‘I’m a swimmer, you know,’ I said, just about stopping myself from crossing my arms in frustration. I put my hand in my hair instead, twisting a curl tightly round my finger.
‘I know, I saw yesterday. But swimming and surfing are very different things.Alors, lie down.’
And we did the pop-ups. Again. Over and over, until my arms were aching, and I was ready to scream in frustration.
I stood up. ‘Can we go in the waternow? Please?’ I begged.
‘Non, but your lesson is almost finished, and then you are not my responsibility.’ He shrugged, but I’d stopped listening and had turned to the water, where some surfers were paddling into a wave.
‘They should wait, there’s another set coming,’ I said.
Antoine just stared at me for a second, then he looked out at the water, nodding. ‘You learn quickly.’
I was about to try to convince him that I could go into the water when Delphine from the Brasserie, another girl, and Sébastian dragged their much smaller surfboards on to the sand beside us. They were all wet and wearing navy rash vests that looked like a uniform.
‘Salut!’ The black-haired girl Delphine was with gave me a huge smile, as Delphine spoke seriously to Antoine in French.
Sébastian lay down on his surfboard and looked up at me. His shaggy blonde hair fanned out on the white board beneath him.
‘I sleep now,’ he said, grinned and closed his eyes.
The girl kicked him in the side, and he folded over dramatically.
‘Allez quoi, Sébastian! Lève-toi!’ She laughed.
He groaned and looked up at me, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. ‘Lili is not kind to me. Delphine is not kindto me.’ He gave me a sad face then bounced up to standing almost immediately.
‘Enchanté.’ Sébastian was at least a foot taller than me, with long, gangly, tanned limbs. He held out a huge hand towards me and I took it. Then he bent down and kissed both of my cheeks. ‘I am Sébastian,la victimeof Delphine and Lili, and who are you?’
I looked up at him and couldn’t help smiling back at his grin. ‘Margot. This is my first lesson.’
‘First lesson! With Antoine!’ Sébastian turned to Lili, who was squeezing salt water from her long, dark hair. I glanced over at Delphine and Antoine, who were still talking in low voices.
‘Antoine is strict,non?’ Lili looked at me with a warm smile. ‘But he is good. He was the teacher of Delphine.’
Lili nodded towards them, but they were too deep in conversation to look up. Then, without warning, Sébastian launched himself at Delphine and pulled her over playfully.
‘Delphine,notre professionelle!’
Delphine pulled herself away from him, but she was laughing. Then he started tickling her and Lili stepped towards them. ‘Arrêtez!’ she said and grabbed Delphine’s hand, pulling her close. Then they kissed, and an unexpected relief took over, as it dawned on me that Felix and Delphine definitely weren’t together.
Sébastian walked over, slung his long arm round my neck and leaned in. ‘C’est compliquéhere on the beach. Delphine is, how do you say,la copine?’ Sébastian looked at Antoine.
‘Girlfriend,’ he confirmed.
‘Yes. Delphine is the girlfriend of Lili.But.And it is a big but. Shewasla copine, sorry, the girlfriend of Antoine.’
Antoine was looking at me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind his glasses, but I wondered if he was looking for a reaction.
‘OK. I get it. And who is yourcopine?’ I asked Sébastian.
‘You?’ He pulled me closer towards him. ‘I joke. No, it is very sad. I do not have a girlfriend.’
Delphine said something to him, and he whispered in my ear. ‘Help. I told you that they are not nice to me.’ Then he laughed and released me.
Delphine and Lili were whispering to each other now and I walked over to Antoine. ‘Delphine is a professional surfer?’ I asked.
‘She wants to be, but she needs to train harder,’ Antoine said in her direction. She looked up and waved him away. ‘There is a competition in September.La Vague d’Or.The Golden Wave. Last year she placed fourth in the girls’ competition, and this year, if she comes in the top three, she will get prize money, sponsorship, invitations to competitions in Europe, maybe the world.’ He glanced at Delphine, who was listening. ‘If she trains harder, she might do it.’
