Page 24 of The Infiniteness of Yesterday
He grins, his dimples popping out and dammit if some small part of me doesn’t swoon at the sight of it.
“You won’t regret this.”
Pushing my wet hair out of my eyes, I smile at Spencer on my right as we bob up and down on our shortboards. “Wow, I forgot how much I loved this.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” He squints against the sunlight.
“How often are you out here?”
His nose crinkles. “Every morning just about. I’m always in a better mood when I start the day out here. It calms me. Some people do yoga or smoke a joint. This is what I do.”
“How are things for you?” I venture to ask. “With work and stuff?”
He glides his fingertips through the gray-blue water. “I have a big audition coming up.”
My heart drops. “How big?”
He hesitantly meets my eyes. “It’s expected to be the next big blockbuster, rival the Marvel Universe, but it’s just an audition, Low. It’s not a guarantee.”
“You’re talented. You’ll get it.”
Despite the fact that Spencer wasn’t a theatre kid, or brought up in an acting household, or with any inclination to go down that path, it truly comes natural to him.
“I’m not so sure.” He gives a shrug, now tracing his finger over the swirled design on his board. “But we’ll see.” Sitting up straighter, he points. “Another one’s coming. Get ready.”
“You take this one, it looks like a big one.”
He shakes his head adamantly. “You better start paddling.”
Continuing to argue will only waste time. Laying on my stomach, I paddle out, my veins thrumming with a rush of excitement as the wave gathers. I wobble a bit as I stand, but instinct kicks in and I find my balance. It’s the biggest swell of the day, and I ride it with ease, surprising myself. In the back of my mind, I know Spencer is cheering me on, but my only focus is riding the wave as long as I can.
Surfing has always been a big thing for Spencer, skateboarding too, but especially surfing. Because of that, I became well acquainted with it too and got decent at it. I figured after years of being absent on a board, today would be one major fail, but he’s right, it’s just like riding a bike. You don’t forget. Your body knows what to do. It becomes intuitive.
When I make it back to where Spencer sits on his board, bobbing in the water, he says, “Let me catch one last wave and we’ll have lunch.”
I hesitate. I don’t have anywhere to go today or anything to do until it’s time to pick up Monroe, but… “I should go.”
“Stay,” he pleads, eyes earnest. There’s a loneliness I spy there behind his gaze that makes me feel guilty. “It’s only lunch.”
I don’t know why my gut tells me this is a bad idea, that hanging out with Spencer is bound to land me in trouble, if not today, then at some point.
But I answer with, “Okay,” anyway.
“This is delicious.” I take another bite of the shrimp tacos Spencer made for lunch. It was a bit strange sitting at the counter watching him whip everything up, but it’s way better than anything I’ve had in a restaurant.
“Thanks.” He stretches his legs out at the kitchen table. “I’ve been taking classes. Not that I’m the worst cook out there, but I needed improvement, especially since Roe doesn’t mince words when she doesn’t like something.”
I laugh loudly, picking up a chip. “No, she doesn’t. That girl is the definition of no filter.”
“I love her so much,” he murmurs softly.
I smile softly. “Me too.”
We look at each other across the table. “We did good, huh?”
“We did, even if it was hard at times.”
He clears his throat. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to you.”
