“Right,” I mutter. “With that Italian guy?”
“His name is Paolo,” she says, standing upright once she’s fully dressed. “And yes, with him.”
I nod, keeping my mouth shut because I’m scared I’ll say something I might end up regretting.
“Bye Gabriel,” she says, turning on her heel and walking out of my room without a second look back.
I hear her unlock her own room door, and a few minutes later the shower from her room turns on, the pipes clanging loudly in the wall between us.
Needing a distraction from the frustration I feel toward her, I get out of bed and walk over to the little desk in my room togive Koa and Maliah a call. They should have reached Fiji, and hopefully know about my little peace offering by now.
Koa answers and I notice Maliah sitting next to him, glaring straight at me. Safe to say putting them into a villa with one bed was not the peace offering she was looking for.
“How was the plane ride?” I ask, focusing on Koa.
“It was comfortable. Thanks for letting us use your plane for the tour,” he says.
I nod, glad I can at least give them some sort of comfort without me being there. I remember how nerve wracking a tour can be, and not having your coach there probably makes that feeling worse.
“Any luck finding Zalea?” he asks, studying me closely.
I’m not ready to let anyone know I’ve found her, not until I can fix this rift between us, and not until I can help her with what she’s struggling with. I know that if I tell Koa or Maliah that she’s one room over, it’ll only be a matter of time before Zale finds out, and I don’t need that guy popping up and ruining things between me and his sister.
“We know she’s in Italy, but I’m still having a hard time tracking her down myself,” I lie, running a hand through my bed head. “But I’m sure I’m getting close.”
Koa nods and glances at Maliah, who is still glaring at me with a fury that’s starting to piss me off, but I won’t let her see that it’s working.
“Okay, so for this competition you’ll be surfing Cloudbreak.”
I prop my phone against the desk and wall so that my hands are free and spend the next ten minutes going over best practices and things to watch out for.
“But Koa,” I warn. “Plenty of surfers have risked their lives barreling this wave. Keep an eye on the razor-sharp reef or that could be you too, too.”
“Got it, Coach,” he says again.
“Maliah,” I turn my attention to her now, raising my brows in question. “Why the hell have you been staring at me like you’re going to kill me?”
“I think the better question is why the hell you put us into a villa that only has one bed?”
I frown at her because how the hell is she not happy about this? Anyone with eyes can see her and Koa are still in love with each other.
“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” I cross my arms, and lean back in the chair. “Were you two not sharing a bed, in my house, for years? Or even sharing a tent two days ago?”
Maliah’s face turns crimson—I guess she didn’t think I’d hear about that—but her glare stays in place. “You should have asked if we were okay with it before you made that decision.”
I clench my jaw, composing myself. This woman is impossible to please.
“You really can’t manage to share a bed with your teammate for two weeks? I’m not asking you two to fuck,” her and Koa share a quick look and it’s all I need. “Though, I find it hard to believe you two haven’t already done that on this tour yet. It’s just for sleeping on, Maliah.”
“Oh my god,” she exclaims, throwing her hands up. “You’re such an impossible person, Gabriel. No wonder Zalea ran off.”
Her words jarr me and I’m about ready to toss my self-control out the window. I can tell she regrets her words instantly, her eyes dropping down and face turning more crimson by the second.
“Let’s call it a night, I’m tired after all the travelling,” Koa cuts in—always the hero when it comes to Maliah.
“You’re right,” I say, ripping my gaze away from her ungrateful one. “It’s been a long day for all three of us,” though technically my day just started, “so let’s reconnect after thecompetition. I trust you two can handle practicing without me for the next few days.”
I don’t wait for either of them to reply before hanging up, hating how chaotic my morning has felt. I pull my laptop out of my bag and open it up, deciding to do my own research about PCOS. It’s clear this diagnosis is an important thing for Zalea, so that means it’s important to me too.
