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There's nothing like sitting on the water, especially on an abnormally warm day in early June. Nothing like feeling the lull of the ocean beneath you as you sway to the calm of its magnificent power. It's freeing.
When I first moved back to California, the lure of the ocean was one of the first things that crossed my mind, had my heart beating again. Growing up, surfing was a big part of our family. It was something my dad taught us to do, something that brought us together no matter the circumstances. It's what kept me close to my brothers and always gave us something in common no matter how our lives drifted with age.
Even without the companionship of my family, it's still been a place for me to escape, to clear my head. It's something I missed while in New York, something I never really realized I needed. Especially when things got dark.
Today is different though. Surfing has always been a part of me, even when it lingered in my past. Today though, today it's a part of my present. Today I'm not out here alone. My eyes dance over to the very handsomely sexy man at my side. Seeing Tommy casually sitting with the board between his legs, his wetsuit clinging to his clearly defined muscles, the very muscles tattooed in my memory, all while soaking wet, yeah this is a whole new level of surfing.
"I can see you drooling, you know?" he smirks, those blue eyes of his glowing against the backdrop of the sea.
"I'm not trying to hide it," I smile back. "You look pretty freaking hot on that board."
His smile widens as he turns to give me a better look at those eyes I love. "I still can't believe you've gotten me out here, more than once."
"I can't believe you've made it off the white water back at shore," I play back.
He dips his hand into the water, splashing me with it as a let out a small scream. "Give me a break, this shit is not as easy as it looks. And I've gotten better."
He has, but it's more than that. It's the fact that he was willing to try. To get out on the water simply because it's something I love. "Thank you."
His eyebrows pull together, the question already forming across his face before he even has to ask it.
"For trying this. For going outside your comfort zone to do something that I love. You didn't have to do that."
His smile grows again as he nods. "Amber, why wouldn't I try something you love? I love you, all of you. That means making a damn fool of myself in the water with your dad and brother in attendance."
I can't help but laugh. Maybe having my family here the second time we came out wasn't the best idea, but I honestly thought they'd help. I mean, my dad taught me, and Tommy and Trevor are friends. I was wrong. Trevor just used the whole experience as ammo for later and my dad had quite a look of sympathy over the whole ordeal. But he has gotten better. The fact that he's out past the white water suggests just that.
