Chapter Eight
Kelly
The beach’s white sand almost looked pink as the sun was finally starting to rise. The early rays glowed off the white-capped swells that surrounded us. I relaxed into the gentle rocking of the ocean, exhaling the week's stress as I imagined the water washing it all away, bit by bit.
It was Saturday morning. Exactly four days since Reese and I had agreed to be in a fake relationship, and only one day until I’d get to see her again.
We had been texting each other over the last few days.
I responded to her messages in between patients and found myself texting her until I fell asleep at night.
So far, I had learned that she was an only child, that her favorite food was tacos, that she loved hiking, and that she had a deep love for sitcoms.
Reese didn’t seem like someone who smiled at just anything.
She was thoughtful and honest about her feelings.
She would sneak in little jokes in her messages that made me laugh out loud.
I could almost see that quick smile of hers in her texts, and I already knew I would do anything to put it there.
I smiled, wondering to myself what Reese was doing at that exact moment as I sat on my surfboard, waiting for the next wave. Kahale and I were out trying to catch some early morning waves on the West side of the island. A Saturday tradition we had been doing since we were kids.
“So, jellyfish chick actually agreed to date you and meet our family?” Kahale leaned back on his forearms.
“Fake date,” I corrected. “And don’t call her that. Her name is Reese. And trust me, brah, no one is more surprised by this than me. Reese is way out of my league,” I laughed.
“That’s for damn sure!” He splashed me with water.
There was no sense trying to hide this from Kahale. He was going to see through the charade the second he saw Reese on Sunday, and I couldn’t afford to lose my bet to Kalani. As soon as I told him we were betting on my new relationship, he told me he would do everything in his power to see me win.
I tried to edge my board closer to push him off his, but he leaned forward and paddled to catch the wave that was starting to form. I let this one pass me as he positioned himself to stand, catching the wave, and flipping me off as he cruised towards the shore.
I expected Kahale to paddle back out to me, but instead, he kept heading back to the beach. I looked at my watch and saw that we had only been out here for forty-five minutes. Was he bailing already?
I waited a few minutes until I caught a wave and then swam my way back to the shore. Kahale had already put his shirt back on and was waxing his board by the time I got to him.
“You leaving already, brah? I promise not to dunk you on this next round,” I joked.
“Like you even could.” His booming laugh filled the air. “Nah, I gotta get home. I promised Emily that we would reorganize the kitchen together.”
I made a fake gagging sound, and he threw his wax at me.
“Laugh now, brah, but this will be you soon. You’re going to fall in love with Reese and will be doing dumb shit like this on your weekends, too.” He whipped his dark brown hair up, trying to shake off the last of the water clinging to him.
“I am not going to fall in love with her,” I said, even though I already felt more for her than I had for any woman in the last ten years of my life. It was crazy and irrational because I hadn’t even known her for a whole week. How was I going to feel about her when she left in four months?
“I don’t get it, Kelly. If you like her so much, why don’t you date her for real?” Kahale’s thick eyebrows furrowed together. “I saw the way you looked at her last week. And then you got all pissy when I was gonna pee on her.”
“Brah, you know that’s gross and straight up wrong.” I threw the wax, aiming for his head.
He dodged it. “I’m just saying. I can tell you like her. Why not just go for it?”
“I don’t know if that life is for me,” I admitted out loud for the first time. “I always wanted it, but now I think I might have missed my chance. Besides, she is only here temporarily.”
“You missed your chance? Are you Tutu’s age? And you don’t think you can convince her to stay?” He winked at me, wagging his bushy brows.
I’d learned over the last few days that Reese loved being a travel nurse. Who was I to try to take that away from her? All of this was pointless. She might have found me attractive, but that didn’t mean she was interested in me.
“Just because I like her doesn’t mean I need to marry her,” I decided to say, ignoring all of Kahale’s questions.
“That’s okay,” Kahale picked up his board. “You’re still young and an idiot. One day, you will mature and have much wisdom like me.”
“Much wisdom? You’re one year older than me,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“You’ll learn the hard way, little brother,” Kahale turned around without saying goodbye, and walked back to his truck.
I shook my head, choosing not to respond to him. Instead, I turned and headed back for the water. I paddled out, trying to drown out the voice that warned me that pretending to date Reese would only end in misery for me.