“We had a fight,” I finally say. “A bad one.”
“About?”
“Work. His father.” I hesitate. “I’m running a story that he thinks is a betrayal.”
Austin whistles low. “Heavy stuff. What kind of story?”
“The kind that reveals inconvenient truths about powerful men.” I run my hand along the edge of my board. “Lucas thinks I chose my career over loyalty to him.”
“Did you?”
Somehow, the question hits harder coming from Austin than it did from Lucas. “No. But I didn’t compromise my principles, either. Maybe I’m not built for compromise,” I admit. “Not the way people want me to be. Maybe that makes me hard to love.”
Austin gives me a look. “You know what Mom used to say about you?”
I raise an eyebrow. “This better not end with ‘she’s a pain in the ass.’”
“She said you were fire,” he says, “and people who get close enough to love fire are always at risk of getting burned. But that doesn’t mean you stop burning. It means you find someone who knows how to hold the heat.”
That undoes something in my chest.
“I thought Lucas was that person,” I say, quieter now. “But maybe he wanted the version of me that only burns on command.”
Austin sighs. “Maybe. Or maybe he just needed time to figure out the difference between warmth and control. And maybe he’s doing that right now.”
His insight, delivered with the straightforward clarity that’s always been Austin’s gift, brings unexpected tears to my eyes. I blink them away quickly, grateful for the salt water that disguises them.
“Lucas is a good guy,” Austin adds. “But he’s got his own baggage. That father of his…” He shakes his head. “Talk about complications.”
“You have no idea,” I mutter.
A larger wave approaches, and we both turn to position ourselves, pausing the conversation as we catch the ride. This time, I surf with less anger and more deliberation, and the tension in my body eases slightly as I carve across the water.
Back on our boards, floating in the lull between sets, Austin picks up where we left off.
“So, what happens now? You and Lucas will work it out, yeah?”
The unfinished question hangs between us. I’ve been asking myself the same thing.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this whole marriage thing.”
“Because of one fight?” Austin looks skeptical.
“Because it’s hard.” I stare at the water. “Being that vulnerable with someone. Letting them see all of you, even the parts that might disappoint them.”
“That’s what marriage is supposed to be, isn’t it?” Austin asks. “The whole ‘for better or worse’ thing?”
“Yeah, well, they don’t warn you how much ‘worse’ there might be,” I say, trying for humor but landing somewhere closer to raw truth.
Before he can respond, my phone chimes from its waterproof pouch. I pull it out, expecting a message from the office. Instead, I see a production note about the announcement event.
Reality crashes back with brutal force. The party. The documentary. Lucas and I standing together, playing the perfect power couple while his father announces a gubernatorial run that my story might derail.
“Bad news?” Austin asks, noticing my expression.
“Just the documentary,” I say, tucking the phone away. “A reminder about our next shoot.”
“Are you still going?”
