Love, Lucas (17 page)

I chuckle. It’s hilarious that he’s jealous and that he thinks I’d ever “go after” anyone. I have no desire to date Dillon at all. Especially when I just kissed Carson last night. Which we should probably talk about but I’m not brave enough to bring it up. “I don’t like Dillon. Even a little bit.”

He glances at me with a look of relief. “Really?”

“Really.” I pause and smile. “He
is
pretty tan though,” I say. “And the way his eyes match the ocean is dazzling.”

Carson grins. “He has brown eyes.”

“Oh. Oops. See? I don’t even know what color eyes he has.”

He takes a step toward me and slides his arms around my waist. “You’re hilarious. And your outfit is really . . . cute.”

“Cute?” I wrinkle my nose. Cute sounds like something a little girl would wear. “Should I put pigtails in my hair to match all this cuteness?”

He smiles before he leans in and whispers in my ear. “If you want me to say sexy, I will.”

I chuckle and bury my face against his chest so he doesn’t see me blush. “I think you should have stuck with cute,” I say into his shirt.

“Sexy it is.”

I half laugh, half snort, making my cheeks flame. He chuckles and holds me closer, making my heart speed up. We both grow quiet as I pull away just enough to meet his eyes, and before I know what’s happening, his lips are on mine.

I’m not sure what to do again, since it’s not just a little kiss, but my lips move on their own and his hands tighten around my waist. I slide my fingers up his arms and around his neck. I feel him smile underneath my lips and pull away.

“What?” I say. “Am I doing something wrong?”

He doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head and kisses me again. I never knew how much fun kissing could be. And now that I know how it feels, I don’t want it to end.

We pull away just as we hear someone coming down the stairs. I step away from Carson as Keilani bounds into the room.

“Enjoy your ice cream?” Carson asks, sneaking a glance at me.

“Yep. Now I’d like to go to bed, so you know, wrap it up.” She gives me a smile. “It was so nice to meet you, Oakley. We’ll have to hang out soon. I know we’ll be great friends.”

“Um, she was
my
friend first,” Carson says.

She laughs. “Right. Friend,” she says slowly.

I chuckle and head toward the window. Carson tells me goodnight and wraps me in a hug. “Thanks for coming over. I’m still sorry about today.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He doesn’t kiss me, just helps me back out the window. I break into a jog and make it back to my room in one piece.

I’m wired now. From the kiss, from Carson basically admitting he was jealous of Dillon, and from meeting Keilani. But mostly just from the kiss.

I’m pretty sure I
won’t
sleep well tonight.

CHAPTER 16

DEAR OAKLEY,

I HAD A REALLY WEIRD DREAM LAST NIGHT. WE WERE RUNNING THOUGH SOME FIELD AND PEOPLE WERE CHASING US WITH KNIVES AND STUFF. I WAS AN AWESOME ARCHER AND YOU WERE PRETTY COOL, TOO, THOUGH I CAN'T REMEMBER WHY. ALL I REMEMBER IS I WAS CRAZY AWESOME AND TOOK OUT LIKE TEN PEOPLE. I SAVED YOUR LIFE. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF ME THAT I CARED SO MUCH ABOUT MY BABY SISTER. EVEN THOUGH WE’RE TWO YEARS APART, YOU’RE STILL MY BEST FRIEND. BUT THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I’M STILL OLDER AND WISER THAN YOU. AND A LITTLE COOLER, I THINK. BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT, DON’T YOU. AND NO, THAT WASN’T A QUESTION.

YOU KNOW WHAT I WISH I WOULD HAVE DONE? I WISH I WOULD HAVE READ MORE BOOKS. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW HOW MUCH I DESPISE READING ANYTHING. MY EYES CAN’T HANDLE THAT MUCH STIMULATION. ACTUALLY, I JUST GET BORED. BESIDES THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS, AND THOSE REALLY “DEEP” BOOKS I HAD TO READ FOR HONORS ENGLISH THAT I NEVER UNDERSTOOD . . . OR FINISHED, I HAVEN’T REALLY READ ANYTHING. I’M SURE THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD BOOKS OUT THERE. SO DO ME A FAVOR AND READ SOME FOR ME. PROBABLY START WITH THE HUNGER GAMES, SINCE MY DREAM WAS BASICALLY ME AS KATNISS BUT MALE. THAT WAS A GOOD MOVIE. PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN COOLER IF I HAD READ THE BOOKS FIRST. HAPPY HUNGER GAMES, OAKLEY. “AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR.”

LOVE, LUCAS

Seven in the morning. Why am I awake so early? My head aches from being up so late and I set the notebook on the nightstand. I pick up my Kindle and download
The Hunger Games
. I’ve never read it and Lucas told me to, so I will. I set it back down on the nightstand and close my eyes again. I’ll read it when I’m fully awake.

I hear Jo call my name from down the hall but put my pillow over my head instead. I don’t want to get up yet. I’m exhausted. It’s my own fault since I decided to go tap on people’s windows in the middle of the night.

“Oakley!” Jo yells again.

“Too early,” I say to myself. I pull my covers over my head as well.

She knocks on my door and opens it before I answer. “Oakley, I’ve been calling your name forever. Get up.” She pulls the covers back but I don’t move. I stay curled in my little ball in the middle of my bed.

“Can’t I just have one more hour?” I squint at the light as she opens my blinds.

“I’m not gonna make that boy wait for you any longer, now get up.”

I sit up and stare at her. “What boy?”

Her smile is cynical. “Carson’s here. He says he’s taking you surfing this morning.”

“What?” I glance at the clock. It’s a little past seven now. Mornings are seriously the worst.

She laughs at my expression this time. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty. He’s already in his wet suit and everything. You’d better hurry and get dressed before he decides to take someone else.”

Really? Who gets up this early when they don’t have a reason to? I let out an exaggerated sigh and climb out of bed. My wet suit is in a heap on the floor in my closet, my swimsuit next to it. I put both of them on, though I’m not able to zip up the back of the suit.

One glance in the mirror on my wall and I’m freaking out. I look horrible. My eyes are all saggy and weird from lack of sleep and my hair is . . . well, let’s just say it resembles some kind of wild animal. I dart across the hall to the bathroom, pat it down with some water, and pull it into a tight ponytail. I debate whether I should put on makeup. We’re going surfing. In the ocean. I know it will all wash off but I slip on some foundation and a little mascara anyway.

Another glance in the mirror and my face looks a little better, but not much.

“Oakley? You ready yet?” Jo yells.

Taking one last look at my crappy self, I open the door and trudge down the hall.

“She almost takes as long as you. Which is saying something,” Jo says. Carson laughs and I hear Mom laugh as well. I come around the corner with my hands on my hips. Jo grins. “You heard that?”

“I’ll never take as long as my mom does to get ready,” I say. “What took me five minutes would be an hour for her.”

Jo nods. “Yes. You’re probably right.”

Mom studies me for a second and looks at Jo. “Guilty.”

Mom and I share a smile as Jo walks past me and into the kitchen. “Don’t forget breakfast,” she says, throwing me an apple.

“Thanks.” I sink my teeth into it and take a big bite.

“You ready?”

I turn toward Carson. “Mmhmm.” I’m surprised he hasn’t run away yet. Or shrunk away at my appearance. I’m not lying when I say I look pretty bad. And now I’m chomping on an apple. Seriously. It’s like half gone already.

“Let’s go then,” he says.

“Be careful, you two,” Jo says as she pours some coffee in her mug.

“No worries,” Carson says.

Mom hands me a towel. “Have fun.”

I take it and meet her eyes, surprised by her smile. “We will.” She hasn’t talked to me about Dad’s surprise visit yet, but there really isn’t much to say. She knows I chose to stay with her, for whatever reason.

I grab my surfboard and follow Carson out the door. We cross the street and head down to the beach.

“Your mom’s nice,” he says.

“She’s alright, I guess.”

“She thinks a lot of you.”

I glance at him. “Why do you say that?”

He shrugs. “She told me. You took a while getting ready and we talked.”

“What did she say?” Do I want to know?

“She said you were really into sports when you were in high school and made the honor roll every term. She also told me you ran for senior class president and won. I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool.”

Was. Was cool. “She didn’t mention the part when I dropped out of everything?”

He’s silent for a moment. “No. She didn’t mention that.” He stops and grabs my hand. “She didn’t say anything bad. Trust me.”

“Huh.” Emotion builds in my chest and I take a deep breath to calm myself.

“You okay?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah.” I squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

“You should talk to her. I can sense the tension when you’re together.”

I sigh. “I know. It’s just . . . hard.”

He pulls me into a hug and doesn’t say anything else.

I take a few deep breaths and pull away. “Are you really going to surf today? Is your foot better?” I ask, hoping to change the subject. I start walking and take another bite of my apple. I forgot I still had it.

“Good as new.” He glances in my direction. “Sleep well last night?”

I swallow and blush. “I could have used a little more.”

He chuckles. “I figured since I have to work most of the week, I’d take you out this morning. Sorry I didn’t mention it last night. I was a little wired.”

“Apparently so was I, since I knocked on your sister’s window at two in the morning. Why were you still awake anyway?” I stop walking and throw my apple core in a garbage can.

“Um . . . I wasn’t. She came in and woke me up.”

“What? Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! When I saw the light, I thought it was your room. I didn’t mean to wake you. If I would have known it was her room in the first place, I wouldn’t have even bothered. Can you tell her—”

He puts a finger to my lips and leans in close. “I’m glad you came. Don’t be sorry at all.”

“But—”

He silences me with a kiss. My toes curl into the sand and when he pulls away, all I can do is stare. I’ve never kissed anyone in public before. I glance around but no one’s even paying attention to us. I look back at him and he searches my face.

“Was that okay? I have to ask. I don’t want to move too fast or anything.”

Was it okay? Was he kidding?

“Yes!” I blurt and then shut my mouth just as fast. I step back as he starts laughing and we continue toward the beach. We reach the water and walk in until we’re about waist deep. “You ready for this?”

“Sure.” I gulp and my grip tightens on my board.

“Just stay with me.” He plops down on his board and starts paddling out toward the monster waves. I follow suit and he waits patiently for me while I try and keep up.

While he dives into a wave and appears on the other side, I have to push off the bottom and go over it. When we get to deeper water, I struggle to move past the big waves.

I finally reach a calm part of the water and he’s waiting for me. He’s sitting on his board, his legs dangling in the water. I pull myself into a sitting position and take a few deep breaths. I’m exhausted already. Just from pushing past the waves. “How do you dive in the waves like that? It looks a lot easier than trying not to get smashed by them.”

“It’s called a duck dive. I’ll show you when we come back out.” He reaches out and pulls my board closer to his. “Okay. I know you can stand up by yourself in the smaller waves, so these waves won’t be too bad. They’re not too big today. So, when you see a wave coming, paddle as hard as you can along with it. Then push yourself up and put your arms wide. Like I taught you before.”

“That can’t be too hard, right?”

He smiles. “And remember to stick your butt out.”

“Excuse me?”

“It helps with the balance. Stick your butt out instead of standing straight up.” He grins. “Don’t worry. I won’t be staring too much.”

I splash water at him and he laughs.

He looks behind him and turns around with a smile on his face. “Okay. Here comes a good one. Remember to use your core.” He touches my stomach and I shiver. “Arms out, balance, and remember that butt.”

I’m suddenly really nervous. I feel him push my board forward and start paddling as hard as I can. My adrenaline kicks in as the roar of the wave rushes behind me. I can do this. I can do it. I feel like gravity is working against me as I grab the sides of the board and attempt to stand.

The wave pushes me along as I push up from my knees. My feet touch the board and I’m standing. My arms are wide and I stick my butt out to keep my balance.

“Woo hoo!” I yell, and of course I lose my balance. My face hits the icy water and I’m pretty sure I’ve been thrown in a washing machine. This time I keep my wits about me and I’m able to find the surface. I can even stand since I’ve ridden the wave pretty far in. I look out to see if Carson followed me and I spot him riding a wave. He’s so smooth and confident in the water. Perfection. He maneuvers his board up and down on the wall of foaming water and finally rides the rest of the way in. He jumps off his board once he’s in shallow water and runs to me, splashing water everywhere.

“You did it!” He picks me up and seeing how I’m still hooked to my board and he’s still hooked to his, we lose our balance and crash into the water.

I’m laughing so hard I can’t breathe. He helps me up and wraps me in a hug. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt so carefree. It’s an amazing feeling. I don’t want to lose it.

He pulls away, but only a little. Our hips are pressed against each other and I run my fingers across his chest, feeling his muscles through his wet suit.

He runs his fingers through my wet hair and kisses the tip of my nose. “You ready to go again?”

His gaze is playful, though relaxed. I don’t even hesitate when I answer. “Yes! I’ll race ya!” He lets me go and I push him out of the way, grab my board, and take off.

“Hey! You cheater! Get back here!”