Page 70 of Beyond The Break

“Where are they now?”

I clear my throat, shifting in my seat uncomfortably. “They’re both a few towns over.”

She raises a brow at me. “You guys don’t talk anymore or something?”

“Not really…they don’t remember me,” she blinks twice, “they had me really late into their marriage and they both were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, “how old were you when they were diagnosed?”

“Seventeen. I had just joined the youth team for the Saltwater Shredders when it happened, and Gabriel took me under his wing.”

“That explains why he’s so hard on you,” she says, leaning forwards on her elbows.

“It’s also why I take disappointing him so hard. He did so much for me, and I feel like I owe him.”

She nods in understanding.

I stand up and walk around the counter to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder as I watch her add the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

“I never knew the Shredders had a youth team.” She cracks an egg over the bowl.

“We used to, but not anymore. Gabriel can’t stand kids.”

“What about you?” She pulls out a whisk from the drawer and starts to mix everything together, the batter thickening.

“I like kids but coaching them was never something that had crossed my mind before the accident.”

“What about after the accident?” She pauses.

I pull away from her and busy myself with the pans, placing one on the warm stove top. “It’s crossed my mind a few times as a backup option.” I admit.

“I think you’d be amazing at it.”

“Oh yeah? Why is that?”

“You've been great at teaching me how to surf so far. You're very patient and thorough.”

I don't expect her words to mean as much as they do, but it's nice to hear that she feels like I've been doing a great job so far.

She walks over to me with the bowl of pancake batter and hands it to me to hold while she greases the pan.

“I assume since you’ve never had homemade pancakes that means you’ve never flipped a pancake either?” Her eyes light up with excitement.

“Nope, never flipped a pancake.” I confirm.

“Then today is the day.” She pours out a blob of batter onto the pan and hands me the spatula. “When you see it start to bubble that means it’s time to flip it.”

We wait and watch the pan until bubbles start to form on the top of the batter. I jab the spatula underneath and toss it up, convinced the pancake will do a double flip and land perfectly in the pan. Instead, it flies all the way to the ceiling and sticks.

We both stare up at it in shock before Eliana bursts out in unrestrained laughter. I lower my gaze and watch as she clutches her stomach, eyes watering. The beautiful sound fills the room, and I watch, mesmerized. Her joy is intoxicating but most of all, addicting. I want to be the reason she laughs like that every day. She opens her shimmering eyes, and her laughslowly dies away as she takes in my expression. I pull her towards me, closing the space between us.

“You’re so beautiful when you laugh, do you know that?” I murmur against her lips.

“I don’t, but I like hearing you say that, even if I don't believe it.”

The admission shocks me.

She doesn’t think she’s beautiful?

---