Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Cam
L ying on my board, I paddled with my arms through the water, finding the perfect rhythm to the roll of the waves.
They were more turbulent than usual, coming in surges that followed no constant pattern or pressure.
It demanded my full concentration and a mix of careful calculation and reckless risk.
Exactly how I liked it.
I took my time getting to know the song of the sea. When I felt the water swelling under my board, I pushed my torso up, mounted one foot forward beneath my chest, and launched myself upright, keeping my knees bent.
My board caught the wave like I’d wanted. As the swell propelled me forward and upward, it felt like the closest thing to flying, and I grinned wide, letting nature take me on a ride.
Forget drugs or alcohol. This was my high, and it was free and all-natural.
What could be better than this?
Nothi—
I shrieked as my board collided with something solid, pitching me off to the side. A loud fuck filled my ears a second before I hit the water.
Wiping out was part and parcel of any surfing experience, but it being caused by what seemed to be a swimmer was not usually one of them.
Paddling myself up, I coughed out a mouthful of water and shouted, “Are you okay?”
My answer came in the form of a heavy groan.
A distinctly male one.
I quickly swam to the other side of my board. Spotting black hair and massive shoulders, I threw my arm around the stranger’s back and put my energy into hauling him up so he could use the board as a flotation device.
“Hold on to it,” I shouted in his ear, hoping he’d stay conscious. As much as I worked out to handle my board, I doubted I was strong enough to get an unconscious man to shore on my own.
Thankfully, he threw his arms over the board and gripped its edge. He coughed and hurled into the water, and all I could do was thump his back and try to swim for both of us.
When his heaving stopped, he shook his head, giving me a better look at his face.
First thing I noticed?
No blood.
Second thing?
I knew him.
“Are you okay?” was the question that left my mouth. What I really wanted to ask was, are you crazy?
Stupid, stupid guy.
“Yeah,” Alonzo rasped in between labored breaths.
I wanted to shout at him that he was damn lucky he missed my fins. That could have been his death on my conscience, never mind that I’d done nothing other than go on my regular morning surf.
Blowing out a breath, I hooked my arm around him and began swimming us to safety.
The sea seemed to take pity on me, gentling its current so we could make it to land without my legs cramping. As soon as my toes brushed sand, I went faster until we hit the shore.
We were near the edge of the water when he let go of my board. I released my hold on him, and he collapsed on the sand, his back rising and falling heavily. I knelt beside him, panting just as hard from the effort of hauling him.
“Did you hit your head?” I asked. If he did, I’d have to get him checked for a concussion.
Hell, I’d have to do that anyway. Who knew if he had some kind of internal damage?
Turning, he lay on his back, and I got a full view of his lean, muscular body dressed only in what appeared to be black boxer briefs.
“Just my arm.”
I quickly transferred my eyes to his left arm. Sure enough, his entire outer bicep looked red and swollen.
“Didn’t you see me out there? This is the surf zone. That area over there is where you swim,” I said, jerking my head to the right.
He looked out into the horizon. “I know.”
“You could have died!”
“I know,” he repeated without turning his head. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I thought you were a genius. Or is that reserved for your classes? Is practical thinking beyond you?”
“Damn.” He glanced at me. “Good to know you like me just as much as you did last time.”
So he remembered me—probably because he rarely ever met anyone he couldn’t charm. “Is it too much to hope there won’t be a next time?” I muttered loud enough for him to hear.
His eyes shuttered. “I didn’t exactly plan to be here.”
That explained the underwear. A part of me wanted to ask why he was here then, but more than that, I just wanted to move on with my day.
Before I could, I had to take care of this guy first. “Can you stand?”
He frowned at me. “Why?”
“So I can bring you to the clinic,” I snapped. “You might have a concussion.”
“I wish I did so I could forget the last twenty-four hours.” Snorting, he shook his head. “As if that would make a difference.”
“I’m serious. You could have?—”
“I’m fine,” he said sharply. “You don’t have to pretend like you care.”
My teeth gnashed together. Was he kidding me? Here I was trying to help him out when he was the one who’d swam where he shouldn’t have and gotten himself hurt. He could have also hurt me . Rather than apologize or be grateful, he was acting like a brat.
He was wrong about me too. I wasn’t pretending to care—I was trying to be a decent human. But if he preferred to think the worst of me, I wasn’t going to waste more of my energy trying to convince him otherwise.
“So you don’t want me to bring you to the clinic,” I demanded as I stood and dusted off my legs. “This is my final offer.”
“No,” he answered, staring at the sea again.
I should have left it at that, but my mouth opened again. “Make sure to clean and dress that wound. It’ll hurt like a bitch.”
“Apparently, that’s the theme of the season.”
I could tell him to quit the self-pity and be thankful it wasn’t anything worse, but who was I to preach about positivity? Optimism had never been part of my programming.
And while people could accuse me of being many things, a hypocrite wasn’t one of them.
I removed the leash from my ankle and pulled up my board. Might as well call it quits. I’d barely gotten any time on the waves, but my headspace was shot.
This city boy had brought his negative energy to my sanctuary and ruined my morning. If I had any bit of luck on my side, he would only be here for a day or two and we both could go back to our peaceful lives.
“Hey!”
I stopped. Despite myself, I glanced back.
He hadn’t moved from his spot by the water, but now he was looking at me. “I owe you one.”
“You can pay me back by avoiding me.”
He gave me a faint smile. “Got it.” Then he faced the sea again.
For someone who had just been in an accident, he sure didn’t display any sense of urgency to take care of his injuries.
If we were friends, I would have ignored his refusal and dragged him to a clinic. But we weren’t, and I’d done my part in making sure he was alive. Whatever he did next was on him.
Yet even as I stomped back home and got into the shower, I wondered why he’d lost his swagger and had tormented shadows in his eyes.
Alonzo
Of all the people I had to crash into on the worst day of my life, it had to be her.
The one who seemed to hate my guts just by virtue of my existence.
To be fair, I’d given her a legitimate reason to have beef with me this time, but it wasn’t as though I had set out to ruin her ride. Who would ever willingly take a surfboard to the arm? Not me.
Luckily, I hadn’t hit my head—or worse, caused her to hit hers.
Guilt struck me. I shouldn’t have treated her the way I had. I had bumped into her , and not only had she helped me get to the shore, she’d also offered to bring me to a clinic.
Sure, she hadn’t been gentle about it, but maybe that wasn’t her style. She’d still given me a hand when I needed it, and I’d pretty much shoved it away.
I could chalk it up to how my arm was throbbing like hell and how even that didn’t beat out the burning ache in the center of my chest. Or to how her cutting words had amplified the feeling of worthlessness that had taken root inside me since Dani’s admission.
But none of that changed the fact that I’d treated her poorly.
Mama had raised me to do the right thing, which meant I needed to apologize and try to make it up to her.
I didn’t know her name, but I bet if I asked around town, someone would recognize her. Not only did she possess a distinct personality, she also looked unforgettable…especially when she was spitting mad. Her cat-shaped eyes narrowed into angry slits and her cheeks flushed?—
I slammed the brakes on that train of thought. I shouldn’t be noticing other women. I had?—
No one.
I punched a fist into the sand and winced as pain zapped up my arm. I should do as the nameless girl said and get myself checked. But I didn’t care about my injuries.
Pulling myself up, I trudged to the spot a few feet away where I’d left my stuff. And by that, I meant my shoes, wallet, keys, and phone, all piled under my discarded clothing. That was everything I had on me when I went to Dani’s house, save for the car I’d parked near the bus station.
I powered on my phone, which I’d switched off sometime between Dani’s calls. As soon as it lit up, the notifications came. I ignored everything except for the ones from my sisters.
Luna
Hey, are you still with Dani?
Lonz???
Tala
Please call us back. We’re worried about you.
Luna
I called Miggy. He contacted Dani and she said you left before dinner. What happened??
Papa’s threatening to file a missing person report
Tala
@Lonzo call us as soon as you can.
Remorse slapped me across the face, and even though it was only past six in the morning, I dialed our group chat.
The phone rang twice, and then—“Hello?” Tala’s voice came through, loud and sharp.
“Ate T.”
“Alonzo!” she cried out. “Thank God. Are you okay? Where are you? Why haven’t you been answering?”
“Finally!” Luna said, joining the call. “Are you?—”
“I’m okay,” I answered before she could repeat Tala’s questions. “I’m sorry I worried you guys. I’m in Juana.”
“What?” Tala exclaimed. “Why didn’t you text us? Or answer our calls? We’ve been worried sick.”
“I kind of…blanked out.” As excuses went, that was lame.
But it was also the truth. Between getting in the car and stepping off the bus, I barely remembered anything.
I couldn’t even pinpoint the moment I decided to go here.
I’d kept my phone off because I knew Dani would try reaching me, and I couldn’t stomach seeing her name or photo flash across the screen.
“What happened?” Luna asked. “Miggy said Dani told him you’d argued and you were upset, but she didn’t say why.”
I screwed my eyes shut and swiped my palm down my face. “I can’t talk about it now.” I could barely admit the truth to myself, let alone to anyone else. I needed time. “I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“When will that be? Don’t forget we have lunch on Monday,” Tala reminded me.
Right. The annual Reyes Christmas reunion, when Tala and Jason were announcing their engagement to our extended family. “I’ll be there by then.” I could take the last bus out tomorrow night and be home by Monday morning. Then I could also make my afternoon shift at the coffee shop.
“Are you really okay?” Tala said again. “We can pick you up, just let us know where.”
“I’m fine. I just need time to myself.”
“Sure?” Luna asked. “Because we don’t mind the drive.”
“Yeah. I promise I’ll be back before the party.” I sighed. “Can you hold Papa and Mama off for me?”
“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Luna grumbled. “We spent hours trying to talk Papa down until Mama finally convinced him to go to bed.”
All I could manage to say was, “I’m sorry.”
“Do you have a place to stay?” asked Tala.
Shit. Another thing I’d blanked on. “I’ll find one after we hang up.”
“What?” Luna screeched. “Where are you now?”
“The beach.”
“This is so not you. I think we should go there,” Luna said.
“No!” I shouted. In a calmer voice, I added, “Please don’t. I need space. I promise I won’t do anything crazy.”
“You mean other than taking off and going to a different state in the middle of the night?” Tala asked.
“I can take care of myself, Ate T.”
“Fine. Just…let us know if you need anything, alright? Anything,” she stressed.
“I will. Thanks.”
“We love you, Lonzo,” Luna said, and it brought a lump to my throat.
“Love you too. See you on Monday.” Then I hung up before she made me any more emotional than I already was.
A few seconds later, my phone pinged.
Tala
We’re here for you, @Lonzo.
Luna
Always!!!
Through my haze of disbelief, I realized that maybe it wasn’t my worst day after all. Not when I still had my sisters on my side.