19. Finn
Lucie held the wetsuit awkwardly. “Okay, no peeking while I change,” she warned, playfully narrowing her eyes at him.
He had guessed her size when it came to the wetsuit. He had dreamed about her for weeks, so he thought he would get it pretty close.
Finn put his hands up in mock surrender. “I won’t.”
He didn’t mean to glance, but he did—just a quick peek—and his breath caught when he saw her in a bikini as she pulled her cute sundress over her head.
She looked incredible, every bit as bright and beautiful as the morning sun.
Finn hastily turned away, silently cursing himself.
Get a hold of yourself, he thought, shaking his head to clear it.
He needed a cold shower. Now. The ocean water would do swimmingly.
Finn tugged his shirt off to get into his own wetsuit.
He caught her gaze lingering on his chest, taking in the tattoos that sprawled across his skin—intricate designs.
Her cheeks reddened, and she instantly looked away.
He smirked and flexed just a little, enjoying the way she tried to play it cool and failed miserably.
Watching as her blush traveled from her cheeks down her neck.
He shook his head, the dark waves rolling on his forehead. He wanted all of her blushes.
“Ready?” he asked, pulling the zipper up on his wetsuit.
Lucie bit her pouty lip. Finn had to look away, or he would try to kiss her again.
“I’m nervous.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Finn said.
He lightly turned her around and finished zipping her up, dragging his knuckle up her back to feel her satin skin. He clenched his jaw.
He pulled the zipper up gently, slowly, slower than necessary. Definitely slower than he was with tourists while he was teaching lessons in Florida.
At the top of the zipper, his fingers brushed the ends of her auburn hair. He loved the way it looked in the moonlight and the flickering light from the lanterns. Finn pushed through the urge to kiss her on her shoulder blade.
He showed her the basics on land and how to paddle on the board. Today, they weren’t surfing, just wading. He placed a hand on her stomach, trying not to think about how soft and warm her skin was and how she smelled like lavender and chamomile
“Surfing has to do a lot with engaging your core. Focus your strength here. Take deep breaths,” he said.
Lucie shivered before turning and giving him a little smile.
He attached the leash to her ankle, caressing the skin peeking out beneath her wetsuit with the back of his knuckle. He couldn’t stop touching her. He didn’t know what that meant, but told his racing heart to take a hike.
The lapping of the waves gently brushed against his shins as if saying hello. It had been a while, and he gave a little nod back to the ocean.
The ocean didn’t care if you were a behemoth boat or a little castaway; it was ever-consuming, angry, and would chew you up. So, Finn gave the Earth his respect.
The water’s cold bite woke him up and reminded him he was alive. They waded farther out, dropped their board onto the surface, and began paddling. Water seeped into his wetsuit as his arms pushed through the calm water.
Something inside Finn clicked into place. He was home, and having Lucie here like this was a cure for every form of homesickness.
“First, sit up. Keep your balance like this.” He demonstrated, showing her how to center her weight like they did on the beach. She pulled up out of the water, wobbling slightly.
“Good,” he said, his voice beaming with pride.
Lucie beamed back at him like she couldn’t believe she had done it.
And she looked back to the shore to see the short way they had already made it.
She was doing great so far. He was grateful the waves were small.
“Now we’ll paddle out just past the break. ”
Finn guided her through the shallow waves, wading close as the water rocked gently beneath them. If anything happened, he wanted to be close enough to reach out and save her.
Once they were deep enough, he sat on his board with his legs on either side, staring up, floating along with the water. Lucie copied him.
“Like this?” she asked, straightening her back.
“Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful,” he cheered.
Finn pointed at her Velcro strap tethered to her foot and gestured for her to come forward. “Hand me your leash,” he told her.
She undid the Velcro and passed the leash to him.
Without hesitation, he fastened it around his own ankle, not wanting her to float away.
That was the only reason. Not because he wanted to protect her.
Finn looked down at the water, suddenly worried whether there were sharks.
A Kraken. Or if a rip current would take her from him.
No. There were no sharks this time of year. Krakens weren’t real. She would be fine. Safe. He would make sure of it. He tugged on her line, bringing her closer to him in case something did happen.
Okay. Fine. And he was a selfish bastard.
He needed her close to him.
Finn leaned back on his board, waiting. He looked at his watch. 3… 2… 1…
Sun peeked up from the horizon.
Colors bled into the sky in shades of pink, purple, and blue, reflecting off the water like something out of Lucie’s paintings. He wondered if she would paint this moment for him so he could have it forever.
For a moment, everything felt right. The mission, the danger—it was all miles away, and it was just them and the ocean.
Lucie’s smile was radiant as the sunrise. Lucie mimicked taking a picture.
He chuckled, low and soft. “What was that for?” He was so curious about her. Everything about her seemed magical—even how she saw the world. Lucie had backstage passes to some of the worst humans could offer, but where others saw darkness, she saw hope.
“I don’t ever want to forget it,” she breathed, leaning back on her board until she was resting on her back. Her hair created a halo around her in the water.
“Worth the wait, huh?”
Lucie didn’t say anything, just closed her eyes and hummed her approval. He lay back on his board watching the clouds morph and change.
The small waves moved them up and down as the sun rose.
Neither of them spoke, just let the waves rock them up and down.
His watch beeped again after 30 minutes.
“We’ve got to go,” he said, his voice hushed, almost apologetic. He didn’t want to say it out loud, didn’t want to break the spell of the morning.
Lucie nodded, her smile softening but still bright. “Yeah, okay. Thank you, Finn. This was perfect.”
Finn reached out and squeezed her hand, the weight of what was waiting for him later heavy in his chest. But for now, he made himself focus on the warmth of the sunrise and the closeness of Lucie.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It really was.”
Being around Lucie was like an endless sunrise. The break of an everlasting night. Hope. Joy. A new start. A daydream come to life.
Whatever happened tonight, he knew he’d remember this: the girl who painted the sea, smiled like summer, and who made him believe there could be a next time.