Page 101 of Ride the Wave

A figure alone on the beach catches the corner of my eye.

I stop to squint at them and when they put their hands in their pockets, staring out at the ocean, I know it’s him. I can see that mop of unruly hair all the way from over here.

Crouching down to undo my shoes, I loop my finger through the ankle straps and then start making my way across the sand to him. He doesn’t notice me approaching until I’m practically right behind him.

‘Hey,’ he says, turning in surprise.

I glare at him. ‘Leo! What the fuck?’

He frowns, confused. ‘What?’

‘You stormed off without saying goodbye!’

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘Yes, you did. You left there to come over here without saying anything to me!’

The corners of his lips twitch. ‘You’re saying I should have bid you farewell before walking a few metres across the beach?’

‘Don’t try to twist this back on me,’ I huff, narrowing my eyes at him. ‘You haven’t said a word to me all night. You’ve been purposefully avoiding me.’

He drops his eyes to the sand, digging the heel of his foot into it.

‘What was I supposed to think? I wasn’t going to assume you’d temporarily sauntered off to brood on your own over here.’

He can’t fight a smile. ‘I wasn’t brooding.’

‘You’re on a beach, staring out at the ocean at night.’

‘I was thinking.’

‘That’s what brooding is, pretty much. Just throw in a frown – and you had one of those on,’ I say accusingly.

‘Fine,’ he sighs. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you from your party. And I’m sorry because of me you had to take off your shoes. They’re very nice.’

I sniff, folding my arms. ‘All right, that comment earns you some points. What are you doing over here?’

He shrugs. ‘Thinking. I told you.’

‘Thinking aboutwhat?’ I ask, exasperated.

He brings his eyes up to meet mine. ‘You,’ he says gently. ‘And what you said in your speech.’

I hesitate, a wave of guilt lurching through my stomach. ‘Okay I… I realise I may not have been as subtle as I should have been. Maybe that bit about the village capturing my heart was a bit over the top. But look, Leo, it’s okay, I’ve always known that this is where it, you know, comes to an end, this thing between me and you, and if by making that comment, I’ve made you feel uncomfortable, then—’

‘That’s not what I mean,’ he says abruptly.

‘Oh.’

He fixes me with his determined gaze. ‘What if it didn’t end?’

My breath hitches. ‘Leo—’

‘Hear me out,’ he requests, taking a step towards me. He licks his lips, his forehead furrowed as he searches for the right thing to say. ‘Do you remember when we were here for Anna’s party and we were in the back room searching for wine—?’

‘When you pretended not to know anything about it?’

‘Just to have the chance to talk to you more, yes,’ he says, brushing that off impatiently with a wave of his hand. ‘Do you remember what I said to you then? About why I felt unnerved by our chat on the beach.’

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