to touch someone's soul before touching their skin.❞
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The crowdcheered below him.
"And it looks like we're going to have a new runner-up, folks! Give it up for Zachary Wright, fresh from California!"
Theo scoffed, but not in the bad way. He knew Zach loved the attention, and no doubt the innocent announcer had just boosted his ego to a triple.
He and Chase were currently enjoying the VIP privilege as they lounged in high-end balcony seats, overlooking the waves below. They were given it for free since they were part of the candidate's entourage, but even without, it wasn't hard to get. Their family might be fucked up and dysfunctional, but they were both basically trust fund babies.
"Yeeees! Go Zach!" Chase stood up, clapping his hands.
Theo's lips lifted into a smile.
He liked seeing his brother happy. And he was also glad to avoid all that crowd — from his vantage point, it looked chaotic. Spectators flocked the scene and people ran from opposite directions. He found himself searching for a particular girl.
And he found her.
It'd been a few days since he'd laid out everything to her. And he felt good. Really good. Lighter. Even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. He wanted to hold on to this rare, once-in-a-lifetime feeling.
Of course, that didn't mean all the burden he'd been carrying had disappeared. There were some things he'd kept to himself — things he wasn't ready to tell her yet, or felt like it could be brought up another time.
Healing yourself involved baby steps.
All because of the girl with the soft brown eyes.
In the distance, she cheered with them, waving and cupping her mouth with her palms as she let out a happy hurray. Was she cheering for Zach as well? He thought so, since her gaze was fixed on the surfers.
"El!"
She paused. Whipped her head back and forth, trying to find the source of his voice. Theo's mouth twitched. She looked cute.
