Chapter 11
When we got to the campsite, it was almost dark, and the air was cooler.
Felix walked me back to the mobile home in almost silence.
It was a comfortable silence, but was tinged with something else.
Something that hadn’t been said? Had something got lost in translation?
But my worries evaporated when we reached my place and Felix tugged my hand to stop me, turning me round to face him.
‘I had a really great time tonight,’ he said.
‘Me too,’ I said, relieved. He kissed me gently on each cheek, and my stomach sank as it hit me how much I’d wanted him to really kiss me again.
But I shook the thought away before it showed on my face.
‘Thank you, for the sunflowers. Les tournesols. They were really special.’ And I meant it.
It felt like something I’d remember for the rest of my life.
‘Avec plaisir. I will see you tomorrow?’ Felix pushed his hand through his hair again, the way he did.
A habit. Something else I’d remember. I loved that, after only a few days, I was noticing his quirks, his little nuances that exposed themselves one by one, like I was discovering all these separate parts of a patchwork quilt.
‘I’d like that.’
‘Goodnight, Margot,’ Felix said, turning away and walking a few steps before looking back to smile, catching me staring at him.
‘Night, Felix.’
When I walked through the door, muffled laughter made me look straight to Rue and Wren’s bedroom. I walked over and pushed the door open. They were both hiding under bedsheets, trying and failing to stifle their giggles.
‘We saw you kiss,’ Rue said, and they both laughed. They pushed off the sheets and sat up.
‘You didn’t actually. He just kissed my cheeks. You know they do that in France to say hello?’
‘They kiss?’ Rue made a face.
‘Just little ones.’ I made a tiny motion with my fingers on her cheeks.
‘I like that,’ said Wren.
‘Why aren’t you asleep anyway?’ I asked.
‘We’re too excited about surfing tomorrow,’ said Rue.
‘It does look fun,’ I mused, and for the first time that evening my mind was back on the beach.
‘Maybe you should do lessons too,’ suggested Wren.
‘Maybe I should …’ I said as I closed their door. I took a few steps into my room, set an alarm for six a.m., and fell asleep with a smile on my face.
The next morning, I woke feeling full of energy, as if my body had decided to tell me to get up and go to the beach.
And at swimming, I’d always been taught to listen to my body, so I jumped out of bed and put on a bikini, shorts and a T-shirt.
I briefly looked at myself in the mirror, deciding to leave my hair as it was, a mass of blonde curls, instead of attempting to tie it back.
I crept out, trying not to wake anyone; I’d be back before they’d even notice I’d gone.
I gazed towards the Brasserie on my way past, but it was empty.
The beach was empty too. But the water wasn’t. It was dotted with surfers as far as I could see, riding sparkling waves in the morning sun.
I walked towards the surf hut and, as I got closer, my feet warmed by the sand in my sliders, I noticed how Antoine pulled down his sunglasses and looked at me. I swear I saw him raise his eyebrows too.
I stopped a few metres away and glanced into the surf hut where I could see a few others about the same age as Antoine.
‘You are late,’ Antoine said.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. ‘It’s six twenty-eight. You said six thirty.’
‘For surfing, on time is late.’ Antoine picked up a black T-shirt that was drying in the sun on the back of a plastic chair and chucked it to me.
‘It is a rash vest. It might be a bit big. You can change behind the hut.’ He walked to the rack of surfboards and pulled one out as I walked behind the wooden building.
‘Is this yours?’ I called, after pulling the T-shirt down and realizing it was more like a dress.
‘It does not fit me any more,’ he called back.
I re-emerged wearing it and walked over beside him. ‘Which one can I have?’ I asked, tracing my fingers over a blue board with fiery waves up the side.
‘None. Not yet. Come.’ Antoine grabbed my arm gently and pulled me in the direction of the water. ‘We watch first.’
I dug my bare foot into the sand when we stopped. I hadn’t come here to window-shop. Antoine moved behind me, and instinctively I held my breath, as if breathing was something to be ashamed of.
‘Look at the ocean.’ He pointed over my shoulder at the glittering sea I was already looking at.
‘Alors. Les vagues. Sorry. The waves, they come in des séries. Sets. Come.’ Antoine moved around me, then took my wrist and led me even closer to the water.
He let go before I could object, but not before a rush of something tingled right the way up my spine, forcing me to close my eyes momentarily as it culminated with a thousand sparks fizzing at the back of my neck.
‘OK, look at the horizon. You see?’ He was behind me again, pointing over my shoulder.
I nodded.
‘Watch for the sets. Normalement there are about seven or ten waves, and then une accalmie. A lull. And see? That is when you paddle out.’
We watched as the surfers paddled to deeper water.
‘And you see where the waves are not breaking? Look, there is a calm bit right there.’ Antoine’s face was right beside mine now, making sure I was looking the right way, so close that if I turned my face, my cheek would scrape against the dark stubble that lined his jaw.
‘I see it.’
‘Bon. That is your ba?ne. Rip current. It can be dangerous. Sometimes people panic and they try to swim against it, but you must never panic. If you get caught, you must swim parallel to the shore. You know parallel?’ Antoine asked.
He’d moved back and was looking straight at me as if I was an idiot.
‘Of course I know parallel. I’m not stupid.’
Antoine laughed. ‘I did not say you were stupid, but there are many clever people who have been caught in rip currents, Princesse.’ Then his demeanour seemed to change to something colder. ‘The ocean is dangerous. That is why safety is so important.’ He turned and walked back towards the hut.
I followed him and picked up the massive foam board that he’d left propped up against the wooden wall.
‘Wow, where are you going?’
‘Eh? The water?’ I motioned to the sea.
‘Not today, Princesse. First lesson is always on the sand.’
‘Are you serious? I did this yesterday with my sisters. Remember?’
‘I am very serious. Always. Yesterday was only a demonstration. If you want lessons with me, these are my rules. How long will you be here?’ he asked and I dumped the board back down on the sand.
‘Four weeks.’
‘Bon. A lot of time.’
‘I’m a swimmer, you know,’ I said, just about stopping myself from crossing my arms in frustration. I put my hand in my hair instead, twisting a curl tightly round my finger.
‘I know, I saw yesterday. But swimming and surfing are very different things. Alors, lie down.’
And we did the pop-ups. Again. Over and over, until my arms were aching, and I was ready to scream in frustration.
I stood up. ‘Can we go in the water now? Please?’ I begged.
‘Non, but your lesson is almost finished, and then you are not my responsibility.’ He shrugged, but I’d stopped listening and had turned to the water, where some surfers were paddling into a wave.
‘They should wait, there’s another set coming,’ I said.
Antoine just stared at me for a second, then he looked out at the water, nodding. ‘You learn quickly.’
I was about to try to convince him that I could go into the water when Delphine from the Brasserie, another girl, and Sébastian dragged their much smaller surfboards on to the sand beside us. They were all wet and wearing navy rash vests that looked like a uniform.
‘Salut!’ The black-haired girl Delphine was with gave me a huge smile, as Delphine spoke seriously to Antoine in French.
Sébastian lay down on his surfboard and looked up at me. His shaggy blonde hair fanned out on the white board beneath him.
‘I sleep now,’ he said, grinned and closed his eyes.
The girl kicked him in the side, and he folded over dramatically.
‘Allez quoi, Sébastian! Lève-toi!’ She laughed.
He groaned and looked up at me, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. ‘Lili is not kind to me. Delphine is not kind to me.’ He gave me a sad face then bounced up to standing almost immediately.
‘Enchanté.’ Sébastian was at least a foot taller than me, with long, gangly, tanned limbs. He held out a huge hand towards me and I took it. Then he bent down and kissed both of my cheeks. ‘I am Sébastian, la victime of Delphine and Lili, and who are you?’
I looked up at him and couldn’t help smiling back at his grin. ‘Margot. This is my first lesson.’
‘First lesson! With Antoine!’ Sébastian turned to Lili, who was squeezing salt water from her long, dark hair. I glanced over at Delphine and Antoine, who were still talking in low voices.
‘Antoine is strict, non?’ Lili looked at me with a warm smile. ‘But he is good. He was the teacher of Delphine.’
Lili nodded towards them, but they were too deep in conversation to look up. Then, without warning, Sébastian launched himself at Delphine and pulled her over playfully.
‘Delphine, notre professionelle!’
Delphine pulled herself away from him, but she was laughing.
Then he started tickling her and Lili stepped towards them.
‘Arrêtez!’ she said and grabbed Delphine’s hand, pulling her close.
Then they kissed, and an unexpected relief took over, as it dawned on me that Felix and Delphine definitely weren’t together.
Sébastian walked over, slung his long arm round my neck and leaned in. ‘C’est compliqué here on the beach. Delphine is, how do you say, la copine?’ Sébastian looked at Antoine.
‘Girlfriend,’ he confirmed.
‘Yes. Delphine is the girlfriend of Lili. But. And it is a big but. She was la copine, sorry, the girlfriend of Antoine.’
Antoine was looking at me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind his glasses, but I wondered if he was looking for a reaction.
‘OK. I get it. And who is your copine?’ I asked Sébastian.
‘You?’ He pulled me closer towards him. ‘I joke. No, it is very sad. I do not have a girlfriend.’
Delphine said something to him, and he whispered in my ear. ‘Help. I told you that they are not nice to me.’ Then he laughed and released me.
Delphine and Lili were whispering to each other now and I walked over to Antoine. ‘Delphine is a professional surfer?’ I asked.
‘She wants to be, but she needs to train harder,’ Antoine said in her direction.
She looked up and waved him away. ‘There is a competition in September. La Vague d’Or.
The Golden Wave. Last year she placed fourth in the girls’ competition, and this year, if she comes in the top three, she will get prize money, sponsorship, invitations to competitions in Europe, maybe the world.
’ He glanced at Delphine, who was listening.
‘If she trains harder, she might do it.’
‘Tu n’es plus mon instructeur,’ she said.
‘En anglais?’ Lili looked at her with big eyes and nodded at me as she pushed a strand of wet hair from Delphine’s face.
Delphine rolled her eyes. ‘Antoine, you are not my instructor any more. Happy?’ Delphine said, turning to Lili and smiling.
‘Margot,’ Lili said. ‘Are you coming to the bonfire tonight?’
I looked at Antoine, confused. ‘The bonfire?’ I asked.
‘It is not for tourists,’ I heard Delphine say.
‘On the beach, we have a bonfire tonight, right here. For all the surfers. Do you want to come?’
‘Oh, please come, Margot,’ Sébastian begged beside me.
Felix flashed in my head. Our kiss. Our date. But maybe he would come too. A surfer party. I couldn’t think of anything more cool.
‘I’ll be there.’
Then Delphine stormed off, mumbling something in French, followed by Lili, followed by Sébastian, who kissed my cheeks again before he ran after them, leaving me standing on the sand with Antoine.
‘Delphine. She is complicated.’ Antoine flicked his head in their direction.
‘I can see that,’ I replied.
‘I will see you soon? With your sisters?’ Antoine asked.
‘Yep, I’ll be back.’
‘Perhaps I will let them in the water,’ he said, grinning at me, and I pushed him playfully.
‘You better not. See you later.’ I turned and walked back towards the campsite, and I felt Antoine’s eyes on me the whole way down the beach.