16. Griffin
SIXTEEN
It’s beenthree days since I last spoke to Eliana. She skipped out on today’s practice altogether to work on her campaign. I stare up at her empty window from the ocean, hoping to spot her. As distracting as she is when she shows up to practice, it’s nothing compared to how distracted I am when she’s not here.
I spend the whole practice trying to spot her through her bedroom window and wondering what exactly she’s doing rather than focusing on surfing. She’s like a drug that I’m addicted to, so desperately wishing I could sober up, but not quite ready to give up the high.
“My sister has a major competition this Friday. If she wins, it could be her ticket into the World Championship Tour,” Zale says after our evening practice.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Koa says, eyebrows raised, “you could end up on tour together.”
The Championship Tour is what we’re all aiming for. It’s the reason I came back early. We’ve been trying for so many years to get onto it and I refuse to let it slip through our fingers this year.
“Yeah, whatever,” Zale says nonchalantly, “I’m only mentioning it because she confirmed Coach is going to be there which means we’ll have a free house.”
Koa and I glance at each other, before breaking out into mirror grins.
“Beach Bonfire?” he asks.
“Beach Bonfire,” I confirm.
We race back to the shore and plant our boards in the sand, sitting down in a circle. Maliah and Kairi notice us from the back deck and quickly make their way over, joining us in the sand.
“Well, this looks suspicious,” Mal says, taking a seat between Zale and I, never looking at Koa even though his eyes are glued to her.
“Yeah, just a group of boys casually racing out of the water to sit in sand,” Kairi says, giggling, as she takes a seat between Koa and Zale.
Zale chuckles and I notice Kairi’s eyes light up as she glances in his direction, face turning a subtle pink shade, before returning her eyes to the sand where he draws a diagram.
“Coach is going to be gone this weekend so we’re thinking of throwing a beach bonfire,” I explain.
“Oh my gosh, fun!” Kairi says excitedly.
“Sorry to poke a hole in your plan this soon, but we can’t have the party here,” Mal says, pointing towards the house.
We all glance towards the direction she’s pointing at only to see three shiny new security cameras on the walls. Zale groans in defeat and falls backwards into the sand arms sprawled away from his body.
“When the hell did he install those?” he whines.
“Two days after the bar fight. He wanted to make sure those guys didn’t pop up looking for a second round.” Mal replies, twirling a blonde strand of her hair.
“What about The Cove?” Koa asks.
Zale rises from the dead with the biggest grin on his face as he points at Koa.
“You, my friend, are a genius. I could kiss you.”
“No thanks,” Koa mumbles, his cheeks turning pink.
“Speaking of kissing,” Mal says, turning her attention to me. “I couldn’t help but notice that the other day Eliana was wearing your team shirt from our previous season. Is there something going on between you two?”
All eyes turn to me in curious silence as I lift my eyes up to her window where I finally see her working away on her laptop. Blood rushes to my cock at the mental image of Eliana wearing my shirt, my last name on her back. I practically tore apart my closet trying to find it, knowing she’d be more inclined to wear it if it was her favorite color. Purple is quickly becoming my favorite color too since it reminds me of her now.
I decide to pay her room a visit once I finish up with the team. Wanting to repair the damage I did at the gym three days ago.
“I was just helping her out,” I say, avoiding eye contact, “she didn’t have anything comfortable to wear for the weather we had the other day.”
“Good,” Mal says firmly, “because none of us can afford to be distracted right now. We’re so close.”
I’ve been telling myself the exact same thing for weeks, but it’s too late for me, Eliana has me wrapped around her pinky.
“Exactly,” I say, patting Koa on the back. “I’m focused on getting better than this beast right here.”
Koa smiles but it doesn’t meet his eyes as he returns to focusing on Mal who is still refusing to look at him. I make a mental note to speak to her about their relationship issue after Qualifiers, the animosity isn’t helping anyone, and it’s gone on for too long now.
“Okay, back to planning this party. The Cove is perfect but how do we get all the alcohol there?” Zale asks.
“We can take my boat,” I offer.
Four pairs of round eyes turn towards me for the second time tonight.
“You have a boat?” Kairi squeals.
“I didn’t tell you?” I sheepishly rub the back of my neck, “I bought it after my accident so that I could still be close to the ocean. I had it moved to the boat dock here before I came back.”
“I can’t believe you have a boat, and we haven’t seen it yet,” Mal exclaims, frowning at me as she throws her hands in the air.
“Well, that settles that. Now all we need to do is spread the word so that others show up.” Zale says.
“Leave that to me,” Mal flips her blond hair over her shoulder and standing up to leave, brushing the sand from her legs and shorts.
“Thanks, Mal,” we say in unison as we make our way back to the house.
I knockon Eliana’s door, patiently waiting in the hallway but when she doesn’t answer I knock once more. Three minutes pass and she still hasn’t opened the door.
Did she leave?
“Eliana? Are you in here?” I ask, waiting for a reply.
Still nothing, so I pop my head inside and see her sitting at her desk with headphones on. The faint sound of music coming from them. I smile to myself as I close the door behind me and watch her bob her head to the beat as she works. She’s so naturally cute, it’s a wonder how she’s managed to stay single her whole life.
I look over her shoulder, seeing that she’s editing photos she took of me. She jumps when I lift one of her headphones from her ear, twisting in her seat to look up at me with a surprised expression.
“Sorry,” I grin, “I knocked but you couldn’t hear me.”
She pulls off her headphones and glances at the night sky from her window. “Have I been in here all day?”
I nod and watch as her expression morphs into disappointment.
“What’s wrong?”
“I missed the evening surf and my surf lesson,” she pouts, sadly.
“That’s okay, there’s always tomorrow. How about we go do something fun tonight?” I suggest, wanting to cheer her up.
“Like what?” Eliana’s stomach grumbles loudly and I can’t hold back my grin as I watch her turn a bright red.
“How about another lookout point?” I ask, holding my hand out for her to take.
“As long as you promise not to walk away again.” She tries to keep her face impassive as she studies me, but I see the hurt behind her eyes.
“I promise.”
She nods and slides her small hand into mine. A warmth travels up my arm and I close my hand around hers, basking in how right this feels.
I steermy jeep along the winding coastal road, the salty breeze from my open windows tousling my hair. Excitement builds in my chest as we near the lighthouse that overlooks the beautiful expanse of the ocean. I know she’ll love it.
I sneak a glance at Eliana in the passenger’s seat and admire how her hair gently blows in the wind. The moonlight dances across her features as she stares straight ahead, highlighting the smooth curve of her lips and the freckles along her face. A smile starts to pull at my mouth as she nibbles on the fries from the fast food we just finished eating, but when she catches me staring, I quickly clear my throat and return my eyes to the road ahead of us.
The towering silhouette of the lighthouse comes into view as the sound of crashing waves grows louder. I pull up to the base of the lighthouse and park my car before jumping out, gravel crunching beneath my shoes.
“A lighthouse,” she says, voice filled with wonder as she closes the passenger’s side door behind her and stares up at the tall building.
“The view is worth the climb,” I round the car and hold my hand out to her, “let’s go.”
Her eyes twinkle with excitement as she places her hand in mine, and we take the path to the lighthouse. Halfway up the winding stairs, I stop and pull her in for a kiss. It’s slow but passionate and I regretfully pull away so that we can get to the top.
“What was that for?” she asks, giggling as we start climbing again.
“Nothing. I just couldn’t wait any longer after being ignored for three days.” I reply, smiling to myself as I give her hand a squeeze.
“I wasn’t ignoring you, I was giving you space,” she corrects me.
Finally reaching the top, we walk out onto the observation deck. The sea breeze whips at our hair and clothes, the feeling invigorating. I steal a glance at Eliana and watch as her eyes light up with wonder as she takes in the panoramic view of endless ocean. She walks the whole observation deck, looking at not just the ocean but at Saltwater Springs too, the town square glowing with twinkling lights. The nearby music of the Kooky Coconut flows up to us and she turns her wide eyes to mine, smiling up at me with a wide grin. I feel like the luckiest man in the world to have her smiling at me like that.
“This is incredible,” she exclaims, her voice barely audible over the sound of crashing waves.
“It’s beautiful,” I agree, unable to tear my gaze away from her.
With the moonlight glowing behind her, she looks ethereal. Without thinking, I reach out and take her hand in mine, feeling the familiar electric charge course through my arms at the contact. Her expression softens as she looks up at me, giving me the courage I desperately need.
“Let’s test your theory,” I say, rubbing a thumb over the back of her hand.
“And what theory is that?” she asks, turning us towards the direction of the ocean and taking a seat.
“Your theory that if I stop resisting how I feel about you, you’ll stop being such a distraction,” I answer, taking a seat beside her and pulling her into my side to keep her warm as the wind dances around us, “but you have to promise to come to every practice from now on.”
“Okay,” she says simply, smiling up at me. “I promise.”
I lean down and lay a gentle kiss on her lips, smiling down at her as I pull away. She beams up at me before returning her attention on the sea. We sit in silence watching the waves crash along the shore below, and boats sailing by in the distance before we turn our attention upward to the stars shining in the sky.
“A few years ago, I snuck out with some friends to go stargazing late at night,” she says, breaking the silence as a nostalgic smile pulls at her lips.
“Oh yeah? What happened?”
“We got lost in the woods and found this old, abandoned cabin,” she laughs softly, “it was actually really creepy at first, but one of my friends started a campfire and we spent the whole night staring up at the stars and trading ghost stories. It’s one of my favorite memories.”
“You don’t talk about your friends or family much,” I say, watching as her smile fades from her face and a heavy silence fills the air.
Her eyes cloud over as if she’s lost in her memories and I hold onto her a little tighter, afraid she’ll disappear somehow. The look on her face causes my hairs to stand on edge.
After the longest minute of my life, she breaks the silence.
“A year after finding the cabin, we decided to go back with more people and alcohol,” she whispers, “it was so much fun, we danced and laughed.”
Her smile is sad as her voice trembles with emotion. “My best friend at the time, her name was Alex, called my parents to come and get me when she realized I was too drunk to get home myself.”
I feel her body shake against mine and I instantly regret bringing this up. I can tell it’s hurting her to talk about this, but I can’t bring myself to tell her to stop. I want to know more about her, the good and the bad.
“My parents picked me up and argued with each other on the drive home. My dad was upset that my mom had let me go to the party without him knowing, and she was upset with how strict he was being with me.”
She takes a deep shaky breath and lays her head against my shoulder.
“I don’t remember much except for the sound of screeching tires mixed with my mom’s scream, bright lights, an echo of shattering glass and intense pain in my chest.”
I sit there, arms wrapped around her, in stunned silence.
“When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor and nurses told me that we were hit by a drunk truck driver,” I feel a damp spot forming on my shoulder where she lays her head, and I know she’s crying. “I survived, but my parents didn’t. They died because of me, and their last moments were spent fighting about me.”
The gravity of her words hangs in the air and my heart breaks for her. My mind immediately jumps back to the night I was speeding from the Kooky Coconut and the fear in her voice when she asked me to slow down. An overwhelming feeling of guilt builds in my chest, now understanding what the cause of her fear was.
I reach out and take her hand in mine, offering some comfort as she silently cries on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion, “please don’t blame yourself. No one forced that truck driver to get on the road when he was drunk. You couldn’t have known.”
“If I hadn’t had been at that party in the first place, I would still have them here with me,” she whispers, “and I wouldn’t have this ugly scar haunting me for the rest of my life.”
She motions to the spot where her scar sits. I frown, grabbing a hold of her chin and turning her face to look at me.
“Your scar is not ugly,” I say firmly, “It’s part of what makes you so beautiful and unique.”
She scoffs before pulling her chin out of my grip and laying her head on my lap instead. As we sit there for another twenty minutes silently listening to the ocean waves, I play with her hair until she falls asleep.
I make a promise to myself that I”ll show her just how beautiful her scar is. She’s full of so much guilt, sadness, and self-loathing, yet you would never be able to tell by looking at her. This is a part of Eliana that she keeps private, and I’m honoured she felt comfortable enough to tell me.
Another ten minutes pass and as much as I want to let her sleep, we’ll likely freeze to death if we stay up here much longer. I gently rock her awake, smiling at the line imprints on her face from my clothing.
“It’s time to go home, sunshine.”
I help her up and we slowly walk down the staircase back to my jeep. I help her into the passenger’s side and buckle her in as she falls back asleep. On the drive home, I drive slower than I ever have, not a single digit higher than the speed limit, until we reach the house.