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I swallow back my fear and follow him into the water. There’s a quiet peace in the darkness, a stillness that settles over us as we wade deeper into the waves.
He shows me how to lie on the board, his hands steady and sure as they guide me. “You’ve got this,” he says quietly.
I take a deep breath as I paddle out into the open water, my heart racing with both fear and excitement. The waves beneath us are gentle at first, rolling like soft, undulating hills. But as we paddle farther from shore, I can feel the power of the ocean underneath me, the pull of the tide growing stronger.
Mal is just ahead of me, his body moving with the waves as if he’s part of them. There’s a grace to him I’ve never seen before, a fluidity that’s both beautiful and unexpected.
“You’re doing great,” he calls back over the sound of the waves.
My arms are already starting to tire from the effort, but I manage a smile. The cool salt spray on my skin and the vastness of the ocean stretching out before me feels like freedom, and for the first time in ages, I feel like I’m in control. Maybe not of my disease, or my fate. But this moment?
This moment ismine.
“Get ready to stand!” Mal yells as a wave comes surging toward us from behind.
I hesitate, my heart pounding in my chest. But it’s okay. I trust him.
“Now!”
I push to standing, my legs wobbly, but somehow, I stay upright. The wave carries me forward, the wind rushing past me, and for the briefest moment, I feel utterly weightless—like I’m flying.
“Mal!” I shriek, laughing as the wave takes me toward the shore. I catch his grin out of the corner of my eye, and it’s like nothing else matters.
I don’t know how long we surf. It feels like hours. Time itself blurs out here, the moonlight and the ocean blended together in perfect harmony. I’m breathless, my body exhausted, but I don’t want to stop. I don’t want this night ever to end.
Then something shifts.
The wind picks up, a sharp gust that sends a chill down my spine. I glance out at the horizon and see the dark clouds from earlier rolling inwayfaster. The ocean is starting to churn, the waves growing taller and more violent by the second.
“We should head in,” Mal says as he paddles over to me.
I shake my head, adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Just one more,” I grin, placing the board under me and paddling out away from him.
“Freya, now,” His voice is sharper, cutting through the growing wind.
But I’m already gone, chasing one last wave, the thrill of my new addiction too tempting to resist. A storm might be coming, but in this moment, I feel invincible.
I catch the wave, my body moving with the ocean as the seriously massive crest roars toward the shore. For a second, it’s perfect.
Until it’s not.
Gravity goes sideways and the wave crashes down around me, the wind whipping the water into a frenzy. I’m thrown from the board, tumbling beneath the surface, disoriented and gasping for air.
Panic surges through me as the storm hits in earnest. I try to surface, but the waves are relentless, dragging me under repeatedly, the board tied to my ankle jerking and yanking my leg. Just when I think I can’t hold on any longer, strong arms wrap around me, pulling me up into the air.
Mal.
He hauls me onto his board, his eyes wild with fear and anger. “What thehellwere you thinking?” he roars, but there’s no time for a reply. The storm is here, and it’s fuckingangry.
The waves thunder around us as we paddle frantically toward the beach. We make it to shore just as the winds reach a fever pitch, the rain sheeting down. Mal grabs both boards, undoing the ankle straps, and we rush up the sand toward the Jeep. We’re both yanking our wetsuits and swimsuits off when a sudden, violent cracking sound explodes through the night.
I whirl, screaming as a huge tree branch comes crashing down, smashing onto the parking lot right in front of the Jeep, boxing it in.
I shudder as the massive storm begins to rage and thunder around us. I glance around, looking for shelter, but there’s nothing. Mal told me on the way that that’s why he loves this beach—because it’s so isolated, without even a single tacky surf bar.
“FREYA!”
Mal screams my name over the howling wind, the sky thundering and booming as the storm crashes against the shore. He grabs my hand, yanking me after him into the swirling winds as we stumble back down the beach, naked, wet, and scared.
