Status: Yep, this is back.
The Day I Met You
022
I screamed my excitement before I hit the shore, and after, I rushed toward my father. Sam Knight put his camera down and wrapped me in a warm bear hug. I saw Jessie finally, but he didn’t look happy at all under the intenseness known as Kyle Loza. The man hugging me drew my attention back to him by pushing me back so he could beam at me. “Oh,” Sam smiled brightly, “I am so proud of you, baby!”
“What are you doing here?” I questioned the realness of this moment.
He shook his head and waved me off. “You just surfed, honey!”
My chest tightened with anxiety as I thought about the rocking motion of the waves. I panicked, but somehow, I ended up on the sand hugging my father. He picked up his camera and pressed several buttons before showing me the previews of the photos he took. My posture was perfect, my stance just as amazing; I looked like a lunatic, but the motions were so natural. His smile said it all. I was born to surf.
“Now, I’m super excited for you,” Sam said with a twinkle in his eye, “but is that Kyle Loza?”
I cringed as the yelling reached us. Jessie’s wrath took its rightful place on Loza while I told my father that was in face Kyle Loza. I unwrapped myself from my father’s arms and stepped between the glaring boys.
“Sam Knight, this,” I paused and turned toward Jessie, “is my favorite bartender and coworker, Jessie.”
Her father put out his hand and smiled. “This is the one that’s been taking care of you right?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s the owner of the bar, Buster; Jessie makes sure I’m not too insane after work.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Jessie shook her father’s hand and smiled. “I promise all we do is dance and talk.”
I blushed before I turned toward Kyle. “And this is the guy you wanted to ask a question.”
Kyle raised a brow as he searched Sam’s face. Sam grinned sheepishly as he asked, “I want to do a photo shoot with you, if you’ll agree to it.”
The motocross rider looked at me for a moment before he nodded. “Of course! How can I turn down one of the most famous photographers in the business?” Kyle smiled at me. I knew in that moment he thought my father’s idea started with my own. Inwardly, I reminded myself he had kids and a wife.
Reluctantly, I turned away from his warm, beautiful smile to another. Jessie’s white teeth gleamed in the sunlight, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes, almost as deep as the ocean, held something bordering on pride or amazement. “You surfed!” He half yelled as he threw his arms around me. I couldn’t hold back a fit of giggles as his hug took me off the ground and spun me around.
Sam cleared his throat loudly. Jessie let me go too abruptly; I nearly fell backwards, but Loza reached out and stopped my stumble backward. His long fingers sent chills up and down my spine. I stepped away from him quickly.
“Rey?” Sam questioned.
“Sam?” I mocked while I put my hands on my hips.
My father shook his head and laughed. Understanding spread across his features, but he didn’t ask about either boy, either situation. Sam Knight smiled and asked me when I was going back into the water.
I shrugged. “Maybe six more years?” Sam tapped his foot and arched his brow. “Tomorrow, I guess.” I laughed at his expression. “Let’s go show you to Uncle Danny.”
~~~
We walked into the house to hear nothing but moans and groans. The people that were on the floor when I left the house that morning, in my mind, were officially declared zombies. Sam’s camera shutter clicked nonstop as he passed through the bodies—some sitting, some standing, but all complaining. Danny and Sally diligently passed out the aspirin and bottles of water. Jamie still nursed her coffee cup while brewing two more pots of the hangover cure.
“Look who I found,” I shouted as I walked into the kitchen. My voice caused a roar of ‘keep it downs’ until Danny looked up from Deegan. The smile that spread across his face was unrivaled by any I’d ever seen. Sam’s shutter went insane as he pointed the camera in Danny’s direction.
“Hurricane Dan strike’s again!” Sam laughed and put his beloved camera on the counter. Deegan raised an eyebrow at me.
“Why are you wearing a wetsuit?” He groaned.
“I went surfing.” I grinned. Danny hugged me almost as tight as my father had. He noticed, at the moment he let me go, the same thing I’d noticed on the beach. Kyle Loza wouldn’t take those beautiful green eyes off me.
I turned away from Loza. My thoughts turned on me; I didn’t want to think about him or his family. But, at the moment, all I could think of was the feeling his lips might leave on mine. Sam picked up his camera, and scrolled through the photos until he found his favorite of me on the wave. He proudly showed Danny and Sally. Even Deegan and Jamie huddled in close to catch a glimpse of the small screen. “I told you,” Danny laughed, “it was all in that crazy head of yours.”
A smile forced its way onto my lips. How could I tell these people who worried so much about me that catching that one wave out there was just a fluke? That it really scared me more than anything? That my father is the only one who got me on that board and it took him four years of staying away? My mind reeled. Nothing at that moment made sense, and I wouldn’t let myself speak. I nodded in agreement and kept that plastered on smile while everyone cheered me on and celebrated my success.
“I’m so freaking screwed,” I thought to myself; especially when Jamie talked everyone into going out tomorrow…
“What are you doing here?” I questioned the realness of this moment.
He shook his head and waved me off. “You just surfed, honey!”
My chest tightened with anxiety as I thought about the rocking motion of the waves. I panicked, but somehow, I ended up on the sand hugging my father. He picked up his camera and pressed several buttons before showing me the previews of the photos he took. My posture was perfect, my stance just as amazing; I looked like a lunatic, but the motions were so natural. His smile said it all. I was born to surf.
“Now, I’m super excited for you,” Sam said with a twinkle in his eye, “but is that Kyle Loza?”
I cringed as the yelling reached us. Jessie’s wrath took its rightful place on Loza while I told my father that was in face Kyle Loza. I unwrapped myself from my father’s arms and stepped between the glaring boys.
“Sam Knight, this,” I paused and turned toward Jessie, “is my favorite bartender and coworker, Jessie.”
Her father put out his hand and smiled. “This is the one that’s been taking care of you right?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s the owner of the bar, Buster; Jessie makes sure I’m not too insane after work.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Jessie shook her father’s hand and smiled. “I promise all we do is dance and talk.”
I blushed before I turned toward Kyle. “And this is the guy you wanted to ask a question.”
Kyle raised a brow as he searched Sam’s face. Sam grinned sheepishly as he asked, “I want to do a photo shoot with you, if you’ll agree to it.”
The motocross rider looked at me for a moment before he nodded. “Of course! How can I turn down one of the most famous photographers in the business?” Kyle smiled at me. I knew in that moment he thought my father’s idea started with my own. Inwardly, I reminded myself he had kids and a wife.
Reluctantly, I turned away from his warm, beautiful smile to another. Jessie’s white teeth gleamed in the sunlight, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes, almost as deep as the ocean, held something bordering on pride or amazement. “You surfed!” He half yelled as he threw his arms around me. I couldn’t hold back a fit of giggles as his hug took me off the ground and spun me around.
Sam cleared his throat loudly. Jessie let me go too abruptly; I nearly fell backwards, but Loza reached out and stopped my stumble backward. His long fingers sent chills up and down my spine. I stepped away from him quickly.
“Rey?” Sam questioned.
“Sam?” I mocked while I put my hands on my hips.
My father shook his head and laughed. Understanding spread across his features, but he didn’t ask about either boy, either situation. Sam Knight smiled and asked me when I was going back into the water.
I shrugged. “Maybe six more years?” Sam tapped his foot and arched his brow. “Tomorrow, I guess.” I laughed at his expression. “Let’s go show you to Uncle Danny.”
~~~
We walked into the house to hear nothing but moans and groans. The people that were on the floor when I left the house that morning, in my mind, were officially declared zombies. Sam’s camera shutter clicked nonstop as he passed through the bodies—some sitting, some standing, but all complaining. Danny and Sally diligently passed out the aspirin and bottles of water. Jamie still nursed her coffee cup while brewing two more pots of the hangover cure.
“Look who I found,” I shouted as I walked into the kitchen. My voice caused a roar of ‘keep it downs’ until Danny looked up from Deegan. The smile that spread across his face was unrivaled by any I’d ever seen. Sam’s shutter went insane as he pointed the camera in Danny’s direction.
“Hurricane Dan strike’s again!” Sam laughed and put his beloved camera on the counter. Deegan raised an eyebrow at me.
“Why are you wearing a wetsuit?” He groaned.
“I went surfing.” I grinned. Danny hugged me almost as tight as my father had. He noticed, at the moment he let me go, the same thing I’d noticed on the beach. Kyle Loza wouldn’t take those beautiful green eyes off me.
I turned away from Loza. My thoughts turned on me; I didn’t want to think about him or his family. But, at the moment, all I could think of was the feeling his lips might leave on mine. Sam picked up his camera, and scrolled through the photos until he found his favorite of me on the wave. He proudly showed Danny and Sally. Even Deegan and Jamie huddled in close to catch a glimpse of the small screen. “I told you,” Danny laughed, “it was all in that crazy head of yours.”
A smile forced its way onto my lips. How could I tell these people who worried so much about me that catching that one wave out there was just a fluke? That it really scared me more than anything? That my father is the only one who got me on that board and it took him four years of staying away? My mind reeled. Nothing at that moment made sense, and I wouldn’t let myself speak. I nodded in agreement and kept that plastered on smile while everyone cheered me on and celebrated my success.
“I’m so freaking screwed,” I thought to myself; especially when Jamie talked everyone into going out tomorrow…