Edge of the Surf [wlw]

day three

A pillow hits me in the face, followed by a yell of my name. I roll my eyes, shoving the pillow away and sitting up, my hands scraping across my face.

My name is called again, and I glare at the door. It's too early.

Clothes lie in piles across the room; my wetsuit is hung half out of the window, and my swimming trunks and beach towels are discarded on the radiator.

A suitcase sits at the bottom of the bed, some of my things leaking out onto the floor around it.

I sigh, and reluctantly drag myself out of bed, grabbing a towel from the radiator.

Sniffing the clothes closest to my suitcase, I gather a 'clean' outfit together and trudge to the shower.

Steam curls off my cool skin as the hot water beats into my back. I scrub at the shadows hanging under my eyes, evidence of my inability to sleep.

It isn't long before I give up, yanking my clothes on and glaring at my limp hair as it sags in front of my face.

Sighing, I ignore it, tying the longest strands into a man-bun on top of my head, allowing the ones left behind to fly around my face.

I can do nothing about the dark lines left behind by my sleep, or lack thereof.

My feet hit the floorboards grumpily as I tumble down the stairs.

Aurelia and Cora are sat at the table, chatting excitedly. Cora's legs are drawn up to her chest, and she spews crumbs over them every time she speaks.

The smell of bacon invades my nose and I glance over to see Ryan stood by the cooker, a spatula wafting about dangerously in his hand.

I grin at the promise of hot, greasy food, despite my sleepless night.

"Are you okay, mate?" Ry asks, eyeing my hastily dressed appearance warily.

"I am now," I reply, licking my lips eagerly.

Aurelia chuckles, passing the plate of bacon over to me. I stuff the offered pieces straight into my mouth; I'm too hungry to make my usual bacon butty.

"I looked at the forecast, and we should be able to get a good few hours of surfing in again today. Wind's going to pick up again by lunchtime though," Cora mumbles through a mouthful.

My eyes light up at the thought of feeling the waves beneath my feet once more, and my heart beat picks up. Ry laughs at me as I cover my nose in ketchup in my urgency.

After a few moments of muffled chewing, I lift my gaze to see Aurelia's eyes glinting mischievously at me from behind her tangled hair.

"What?" I mumble, covering my mouth with my hand to stop crumbs flying all over the table.

"How did it go with Jack-y boy, then?" She winks, a smirk sliding along her lips.

"It was alright," I reply unconvincingly, an unknown emotion flitting across my face for a brief second.

Concern fills her gaze, and she rubs a hand along my arm. "Charlie?"

I glance away, focusing my eyes on the window, rather than the worry in her face. "Do you think she actually likes me?"

"What? Of course she likes you! She took you on a surfing date, for god's sake." She tugs on my sleeve when I don't respond. "Trust me, Charlie, she likes you."

"What if she thought it was just extra lessons? And she only got my number for convenience?" Aurelia sighs, nudging Cora lightly.

"Cora, tell Charlie that she is being an idiot," she commands. I look towards them, holding back a little laugh as Cora begins to speak with half of her bacon butty still stuffed in her mouth.