by Jordan Ford
No, Harley. Stop being so chicken!
Jed reaches out and brushes his hand down my arm. “All you can do is try. Be honest with him and then see what happens. No matter what, remember this always…” He steps back and points at me with a serious expression, then bursts into the chorus of “Two Is Better Than One.”
I roll my eyes and start to laugh.
“Thank you, Jed!” I try to talk over his singing, but he just keeps going.
With a shake of my head, I walk away from my crazy friend and head into the sunshine to find the guy who owns my heart. No matter what happens after I talk to him, no matter how the conversation ends, I’m happy to let him keep a small piece of it.
Aidan may have just been a short season in my life, but it’s been a precious one.
One I can hold onto for the rest of my life.
It’s time to stop being so afraid.
At least if I tell him the truth, I can walk away knowing I did the right thing.
53
My Surfer Girl from the South End
AIDAN
I’ve been on the beach for nearly an hour and still Harley hasn’t appeared. Having walked up and down the length of it, I’m taking a break near Marshall’s lifeguard tower.
He’s sitting high up on his chair, watching the swimmers in the water. Weekends are always busier, and he’ll have a full-on day ensuring people’s safety. I then spot Griffin walking past him. He stops at the base to have a quick chat before heading to the Ryder Rentals shed.
I wonder if I should apply for that summer job. I could watch Marshall work in between hiring out boards, see what being a lifeguard is really all about. Those two rescues, although harrowing, had a certain element of satisfaction to them. I saved both lives. I was good at it.
I still have one more year of school left, but knowing what direction to take after graduation would be kind of cool.
“Lifeguarding,” I murmur to myself, trying to imagine myself doing it.
Maybe the ocean has really been my water all along—salt vs. chlorine.
Salt wins!
The comparison makes me smile as I think of Harley and how she told me I should change my water. She’s opened up a whole new world for me. Meeting her on this beach, although it complicated so much, was the best thing that could have happened to me.
Glancing over my shoulder, I push my shades up and scan the beach behind me.
Still no Harley.
I guess it’s a fool’s hope to think she’ll show up.
Part of me wants to turn up on her doorstep, but if she’s hungover she’ll be feeling gross, and I don’t want to wake her.
What if her mom’s there?
As far as I know, the woman has no idea who I am, and I don’t want to land Harley in any hot water by admitting I drove her daughter home. After saving her life. Because she went surfing while off-her-ass drunk.
I grimace, reliving that moment where she crashed into the water and failed to surface.
Shit, she could have died.
Sliding my shades back on, I don’t know whether to cry or shout. Part of me is raging that she’d do something so stupid, while the other part of me is overcome with relief that I managed to find her in the water.
Man, I hope I get to see her today.
I’ve texted her and am just waiting on a reply, but Harley doesn’t have a great track record with that. I’ll just sit here in the sand until I can’t stand it, and then no doubt drive past her house until her mom’s car is no longer in the driveway.
But surely she’ll show up. The beach is Harley’s haven. Unless last night put her off. It better not have. I’ll just have to help her fall in love with the water again, if that’s the case.
I’ll—
“Hey.”
I whip around to find Harley standing behind me. She’s holding a pair of beat-up white sneakers between her fingers and is dressed in her standard T-shirt and cut-off denim shorts. Her blonde hair is dancing in the breeze, and I lift my shades to get a decent look at her brilliant blue eyes.
“Hi.” It’s all I can manage. Emotions are charging through me thick and fast.
She’s here.
She’s alive.
She’s so freaking beautiful.
With a heavy sigh, she plunks down next to me and buries her toes in the sand. “Surf’s looking good today.”
I follow her line of sight and nod. “Yep. You going out in it?”
“Not today,” she murmurs, then gives me a pained smile.
If I’m reading her expression right, the edges are tinted with dark shades of regret.
I scoff.
I can’t help it.
“What were you thinking?” I rake a hand through my hair. “Night surfing. Drunk. It’s just so…insane!”
“I know,” she counters. In other words, shut up!
Biting my lips together, I hold back my lecture, although it’s busting to get out of me. I need her to promise that she’ll never do anything that stupid again.
“I don’t normally get drunk, swear,” she mumbles.
“Oh yeah? Downing bottles of whiskey isn’t your style?” My tone is sharp and scathing. I don’t mean for it to be. She just makes me so crazy. I want to be mad at her and making out with her in the same breath. I want to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her, but then the feel of her cradled in my arms last night was so freaking fantastic…I want that again too.
“Okay, fine. You’re right,” she snaps. “I get that you’re mad. If you need to tell me off, just get it over with!”
“I don’t want to tell you off.” I angle my body to face her, perching the shades on top of my head so she’s forced to look me in the eye. “I just don’t want you to ever do that again. You scared the hell out of me. It was stupid. What you did could have gotten you killed. I just don’t understand why you did it. Why did you go with Axel? That has trouble written all over it.”
“Maybe I wanted trouble,” she mumbles.
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You wanted to kill yourself?”
“No!” She cringes, then rubs her forehead and looks out to the horizon. “Axel told me it would kill the hurt, and when he handed me that bottle… I just wanted to stop feeling for a while.”
She goes quiet, her lips pursing as she so obviously fights tears.
My gut wrenches uncomfortably. I always hate it when girls cry. It does my heart in.
“I just like you so much.” Harley’s voice wobbles. “I mean, I know we argue sometimes and get pissy with each other, but being with you is so much fun. I’m happier with you than I am with anyone! And now it’s over.” She sucks in a sharp breath and slashes the tears off her cheeks. “I want to keep hanging out with you, like all the time. You’re smart and funny. Easy to talk to. Smoking hot.” She blushes, but her lips don’t curl into a smile. If anything, my “hotness” seems to irritate her. Like she wants to like me but doesn’t think she should. “I’m just gonna miss you so much.”
I don’t think my heart could grow any bigger right now if I wanted it to.
A smile rises on my face, but she’s not looking at me.
She can’t see.
She doesn’t know.
“I’d miss you too.”
She sniffs and bobs her head. “I guess I was just trying to process in a really stupid way, but last night was a good lesson. I won’t do it again, and you can trust me not to be an idiot. If I care about you as much as I think I do, then your happiness comes first, right? And then maybe we can be friends. I’m sure if Savannah’s cool with it, then we can keep hanging out. Hey, maybe I can learn to like her too? We can hang out all together? Or, no…” She shakes her head. “That’ll be way too awkward. Do you think she’d be okay with us still surfing together?”
She finally looks at me and I’ve never felt such strong affection for anyone. Ever.
Brushing my fingers down her cheek, I then capture her wind-blown hair and tuck it behind her ear.
>
She leans away from my touch. “I don’t think Savannah will like that.”
“I’m not with Savannah,” I whisper, my voice thick and husky. “I’m sorry that you saw us kiss. I never intended to do that, but she was sad and hurting and when she kissed me, I didn’t want to make her feel bad. I shouldn’t have done it, though. I… It was a mistake. I told her last night that there was no chance of us getting back together. It’s over.”
“But…I thought she was what you wanted?”
“She was.” I brush my thumb along Harley’s cheekbone. “For a really long time, but then you…changed my mind.” Her lips part with surprise and a smile curls the edges of my lips. “When I found out you were in danger last night, it just confirmed it all for me, you know? The idea that you were hurt, or in trouble…” I shake my head, the emotions stealing my voice for a second. “I don’t want to be without you, Just Harley. You’re the only girl I want. And you never have to miss me, because I’m not going anywhere.”
“You want me?” she squeaks.
I grin and capture the tear leaving her left eye. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Of course I want you.”
She lets out a surprised laugh and a few more tears slip free. I gently wipe them away and gaze at her. “Your eyes are so bright blue right now. I could look at them all day.”
Her swallow is thick, her lips trembling just a little before breaking into a grin. “You have my permission.”
I snicker. “To look at your eyes all day?”
“No, you idiot.” She sniffs. “To kiss me, and I swear if you don’t in like the next ten seconds, I’m gonna have to kick your ass.”
With a soft chuckle, I lean towards her mouth and don’t even hesitate before sinking into a kiss that turns my world on its axis. Harley’s fingers curl into my shirt as she tugs me a little closer. Her sweet, minty taste is intoxicating; her soft lips and warm tongue send my senses reeling. Running my hand around the back of her neck, I deepen the kiss again and figure that the rest of my day is now figured out.
I’ve got sand, sun, surf…and Harley.
Of all those things, she’s the only one I really need.
My surfer girl from the south end.
54
The Beginning
HARLEY
Summer has officially begun.
Woot!
School got out three days ago, and I’m ready to spend the next couple months surfing, working—blech—and hanging out with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend.
A sizzle runs through me. I have a boyfriend. Sometimes that makes me nervous. Past experience warns me to be careful. But then, Aidan is nothing like “that guy.” He’s sweet and thoughtful, seems to really care about me. I don’t feel like he’s with me for anything other than the pleasure of my company. There’s no ulterior motive or secret plan to do me over down the track. At least I don’t think there is.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure with Aidan De Beer, what I see is what I get.
And I’m more than happy with that.
Because I like what I see.
I glance to my left and study Aidan’s profile. His jaw is clenching and unclenching. Yeah, the poor guy is nervous. He starts his new job today. In like an hour. It’s kind of funny that he’s so nervous about working at Ryder Rentals. It’s not like it’s going to be hard, but I guess the first day on any job can be a little nerve-racking.
We’re currently sitting in his convertible. He’s driving me to Freshmart for my morning shift. We met at the beach early to fit in a surf and will meet up again after work for an afternoon session.
I already can’t wait.
Aidan’s thumb rubs over my knuckles in a steady rhythm. He’s not saying anything and I’m happy to just sit with him, my fingers linked through his, the breeze kicking up our hair as we drive the final few blocks.
The last week and a half have gone by in a whirlwind.
Aidan applied for the Ryder Rentals job the same afternoon we made up. He decided that working on the beach for the summer would be a really good way to check out lifeguarding. I was stoked. He’s thinking of being a lifeguard! He’d be so incredibly awesome at that.
I found the courage to admit my jealousy about the fact that he’d get to work on the beach over summer, while I’d be stuck at Freshmart. He told me I should apply for the Ryder Rental job instead, which then started up a mini-argument between us.
It was resolved quickly when Aidan finally relented and said that he’d go for the Ryder Rental job on the condition that I had some business cards made up and he could offer my services as a private surf instructor.
Damn, how the hell could I argue with that?
I spent the Sunday afternoon hanging out at his place while his kid brother, Grayson, designed this wicked logo and business card for me. The kid has skills.
So Aidan got the job after like a five-minute interview. It may have helped that Aidan’s dad is good friends with Marshall Swinton—the owner of Ryder Rentals—but I like to think he got the job on his own merit. He’ll be great. He’s good-looking, friendly, smart—people will no doubt flock to the board shed with two gorgeous guys manning it.
On Monday, we celebrated with dinner at Aidan’s place, where Grayson presented me with a stack of one hundred beautifully printed business cards.
I swear I nearly cried.
I was so nervous over dinner that I could barely eat, but by the end of the meal, I started to relax. Luke is a pretty funny guy, and Sasha is actually really sweet. A total mother. She even gave me a hug before I left and sent me home with a goody bag of food. I thought I was going to cry—again.
The rest of this week has gone by in a blur. We wanted to make the most of every spare second we could find, so we’ve been meeting up early before school and staying out until sunset each evening. The only day I haven’t seen Aidan is when he went to his friend Simon’s graduation.
Other than that, I’ve seen Aidan more than I have my own mother.
I helped him find a new board and he’s been testing it out. He’s wiped out a few too many times for his liking, but he’ll get there. His surfing has come a long way in a short space of time. He’s definitely got an affinity with the water.
I love that about him.
“You’re gonna be great today.” I squeeze his fingers as he pulls into the Freshmart lot.
He grips back and lets out a shaky breath.
It makes me laugh. “Don’t be so nervous. You’ve got this. It’s renting out surfboards and getting people to sign disclosures. It’s a piece of cake.”
Parking the car, he turns to look at me, his lips twitching with a grin. “And handing out business cards.”
I rest my hand on his cheek, so tempted to tell him I love him, but it’s too soon. I don’t want to be in love with him yet. That’s still just a little too scary to process. Instead, I lean over and kiss him.
He breathes in through his nose, like he’s trying to absorb all of me, and cups the side of my face. I love how he does that. Aidan’s kisses make my toes curl, and I like to think I have the same effect on him.
As much as I could happily spend the rest of the day making out in his car, I force my mouth off his. Work is just behind me, and it’s hard not to make a face as I think about how painful my six-hour shift will be.
“We’ll be surfing the waves again before you know it.” He gives me a tender smile. The look in his eyes says so much, and the warmth inside of me makes my stomach tingle and dance. “I’m gonna do my best to get you as much business as possible. Hopefully you can quit this place soon and come hang out on the beach with me.”
I snicker and give Aidan one more peck on the lips. “Do that, and you’ll become the world’s best boyfriend.”
“What? You mean I’m not already?” He winks and I laugh, unable to resist the urge to kiss him again.
Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I deepen the kiss until we’re both out of breath.
> His eyes are still closed as he rests his forehead against mine and puffs, “No matter what I am, you’re the world’s best girlfriend.”
A giggle spurts out of me before I can stop it. “Why? Because I leave you breathless?”
His eyes pop open and his green gaze drinks me in. “That’s only one of the many, many reasons.”
I swear the look on his face is going to turn my heart to custard…or maybe even melted honey.
I swallow and bite my lips together, forcing myself to open the door and get out of the car.
“You got your phone?” he asks. “Text me when you’re done and I’ll come back and get you.”
“Sure thing.” I pull my bag from the floor and hitch it onto my shoulder. My phone is inside it. My new phone, which Aidan bought me, and then had to spend an hour persuading me to keep. Yes, the argument was real and borderline savage, but we resolved it in the end. I scored myself a new phone and a very sweet makeup session before the evening was up.
I hover by his car door, not wanting to leave him or spend most of a good day inside Freshmart.
With a soft snicker, Aidan unbuckles his seat belt and leans across the car. I bend down so he can brush his hand lightly down my cheek. “It’ll be over before you know it, and then it’s just you, me and the water, babe.”
I grin, steal one final kiss, then force my body to walk away from him.
I can sense him watching me and turn one last time when I reach the doors, blowing him a little kiss before disappearing inside.
Pulling in a breath, I try to think about the afternoon. If I can just focus on what’s ahead, then the time will tick by and I’ll be back in Aidan’s car and heading for the waves.
I’m already anticipating an awesome afternoon.
As long as Axel and his crew aren’t around.
I saw him this morning.
He was at the beach before Aidan got there, obviously doing an early surf while the waves were good. He was getting out of the water while I was waxing my board.
