The Crashing Waves | COMPLETED

Chapter 14: 10 Year Anniversary

I tried to ignore the fact that I was finally being forced to deal with our life in New York. The apartment we lived in was provided by the company Brody worked for, and I guess I managed to remit from my mind that it would need to be cleared out at some point. Tori was the COO and she was amazing. We actually became pretty good friends after Brody started working there. She even came to his funeral, but with the craziness of her position, she couldn't stay and literally flew in the morning of and then back to New York about an hour after the service. I hadn't heard from her since.

I managed to shower and get ready and headed back out to the kitchen to the whole place filled with the most amazing smell. TJ did not disappoint with his breakfast. I slid up into a chair at the kitchen island and took in the aroma. TJ was standing in front of the stove with a spatula in his right hand and a yellow towel draped over his left shoulder. He turned around and smiled when he noticed I was back.

He had made bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns and toast with strawberry jam. He dished up 2 plates and filled two glasses with orange juice and took a seat next me. "Everything ok? You look like something is bothering you."

I didn't really want to get into it, but I knew that if he knew something was up, he wasn't going to leave me alone about it until I started talking. "I got a call about the apartment in New York." I kept my head down looking at my plate as I took a bite of my food. It was amazing and I groaned a little as I tasted it. I could feel TJ's eyes on me expecting me to continue. "I have to get everything out by August 1st." I slowly glanced over at TJ catching his gaze. He was concerned, I could see it in his eyes. "This is the most amazing breakfast I have ever had. Thank you!" I tried to smile and change the subject.

He grabbed my arm letting me know that he was not going to ignore things. "Do you want me to help you with the apartment? I'd be happy to go with you. Hell, I'll go and do it myself if you don't think you can." He was always so genuinely concerned about me.

I tried to brush it off, but I knew he wasn't going to let me. "Yeah, that would be great if you would go with me." I tried to smile as looked back at my food and he let go of my arm so I could get back to eating.

It was quiet for the rest of breakfast, but I could feel him looking at me every few minutes to make sure that I was ok. When we were finished eating I grabbed our plates and took them to the sink to rinse them off. TJ came up beside me and made me put them down.

"Leave them. They aren't going to go anywhere. Let's get out of here and get our minds off everything. Just have fun today. Sound good?" He smiled at me and I nodded.

"Let's go then!" he shouted as he ran to the door.

I was wearing my bathing suit under short jean shorts and a loose white tank top with flip-flips on my feet and my hair in a messy bun. I grabbed my purse, phone and my sunglasses and followed TJ out the front door. We climbed into his lifted white jeep and took off. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn't care. I was with TJ and I knew wherever we went, it was going to be better than sitting around thinking about all the crap I needed to do, and all the crap that Brody was missing today. 10 years since we first met in that cove. My first year without him. TJ was right that I needed to just get away. So that's what we did.

***

Our first stop was the surf shop. He jumped out leaving the car running and told me to stay put. He came back with two surf boards that he loaded into the back of the jeep and we were off again. After 30 minutes driving down the coast, wind blowing in my hair, music blaring, we pulled off onto a gravel road that I barely saw from the road. He just kept driving down as we got closer and closer to the water. He stopped about a foot from the water and turned the car off.