He blew me a kiss before walking away.
I blew a kiss back.
‘Oh, look at that one! We missed it!’
‘Put your head back down, babe. Relax.’
‘Relax? We’re-’
‘Want to know my favorite part of the ocean, Nova?’
‘What?’
‘You might miss a big wave… but there’s always another one coming. Always.’
‘Not always. There might not be another big wave today.’
‘But tomorrow… or the day after that…’
I roll my eyes. ‘That’s lame, Elijah.’
‘But…’ He strokes my damp, knotty hair out of my face. He traces a line down my cheek. Around my chin. Up to my bottom lip. He grins. ‘But this… this moment between us, babe… this moment can never happen again. Not like this. We’ll never feel exactly what we’re feeling right now. I can surf for hours… until I can’t breathe… but when I’m near you, I can’t breathe within seconds.’
I let out a shaky breath.
I can never figure out if he’s full of shit or if I’m falling for the summer love cliché shit or what… but… wow…
His hand digs into my hair, to the back of my head and he pulls my mouth to his.
I shut my eyes and melt as we kiss.
Behind me I hear the smack of another big wave.
My toes curl.
He breaks the kiss. ‘Shit. That was two in a row.’
‘See? Told you.’
‘We better get in the water right now, babe.’
‘Finally…’
‘Hey,’ he says, keeping my eyes on his. ‘This… to be continued.’
‘I hope.’
I kiss the tip of his nose and hurry to get my board.
He’s with me a second later.
I refuse to believe summer could ever possibly end.
* * *
The last little bit of fudge tried to hide from me in the rounded corner of the plastic container. And where the plastic spoon wouldn’t do its job, I just threw the cup back and dangled it over my mouth like a shot of vodka.
And I waited.
Was it worth the three hours it took for one droplet of fudge to hit my tongue?
Damn right it was.
“Wow.”
I turned my head and another droplet of fudge hit my cheek.
Aira stood a couple feet away.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” she said. “Mind if I sit?”
“No,” I said. “Have at it.”
I put the container and spoon down.
Aira sat next to me and pointed at my cheek. “You have something there…”
I swiped my finger to my cheek and licked it. “Best chocolate around here.”
“I agree,” she said.
We were both silent.
Waiting for the other to bend.
We were both stubborn and in love.
Not with each other, obviously.
“I think we both suck right now,” Aira said.
“Is that your way of apologizing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay then.”
“He’s with someone,” Aira said. “He’s trying to get back at you, Nova. And he’s trying to fuck with Wes. And fuck with me.”
“This is about Elijah again?” I asked. “I’m over it. I’m sitting here-”
“Alone,” Aira said. “Come on, Nova. Cut it. What the hell are you really doing with Conor? That was an easy pickup for you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You control everything. He’s like a dog following you. And you know if things got too serious or too hot you give the word and he’d back down. You’re never going to fall for him. And you know walking away would preserve your heart.”
“Wow. You have the time to dig into my life like that?”
“It’s because I care about you, Nova. From the second we were standing on that beach and saw Elijah… I just knew. It wasn’t going to be a fight. It wasn’t going to be him throwing punches. No way. Not Ryland’s brother. Not your Summer Boy.”
“What’s your point, Aira?” I asked. “I’m tired of it all.”
“He’s with Noelle.”
My heart sank. “What?”
“You heard me,” Aira said. “He’s with Noelle.”
“With…”
“The way you’re with Conor.”
“No.”
“Yeah,” Aira said. “And, of course, because of that, Wes is all fired up again.” She swallowed hard. “I know he loves me. I don’t think he would ever hurt me. But just the fact that he gets so worked up over her still…”
“She’s like a sister to him,” I said.
“I know that. But he’s pissed. And he’s angry.”
“He’s with her?” I asked.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t make that up.”
“And why are you telling me, Aira?” I asked. “You want me to get hurt? Jealous? Angry? You want me to…”
Aira shook her head.
Her eyes welled with tears.
She shrugged her shoulders.
She was looking for a friend.
She needed a friend.
I put my arm around Aira and pulled her close.
She grabbed my shirt and held tight.
“I hate this,” she said. “And I hate myself for what I did the other night. What I said. What I implied. What everyone else started to think.”
“Aira…”
She looked at me. Eyes to eyes. “I suck at apologies, Nova. But I am sorry for that. I never thought it could get that crazy. And I know you punched him in the face. For me. For what he did. I was just so angry.”
“I know,” I said. “And you were right too. About the drinks. I just…”
“I know,” Aira said.
I blinked fast.
She had tears running down her cheeks.
We were there for each other.
But the noise… the tension…
I sucked a breath. “Noelle?”
“Yeah. And she’s stupid enough to go along with it. I guess after coming to terms with the fact that she’ll never get Wes, she has been partying a lot. And I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they were just using each other.”
“Using each other?”
“For the same thing,” Aira said. “To get to Wes. And to get to me. I’m fighting all these feelings right now. All this anger.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Join the club.”
“Fuck,” Aira said. “What do we…”
She jumped away as her phone buzzed.
The screen lit up her face.
So did a smile.
That meant it was Wes.
She looked at me and bit her bottom lip.
“Go,” I said.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said. “I don’t like when you’re not with us.”
“You know why…”
“I guess.”
I put my hand to Aira’s. “He’s not just some guy to me. He’s not just my Summer Boy either. But he did hurt me. Last summer… you weren’t even here, Aira.” I swallowed hard. “And then everything with Ryland. I warned you all. He’s not going to accept the truth unless it’s his truth. And I don’t know what that is right now.”
“He’s with Noelle to mess with all of us,” Aira said. “And you know you’re with Conor to mess with him.”
“Is this you trying to blame me again for everything?”
“No,” Aira said. “As much as I love Wes, I can’t blame you for what you’re doing, Nova. You’re trying to break Elijah’s heart. Or get his attention. I think it’s badass. It’s totally you. You’ve got the worst of me and Emma combined.”
“Oh yeah?”
Aira laughed and wiped her cheeks. “You have my attitude for revenge and Emma’s willingness to kick some ass. I almost feel bad for Conor. And Elijah.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Right. Wes is probably waiting for you.”
Air
a started to get to her feet. She paused. “Hey. Wes isn’t mad at you. I mean, nobody is mad at you. The situation is a mess. I don’t know what’s going to happen now with Elijah dating Noelle…”
Elijah dating Noelle.
My heart cracked a little. And that crack filled up with jealousy.
“I’ll let you know,” Aira said, finishing her thought. “I promise, Nova. I’ll let you know what happens. And you do the same for me. I really hate to say this, but I hope he leaves soon.”
I forced myself to nod.
It was better off to just agree.
Because Aira didn’t know about the letters. The letters Elijah sent me when we weren’t together. The promises he made. The way his words made me feel as I waited for another summer to begin.
It wasn’t as simple as Elijah just leaving.
Something had him in HCH.
Something that went beyond Ryland.
“Nova,” Aira said. She was fully standing now. Staring down at me. “I am so sorry for what I did and said.”
“Me too, Aira. But just know I would never hurt you. I had no idea what Elijah was going to do. I haven’t even talked to him in…”
“I know,” she said. She wiggled her phone at me. “I kind of have to go.”
“Nobody is holding you hostage,” I said with a wink.
“Bitch,” Aira whispered.
I shrugged my shoulders.
After she was gone I stood up and tossed my trash.
It was dark. There were a hundred places I’d rather go than home.
Conor probably would have met me on the beach. In a heartbeat. But Aira’s words lingered in my mind. Maybe I didn’t exactly know why I was with Conor. I hadn’t done anything with him though. I wasn’t leading him on by fooling around with him and telling him I loved him or anything like that.
So as long as…
I smelled smoke.
I slowly turned my head and my lip curled.
Elijah sat on one of the metal tables, his feet on the seat, smoking a cigarette.
So cool.
So bad.
Fucking asshole.
He stared at me.
His eyes were this hazel color that changed their shade based on the light. In the summer sun, they were super bright, with a yellowish glow to them. But at night, they were dark.
There was no way in hell I was going to talk to him.
If he had something to say, he could say it.
He was the one who showed up to Hidden to cause trouble. The only thing I could do was stand my ground and show Elijah that he was nothing but my Summer Boy. That was it. I didn’t need him. I didn’t want him.
Hashtag yawn.
He brought his cigarette to his lips and took a drag.
The smoke danced around his face and head.
He didn’t blink once.
I rolled my eyes.
Then I saw someone else.
Approaching the table.
The little bitch with earbuds in her ears. Nodding her head to whatever fucking piece of trash music she was listening to.
Elijah started to smile, which told me the reaction on my face to Noelle was obvious.
Fuck.
He turned his head and looked at her.
Then he looked at me again.
When Noelle was close enough, she took the earbuds out of her ears, rolled up the cord and stuck them into her pocket. She didn’t even look my way. And I wasn’t sure if that was her being stupid or a cunt.
Either way, my right hand balled up into fist. And her name was written across my knuckles.
Elijah stood up on the seat. He took one last drag of the cigarette and flicked it toward me.
It landed inches away from my foot.
He jumped down and put an arm around Noelle.
She put her hand to his back. Then she slid it down. And kept going. Until her fingers rested comfortably in Elijah’s left back pocket.
I gritted my teeth.
I thought about what to do next.
That decision was made for me in the form of a text message.
From someone I never wanted to text me. Ever.
Curfew. Home. Now. Don’t make me come find you.
I replied with a thumbs up emoji.
And my eyes filled with tears.
Chapter 10
Elijah
I stood outside See B’s Bakery and finished my cigarette.
Nero told me he wanted to meet up and talk about my brother. That was a little bit of a shock to me and there was no way in hell I was going to pass up figuring out more of what Ryland had gotten himself into.
I touched my back pocket. I probably looked like I was cupping my own ass.
The note was still there.
Just like it was every single fucking day.
I kept that thing damn near glued to me.
The reason.
The answer.
The everything.
I killed my cigarette and felt like someone was staring at me.
When I turned, I saw Wes.
Standing at the corner with his arm around Aira.
Behind him, his little posse.
Leo and Flynn.
Charlotte was holding hands with Flynn.
So fucking sweet.
Then again, Charlotte had herself a rack that looked killer. And, damn, I’d love to see those in the flesh…
Kailey and Emma were last.
Emma with her dark complexion, dark hair, and vicious look. Kailey trying to look tough but she was just this little, skinny chick. Everything small on her.
And they all stared right at me.
Missing from their crew… Nova.
My Surfer Girl.
Because she was with someone else.
Hanging with that guy.
Conor.
The stare from Wes though was deep and personal. We were beyond Ryland. I knew enough truth about Wes to know he or his group didn’t do anything wrong. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have my fun. Prove my point. Make my memory known in HCH and stick like some abandoned building that gets worse every year, yet nobody does anything about it.
I took two steps and Wes started to come toward me.
Leo and Flynn were right with him.
I smiled.
He wasn’t a fan of me hanging with his other girl.
That’s what Noelle called herself.
She confessed her love for Wes and how mixed up things had gotten when Aira showed up. She told me she finally understood what Wes was to her and that sometimes it wasn’t easy to let him go.
I totally understood it.
She also told me a story about Ryland that made me want to dig his ass up from the grave, prop him up, and shoot him again.
All I could offer to Noelle was an apology that wasn’t mine to give.
She teared up but started to laugh.
She laughed because Ryland finally got what was coming.
Hell, we both started to laugh.
But that wasn’t right now. That was a memory now.
The right now was Wes, Flynn, and Leo walking toward me.
I made fists, ready to do what needed to be done.
“Missed your chance, man,” I said. “Need me to tell Noelle anything for you?”
“Oh, you motherfucker,” Wes said.
He stutter stepped and brought his fist back.
“Let’s even this up,” a voice said behind me.
Nero.
I folded my arms as Wes closed in on me.
With his fist back, he came nose to nose with me.
“Pick a time and place,” Lars’s deep voice said. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Think you have the wrong family member you want to fight,” Leo said.
“We’re done with the cousins,” Nero said. “But if you fuck with our boy Elijah here… then you fuck with us.”
Wes laughed. “You have Tech running protection for you?”
“I’m just standing her
e. Going to get a cup of coffee. Maybe a chocolate chip cookie. I hear this bakery is the best.”
“You keep going, man,” Wes said. “Keep digging. Watch what happens.”
“Oh, I’m seeing plenty, Wes,” I said. “Plenty.”
“Are we really giving these guys the time of day?” Emma called out.
“Nah,” Wes said. “I’m good.”
The three backed off and walked back to the girls.
Nero grabbed my shoulder. “You good?”
I watched Wes and his group walk away.
My lip curled.
Nova should have been there with them.
She didn’t have me.
She didn’t have her friends.
She was fucking hiding.
Hiding right in sight of everyone and I was the only one who could see it.
“I’m fucking great,” I said to Nero. “What do you have for me?”
“Let’s go,” Lars said.
We walked into See B’s Bakery.
“Coffee?” Nero asked.
“No, man.”
“Sit then,” he said.
He and Lars went to the counter.
There were a few people from HCH sitting at tables.
Behind the counter there was a beautiful woman. Older than us, but not old at all. She was goddamn strikingly beautiful. Naturally beautiful. Just like Nova. The kind of woman that didn’t need makeup. The kind of woman that didn’t need her hair done and wasn’t afraid to get messy to have some fun.
I watched the woman far more intently than I should have been.
Nero and Lars walked back to the table.
I nodded toward the counter. “Who’s that?”
“Julia,” Nero said. “She owns the place.”
“Aira lives with her,” Lars said.
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah. Her aunt.”
“Aunt Julia,” I said with a grin.
“Careful there, hot shot,” Nero said. “That’ll never happen.”
“Says who?” I asked.
“Seriously?” Lars asked. “Man, you’ve got some serious balls.”
I shrugged. “What’s her story then?”
“She’s got ties to Wes,” Nero said. “Not through Aira either. You know who Jett is?”
I shook my head. “Not sure.”
“Not blood related to Wes but family,” Nero said. “He basically runs the shop for Wes’s grandfather. He and Julia were a thing. Shit went bad. Julia got tied up with someone else. Aira’s uncle. They’re not together anymore. Blah. Blah. Blah.”
HIDDEN CREEK AGAIN: a hidden creek high novel Page 10
