Beautifully Broken

Chapter 6

By the time I finally left my room that day the house was silent. In the kitchen I found a note telling me the guys had gone for a surf and to join them on the beach. Part of me contemplated staying here by myself, but then I knew if I started to hide away, I would just give everyone more to worry about. 

I head upstairs to get changed, choosing my black bikini with a thick band under the breast that hid most of my ribs, and a triangle cut halter neck. Not wanting to be boring, I paired the top with floral bottoms. I pulled my denim shorts back on and grabbed a beach towel while pulling my blonde hair into a high ponytail. Glancing in the mirror, I could see I still looked like a hungover mess, but that was my own doing.

"Hey Mase," I said as I approached him sitting alone on the sand. It wasn't hard to find them as we always hung in the same spot on the beach. Mason was sitting alone watching the others surf, "why aren't you out there?" 

He looked up at me, smiling warmly at the sight of me approaching. Green eyes lighting up.

"Just taking a break. How you feeling? You hit it hard last night Kay. Again. Is there something going on? You know you can talk to me."

"Nah, I'm good. Just felt like a party, how come everyone else can get black out drunk and it's fine, but when I do it something has to be wrong?"

"Because I know you better than that. Don't worry, I won't push it," he finished quietly.

 I felt a pang in my chest, like I was hurting him by keeping things from him but I just wasn't ready to talk. I didn't know if I ever would because honestly I felt stupid and like I was at fault for what happened. If I didn't lead him on, didn't give him the wrong idea. No. It wasn't my fault.

"I'm going for a swim" I said abruptly. 

I needed the cold ocean water and I absolutely needed out of this conversation. Stripping out of my shorts, I head towards the ocean, feeling the cool sea water lap at my feet as I waded in deeper and deeper.

I could see Harry and Tyler sitting on their boards beyond the break, then noticed Jason washing out on a wave. My eyes wandered back to Harry and Tyler, taking in the view. Even if I didn't already know, I would be able to tell they were related. Both with their blonde hair, blue eyes and similar heights. Harry was far more lay back though, the definition of class clown. Tyler, a mystery, a dark moody mystery that had me intrigued.

Boy was I glad to be in the cooler water though, because the view of Tyler out there was making me hot. As I watched, he turned to catch the next wave and seeing the determination in his eyes, the way his muscles moved as he paddled hard. Once he was up and riding the wave I could see it in his face, the first time I've seen him let go of the harshness. This was his element, his release from everything weighing him down. 

I watched him until the wave crashed on top of him, sending him below the water. As he emerged he turned, looking right at me as he brushed his blonde hair away from his eyes, I held his gaze for a moment, until reality hit me in the face. 

Literally hit me. 

A wave knocked me right off my feet. I washed around under the water, composing myself again as I emerged from the water, finding my feet and looked over to see him still watching me, but this time holding back a smirk because he saw me get wiped out. Good going Kayla. 

I finally made it out beyond the main break, remembering to duck under any oncoming waves, and was able to just float and enjoy the feeling of the water around me, letting it cure my poor hungover body. 

I didn't stay out for long, feeling the sun burning down on me and knowing that in my hungover haze I had neglected the sunscreen. I let my body ride the waves back into shore until it was shallow enough to walk. 

As I walked back towards our towels I noticed all three boys were now there and all three boys let their eyes roam over my body as I approached them, making me grin. What? I'm still a teenage girl and being appreciated for my assets does wonders for my self esteem. 

"You lot look like you've never seen a girl walk out of the ocean before, let alone one you've known for years," I laughed and they quickly composed themselves.

"So Kay, how's the hangover?" Harry asked, grinning like an idiot as he asked.

"Let's not discuss that," I buried my head in my hands as I sat cross legged on my towel.

"No, no let's!" Jason said, "I think my favourite thing was seeing Will still waiting at the bottom of the stairs for you long after you had passed out."

"Will? Ohhhh, um, football team, right?" I responded, confused at first because I genuinely couldn't remember much of the night, besides some a few hazy flashbacks.

"Oh this is good, you don't even remember," Jason continued to tease, grinning wildly.

"Alright that's enough. Let's not make her feel any worse." Tyler said and I looked at him and mouthed a thank you, incredibly glad that he put an end to the conversation. It didn't go unnoticed by any of the boys that Tyler was standing up for me, especially when as far as they were concerned, we didn't know each other at all.

I couldn't help but wonder when we moved to this new level of friendship where he wanted to protect me. Most of all, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I still feel like I know nothing about him, but what I did know is that I found myself wanting to get to know him.

"Alright, well I'm heading back for a shower and to sort out some dinner for us," Harry said, with Jason and Mason quickly agreeing.

"You coming Kay?" Mason asked.

I glanced at Tyler, who made no attempt to leave, then looking back up to Mason, "I might just stay here for a bit, enjoy the late sun." 

There was no fooling him though, he looked from Tyler to me, smirked and winked at me as he said goodbye, planting a kiss on the top of my head and whispered 'good luck'.

Laying back on my towel as they walked away, I let out a long sigh, "I'm never drinking again."

"I'll remind you of that when you pour yourself a vodka tonight" Tyler said, with a hint of humour in his voice. 

I looked sideways to where he was sitting, using my hands to shield the sunlight from my eyes, surprised to find him looking at me. Using his words from the car yesterday, "take a picture," I said, smirking.

He smiled, "You got me there."

"Ahhh, he does smile. I was starting to think you had a permanent scowl on your face," I teased.

"I smile when I see someone get wiped out by a wave," he reminded me, raising one eyebrow with the hint of a smirk.

"Ha. Ha." I said, sitting back up again. I was enjoying this light teasing, but it still it felt superficial.

"You shouldn't need to drink to try and drown your feelings Kayla. I've watched the people around me do this all my life and it doesn't fix anything." He said, suddenly serious now. 

"I know it won't fix anything, but for right now it helps me forget."

"You can't keep running away or hiding. In the end it all catches up and nothing is fixed."

"You sound like you've been through this before."

"Something like that."

"You want me to open up to you, but are you ever going to open up to me? I want to get to know you Tyler, but you are so closed off. You know why I got knocked over by that wave? Because I was watching you, I was watching your face and seeing how free you felt riding that wave. It's the only time I've ever seen you let go. You know that someone hurt me, but I think you have been hurt too. When you're ready to talk, I'll be waiting. Maybe we can help each other."

"Maybe I'm not worth getting to know," he replied.

"And maybe I'm not worth you trying to save me either. Or maybe I am."

With that I got up and left him to think about what I said. I put my cards on the table, now it was up to him to make the next move.