few times, but with everyone's busy schedules, it was hard for all of us to get together like this. It felt like it had been a century since we all hung out.

Declan’s footsteps slowed and I walked up beside him. He glanced over at me with a hint of worry in his expression. His eyes were covered by his sunglasses and I couldn’t see what was going on inside of them.

“I’m never nervous,” he admitted to me. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t right now.”

I shook my head at him.“Don’t be. There isn’t a single thing not to love about you.”My eyes widened as I tried to backtrack.“What I mean is, they’ll love you.”

His eyebrows lifted very subtly and his mouth twitched, but he didn’t say anything else. I turned my head away from him as heat crept up my neck and rapidly spread across my cheeks. It wasn’t from the sun that was beating down on us either. It was my damn word vomit.

All five of them turned to look at us as we walked over and I let the embarrassment vanish. My brother jogged over, wrapping his arm around the tops of my shoulders as he pulled me against his sweaty body. I silently laughed and pushed him away while scrunching my nose in disgust.

He laughed at me, stumbling in the sand before turning to Declan. “Let me help you with that.” His lips moved as he reached out for Declan’s board. “I’m Nico,” he held his hand out to him.

Declan took it without hesitation and shook it. “I’m Declan.” He let Nico take his surfboard from him. “Thanks, man.”

Nico nodded and propped it in the sand as Declan dropped our bag down by the umbrella before helping Wes with the E-Z Up. Both of the girls went over to him and introduced themselves. Malakai simply nodded at him and his lips barely moved as he told him his name while dropping down onto one of the chairs. I imagined he probably mumbled the words in annoyance. Malakai could never be bothered by anyone but Winter and maybe my brother.

I smiled at my friends and helped Declan with our two chairs. I tucked them under the E-Z Up as Wes introduced himself to him. It wasn’t surprising seeing him here. Wes and my brother were stuck together like glue. Sometimes, I felt bad for Harper, but she didn’t seem to mind that they were together all the time. A part of me felt bad for Wes that he always seemed to be the third—or fifth—or seventh wheel, in this case.

He wasn't shy with women and frequently had one he was talking to, but it was never serious. I had never actually seen him in a relationship in the past few years that I knew him.

Wes grabbed a football and tossed it into the air. “You guys wanna play a game?”

Malakai rolled his eyes in response and reached for Winter, before pulling her onto his lap. Her head tipped back, her face lighting up as she laughed and settled against him. I couldn’t read their lips as they fell into a quiet conversation together. I felt like I was invading an intimate moment between the two of them.

I looked back around the circle of friends. Declan was watching me for a moment before he glanced over at Wes.

“I’m actually going to hop in the water quickly and then I'll be down to play.”

Wes nodded and Nico and Harper agreed. With how hot it already was, everyone was ready to get into the water. The three of them headed toward the ocean and I grabbed the sunscreen from the bag Declan carried out here. I squirted some into my hands and bent down as I began to rub the lotion into my legs. After my skin was covered, I slowly stood back upright.

Declan’s eyes were on mine. I still couldn’t see them through his sunglasses, but I didn’t need to in order to see the fire burning in his gaze. I could feel the heat rolling off his body in waves. I didn’t break eye contact with him as I rubbed the lotion over the rest of my body and closed the distance between us as I held it out to him.

He was silent as he took the bottle from me and I slowly turned around, pulling my hair away from the nape of my neck. I waited as I stared out at the waves breaking against the shore. A few breaths later, I felt Declan’s fingertips graze the skin on my shoulders. His touch was light and tender, a warning he was behind me. He did it so he wouldn’t frighten me.

I smiled as his fingers didn’t leave my shoulder. His other hand flattened against the top of my back and he began to work the sunscreen into my skin. My eyelids fluttered shut and I leaned against his touch. I never wanted him to stop touching me, but he did. He circled around, making sure he covered every inch before moving his hands away from me.

Taking off my sunglasses, I dropped them down into our bag. I glanced over my shoulder at him and nodded toward the ocean. He set his sunglasses down with mine. A smile coasted across his lips and he left his board behind as he fell into step beside me. It was a short distance to the water. We had only taken a few strides before I felt his hand slide against mine. I glanced over at him, a little taken aback by the action. Declan simply smiled at me as he laced his fingers through mine and we stepped into the ocean together.

The water was cooler than the water in the Gulf, but it was still warm from the hot summer sun. It slid past my ankles and the two of us kept moving forward, walking into the deeper waters of the ocean. I caught my brother’s eye as he and Harper were swimming out past where the waves were breaking. His gaze slid down to Declan’s hand still wrapped around mine.

We were closing in on where they were and Declan released my hand as he dove through the water. I watched him, in awe of the way his muscles moved as he extended his hands above his head and slid through the surface of the ocean. You wouldn’t think he had done any damage to his shoulder with the way he swam. He was an extremely strong swimmer.

His head popped back up through the surface and he bobbed in the water about six feet away from me. A smile pulled on his lips as he began to swim toward me. I stepped deeper into the water as it was moving farther up my body. It was just above my breasts and I bent my knees as I dropped down, slipping under the water.

Straightening my body, I floated to the surface on my back. I didn’t move my limbs and let the salt water carry me as the waves shifted me gently. My ears were beneath the water. I was used to the silence of the world around me, but there was something comforting about the silence of the ocean. Beneath the surface, it was peaceful and quiet. I couldn’t remember what the ocean really sounded like, but I knew its silence well.

It wrapped itself around me, warm and comforting. The water felt like silk against my skin. It was like a massive blanket enveloping me, rocking me with the gentleness of a mother with a child. The ocean was known to be angry and vicious, yet she was also kind and tender. As long as you respected her, she treated you with the same kindness.

Declan’s palms were soft against my flesh as he slid one hand under my upper back and the other beneath my thighs. My eyelids lifted and I turned my head to see him as he pulled me into his arms. The water was lapping against his chest and he pulled me firmly against him as I lifted my upper body from the water.

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