submerged » l.h {FINISHED}

3.5 » catch this one

Luke took a deep breath, looking down to his hand where Kaity's fingers filled the empty spaces. He squeezed it gently, flashing his gaze up to meet her dark eyes. She smiled at him and then they were running - crashing into the shallow water with their boards in tow. 

He was glad that he could finally go surfing with Kaity and not worry about if she could catch a wave or not. They had gone a few more times, honing in her skills so now that she could stay up for more than just a few seconds. 

Kaity's hand left his as they dove into the water, bodies colliding with their boards. They paddled out into deeper water until they made it out to the line up, even though they were the only two out in the water. 

"This is a nice way to end our day, huh?" Kaity asked, glancing at him with a small smile. 

Luke glanced at her, noticing the small drops of water that dotted her face like freckles. "It is," Luke agreed, biting at his lip where his piercing usually was. Even though he wasn't wearing it, it still felt like it was stuck in his skin. It was a feeling he never got used to when he was out on the water. 

Luke turned his gaze towards the horizon, noticing how the water was starting to rise. He was still trying to teach Kaity these small tells of a wave forming, but it would all come in time. "I'll race you," Luke smirked leaning forward on his board and dipping his arms into the water to propel him forward with a head start. 

"Not fair!" He heard Kaity call from behind him. Luke only chuckled - he wasn't even paddling his fastest. He waited until Kaity was gliding past him to try harder. "Seems like you're losing your touch, Hemmings," she teased, looking over her shoulder at him. 

"Hardly," Luke laughed, easily catching up to her. The wave curled in front of them and Luke took the opportunity to drop in, popping up onto his feet and stretching his arms out on either side of him for balance. 

Luke soared over the water, feeling the wave's power beneath his feet. He never would get used to the euphoria surfing brought to him. It was indescribable - the closest he ever came was telling Kaity the first time she ever met Ashton. 

Even he surprised himself when she asked. 

Luke bailed off the side of his board, crashing into the water below but quickly surfaced and climbed back onto his board. He paddled back out to where Kaity was still bobbing on the surface. "Still think I'm losing my touch?" Luke grinned as he slowed to a stop beside her. 

He watched as Kaity fought her smile, but choosing to roll her eyes instead. "Here," Luke offered, pointing to the wave forming in the distance. "Catch this one." 

Kaity nodded and leaned forward as she started to paddle forward. Luke stayed motionless in the water as he watched her. He was happy that she was finally able to start riding bigger waves. Sure, it would take time to get to his level of expertise, but he was glad that she was getting there. 

Luke watched on as Kaity angled herself to drop in and then he lost sight of her as the wave passed. He looked on as the wave got closer to shore until it crashed and disintegrated into nothing, but Kaity was no where to be found.