The Day I Met You

The bar was the same as always with a few exceptions. The regulars were there, but the FMX crew was still partying the night away while a ton of random fans came in to meet ‘the Danny Way’ as they called him. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Travis or Ricky showed up since Danny was gaining so much attention. He loved it though; only because I let him show off behind the bar with a few bottle flips of his own.

Jessie was smiling at me more tonight than he had in the past. I still hadn’t told him I was going to Kauai for a while. I wondered if Buster would let him come with me; would Buster want to come with us too? There were so many questions floating around in my head. All the while Kyle sat at the end of the bar silently.

I tried to pay Kyle Loza as little attention as I possibly could. It was working for most of the night, until a drunken Deegan came and sat beside him. “Where’s Casey, man,” Deegan yelled too loudly over the music. No one seemed to notice besides me.

“She went home after the doc discharged me,” Loza answered as he stared into his empty glass.

“Why’d she leave you here all alone, dude, that’s not cool?”

“I wanted to stay, and she wanted to go home to see the kids,” he reported almost sadly. I mentally face-palmed myself for having a school girl crush on a married man with kids.

“Yeah, sorry man. Marissa wants to get back to the little ones too, but she’s given me permission to hang with Danny,” Deegan laughed.

“How long is he in town,” Loza questioned finally looking up. I pretended like I wasn’t paying attention to their conversation as he tapped the glass on the bar signaling for a refill. I nodded as I grabbed the bottle of Jack.

“How long is your uncle in town,” Deegan questioned me with bright eyes.

“Uncle,” Loza questioned.

“He didn’t say, but I’m sure not long since I’m going home with him for once,” I reported as I topped off the boys drinks.

“Home,” Loza repeated like a lost puppy.

“He wants to get me back into my sport.”

Loza stared at me for a long moment, studying my face before lowering his eyes to my muscles—that were not nearly as impressive as they used to be. “You’re that surfer,” he stated bluntly. My mouth fell open in shock.

“What,” I stated as I caught my grip on the bottle.

“You’re Charlie Knight’s daughter. The surfer girl that drowned,” he explained himself. Deegan’s buzz left immediately.

“You…” he trailed off.

I opened my mouth to speak when someone yelled, “Can I get some service?” I took my opportunity and ran to the other end of the bar. I took in several deep breaths as Jamie laughed. I could imagine my wide brown eyes looking like a deer in the headlights as I tried to control my breathing. She reached across the bar and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as she took on a sisterly worry.

“You alright,” she asked. I shook my head.

Suddenly the music stopped in the bar as Jessie announced he was taking a break. Jamie nodded as she made her way around to my side of the bar. “Go. Go outside and breathe. Danny will check on you in a bit; I got the bar. Okay?” I nodded as I tried to walk as normally as possible out of the bar, but my walk looked like I was in a speed-walking contest and I was winning.

I sat on the bottom step as I pushed my back against the railing. I took slow deep breaths while keeping my eyes closed. It was definitely dangerous to be alone outside a bar with my eyes closed, but it was even more dangerous for my brain to deal with what it’d just heard. No one had ever said it out loud to my face before.

”You were the surfer girl that drowned.”

“Are you okay,” a familiar voice questioned. I shook my head unable to speak for fear of falling apart. “Reylyn, you are stronger than you think you are.” I opened my eyes to look at Jessie. His happy blue eyes bore into the cold abyss of my own dark eyes.

“Sometimes…” I trailed off trying to think of the words I wanted to say.

“Sometimes, you are afraid,” Jessie coaxed. I nodded. That’s exactly what I wanted to admit.

“Sometimes, I’m afraid that if I’m not careful I’ll lose everything. I have to be strong; I have to protect myself, but I don’t like living this way.”

“You just have to learn,” he said as he brushed a stray tear from my cheek away, “how to be yourself even when that’s the scariest thing in the world.” I let out the breath that caught in my throat, but it sounded so much like a sob.

“I don’t want to be afraid, Jessie,” I turned my face away from his eyes. “I used to be brave, fun, and I didn’t live like a hermit.”

His thumb and forefinger caught around my chin and cheek to turn my face towards him, “You are brave, Rey. You survived something that was horrible, and you have made a life for yourself.” He took his hand away before leaning close to me, “you won’t be the person you hate forever.”

I could feel his breath on my lips. Those blue eyes bore into me like he could read my very soul. He brushed his hand against the side of my face again. My heart pounded in my chest, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss those perfect, full, light pink lips of his, but that’s when the bar door swung open.