Page 38 of Memories By the Shore
My skin breaks out in chills, just like it did when he called last night—a physiological response to him I have no control over.
“Avery.”
Picking at the button on my pants, I suck in a weighted breath.Be strong.
“How are you?” I ask in an even tone even though I’m buzzing with nerves.
“I’m good. How did you sleep last night?’
“I slept well, thank you. You?”
“Good. Come out to your balcony,” he gently demands.
I think for a second before rising to my feet and walking tothe door. Then, out in the distance, I see him holding up his surfboard with his phone to his ear. Clicking my tongue, a smile pulls at my lips. “Are you spying on me?”
“No, I was just out for a morning swim.”
I open the door, slowly walk to the balcony’s edge, and lean over. “You still go out every morning?”
“Only when I can. It still clears my head,” he says.
“Working helps me clear my head.”
He runs a hand through his wet hair. “And what is work for you?”
Sighing, I rest my hand on my chin. “I’m a flight attendant.”
“That fits.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You like to run away.” His tone is light, but there’s a dark truth behind it.
“That’s not nice.” I play it off, switching the phone to my other ear. “What about you? You’re not working today?”
He shakes his head. “Everyone is off to prepare for the Coconut Grove Days this weekend.”
I flashback to the only other time I attended this event.That night. His truck. Everything that followed.I was out of my mind in love. And in way over my head for how young I was.
“I remember that event,” I say fondly.
“I’ve made some changes, but it still happens every year.” Silence.“Do you remember that night?” he asks, his voice low. I barely hear it over the waves.
I blush. I can still feel the way his body commanded mine. The warmth of his breath on my lips. The connection of him being inside of me. A feeling I haven’t experienced since beingwith Jasper.
“I do.”
“So do I.”
Panic zips up my spine. With all the heady sensations, it’s also followed by anguish. This conversation is taking a turn in a very personal direction. “Aren’t you hot standing out there?”
“No, I’m used to it.”
“So, what are you doing for the rest of the day?” I ask, keeping the subject away from the painful direction it was going. “Besides hanging out outside of my rental.”
He chuckles. “I was surfing. It’s not my fault you chose to stay only three houses down from mine.”
Slightly embarrassed by my attempt at sarcasm, I stomp my foot, frustrated that I let the girls get into my head. He doesn’t still have feelings for me.
