Page 47 of The Tides Between Us

“Bring what up?” He gave me a sheepish smile. “So, I think we’re ready to discharge you, Dec. You’ve made tremendous progress and in my expert opinion, your shoulder appears to be strong enough for you to get back to surfing.”

I stared at him for a moment, a little shocked by his words. I knew we were nearing the end of my treatment, but I wasn’t expecting him to tell me this today. I thought I would have at least another week or so. Part of me was so excited to get back to doing what I loved to do, yet there was part of me that felt my stomach sinking.

“Already? Are you sure it’s not too soon?”

Gabriel’s eyebrows pinched together and he tilted his head to the side. “Do you not feel like you’re ready to surf again?”

“I mean, I do,” I quickly rushed the words out. “I just didn’t think you would be discharging me this soon.”

He nodded in understanding and then smiled. “Well, today is your lucky day then.”

Was it really? I just told Giana I would start helping at the rehabilitation center and now I was going to have to tell her that I was going to be moving back to the West Coast.

“You have your entire career waiting for you. You’re free to get back to doing what you love.” Gabriel rose to his feet and pulled the ice pack from my shoulder. He held his hand out to shake mine. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Declan. I don’t want to see you back here again, though.”

I forced a smile onto my face. His words weren’t meant to be cruel. If he saw me here again, it was because I was injured. I didn’t want that to happen any more than he did. “I’ll try not to come back again.”

“You’re always more than welcome to pay me a visit, just not on company time.”

“Noted,” I replied with a nod as I got up from the bed. “Thanks for helping me out. I really appreciate it.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

After saying goodbye to Gabriel and his staff, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. As I walked out into the parking lot, there was a text from Mark about needing to reschedule our lesson this afternoon. I quickly responded and told him the time change was fine with me. Then, I found Giana’s name. I stared at it, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t tell her through text that I was going to have to leave soon.

I didn’t want to leave already, but there were constantly competitions going on and I had already missed so much time on the water. I needed to get back to it. The standings were constantly changing and if you wanted to stay on top, you had to be on top. I was no longer in that position and needed to work my way back up to where I was before I got injured.

And that meant I would need to leave within the next few days. The sooner I got back home, the sooner I could get back to doing what I needed to do. Although, the more I thought about Malibu, the less it felt like home. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. My mind was a clouded mess.

I knew one thing, though. I needed to tell Giana and I had to tell her in person.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

GIANA

As Declan sat down on the couch next to me, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something that wasn’t quite right. There had been a strange shift between us and the air was uncomfortable and incredibly stuffy. I stared back at him, my hands folded in my lap as my eyes desperately searched his. The walls felt like they were closing in on me. The anxiety that tore through me was suffocating.

After his physical therapy appointment earlier today, he had texted me and I wasn’t sure if he would come see me at work at the time. He ended up not coming, instead opting to see me afterward. He was a little shorter with his words than normal and I could sense something was off by the way his messages came across. I imagined his tone would have been clipped and curt.

He told me we needed to talk.

That sentence alone was enough to have my anxiety heightened and it left me feeling unsettled.

He sat facing me, his hands clutching a water bottle. The silence was deafening, and that was saying a lot from someone who lived their life in silence. I hated it. I needed him to say something—anything.

“What’s going on, Declan?”

The honey swirled in his golden brown irises. His throat bobbed as he swallowed roughly, and I watched him twist the cap from his water bottle and take a sip of it. He turned back to face me. “I was cleared to surf again. My sponsors have been calling, looking for an update. I haven’t told them yet, but as soon as I do, they’re going to want me back.”

My stomach sank. I knew this day was coming—we both did. I just wasn’t sure how it was going to affect me.“You’re going to have to go back home.”

He nodded slowly, a mixture of remorse and sadness mixing in his eyes. Leaning away from me, he set his water bottle on the coffee table and reached for my hands. His palms were soft and warm and he stroked the backs of my hands with his thumbs. “That place isn’t my home anymore,” he said, his lips carefully shaping the words that escaped him “My home is wherever you are.”

“How soon will they want you to go back to the West Coast?”

“Most likely as soon as I can get there.” He paused for a moment. “With all the competitions I’ve missed out on, they’re going to want me back in the water as soon as possible.”

My heart split in two and the contents spilled out onto the couch, encapsulating both of us. My sadness mixed with his and it hung heavily in the air. A soft breath escaped me as Declan lifted his hand to cup the side of my face. I leaned against his palm, my eyelids fluttering shut as I reveled in his touch. I wanted to memorize the way his hand felt against my skin. The way he smelled. Everything about him.

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