I tilt my head at him, a laugh bursting from my lips. “We were kids when we used to do that.”
He shrugs, dimples popping. “Yeah, well I’m a professional now.”
I sit up on my knees, holding August’s hand as he helps me stand up. He jogs to the far side of Darby and Leo’s stuff, grabbing the spare board that’s propped up in the sand as I meet my brother, pulling his board from his arms.
“Not anymore, retired old man.”
“Please,” he scoffs, snagging it back from me.
I jog after him, and by the time we’re knee-deep in the water, he’s shoving me in a way that only my fucking brothers will ever get away with, causing me to tumble right into the waves.
“You’re such a fucking ass.” August laughs, sneaking up behind Leo and pushing him deeper too.
“Hold up, Luz. Let me go out one time with my siblings, and then I’ll come back and grab you. Is that okay?” Everett asks.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I didn’t know August and Elena surfed too.”
Leo, August, and I pause, the waves crashing over their hips and my waist. We watch Everett plant a kiss on his daughter’s head. “Not for a long time, but it looks like they’re going to try today.”
August grabs my hand then, and when I look at him, the sun casts over his face, setting him aglow. The warmth of its light wraps around me like a familiar, long-lost embrace.
Leo, August, and Everett drag their boards out until they’re all chest deep, but I’ve barely got my toes touching the sea floor, the water rippling over my neck.
“Saddle up, Lena,” my brother says, holding the board steady. I swing my leg over, straddling the front end before crossing my legs beneath me. August is on one side of me, Everett on the other, both lying flat on their chests. Leo sits behind me on his knees, and we begin paddling toward the break.
The cove creates a gentle enclave, so the waves aren’t strong here. Leo always loved this area because it allowed him consistency to perfect his form and train his body, while the waves on the open beaches in town created a more challenging environment.
It’s perfect for us today, and when a small swell begins to rise, racing toward us, Leo spins our board and begins paddling rapidly back to shore. I feel the water elevate the board before my brother’s movement rocks it side to side, and I know he’s standing.
“C’mon, Lena,” he shouts, hands gripping beneath my shoulders and hauling me up too. I plant my hands on the board, slowly bending my knees and fixing my gaze at the tip of the surfboard to hold my balance as Leo helps me stand.
He keeps his hands on my waist, and I extend my arms as we ride out the small wave. Wind whips through my hair, and saltwater splashes against my skin. I’m drenched in déjà vu as the familiar lifting sensation erupts in my chest. The feeling of meeting a force of nature head-on, and running with it, defying its power and absorbing its energy, until you find a cohesive partnership.
Like writing, surfing is an art form. A medium I’ve missed dearly.
We chase the barrel until it crashes beneath us, and we sink back down into the waves. The rush of water flips the board, causing Leo and me both to tumble off it.
As we both resurface and haul ourselves back onto it, my brother shakes his wet hair away from his eyes. “I’m so fucking proud of you! That was badass.”
A whistle pierces the air, and my head snaps to my other brother, who tosses an arm in the air. His pointer and pinkie fingers are up, with his thumb stuck out to the side. I return the gesture before my eyes begin searching the waves for August.
Sure enough, he’s just behind us, knees bent, gaze focused, gliding across the wave with one hand trailing through the water beside him. I watch him, enthralled by his graceful movement as he rides out the remainder of the wave. He’d always been a natural surfer, though like me, he didn’t treat it competitively. I’m not surprised that even after years away from it, he coasts over the water effortlessly.
I press a quick kiss to my brother’s cheek, whispering, “Thank you,” before leaping off his board and into the water.August’s board drops back into the water, and I swim the short distance between us until I reach him.
“Hi,” he says, watching me curiously as I lift my upper body up onto his board.
“Hi.” He inches backward as I hoist myself onto the board, straddling it backward so I can face him. “I missed you.”
“Right here, baby. I’m right here.”
“I know.” I grab the back of his neck and tug him into me. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you, too.” He rests his forehead against mine, and I close my eyes. “I’m proud of us.”
With the sun’s warmth soaking into my skin, the smell of rain, pine, and seawater enveloping my senses, and the soft touch of my soul’s best friend against my face, I finally return home.
CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF AUGUST AND ELENA?
