Riding the Surf (5 page)

“Oh. Because I’m going too.”

“Are you the winner of the men’s division?”

“That’s me,” he said with a nod.

She stared at him for a moment before she looked away.

“I’m excited. Are you?”

“I’m nervous. I’m always nervous.”

“
Why?” he asked. “You’re amazing.”

“Thank you. But it just shakes my nerves. And I know people in San Diego.”

“It’s always good to be surrounded by friends. I’d bring mine along if I could.”

She looked out at the ocean.

“What are you thinking?” he blurted.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I tend to speak before I think.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I’m glad we’re going together. Perhaps you can teach me a few things. You’re definitely the stronger surfer.”

“I’m offended that there’s a separate category for women. I think women are as good as men. In some sports, like football, hockey, and basketball, the sex matters. But in surfing, it doesn’t.
”

“I agree.”

She smiled. “We’ll get along just fine.”

The sight of her stretched lips made his heart race. Her eyes were brighter than usual and her teeth were perfectly straight
. The look she gave him made feel weak. No one ever knocked the wind out of him with just a look.

“So, why do you want to be a doctor?” he asked.

“Lots of reasons,” she said. “But mainly, I just want to help people. When my mom died, her doctor wasn’t compassionate or caring at all. It was obvious that he didn’t care about his work, just his paycheck. In that moment I knew I wanted to help people. I could do a much better job than most.”

He felt his heart squeeze painfully. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“Thank you.”

“May I ask how she died?”

“Cancer.”

He nodded. “My parents were killed in a car accident. A drunk driver hit them dead on.” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. He never told anyone that before. When people asked about his family, he was always vague. Every holiday, he and his sister would spend time together, but it couldn’t erase the emptiness they both felt.

Her eyes softened when she looked at him. Her hand reached out and grabbed his. As soon as their hands touched, the air left his lungs, making him feel paralyzed. He stiffened, feeling her smooth skin against his own. The touch sent electricity through his arm, making him feel faint and dizzy. The touch was gentle and innocent, but he felt floored. After a moment of shock, he reciprocated her touch, feeling her fingers with his.

“I’m so sorry for you
r loss,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” he said as he looked in her eyes.

She pulled her hand away and Derek thought he would scream. He never felt more connected to someone than he did in that moment. The first time he made love to Nancy, he felt something between them, but just touching Paola’s hand gave him a greater feeling than any other.

She returned her hand to her knees, and Derek resisted the temptation to grab it again.

“Are you planning to go to medical school on the island?”

She nodded. “There’s one on the big island. But I’m not sure if I’ll ever do it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I love surfing. It’s something I’m passionate about, something I’m meant to do. If I continue to pursue this, I won’t have time to go to school for eight more years.”

“Eight years?” Derek asked, shocked. “That’s insane.”

“So, I’m thinking about being a nurse instead.”

“That’s also honorable.”

“It is, but it’s not the same. I want to call the shots, not take the orders. Most of the time, people do things the easy way, not the right way. I want that control.”

“You can’t do both?”

“No, it would have to be one or the other, especially since I’m traveling all the time.”

“I think you’ll be happy with whatever you choose,” he said.

She nodded. “I h
ave all my classes done and I already took my MCAT. That’s out of the way.”

“How’d you do?”

She looked at the sand. “Well.”

Derek liked how humble she was. She didn’t directly say it, but he k
new she was very smart, an overachiever like Sydney. The fact she downplayed her intelligence and accomplishments made him even more obsessed with her. Now that he had her by his side, he didn’t want her to leave. He wasn’t sure what he did to make her talk to him. She easily could have just walked by and he wouldn’t have noticed her. Maybe Sydney knew what she was talking about after all.

“My dream is to be a pro surfer,” Derek said. “Most of my friends say I need to stay in scho
ol because there’s no guarantee I’ll be successful. But I feel like I should take a leap of faith.”

She nodded. “It can be tempting. And you’re very good.”

His cheeks blushed. “Thank you.”

“But I think your friends are right. If you are almost done with your degree, you may as well finish it. You’ll always have that to fall back on. And if you get injured, you could still be involved on the business side of it or be a coach. A college education can only help.”

“You’re very wise,” he said with a smile.

She laughed.

Derek felt his spine shiver when he listened to her. It was beautiful, slightly high-pitched. Her mouth stretched in a smile and all he could think about was kissing her, pushing her back on the sand and pressing his mouth over hers.

She looked at him. “My friends would say the exact opposite, that I’m too spontaneous and adventurous.”

“Why can’t you be both?”

She shrugged. “Risk taking isn’t usually associated with wisdom.”

“Maybe to those who’ve never experienced anything.”

She stared at him then rested her chin on her hand.
\

Derek took advantage of the moment to stare at her. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. It w
as like she wasn’t real. How had he never seen her before? “Do you have a boyfriend?” he blurted. Derek cringed when he realized what he said. Now that it was too late, he waited for her answer. He prayed it was no.

Paola tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “No.”

Derek breathed a sigh of relief, doing a happy dance in his mind. He was going to be her next boyfriend. He was the first one in line and he wasn’t going to let anyone cut in front of him. “Do you want to get a drink or some food?”

Paola didn’t look at him. She clenched her toes then extended them. The yellow nail polish w
as starting to chip. “I should go. I still need to get ready for tomorrow.”

Derek felt his heart fall. The rejection stung him painfully. It didn’t just feel like he lost a date, but he lost everything. He wanted to ask her out for another night, but he knew she’d say no. “Have a good night,” he whispered.

She grabbed her purse and left his side. He stared at the ocean, feeling worse than when he arrived.

7

“You look miserable,” Coen said.

“So do you,” Derek snapped.

Coen sighed. “Well, I haven’t had sex in almost a week. I’m a little irritated.”

“You could have sex whenever you want,” Sydney reminded him.

Coen glared at her but said nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked.

“I just didn’t have a good night last night,” Derek said.

“What happened?” Ren asked.

They were sitting in the cafeteria for lunch. Derek suspected Paola was somewhere nearby but he didn’t look. There was no point in torturing himself over her.

“My sister is dating a loser,” Derek said. “I told her to break up with him but I’m not sure if she will.”

“What’d he do?” Coen asked.

“We went out to dinner and he said he forgot his wallet so my sister would pay. I saw his wallet in his back pocket so I knew he was lying.” Derek sighed. “It’s not that big of a deal, but I can tell he’s an ass.”

“It is a big deal,” Henry snapped. “If some guy did that to my sister, I would flip the fuck out. I totally understand your feelings.”

“Thanks,” Derek said. “I punched him in the face and told Cheyenne not to date him anymore. She better.”

“Hook her up with Bryce,” Henry said. “He said she was cute.”

“I would love to,” Derek said. “But I got to get rid of this douchebag first. And I don’t think Cheyenne would go for it.”

“Is he abusive to her?” Sydney asked hesitantly.

“No, not that I know of,” Derek said. “If he were, I would have killed him and tossed his body in the ocean.”

“And I would have helped,” Coen said.

Derek nodded. “And I talked to Paola last night.”

“You did?” Sydney said. “How’d that go?”

“Terrible,” Derek said. “After talking to her for an hour, I’m like obsessed with her. I think about her all the time, I dream about her…I’m totally hooked.”

“Ask her out,” Coen said.

“I did…” Derek said. “She turned me down.”

“Oh,” Sydney said. “Sorry.”

“And we’re going to San Diego this weekend,” Derek said. “I’ll be stuck with her.”

“That’s when you get her to fall in love with you,” Henry said. “Take advantage of it.”

Coen nodded. “Do it. Be a gentleman, listen to her,
and then make sure she sees you with your shirt off.”

Sydney eyed him suspiciously. “Is that why you had your shirt off when we first trained together?”

He smiled. “Maybe.”

She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“You liked it, right?”

Sydney looked away.

“Like you didn’t wear a dress on our first date so I wouldn’t have a hard-on the whole time,” Coen said.

“You guys should go home and have sex,” Henry said. “I’m being serious. Now all you do is fight. The sex balances out your tempers and attitudes. “

Coen looked at her. “That depends on Sydney…”

She sighed then looked away. Her tears welled up. “I’m going crazy…”

Coen looked alarmed. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She blinked back the tears.

He grabbed her face and kissed her tears. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” she whispered.

“What did I do?”

“How is it so easy for you not have sex? I’m going crazy. It’s
not just the sexual experience I miss. I don’t feel connected to you anymore, like our relationship is changing.”

Coen kissed her forehead. “I forfeit. You win, baby.”

“What?”

“Let’s go home. I need to be with you.”

“I have class in an hour.”

“Let’s do it in the back of the truck.”

“You’re being crazy.”

“I’m crazy for taking this stupid bet. I’m sorry, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Henry extended his palm.

Derek sighed then handed him the cash.

“Thank you,” Henry said.

Coen pulled her to a stand. “I’m so sorry. Let’s go.” He turned to grab their bags, and Sydney smiled at everyone, looking triumphant.

Henry’s mouth dropped and Derek’s eyes widened.

Coen grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria.

“She got him good,” Ren said as she clapped her hands. “That was awesome.”

“He walked right into that, didn’t he?” Derek said.

Henry nodded. “As long as I’m fifty dollars richer, I don’t care. Now I can take my girl out.”

Derek immediately thought of Paola. He wished he could take her out.

“What’s wrong?” Ren asked.

Derek flinched. He hated how sensitive women were. They could pick up his emotions easily. “I’m just irritated that I finally found the girl that I really want and I can’t have her.”

Henry stared at him. “You’ll find someone better. I speak from personal experience.”

Derek sighed. “I guess you do understand. But I actually went for it. I still got rejected.”

“Maybe she has a boyfriend,” Ren said. “She does have a nice ass.”

Henry smiled at her.

“No, she doesn’t,”
Derek said. “I asked.”

“Why don’t you just ask her why she said no?” Henry asked.

“That sounds desperate,” Derek said. “I don’t want to bug her to go out with me.”

“Well, if you really want this girl you may have to fight for her,” Henry said.

“I do really want her.”

“Well, then you don’t take no for an answer,” he said. “I fought for Sydney when it was too late. If I had been a man about it instead of waiting for her to turn to me, I probably could have had her. Not that I regret the way everything worked out
at all.”

“I know,” Ren whispered.

Derek nodded. Paola was enigmatic. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking or feeling. But he wanted her nonetheless. Perhaps it was her striking beauty that immediately stole his heart, but as soon as he had a short conversation with her, he fell even harder, wanting her more than anything in his life. That feeling was novel to him. He loved Nancy even though it took a while to get there, but this feeling for Paola was immediate and innate. It was as true as the sun rising every morning. He wasn’t sure why he felt this way, but he knew he did. That was all that mattered. “I’ll see you later.

After Derek finished his classes, he went to Thatcher’s and walked through the front entrance.

A secretary was sitting behind the desk. “How may I help you?” she asked.

“I’m here to see Nancy. Tell her it’s Derek.”

“She only accepts people by appointment, but I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Oh, I’m a friend,” he said quickly.

“One moment,” she said as she disappeared down the hallway.

Nancy emerged a moment later. “Just call me next time.”

He smiled. “I forgot that you’re famous now.”

“So what’s up?”

“What did Paola say the other day?”

Nancy glanced at her secretary then nodded toward the hallway. They walked to the stairs but Nancy stopped Derek before they walked into the living room. “Baby, Derek is here.”

“Give me one moment,” he said calmly.

Nancy smirked. “He usually walks around naked.”

“Lucky you,” he said with a smile.

“I make him.”

“Ooh. I doubt he minds.”

“He definitely doesn’t.”

“I’m ready,” Thatcher said.

“Let’s go,” Nancy said. They walked into the living room then moved into the kitchen. “Want some coffee?”

“Sure,” he said.

“Cappuccino?”

“I don’t care.”

She placed the mugs on the table and sat across from him.

Thatcher walked in. “Hey, what’s up?”

Derek nodded. “I came to talk to Nancy.”

“Oh,” Thatcher said. “Do you need some privacy?”

“No,” Derek said quickly. “Not at all.”

Thatcher sat next to Nancy and placed his hand on her thigh. “Sorry about that.”

Derek shook his head. “It’s your house, man. You can walk around naked if you want.”

Thatcher looked at Nancy. “You told him?”

“What else was I supposed to say? You were jacking off?”

“If I were, you’d probably tell him.”

“And everyone else we know,” Nancy said smugly.

“So, does that make it okay for me to tell the guys how much I enjoy fucking you?”

“I don’t care what you tell them.”

His eyes narrowed. “And I can talk about your tits?”

“They’re yours, right?”

Derek shifted his weight. “Maybe I should come back later...”

Nancy laughed. “Sorry. So what’s up?”

“What did you and Paola say the other day?”

“Oh. I told her you were a really sweet guy, you’re my best friend, you’re really hot…stuff like that.”

“And what did she say?”

“Nothing, really,” Nancy said. “I couldn’t read her expression.”

“That’s it? What else happened?”

Nancy rubbed Thatcher’s arm.
“She talked about school and surfing, nothing interesting.”

He sighed. “Did she say anything about me?”

“She said you were a good surfer.”

Thatcher leaned toward her. “Derek wants to know if she’s interested, Nancy.”

She shrugged. “I couldn’t tell. I didn’t want to push it and make it really obvious. That would have been worse.”

“You’re right,” Derek said. “Thanks for trying. I asked he
r out last night but she rejected me.”

Thatcher cringed. “Sorry, man.”

“It’s okay,” he said with a sigh. “I’m spending the weekend with her so hopefully I can change her mind.”

Thatcher nodded. “Baby, can you excuse us for a moment?”

“Sure.” She kissed his cheek before she left. When she was gone, Thatcher spoke.

“I’m not telling you this to piss you off. I’m really just trying to help you.”

Derek knew what this was about. “I won’t get mad. It was my fault Nancy and I broke up. I don’t blame you. And no matter how it ended, I’m glad it did. Nancy is really happy with you, way happier than she ever with me. I meant what I said. I love her and want what’s best for her.”

Thatcher breathed a sigh
of relief. “Well, when I saw Nancy, I wanted her. I knew I was going to have her, plain and simple. It reminds me of your feelings for Paola. You don’t know her, but you know you want to. It’s just a natural occurrence.”

“Exactly,” Derek said.

“When I found out Nancy was dating you, that didn’t stop me. Not to be rude, but you were…”

“An ass.”

“Yeah…Anyway, I went after her with everything I had. I can’t tell you the number of times she pushed me away. I touched her, I hit on her, I complimented her constantly, I got into her personal bubble.  I kept colliding into her walls until they finally broke. Then I engaged her, convincing her she should be with me. I didn’t give up until she was mine. I suggest you do the same and don’t take no for answer. Obviously, understand her boundaries. All girls are different. Some don’t want to be touched for any reason, some don’t want you to come to their house, just make sure you aren’t harassing her. That would be counterproductive.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“So…you have the whole weekend with her. I suggest you take advantage of it.”

“I will.”