submerged » l.h {FINISHED}

3.8 » us?

Kaity laid cradled in Luke's embrace, breathing in the scent of salt off his skin. The night was quiet around them, just the soft crashing of waves in the distance – a cricket chirping every now and then. Kaity felt Luke take a deep breath beneath her, his fingers moving in her hair again, twisting her curls back and forth.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" She asked, her soft voice snapping the silence in two.

Luke hummed and nodded, his fingers still moving through her hair. Kaity thought back to the past few days, how Luke worked harder than ever to get his physique back, to hone his skills in to be ready to compete.

Kaity spent countless days on the beach watching her boyfriend out on the waves, learn new moves and take advice from his roommates. By the time the sun was descending in the sky, Luke, Ashton and Blake were always ready to come in and crash.

But finally, all of Luke's hard work was finally going to pay off in the morning. It was the start of the Triple Crown – the Reef Hawaiian Pro was just the first step.

"I know you're ready," Kaity hummed, turning slightly in his arm, her left arm coming to rest on his bare chest. Luke looked down at her, lips tugging up into a small smirk.

"I feel even more confident with you watching me on the beach," Luke admitted, breathing out slightly. Kaity smiled, stretching so her lips connected with Luke's. He held the kiss a bit longer, not wanting to let this moment go.

But Kaity pulled back, her forehead just brushing against his. "We should get some sleep. It's getting late," she breathed.

Luke nodded, his eyes easing shut as Kaity did the same. They eased against each other, getting more comfortable in each other's arms. Kaity still couldn't sleep with what was going to happen in the morning.

She was nervous for Luke, even she felt like she was going to throw up – she couldn't imagine how he felt.

"Kaity," Luke whispered. Kaity hummed in response. "Stop overthinking things. Relax, it'll be okay."

Kaity took a deep breath and nodded against him. She let her muscles relax, reveling in the feeling of Luke's fingers still working through her hair, the pads occasionally brushing against her temple. Somewhere in between his strokes, she succumbed to her dreams.

-

The beach was flooded with people, news cameras and reporters. This event was one of Hawaii's biggest and no one ever wanted to miss it. Luke led the way through the crowd, Kaity's hand clutched securely in his. Ashton and Blake followed behind, carrying both of Luke's boards and Ashton's.

Luke steered them in the direction of the check-in table to grab their rash guards and make sure they were submitted for the first round of surfing.

Kaity felt her breathing shallow out when she saw Shawn walking away from the small tent, rash guard in hand and surfboard tucked under his arm. He chose red again; Kaity figuring it was his signature competing color.

She looked to Luke, hoping he didn't notice his competitor. She didn't want him to have to deal with Shawn until they were out on the water, where it really mattered. But he didn't seem to notice him. They approached the table, Luke and Ashton both checking in and grabbing two of the available rash guards left.

Luke was stuck with lime green and Ashton with black – both of them with Rip Curl's logo printed on the front and more local sponsors on the back. Both Ashton and Luke wrangled them on, making sure they fit okay and wouldn't bother them while they were competing.