Chapter 18
ALEJANDRA
Agua - Valeria Castro
It took her an entire week to find the courage to actually call Sofia, and not just send a text pretending she was still her old self.
After a couple of days in the hospital, they had all driven down to Conil to her house.
She hadn’t found any tenants for the winter, so the house was good for them to use.
Her parents had been there while they were in Hawaii and had fixed a couple of things the summer tenants had left half destroyed.
Days had passed in a haze of books. Her e-reader had been working overtime, and she had almost caught up with the Tbr she had been slacking on for months.
Her mind, once focused on competing, now had so much free time that it felt almost heavy, oppressive.
So heavy, in fact, that she found herself checking who had viewed her Instagram stories—stories where she pretended she was happily recovering.
And then she saw him. Callum Evans. At least, the account she had found belonged to him.
For a moment, her mood shifted. Her chest tightened. Was he just checking in? Was he worried? Did he even care?
She shook the thought aside. He had sent her a box with amazing books, yes, but he had been attracted to past Alejandra.
The present one… she didn’t even like herself right now.
A sling bound her arm, reef cuts were healing across her forearm, and her face carried the sort of sadness that seemed to have taken permanent residence.
She felt heavy, broken in small, invisible ways, and certain he wouldn’t recognize—or want—this version of her.
She walked along the beach, eyes trained on the sand to check for seashells, letting the wind whip her black hair around while her headphones kept out the world.
Her thumb hovered over Sofia’s name. She took a deep breath, feeling it fill her chest and not wanting to let it escape as a sound. She had to hold it together.
Sofia already had enough on her plate. She didn’t need Alejandra adding to it.
But somehow she knew. She always knew. Sofia could read her, even through a phone call. And that was why she had been avoiding her for an entire week, because she wasn’t sure she could hide the tremble in her voice. And maybe, deep down, that was exactly why she needed to call.
Sofia picked up on the first ring.
“Oh hello, how is my favorite person in the entire world doing?”
“Recovering, reading, getting bored.”
“How’s the shoulder feeling?”
Answering not mine would have been too dramatic? She never considered herself a drama queen, but maybe she didn’t have enough of it in her life to consider herself such.
She must have been lost in her thoughts, trying to find a good answer, when Sofia added, “How do you feel after what the doctor said?”
“Mmmh.” That was her only answer before she started sobbing. She wasn’t one to cry, not often. But fuck, it hurt. It hurt knowing she had to stay away from the thing she loved the most. The thing that made her feel alive. That grounded her. The thing that had defined her her entire life.
“Hey, Ale. It’s okay,” Sofia whispered.
That softness in her voice? It just made it worse. It broke her.
“No, Sofi. It’s not fucking okay,” Alejandra burst out.
“How can it be okay?” Her voice rose, raw.
She had kept everything inside for days.
Never really showing how she felt to her parents or Carlos, even though she knew they always kept an eye on her, as if she was going to crumble in a matter of seconds.
She hated it. So fucking much. “The only thing I’ve ever been good at is surfing and now this injury means I might not get to do it again.
I’m thirty-three, Sofi. I don’t have that many seasons left.
This was the year. I was going for the third title.
For another Olympic medal. I deserved it. I—I—”
She broke again, choking on another wave of sobs as she sat down on the dry soft sand, her eyes trained on the black dots of surfers bobbing in the water.
That’s where she belonged, not on the sand.
And yet, her mind went back to her underwater for a split second, her lungs burning, her shoulder hurting, blood everywhere.
She shook the thought aside. No, she loved the ocean. That had been just an accident.
“You’re right. It’s not okay,” Sofia said calmly. “But do you remember what my Papà used to say?”
“Tirati insieme?” Alejandra sobbed. Get your shit together—Antonio’s signature phrase every time life threw them some curveballs.
“Exactly. But I’m telling you that with all the love I have for you, Ale.
You deserve to cry. You’re allowed to feel the rage.
You went through a major accident. You almost—” Her voice hitched.
“—died. I almost lost my best friend. I don’t even want to think about what that would’ve meant.
But listen to me, there’s more to life than surfing.
Just like there was more to life for me than Neptune. ”
Alejandra was still sobbing, but she was listening. Her best friend had been through hell, and now she was thriving. Maybe… just maybe… she should listen to her.
“Salacia happened for me,” Sofia continued. “And while you figure out what’s next for you, maybe I can lend it to you. You know I always need help around here. And with the USL coming to Ericeira in April... Being back around your people could help.”
Alejandra scrunched her nose. The last thing she wanted was to be around healthy surfers smashing waves and winning medals.
“I don’t know, Sofi. I’m not in the right mindset.”
“Why didn’t you call before?” Sofia sighed. “You don’t have to hide how you feel from me.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then come to Ericeira.”
Alejandra groaned.
“I’ll still have the sling. I have to stay six weeks with it.”
“And?”
“And…” She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. “I don’t know, Sofi. I don’t want people asking me questions. I don’t want interviews. I just want to be left alone.”
“You don’t need alone, Ale. Not right now.
You need purpose. You need to see that there’s a light at the end of this fucking tunnel.
You’ve just faced the worst injury of your career, right when you were ready to go out with a bang.
It’s normal to feel like something’s been ripped from you.
But you need to be surrounded by your community.
Surfing isn’t just a sport. It’s a world full of people who’ve gone through shit like this.
Focus on recovery. And maybe... think beyond that.
What are you going to do if surfing’s no longer an option? ”
Alejandra whispered, “I have no idea who I am without it.”
“I do,” Sofia said immediately. “I know exactly who you are when you’re not surfing.
You’re an incredible woman. Strong. Smart.
Hilarious. Sarcastic as hell. You speak five languages like it’s nothing.
You finished your sports recovery degree in two years while competing in the USL and going to the Olympics.
You’re obsessed with mythology and folklore to the point of being annoying.
And don’t get me started on your spicy book obsession.
You’ve built a whole online community. You have fans, followers, and sponsors who would sell their souls for a collab.
Ale... you’re more than just surfing. You just need time to remember what else you are.
I know you thrive on competition but that’s not all life is. ”
“Is it not?”
“Ale…” Sofia admonished her.
Alejandra took a shaky breath. “Thanks. I’ll think about it, alright?”
“Okay. And remember I’m always here, Ale. No matter the distance. No matter what’s happening in your life.”
“I love you,” she said, almost in a sob. Then, wiping her tears, she asked softly, “And you? How are you? Let’s stop talking about me.”
“Oh, actually, really good. I was about to call you for something else too.”
“What is it?”
“Are you ready to become an auntie?”
Alejandra blinked several times. Did her best friend really just drop a pregnancy bomb after she’d had a complete mental breakdown?
“Are you fucking with me?”
“No, I swear. Ilias doesn’t know yet. I just found out. I booked a flight to Abu Dhabi, where they’ll be competing, and I’ll tell him then. I just... I needed to tell someone first.”
Alejandra burst into fresh sobs. This time of pure joy and happiness. “Oh my god, Sofi. I can’t believe it. How? Were you even trying?”
“Nope. Wasn’t even on the radar. But like… I’m not freaking out, so I think it’s a good thing. I guess?”
Sofia laughed, the uncertainty in her voice tinged with joy, and Alejandra followed.
“While I was rambling about my life, you could’ve just said I’m going to be the cool auntie,” Alejandra sniffled. “I already have my purpose, then.”
“And what a cool auntie you’ll be,” Sofia replied, her own voice cracking with emotion.
Alejandra couldn’t believe it. It felt normal that after the wedding, now a baby was on the way. But at the same time, it felt surreal to become an auntie, to have her best friend deliver a baby and have a mix of Sofia and Ilias around.
They kept talking. Crying, laughing, sobbing, smiling.
And Alejandra needed that cry. She needed to scream.
She needed someone who would just listen.
Sofia had always been that person. The one who saw her clearly, since they were kids.
And now, knowing Sofia was creating life inside her, building something beautiful…
Maybe that was the spark Alejandra needed.
Maybe that could help her begin to heal.
Maybe it could give her a sense of purpose, even if it was just the first step.
It could be the reminder that life kept going on, even when it didn’t look like it.
And Alejandra had always loved life. She just had to restart loving it in a different way.