Chapter 16 Hazel
Hazel
We were at the beach surfing. The sun was blazing hot, but the water was perfect. Dipping into the cold ocean cleared my head. Something I desperately needed after the photo booth.
Oh God, the photo booth.
Luke’s strong hands and his breath on my neck played on repeat in my mind. For a moment, I forgot his friends just inches away, I forgot the world. Damn, I forgot my own name. I wanted his hands to roam beyond just my waist.
Yes, there was attraction, of course, there was. It was Luke. He could get any girl he wanted. He was sexy and charming.
There’s also no chance he could commit to anyone. I tried to drill this into my head. He’s just flirting, looking for fun. Don’t be an idiot.
I lay on the beach in my wetsuit, sand sticking to me as the sun warmed my skin. I stared at the sky and felt the stress of the last month slowly fading. Ethan, Logan, and Luke were still in the water. Norah chatted with Summer, rubbing sunscreen on her.
Out of nowhere, a glass appeared in front of me. I looked up to see Alex smiling warmly. “Figured you’re an Aperol girl,” he said, handing the other glass to Ava. “And one for you, my love.”
“Going back in?” Ava asked me, shifting to make room for Alex as he sat beside her and kissed her palm.
I looked at the surfers. Ethan kept wiping out repeatedly, but his grin said he didn’t care. Luke and Logan laughed, shoving each other off their boards.
“I’m not sure. Choking on salty ocean water is tempting, but I think I’ll take a breather. Don’t want to overwhelm you all with my incredible skills. I’m humble like that.”
“Oh, you’re not so bad,” Alex said. “Ava wouldn’t even touch the water the first time we went on a trip.”
“It was too salty,” she defensively blurted out, and Alex smiled at her. Loving all her insecurities and flaws away. Telling her they didn’t matter.
“Luke’s pretty good at this,” I said, watching him move with the waves, strong and controlled.
“He’s had plenty of practice. We’ve traveled a lot. Although he used to go alone when we were in college,” Alex said. I gave him a curious look, urging him to continue. “You’ve probably heard about his parents,” Alex hinted. I nodded.
“It came up.”
“Well, it was worse when we were younger. He started traveling to escape, picked a lot of surfing spots. Mostly South America.” I looked at Luke surfing the horizon and mentally hugged him.
“So, he had parents, but he was basically alone,” I said in a small, quiet voice, almost to myself.
“Pretty much,” Alex replied. “We started hanging out more, and eventually, I joined his trips. He even paid for the first few since I couldn’t afford them. Or my rent,” Alex chuckled.
“Joined at the hip,” Ava added.
After a moment, Logan, Ethan, and Luke approached us with surfboards in hand.
And that’s when it happened—the unsolicited live-action thirst trap unfolding before my eyes.
Luke unzipped his wetsuit and peeled it down to his waist, revealing abs so cut they looked like they should have come with an instruction manual and a liability waiver.
It was like my brain had switched to slow motion.
The way his shoulders shifted as he dragged the wetsuit down, the ripple of muscle along his torso, the droplets of saltwater tracing a path from his hair down the curve of his neck.
Each bead seemed to glint in the sun before sliding lower, and I couldn’t look away.
A wave of heat unfurled low in my stomach, then shot through me so fast it stole my breath.
Thank God I was already damp from the beach.
I felt like I was sweating, and not in a sexy kind of way.
The memory of his hands on me collided with the sight of him now and sent me spiraling. I had to look away or else... I don’t know. I felt shallow just for letting myself notice.
He was like a free chocolate sample that lures you into buying the whole box.
I kept refusing. And yet they kept offering—bigger and better each time.
The coffee shop flirting, the airplane bathroom, his hands on me in the photo booth.
And now this. I was overdosing on sugar, and my self-control was cracking.
His big, solid body pinning me to the sand, hips grinding into mine while I stared up at the night sky.
Wait! That never happened.
I blinked hard just as Luke stepped in front of me, snapping me back to reality. Forcing me to act like a normal human being instead of a shameless, love-drunk horndog.
“Hi.” His smile felt as if it were made just for me.
“Hey.” I squinted against the sun, shading my eyes with my hand. Unfortunately, my gaze dropped to the dark trail of hair below his belly button. I swallowed hard. It was too hot, but undressing wasn’t an option. Not when I felt this worked up.
But then again, it was just a physical attraction. Nothing more. I wouldn’t want to end up on his “been-there-done-that” list. Not that I blamed them. Apparently, resisting this body was nearly impossible. I swallowed again and forced my eyes elsewhere.
Luke grabbed a water bottle and downed half of it, letting some drip onto his chest. Then he checked his phone.
“Any news?” Ethan asked.
“Checking,” Luke muttered, eyes glued to the screen.
“Hey!” a voice called out behind us. I turned to see Summer and Norah heading our way.
“Just checking for updates on the project,” Luke replied without lifting his eyes.
“You promised no work!” Summer threw a twig at his head, and he quickly ducked.
“Chill, woman. I’m just reading so we can avoid a crisis later,” he replied.
“We’re still undecided on key collaborators for this account,” Ethan added. “It could shape the company’s future. If only we could randomly bump into Matthew Watson on this beach and pitch him.” Ethan gazed dreamily at the sky.
Luke let out a sharp laugh. “He’d be perfect.”
“Who’s that?” Norah asked.
“A famous writer who’s been off the grid for years. Apparently, he’s here in Portugal,” Ethan said, glancing at me.
“Well, I don’t know about this beach particularly, but you could bump into him in an organized, not creepy kind of way,” I replied, finishing my drink. When I looked up, Luke’s deep brown eyes were locked on me.
“What do you mean?” His expression was sharp and focused, like he was delegating tasks at work. Business Luke. A bloodhound.
“He was my mentor when I studied here. I could call and ask if he’d want to meet. No promises, but I can try.”
Ethan, Alex, and Luke were all staring at me like I’d talked Portuguese with them, not comprehending a word.
“Hazel, are you serious?” Luke stepped closer, the distance between us suddenly shrinking.
“Yes, of course. No problem.”
“Oh my God, do you realize what jackpot you’re handing us?” Ethan exclaimed.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Ethan. I’m not sure he’ll even agree.”
“No, Hazel, it really is a big deal. It’s huge,” Luke insisted, his tone sincere. “I can’t believe it. You know Watson? Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” He put his phone down, fully engaged in the conversation, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Because I’m a gold digger who wanted a vacation,” I said sarcastically. Silence. No one laughed. Oh no. It sounded insane—and honest.
“Oh my God, no, it was a joke...” I felt sweat pooling at the back of my neck, this time from pure embarrassment. Why did I say that? They barely know me. What if they actually believed it? I hadn’t paid a dollar for this trip.
“I—I can pay.” Can you, really? “For stuff. You know, I—”
“Relax. No one’s thinking that,” Luke interrupted, stepping closer as I started to spiral. “I’m just blown away by this... coincidence. This crazy, amazing coincidence.”
“I don’t know,” I fumbled. “I remember bringing him up before the trip, but then I moved, everything got chaotic, and it just slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”
What is wrong with you? You could’ve helped them so much sooner.
“Tell us more.”
“About living here?” He nodded.
“There’s not much to tell. I applied for a year abroad and picked Portugal because I liked the ocean.
” I laughed at the actual truth. “Watson mentored me on a research project, but...” I hesitated, not wanting to delve too deep into that part of my life.
I wasn’t here to put a damper on the party.
“I had to return home earlier than planned,” I said, brushing past the truth like it didn’t sting.
“Some of the bucket-list things I missed out on, I’m doing with you now.
” I smiled, choosing gratitude over the weight of what I’d left unsaid.
“The last time I saw Watson, he said I could reach out if I ever needed his help.”
Luke glanced at Ethan, and the two of them lit up, trading smiles and a quick high five.
Then Luke looked back at me, eyes bright.
He leaned in, like he was about to hug me, but then seemed to think better of it as he glanced at the others.
Instead, he settled for a playful shoulder push.
I giggled, and he winked. Heat flooded through me again, and suddenly, my wetsuit felt unbearable.
If I didn’t get out of it soon, I might have a heat stroke.
“Can I get some water?” I asked Luke, struggling with the zipper on my back.
“Sure.” He was quick, already handing me the bottle. I finally unzipped the suit, pulled my arms out, and let it fall to my waist.
I grabbed the bottle and drank the water in big gulps. When I came up for air, the breeze was already cooling my body. I took a couple of deep breaths and felt myself relax. Then, finally, shed the rest of the wetsuit.
“Damn, girl!” Norah suddenly exclaimed.
I looked up to see seven pairs of eyes staring.
Luke was frozen on the spot, shamelessly watching my body.
My cheeks flushed, probably cherry red. I knew I wasn’t unattractive, but I definitely wasn’t in a sexy bathing suit today.
I was wearing a simple black top that would keep my boobs in place as I fell from the board, along with high-waisted boxer shorts.
“That’s some serious ink.” Oh, right. The tattoo.
“How long did it take?” Norah asked. The oak tree. It started on my left thigh and climbed up my hip, ribs, and part of my back.
“About 32 hours.” I felt everyone’s eyes on me, checking out the work.
Maybe I was imagining it, but Luke’s gaze drifted over the rest of my skin, tracing his way through other parts the ink didn’t cover.
I felt his gaze linger on my chest, legs, neck.
.. my lips. Was he doing that on purpose? To mess with me?
“I told you I wasn’t afraid of needles.” Luke remained silent, still staring. Why wasn’t he saying anything? He always had something to say. Did he find it off-putting? Was this one of those moments where people stay quiet if they can’t say something kind?
Wait. It didn’t matter what he thought. I loved this tattoo.
“That’s one way of proving it,” Logan said. “Looks great.”
“Thanks. I’ll make the call now,” I said, digging through my bag.
“To Watson? Now?” Ethan asked.
“Why not? We’re finally in the same time zone, right?” I smiled and walked about a hundred feet away from the noise.
I flipped through the phone book a few times unsuccessfully. Damn it. It was probably in my university notebook then. I quickly dialed another number.
While I waited for Thomas to pick up, I turned back only to be met with Luke checking me out again, sitting in a foldable chair and sipping his drink.
To be honest, he was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but his head was turned toward me, so I allowed myself to think he was stealing glances at me.
Suddenly, a new person joined the group, drawing everyone’s attention. I texted Thomas to call me back and strolled toward them, savoring the sand between my toes. Something caught my attention. The new guy, his figure seemed familiar. I’d seen him somewhere, a long time ago.
Wait... is that—? No. It couldn’t be.
“Jeremy?!” I nearly shouted with joy. I couldn’t believe it. He turned abruptly.
“Hazel? Oh, my God.” I jumped into his embrace and hugged him tightly. I hadn’t seen him for so long. “What are you doing here?”
“What’s happening here?” Alex asked. “Do you guys know each other?”
“Do I know him?!” I expressed loudly, smiling from ear to ear. “I peed in his pool.”
“Well, to be honest, everyone peed in our pool.” I hugged him again. I was so happy to see a familiar face.
“What?” Luke straightened, stepping closer. Confused, trying to piece together what I’d just said. So was everyone else.
“Jeremy is Mady’s brother. She’s my best friend.” I turned back to him. “I haven’t seen you since what? High school graduation?”
“I took off after that, traveling, you know. All that stuff. Didn’t spend much time at home until I met these guys.
” He pulled Luke into a hug. It felt nice having more than just coffee breaks connecting us now.
For a moment, I belonged here. Not just as someone tagging along, but like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
“I can’t believe we’re all here,” Jeremy raved.
“Did you reach Watson?” Ethan suddenly brought me back.
“Oh, sorry, it turns out I haven’t saved his number in my phone, but a friend will send it to me later.”
For a while, we chilled at the beach, taking turns surfing in loose groups, drifting in and out of the water. Next to me, Alex hummed a familiar tune under his breath, but I couldn’t quite place it.
“Not this again,” Luke groaned. “Please don’t—it’ll be stuck in my head forever.”
A brief, expectant silence followed. Then, suddenly, Alex started to sing it louder, completely unapologetic.
“I’m warning you,” Luke said, more serious now, but Alex only sped up, making it even more obnoxious on purpose. I laughed at his dedication to being annoying.
Without warning, Luke jumped to his feet. Alex followed a split second later, sprinting at full speed across the sand. Luke chased him down, and soon they both collapsed near the shoreline, wrestling and kicking up sand.
Silly boys.
A moment later, Ava started humming the same tune.