by CoraLee June
“We’re ready,” I said
I took Kai’s and Chase’s hands, and we all walked across the parking lot together, supporting each other. We entered the building and signed in one at a time, each handing over our driver’s licenses to the guard. We took turns passing through the metal detector, and once I was on the other side, I felt like I was going to be sick. “You can do this, Little Whisper,” Kai assured me as a guard led us to a room. Stations with thick glass partitions divided the space. I sat down on one of the stools and waited, with both Kai and Chase standing at my back.
I barely recognized my father when they brought him in. He wore a gray uniform, and his skin was pale. Long gone was his beachy glow. His hair was cut short, and he was growing a beard. His right eye was black, like he’d just gotten into a fight. When he sat down, he averted his eyes. I could see how ashamed he was, and although I wanted to feel something for the man that gave me life, the man that taught me how to surf and cared for me, I couldn’t. There was nothing left of this man. We spoke through slits in the glass.
“Breeze,” he breathed out. The sound of his desperate tone made my lip curl. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to be miserable. “I didn’t think you’d come. How are you? Graduation was a few weeks ago, yeah? How’s your mom?”
I looked down at my lap, then back at him. “I’m not here to catch you up on my life. Mom is doing great. She’s happy. She’s even dating again. It’s like you never existed,” I replied. Mom wasn’t actually dating, but I wanted to hurt Brian. I wanted him to know the world moved on while he was stuck here. Just like the world moved on when Violet died.
“Why did you have an affair with Violet?” I asked. I wasn’t going to waste any time.
Brian leaned closer. His lip quivered at my question. “I d-don’t know, honey. It just sort of happened.”
“You just sort of happened to have an affair with my underaged best friend? You just sort of happened to get her pregnant?”
Brian looked like he wanted to go back to his cell—back to the hell he was locked in—to escape me. “She was always around. She flirted with me. It was harmless at first.”
“And then it wasn’t. How long, Brian? How long were you fucking my best friend behind my back? Behind Mom’s back?”
“About a year.”
I leaned back and rolled my eyes. “Disgusting. You disgust me.” Was Kai just a cover-up to keep their secret?
“I’m so sorry, Breeze.”
Chase spoke through clenched teeth. “And then you killed her, right? You wrapped your hands around her neck and squeezed.”
“I-I’m not going to answer that, Chase,” Dad choked out. Of course he wasn’t. The trial wasn’t for a few more months.
“I bet she thought you were there to save the day. She smiled at you. And you killed her. For what, Brian? To save your marriage? Your business? The only consolation I have, is that you still lost everything. Your wife left you. Your daughter disowned you. Your shop is nothing but an empty shrine to your name. You’re here. Forever,” Chase spat out at him.
Brian’s jaw flexed, and I saw the fire in his eyes. He looked murderous. Was this the expression he showed Violet when he killed her? Had he always been this way and I just didn’t notice?
“Why did you work with Lex?” Kai asked. “I get that he was going to take care of the other shop. Did you know he attacked your daughter? Did you know he almost killed Breeze?”
Brian stuttered. “Baby, I never wanted you involved in this. I didn’t think he’d hurt you. I was just…”
“Shut up,” I yelled, drawing the attention of the guard. I closed my eyes and calmed my breathing. “I’m not here to reconcile. I’m not here to forgive you. I’m not coming back, Brian. Once I leave here, I won’t think about you. I won’t miss you. I won’t spend a single second of my life wondering how you are doing or what life would be like with you in it. You’re irrelevant. You’re nothing to me. I’m indifferent to your existence. And one day, when you’re looking death in the face, I hope you know that you did this to yourself. You ruined your life. You deserve every evil thing that happens to you.”
Chase grabbed my shoulder and squeezed at the end of my speech. I was so glad that both Chase and Kai were here with me. They gave me the strength and support I needed to say what I did and not back down.
I pushed back hard on the chair and stood up. I didn’t want to stay here looking at the pathetic excuse for a man and father any longer. I walked out of the visitor’s room and waited in the hallway for Kai and Chase to finish what they needed to say. Kai came out quickly, followed by Chase about five minutes later.
We walked out into the parking lot completely different than how we had walked in. I felt like a considerable weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I got what I needed from my father, and now I never had to give him another thought.
“Is anyone else hungry?” Chase asked. “I’m starving.”
We all welcomed the distraction of food as we piled into the Jeep. It was amazing how quickly the hunger came on after I no longer had a lead ball of anxiety taking up all the space in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten all day, but like Chase, it felt more like a week.
We passed a fun looking fifties themed restaurant on our way to the prison. I looked it up using my phone’s GPS, and we were soon at a table, laughing at all the funny names on the menu. I ordered a poodle skirt punch with an Aioli Caponie burger.
When we all had our food and our bellies were full enough to focus on other things, we delved into the visit with my father.
“Did you get what you needed today, Breeze?” Chase asked, his voice full of concern and understanding.
“Yes, I think I did. Did you?”
“Yes, I did,” he replied. “I really needed it. The closure. Seeing him reminded me that he’s not some big scary monster that I had built him up to be. He’s just a weak, miserable man who couldn’t own up to his horrible actions. Instead he chose to take something precious from this world.”
I nodded my agreement. I had done the same thing. In my mind, my father had become eight feet tall with horns and a forked tongue. That was the only way I could reconcile him with his crimes.
Kai turned to look at Chase and patted him on the shoulder. “You got your point across without punching a hole in the wall. I’m proud.”
Chase wiped an imaginary tear from his eye with his middle finger. “And you didn’t go all caveman and carry Honeybum out of there like the overprotective asshole you are.”
“We’re all making progress, huh?” I said sarcastically.
“Who would have thought the three of us would be here, doing this?” Chase asked, his tone softer now.
“Who would have thought the two of you would actually be friends?” I asked.
“Friends, us?” Kai joked. “Never.”
“Yep. Still totally hate the dude. Kai’s the worst,” Chase added with a roll of his eyes.
I sipped on my punch and looked at the guys. It made me so happy to just be sitting here with the two of them, eating, drinking and laughing. We had all fought through hell and back and made it out stronger. Better. With my surfing necklace resting delicately on my neck, I felt Violet’s presence in that moment.
We’re okay, Violet. We’re going to be okay.
Sunday morning surfing had become our new tradition. Every week, we would meet at a new spot where we would surf for hours. Afterward, we would grab lunch and compare the waves to the beaches we had surfed in earlier weeks.
Today the weather was absolutely perfect. The winds were offshore, creating flawless swells that peeled down the break. I was the first one. I liked this time of day when it was quiet and peaceful. I watched the water ebb and flow while the sun came up.
I grabbed some wax and got to work on my board. By the time I had finished and kicked off my shorts, both Kai and Chase had arrived, but there was no way they were going to beat me into the water to catch the first wave.
I ran into the oce
an, laid my board down and worked my arms through the water. As I matched the speed of the wave, I turned to face the shore and felt the familiar lift of the tail. I popped up and crouched down low; the wave was smooth, and riding felt effortless. I whooped and hollered as I approached the beach to let the guys know what they were missing out on.
“Can’t let you have all the fun!” Chase yelled as he and Kai passed me on their way into the water as I was coming out.
I hung out on the beach and watched them expertly navigate the perfect swells the ocean was giving us today. I grabbed the sunscreen out of my bag and rubbed some into my skin, breathing in the subtle scent of grapefruit and smiling at the memory of Kai giving the bottle to me. When they got back to the shore, he ran over and kissed me.
“Come on, let’s go!” Kai said, playfully pulling on my arm.
I got up, and all three of us ran back into the water. We spent hours like that. It didn’t happen overnight, but as time passed, happiness took root in my soul. I found myself smiling more. Living without inhibitions. Loving deeper. Kai was my soul, Chase my brother.
When we were done, I was drying off and shrugging to put on a T-shirt when Chase spoke up. “I’ve got something to show the two of you.”
“For the millionth time, I’m not interested in your sex tape,” Kai teased. Their relationship was built on snarky comebacks and playful banter, but there was a deep appreciation growing between the two of them. They even had started hanging out without me present. The bromance was fun to watch and made me teary-eyed when I thought about it too much.
“You couldn’t handle my sex tape, bro. I don’t want to hurt your fragile masculinity with a dick measuring contest,” Chase replied.
“I’ve seen your dick, remember? That wave took your shorts clear off, and you did the walk of shame to your Mercedes while cupping your junk.”
I cackled at the memory. “I happen to remember Breeze sneaking some peeks,” Chase protested.
“Only ’cause your tan line was so hilarious,” I replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ass that pale.”
We all hollered with laughter before piling into the Jeep. Chase told me where to go, pointing at familiar streets with a mischievous grin on his face. Once we pulled into the surf shop’s parking lot, my heart sank. It was hard to look at the boarded-up windows and Permanently Closed sign hanging in the window.
“Why are we here?” I asked in a soft tone. This was the one part of our happy little life that felt off. I missed the shop despite the bad memories associated with it. Kai reached over and grabbed my hand, knowing how difficult this was for me.
“I bought it,” Chase said proudly.
I snapped my head and turned in my seat to stare at him. “What?” I asked incredulously.
“Dad’s good at real estate. He was more than happy to let me follow in his footsteps. It’s a good investment. When we visited your dad, I got him to sign it over to me. And once we sit with the lawyers, the two of you will own it too. We can have a three-way partnership.” Chase waggled his eyebrows. “What do you think, Kai? We could eventually build a cafe attached to the north side overlooking the ocean. I bet you’d create a kick ass menu. It’ll get more foot traffic. And we both know I’ll need your help overhauling the interior design. I figured since you built your bus, you’d be good at that.”
I unbuckled my seat and hopped out of the Jeep and tackled Chase in an awkward hug as tears streamed down my cheeks. He was halfway out of the Jeep and laughing into my neck as I squeezed him. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Now that you’re taking online college classes in business, you can run the shop while getting your degree,” Chase added excitedly. This was too good to be true.
We all went to the front door, and Chase pulled out a key to unlock it. Inside felt like a slap to the face. There were so many memories of my Dad in here that made my skin crawl. “We could put in new floors,” Kai murmured. I smiled at his attempt to help me see the fresh start.
“We could get a local artist to draw murals on the walls. My dad is also looking to get some famous surfers to come to our grand opening. We could have them sign boards over here.” Chase pointed to the corner of the shop with a boyish grin.
“No shit?” Kai asked, his excitement bleeding through the dusty shrine.
“I just...uh, have one request. You can totally say no. We’re partners in this, you know?”
I grabbed Chase’s hand. “Anything,” I replied.
“Can we change the name to Violet’s Surf Shop? I think she’d like that. But if it would hurt too much—”
“It’s a perfect name, bro. I vote yes,” Kai replied.
“I second that,” I added.
Chase wiped a stray tear and nodded. “Th-thank you,” he choked out before clapping his hands together. “Let’s get to work, yeah?”
Over the next few months, we poured our blood, sweat and tears into Violet’s. We completely gutted the store and changed every detail. We painted the inside a soft purple and hired a local artist to cover up the previous mural. Where there were once dolphins, now sat a beautiful mermaid with long dark hair and blue eyes. She was perched on a rock and surrounded by water and fish of every color and size.
On the day before we opened, the three of us stood outside of the shop, looking at what we had accomplished. I stood between Chase and Kai and grasped both of their hands. “Let’s take a selfie!”
We turned around so that the shop was behind us. Chase stretched out his long arm and said, “Say honeybum!” He snapped the picture just as we all started laughing. I framed the picture and hung it behind the register.
It was a new beginning, and I pictured Violet smiling down on us, knowing that she brought us together, and together we were happy.
Chase
Three Years later
Sophia looked beautiful. She couldn’t see me watching her from my parking spot at the hotel, but I had a clear view of her auburn hair glimmering in the bright sunshine. She wore those tight shorts I loved and was smiling at a honeymooning couple, handing them a touristy lei before directing them inside. I didn’t mean to watch her like a fucking creeper, but it’s not like she was talking to me anyway.
My phone pinged with a notification.
Honeybum: Can you come over? I need to go over the new inventory for the shop.
I smiled at the text and quickly responded that I was on my way. Running the surf shop with my two best friends was fun. Kai loved working at the small cafe attached to the shop, and Breeze got giddy whenever she ordered new surfing gear. I just liked not feeling so goddamn lonely all the time. Sometimes I wanted to gag at how lovey-dovey they were, but I liked seeing them so happy. I just wished I could steal a little bit of that for myself.
I looked at Sophia one more time and flinched when I saw her bright green eyes fixed on me. Shit. I quickly pulled out of my parking spot and peeled out of there. Maybe one day she’d talk to me again, but I knew that day wasn’t today.
Breeze and Kai lived in a cute house on the beach, bought last year when our shop started booming. It was a dump when they first bought it, but Kai poured his heart and soul into renovating it. Now it was the most beautiful house on the beach.
It took a lot of work, but Violet’s Surf Shop was very successful. We could hardly keep up. Professional surfers frequented it, and a lot of tourists were flooding the doors, anxious to catch a glimpse of their favorite athletes.
I walked through the front door, not bothering to knock or announce myself. Breeze was sitting at the kitchen table, folding T-shirts and smiling to herself. Kai was making a grilled cheese at the stove top. The moment she saw me, her eyes brightened. “Hey!” she said. There was an unusual level of excitement in her tone. She must have gotten a new surfboard to test out. I was a goner for Breeze. Yeah, there was a time I could have probably loved her something fierce. But that love changed to something more important than getting my dick sucked. Breeze was more than a friend. More than a s
ister, even. She was a lifeline in this shitty world. I didn’t want to be a weirdo and call her my soulmate, but honestly I would be lost without her friendship. She was my person. Hell, I’d move into their spare bedroom if I didn’t have to listen to them fucking all hours of the night. I wonder how much soundproofing a room would cost…
No. That was crazy talk. I wasn’t that clingy.
Okay, maybe I was. I’d been debating on buying the vacant lot next door for the last month. I spent all my time here anyway.
“Honeybum,” I greeted before leaning over to kiss her cheek. Kai plopped the sandwich on a plate before handing it to her.
“You want one?” he asked.
“Nah, I’m good.”
Kai reached out and patted me on the shoulder. I wasn’t some pussy that announced his love often, but that dude was like a fucking brother to me. I never imagined I’d actually like him, let alone feel strongly connected to the asshole, but I did. Breeze and Kai were my family. Turns out, water might not be thicker than blood, but it kept us alive.
“I got these new shirts. Ordered one for you,” Breeze said before tossing me a teal tee.
I caught it and looked at the design on the front. I didn’t really care about the clothes we sold, but if she wanted my input, I’d give it. I was more a numbers guy. And by numbers guy, I meant I opened my wallet and smiled before surfing my day away.
The logo on the front said Uncle in big, bold letters. “Is this some new brand? I never understand the trends.”
“Not a brand,” Breeze said, staring expectantly at me. I looked at it again.
Wait. Holy fuck.
Uncle.
UNCLE.
MOTHERFUCKING UNCLE?!
“You’re pregnant?!” I asked before dropping the shirt and rushing her for a hug.
“Eight weeks!” she squealed. “Had my first appointment today.” She pulled a sonogram out of nowhere and handed it to me. It looked like a blob of black and gray, but I smiled like a fucking idiot. “You’re going to be an uncle, Chase. A really good uncle.”
