Page 14 of Love You Like This

Especially as he flips his wet hair out of his eyes and jogs down to join me in the water. The morning sun shines down on him, giving his golden hair a halo effect. His eyes crinkle with joy that I’ve only seen from him on the water.

It’s infectious.

“What?” he asks from beside me on his board.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing? Or nothing. I can’t tell if it’s a question.”

My lips quirk upward. “Nothing. Declarative statement.”

His large palm goes to his chest. “You did learn something at our fancy school.”

I roll my eyes and try not to smile. It’s too damn hard though. His joy translated into teasing is too hard to resist, so I splash him with water. His laughter feeds my soul as he splashes me right back.

“Okay, okay,” I hold my hands up in surrender. “You win.”

His smile softens as his eyes roam my face. “Alright, let’s go out a bit further, and I’ll explain surf etiquette to you.”

He takes the lead paddling out, showing me how to get past the waves. There’s even a demonstration of a turtle roll that I doubt I’ll be trying anytime soon. When we get out to the swells, we sit back up on our boards, feet dangling over the side as the water gently lifts and drops us.

He points out on the horizon and explains wave physics to me, along with how to count sets and what he looks for in a promising wave. Then he goes over the rules that surfers live by. I listen intently, if not for the information, then to stop myself from being distracted by the way his wet lashes clump together and set off his amber eyes.

Anxious anticipation fills me as he watches an approaching set.

“This is all you, Jade.” His gaze moves from the horizon back to me. “You ready?”

“I think so.” I lie down on my board and get myself into position.

“You’ve got this.”

The water begins to roll beneath me.

“Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!” he coaches me with enthusiasm.

I try to do everything he’s taught me. His voice loud in my mind with directions.

“Pop up!” he yells from behind me.

I manage to get to my feet, but just as I start to straighten, I lose my balance and fall to the side. The shock of being fully submerged in the cold water freezes my mind for a second, but I kick my legs and breach the surface in seconds. Pulling myself onto the board is easier than I worried it would be.

I paddle back over to where he waits for me with a huge smile on his face.

“How was it?”

“Cold and wet.”

“But fun, too, right?”

“It was.” Surprisingly, I’m not lying.

“You almost had it. You’re a freaking natural.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“Between us, who is the expert and who is the beginner?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not calling you an expert.”