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“So here I am lying with a model, and I don’t even know it.” Ruben stretched again and kissed me softly. “Wouldn’t that be a career you’d be interested in?”

I glanced at my phone, relieved that I still had a few minutes left. “No!” That pretty much said it all. “To be honest, it’d be too stressful for me. I enjoy traveling from surf spot to surf spot. But I also want to decide for myself where I go and how long I stay. How long I stare at the sun in one position.”

He grinned.

“What was exciting was when Ash painted me.”

Ruben sat up abruptly. “Ash painted you? I didn’t know that.”

I pulled him back onto the bed with me. “It’s amazing that this fact hasn’t made its way into the Michelin-star restaurants in Europe.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

Ruben punched me lightly, and we smiled at each other.

“I would always model for Ash. But seriously,” I continued. “It’s a pretty tough business and far off from what I am comfortable with. It was a fun experience. And I don’t say no when someone wants to photograph me. But making this hustle my life? No, thank you!”

“I understand that now,” Ruben confessed. “After school, I thought I had to seize every opportunity I had.” He avoided my gaze by staring between my chin and my chest. “It didn’t matter whether it was men or jobs. I always felt like I had to take what I got. Because maybe it was the best thing that would happen to me. Slowly, I’m realizing that I don’t have to cling to anything or run away when I’m overwhelmed. I can make decisions. Trust that I know what’s good for me.”

I listened to him with awe. Ruben was often stubborn and rarely let his vulnerable yet strong side show.

“And you’re good for me. Incredibly good.” He still didn’t look at me but continued talking. “And as grateful as I am for what I learned in the Michelin-star kitchens, it’s not my life. It’s okay to be happy with something smaller. And content.”

Finally, he lifted his head, so his eyes met mine as he continued. “I’m happy now. In a calm way. I never thought this could be possible.”

I pulled him toward me, and our mouths melted into a deep kiss. I explored his mouth with my tongue. I traced his lips, until we slowly pulled apart.

“I feel the same way!” I emphasized emphatically. “Completely content on my beach, I could never have imagined that someone would make me as ecstatic as you do. You’re the cherry on top of a huge ice cream sundae.”

He snorted with amusement again and kissed me. “When you stood here in the cabin six weeks ago, I didn’t expect anything. Especially not us lying here like this today.”

“I did!” I pushed myself up decisively. “It was always in the cards.”

Ruben fell back, laughing. “Of course. Sometimes you appear to be naturally high!”

I leaned over him and kissed every inch of his face. “I’m high on you!”

After a few minutes, we got up because I had to leave. “What are you up to now?” I asked Ruben, who was letting his gaze drift around the cabin again.

He pointed to the ceiling. “George is coming by in a minute. He wants to fix something. Could it be that another water stain has formed up there?”

I followed his finger but couldn’t see anything in the dim light. “No idea.”

“Let’s see if we’ll even still be here when you come back.”

I got dressed and slung my backpack over my shoulder. “As long as you save me a spot next to you, I don’t care where we sleep.” I said goodbye with one last kiss, and Ruben began to clear the space for George’s ladder.

When I arrived at the main square in front of the resort, the minibuses were already pulling up.

Adriel ran toward me, waving. “Come with me to load the boards; they’re already waiting in the basement.” I put my backpack on a seat on one of the buses and followed Adriel.

We stowed the boards, greeted the tour guests, diligently checked names off our list, and planned the final steps before departure.

The camera crew, models, and other passengers stood together in small groups.

Adriel provided the employees with name tags, and then we mingled with the crowd.

“You’re Shane?” A guy who was almost certainly one of the models pointed to the tag stuck on my jacket.

“Ha!” I looked down at myself. “If it says so, then it must be true.”