Love or lust? || 365 days

~32~

(Cordelia’s POV)

"I want to go to the beach." Laura walked in my room and threw herself on my bed. "Are your burns better already?"

"I can be in the sun again, yes." I nodded. It’s been weeks since the yacht incident.

Laura's eyes widened in excitement and she turned to face me. "So does that mean that we can go?"

I laughed and nodded my head. "Yes we can go. But I still have to be carefull. I can’t be in direct sunlight for a long time."

"We make sure that your sunbed is in the shade. And you can take some scarf with you and we'll take sunscreen and that lotion of yours. You will be okay and your brothers won't be worrying that much."

"You have it all figured out don’t you?" I joked. 

"Maybe. I have been planning this." Laura nodded.

“We’ll let’s go then.” I got up from the bed and walked to my closet to find my bikini. Laura left the room to get her own bikini and to pack her beach bag.

After thirty minutes we arrived at the beach. There weren't that many people there because the waves were a bit bigger than normal. But that definitely didn’t bother us. We placed our towels on the beach chairs after making sure that my chair was in the shade.

The day was hot but the wind made it much more pleasant. 

Laura rubbed sunscreen on her body before starting to sunbathe. I did the same but I placed my sunglasses over my eyes and took my book out of my bag and started to read.

An hour went by quickly and I started to feel very hot. I put my book away and sat up.

“I’m gonna go and swim a bit. Are you coming with me?” I asked Laura but she said no and told me to have fun.

After the quick refreshing swim in the sea I walked out of the water. But when I walked back to the beach chairs I saw a group of three people talking with Laura.

"Who are these guys?" I asked Laura when I sat back next to her.

One woman and two guys. The woman had short black hair, the other guy black spiky hair and the second guy…

My eyes widened. He had blonde curly hair, blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. The guy from the club.

I still didn't know if he was bad news since Diego didn't say anything but the way he watched him had to mean something. I had to be carefull just in case.

"I'm Nolan. We were walking past and your friend Laura stopped us to say that he liked our boards." The man from the club, Nolan explained. 

"Yes." Laura nodded. "I have always wanted to learn surfing. I just never had the opportunity."

"I can teach you." The spiky haired man offered and the girl from next to him nodded as well.

"You can use my board. It’s more your size." The girl spoke.

Laura stood up from the chair.

"You coming 'Lia?" Laura asked.

"No, sorry. I can’t be in the sun for long. But you go ahead." I shook my head and smiled.

"I'll stay and keep her company." Nolan told his friends and so they and Laura started to walk towards the water.

Nolan placed his surfboard on the sand next and sat on it.

"So you're 'Lia?" He turned to look at me. 

I nodded. "And you're Nolan."

He chuckled. "That's what I have been called for the last thirty one years. Yes."

I laughed as well. "So you like surfing?"

"Yeah. Have been surfing since I was ten. I have been surfing all around the world but I have grown fond of this place. I just bought a place nearby."

"I like this place too. I have been living here my whole life. With my brothers and a family friend."

"What do you do for a living? If you don’t mind me asking."

"Erm well." I tried to figure out what to say. How do you explain that you’re so rich that you don’t have to work because you're in the mafia? Well you don’t.

"You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to." Nolan gave me a smile. 

I don’t know what he thought that I was doing for a living. He probably thought that I didn't want to tell him because I was a stripper or something.

"How about you?" I asked him.

"Well it’s kind of complicated. I don’t have a stable job. I take part in different surfing competitions all around the world and now I finally had enough money for my own place."

"But you're happy?" I asked.

Nolan smiled at me. "Yes. Very. I have almost everything that I want. A house, friends and just enough money for basic needs."

Although I was keeping my guard up because I didn't know who he actually was, now I felt so much more at ease. I still didn't know why Diego acted the way he did. Nolan seemed like a good man.

"You said you have brothers?" Nolan then asked.

I was silent. I didn't know why Diego looked at him in the club. I didn't know what he did. Was Nolan trouble? Should I answer him?

"Yeah." I nodded. "Two older brothers."

"That's nice." Nolan nodded. "I'm an only child. But I never felt like I needed siblings. I never felt lonely."

I nodded, listening to him talk.

"'Lia!" Laura ran up to us with Nolan's friends. "Did you see? I surfed. Or at least tried." Laura explained excitedly.

"Sorry. Nolan and I talked. I didn't see you." I answered, giving her a small smile.

"She has potential. More practice and she could become very good." Nolan's friend smiled.

“Maybe we could teach you more some other day.” Nolan suggested, talking to Laura which she nodded. “And maybe ‘Lia comes too.”

“Maybe.” I nodded.

“Hey Nolan. We should get going.” Nolan’s friend spoke.

“Yeah I guess you're right.” Nolan nodded and stood up from his board.

Laura and the other girl exchanged numbers so they could make plans for the surfing lesson. After that we said our goodbyes and they left the beach.

“You and Nolan talked. How was he?” Laura asked me.

“He was nice but I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Diego and I saw him at the club last week. Something is going on. I don’t know what it is yet but he might be trouble.”

“Why do you think that?” Laura furrowed her eyebrows.

“Diego looked at him weirdly. I guess I have to ask Diego what’s going on. If Nolan is trouble I need to know before we start to hang out with him and his friends more.”