Summer Rush (9 page)

“I’m alright. I just had to drop something off to my mom. I’m on my way out, though. I’ll see you around.” That’s all he says before heading for the exit.

I stand there frozen, not really knowing how I’m supposed to feel.

“Hope, snap out of it! What the hell happened to the smiling girl that was just here ten minutes ago?” Kelly comes up next to me, snapping her fingers in my face.

“It left with the sight of Trent.”

“Wait, what? Trent was here?” she asks, confused.

“Yup, and he looked like shit which makes me feel like shit,” I say in a pitiful dry tone.

Stepping in front of me, Kelly grips my arms, squaring myself to her, and whips me back into shape like a true friend does. “Hope, you’ve gotta stop beating yourself up about this. Shit happens. People breakup, and fall for other people. It’s called dating. It’s normal–you’re normal. Now get over it. There’s a hot ass guy over there that puts a smile on your face like I’ve never seen before. Let yourself be happy, you deserve it!”

Rubbing my face with my hands, I know she’s right. I know I’m young and bound to go through multiple relationships before finding “the one”, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel terrible about what I’ve done to Trent. Although I never physically cheated on Trent, I
feel
like I have over the past year. Since that first day when Joey walked into the restaurant and ruffled my feathers, I knew that we had a connection; I knew there was something there, but I tried to ignore it–I tried to fight it. I couldn’t accept the fact that someone like Joey could capture my heart when it belonged to Trent. I couldn’t fathom being with anyone other than Trent–he’s the perfect boyfriend, and would make the perfect husband, and someday the perfect father to my children. I can see it. I just can’t feel it.

Filling two glasses with cola, I shake the depressing thoughts tormenting my brain, and head back to Joey’s table. He’s in deep conversation with the boy he’s sitting with, allowing me a moment to take in the perfection of his body without being stared down by his mesmerizing eyes. He’s nothing I’ve ever been attracted to, but everything I’m currently drawn to.

Interrupting their conversation, I place their drinks in front of them and ask if they’re ready to order.

“Hope, please tell my brother that he’s not going to be eaten by a shark if he takes surfing lessons!”

Laughing, I respond, “You actually have more of a chance of injuring yourself by your board, than a shark.”

“See! Stop making excuses,” Joey says, gently hitting his brother upside the head.

Why do Italian men always do that? Weird.

“Ow! Okay, okay…I’ll take a damn lesson,” his brother responds, rubbing his head. “But if I get eaten by a shark, I’m blaming it on you.”

“If you get eaten by a shark, you won’t be around to blame it on anyone,” Joey laughs.

“Now that’s really gonna get him out in the water,” I point out, hitting Joey upside the head.

What the heck–now I’m hitting people on the head!

“Hey!” Joey yells, shocked that I hit him.

“I like this girl already,” his brother says with a huge smile.

“I left our money on the table. See you in the morning?” Joey asks, approaching me next to the waitress stand.

“It’s a date…no…I mean, yeah, I’ll be there, but not as a date…just to surf,” I answer, stumbling on my words.

It’s a date. Way to go, Hope!

“It’s a date,” he says with a sly smirk.

I stand there, heart throbbing, butterflies flapping, as I watch him walk out the front door.

“So, a date, huh?” Kelly comes up behind me, startling me.

“No, I uh, don’t know why I said that.”

“Anyways, where ‘ya goin’?” she asks, intrigued.

“He’s just meeting me in the morning at the beach.”

“Wait a second…you, Hope, are letting someone surf with you?” she asks like it’s the craziest thing she has ever heard.

“Yeah, so?”

“So? This is uncharted territory. No person has
ever
been allowed to surf with you.”

“That’s not true.”
Even though it is.

“Name one person you’ve surfed with,” she asks, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Um…”

“Exactly! You never have,” she yells, pointing her finger at me.

“Okay, so I’ve never surfed with anyone. Why is it such a big deal?”

“The big deal is you’re letting Joey into your life, the life you’ve never opened up to anyone,” she responds with a smile.

“Okay?”

“You’re finally letting someone in. You’re sharing your passion.” Kelly smiles brightly before walking away.

I don’t really understand what she’s talking about. Yeah, I’ve always surfed by myself, but I don’t know if anyone has ever asked to surf with me. It’s always just something I’ve done; it’s always been my escape, my rush.

And just like that, the light bulb goes off in my head.

Surfing is my escape. My escape from life and my surroundings–the good, the bad, and the ugly. And now, sharing this with Joey, I’m sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly of me. I’m putting myself completely out there, I’m letting him see all of me. Never have I ever done that with anyone, not even Trent, and it’s not even something I’m doing on purpose; it’s something I’m doing naturally. But, that leaves me with one question–
what does this mean?

“I’ve loved you from day one, Hope. Be with me, run away with me. Be mine forever and always.”

Opening my eyes, I take in my surroundings; window, dresser, nightstand. I’m in my room. Sitting up, I rub my eyes, sighing in relief.
It was just a dream.
But again, so real. Joey and I were standing on the beach holding hands; completely in love with one another. It was so sweet, and
believable
. By the way my heart is swelling in my chest, and the butterflies are flapping uncontrollably, you’d think that I enjoy it, that I like the feeling of being in love with Joey. Glancing at the clock, it’s already ten after six. It’s time to meet up with the man that invades my dreams. Not wanting to be late, I throw on my suit, pull my hair back, quickly brush my teeth, and run out the door.

After slipping on my wetsuit and grabbing my board, I walk down towards the beach. My stomach is in knots, and my heart rate increases as I see Joey, standing there with his gorgeous smile, awake and ready for our surfing
date.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” he greets me as I approach him. I smile back.

“Good morning.”

“It’s pretty rough out there today,” he says, nodding towards the water. “We’ll probably be able to catch some good waves.”

“I guess there’s a storm brewing, they always bring some killer waves,” I respond, remembering my mom telling me about the storm yesterday.

“Well, doesn’t that just make this date that much better?” Joey jokes, shooting me his million dollar grin that leaves me weak in the knees.

Feeling the heat rushing to my cheeks, embarrassed by my
date
slip up yesterday, I answer, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Apparently he thinks my answer is humorous because he’s laughing at me.

“What’s so funny?” I ask, giving him a confused look.

“Nothing…you’re just cute, Hope. That’s all,” he answers, smiling at me. “Come on, let’s go surf.”

He thinks I’m cute?

“Holy shit, babe–that was awesome!” Joey shouts as I paddle back out to him.

Smiling because that
was
an insane wave, and also because he just called me babe, I shout, “That wave was freaking incredible!” with the largest grin imaginable.

“
You
were incredible. You just killed it!” he says, full of enthusiasm.

“These waves are unbelievable today,” I point out, coming up beside him.

“Yeah, but those clouds are getting dark, and moving in quick. How ‘bout we ride the next one in together, and call it a day?” he asks, nodding towards the very dark clouds closing in.

“You just want me to ride with you again,” I say with a knowing smirk.

“Well, yeah, and I don’t want to ruin this perfect date getting caught in a craptastic storm.”

“Fair enough,” Releasing my board strap from my ankle, I hop up on his.

“Make sure you snug in close once we jump up. These are some pretty strong waves today,” he whispers in my ear, sending a blast of heat throughout my body.

“You’re really pushing this date, aren’t you?” I glance over my shoulder with a grin.

“Hey, I’m just looking out for your safety,” he responds, holding up his hands.

“Uh huh.”

Noticing the wave building in front of us, Joey starts paddling in the opposite direction. Feeling the back of the board starting to lift, Joey counts, “Up on three. One…two…”

On three we both jump up, planting our feet on the board. The wave is massive and feels like it goes on forever. After only a couple of seconds, I feel Joey’s right arm wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him. A wave of warmth passes through my body. I smile to myself, loving how my body feels snug to his; warm and secure. Running my hand along the inside of the wave my body feels at peace; free of heartache, as I take in the beauty of the wave. Being with Joey makes me forget about all the pain in my life, the pain I created by breaking Trent’s heart.

Closing in on the end of the wave, we both jump off the board and dive into the water. As I surface, I am greeted by Joey’s rock hard abs and his smile sparkling at me. My heart instantly races, feeling an overwhelming feeling of…something. Speechless, I stand there and wait for him to speak. Apparently he is having the same technical difficulties because he is just standing there and smiling, speechless.

Not noticing the large wave, we both fall backwards as it crashes over us, pushing us under water. When we are finally able to stand we both laugh hysterically, knowing that we probably looked like idiots flapping under the water.

“I’m gonna go get your board,” Joey laughs, handing me his.

“Sounds like a good idea,” I respond, trying to control my laughter.

Sitting on the beach, I wait for him to return. Because of the strong tide this morning, my board washed in quite a ways down the beach. Watching him carrying it under his arm, running in my direction with an adorable smile on his face, my heart and body feels whole, full of warmth and happiness.

But feeling happy just brings my guilt scale higher. While Trent is mourning a broken heart, I’m filling mine with another guy. Although our breakup is fresh, it was a long time coming. It’s probably something that should have happened a long time ago, but I refused to see the truth–the truth that I was no longer
in
love with Trent. My days and nights were spent thinking, fantasizing, and dreaming about someone else, someone I barely knew.

As soon as I saw Joey again and realized my attraction for him was still there, if not stronger, I knew it needed to happen. I knew that things were over with Trent and I. But now, I just don’t feel worthy of happiness; I feel awful. When I’m with Joey, I forget about everything; anything holding me back disappears, but as soon as I’m by myself, all of the guilt and heartache return.