Hate at High Tide

Chapter 4 - Sophie

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!! I hope you enjoy a shorter chapter with oh so much tension

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"You're my favorite brother, you know that right?" I bat my eyelashes at Hayden innocently.

"Right..." He gives my odd declaration a curt nod, looking at me with uncertainty. "I'm your only brother."

"Remember that when you have to forgive me." The words are barely out of my mouth when I push him overboard, his yelp covered up by the loud splash of water.

"That's cutthroat, even for you." Rowan fist bumps me as if he was proud, emptying his pockets of his wallet and a switchblade before back flipping into the water.

I sit on the edge of the boat, letting my legs dangle a couple of feet above the water's surface. Hayden tries to climb up the walls of the yacht instead of swimming around to the lowered dock, flailing in defeat each time he fails. Once he finally gives up, he spends all his energy attempting to pull me into the ocean by my feet.

Leilani is too busy scouting for sharks to go swimming, but her surveillance pays off when she silently points towards Rowan's quick figure underwater, her hand covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

The troublemaker grabs Hayden's ankle from underwater when he's not paying attention, convincing my overdramatic brother that he's been bitten by a fish. I'm plugging my ears to block out Hayden's cries for help when Rio wraps his arms around me from behind.

"No no no, don't!"

He only laughs, picking me up despite my kicks and threats, and jumps into the water with my body tucked to his chest.

I drop through the ocean's surface instantly, our combined weight pulling us deeper and deeper. The cold burrows through my veins the moment I'm underwater, taking the sun's warmth from my skin and freezing me to my bones. Rio lets go of me and bolts upwards to the surface, but I let his touch disappear as I continue to float below the edge of the current.

All I feel is the silence, the vast peace of the water. The tide's soft pull seems to caress my body, holding me as I levitate in infinite blue.

I've always loved the ocean. The world is softer in the moments I'm submerged, my problems feeling easier to carry as I waft under its surface. In a life that has only ever been rough to me and heavy to hold onto, I turned to surfing and the sea as my vices.

A warm hand breaks the serenity I was stuck in, gripping my wrist and tugging me back to the real world.

"Alright, loca, you don't have to drown yourself to escape me," Javier grumbles, dropping my hand once I've sucked in a fresh breath. I want to ask what that Spanish word means, to know why he keeps calling me it, but I doubt he'd answer.

Javier's wet hair sticks to his forehead, framing his handsome features like a work of art. He's barely a foot away from me, and I'm certain his leg keeps touching mine as we kick to remain floating.

My heart hammers against my chest, and it has nothing to do with swimming.

"I thought you were a surfer. You don't know how to hold your breath?" I raise an eyebrow, trying to hide my satisfaction. He might think he's the best at everything, but clearly there's a lot I can do better than him.

"Nevermind," his words bite with irritation, "for some reason, I thought I'd do something nice for you. Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"You want to do something nice for me? Swim back to shore."