Status: Yep, this is back.

The Day I Met You

021

For the first time in forever, the water spraying from the showerhead didn’t make my skin crawl with fear. Instead, every cell in my body seemed to tingle with excitement. By the time I finished the sleeping bodies on Danny’s floor were awake and nursing hangovers. Jamie sat at the bar cradling her coffee.

“Morning, sunshine,” I laughed. She glared at me. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“That was a question, dumbass,” she grumbled.

“Seriously?”

“That’s two, but what do you wanna know?” Her eyes focused on me while her hair seemed to frizz with a mind of its own.

“Have you seen Jessie?” I looked around the room, but I still couldn’t find him. Something must’ve happened last night.

“Not since he decided to go exploring while we all skated yesterday.” She nodded while taking a huge sip of coffee.

“He almost kissed me last night, and now he’s just gone?” I asked aloud. She stared. I shrugged.

“Maybe it had something to do with what Sally saw?” Jamie glanced over the room and shrugged. “She must be in the shower now, but she swore she saw Loza glaring and like yelling at him.”

I shook my head while anger flowing through my veins. Kyle had no right saying anything to Jess. I got up and walked away from Jamie without saying a word. I found a board and my wetsuit laid out on the porch. A smile played on my lips before I grabbed both and headed to the beach.

I glanced around, like the night before at the private pool, and I had the same feeling. The ocean made me feel small, but something else made me feel less alone than I wanted. Slipping out of shorts and t-shirt and into the wetsuit was easy. Walking to the edge of the water was easy. Going in was a whole different story.

“You can do this, Rey,” I promised my body. “This is what you love.”

My mind reeled, but this is what I wanted. After a deep breath filled my lungs I forced my legs forward, and I didn’t stop until they pushed me onto the board. My arms worked toward the start of a beautiful wave. It rose forming perfectly, but I couldn’t take it. I grit my teeth and set my mind to taking the next one, but the same thing happened. The images of the bottom of the ocean flooded my eyes, water stinging my lungs, fear and panic taking over.

Waves rocked the board gently while I shut my eyes tightly. My head kept telling my heart that I couldn’t do this. I forced my eyes opened, told my feet to kick me toward the shore. My attention was drawn to the shore by more than fear. Two men stood screaming at each other—I couldn’t hear their conversation over the sound of the waves—and a third man waved his arms with a huge smile spread across his face. The third man, after catching my eye, held up a large black camera. A smile that mirrored his spread across my own features and the excitement that caused the smile pushed me forward. Before I knew what I was doing, I caught the next wave and sped toward someone I hadn’t seen in nearly four years.
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I know this is way too short. Chapter 22 will be out sometime today or tomorrow, and it'll be a little longer. Sorry it's taken so long to get out. I've had writer's block again, and an obsession with Jane Austen novels. :)