‘Tu n’es plus mon instructeur,’ she said.
‘En anglais?’ Lili looked at her with big eyes and nodded at me as she pushed a strand of wet hair from Delphine’s face.
Delphine rolled her eyes. ‘Antoine, you are not my instructor any more. Happy?’ Delphine said, turning to Lili and smiling.
‘Margot,’ Lili said. ‘Are you coming to the bonfire tonight?’
I looked at Antoine, confused. ‘The bonfire?’ I asked.
‘It is not for tourists,’ I heard Delphine say.
‘On the beach, we have a bonfire tonight, right here. For all the surfers. Do you want to come?’
‘Oh, please come, Margot,’ Sébastian begged beside me.
Felix flashed in my head. Our kiss. Our date. But maybe he would come too. A surfer party. I couldn’t think of anything more cool.
‘I’ll be there.’
Then Delphine stormed off, mumbling something in French, followed by Lili, followed by Sébastian, who kissed my cheeks again before he ran after them, leaving me standing on the sand with Antoine.
‘Delphine. She is complicated.’ Antoine flicked his head in their direction.
‘I can see that,’ I replied.
‘I will see you soon? With your sisters?’ Antoine asked.
‘Yep, I’ll be back.’
‘Perhaps I will let them in the water,’ he said, grinning at me, and I pushed him playfully.
‘You better not. See you later.’ I turned and walked back towards the campsite, and I felt Antoine’s eyes on me the whole way down the beach.
12
Back at the beach with Rue and Wren later that morning, I sat alone on the sand, just watching Antoine with the girls. He’d taken them into the water today, and was so good with Rue, helping her balance, making her laugh. He made it look so easy. I remembered when Mum and Dad asked me to help teach Rue how to ride her bike and we almost killed each other.
‘Did you see me?’ Rue pushed soaking-wet hair from her face as she walked up the beach towards me with Wren an hour later.
‘Yeah, you were brilliant.’ I smiled. ‘And you too, Wren.’
They wrapped themselves in towels and chased each other while Antoine came over to talk to me.
‘You were up early. I thought you might have changed your mind and be resting now,’ he said. He sat down on the sand beside me, so close that I could feel the coolness of his T-shirt from the water. Millimetres from me, both of us staring out at the ocean.
‘I said I’d be here. Anyway, I wanted to see if you were so strict with everyone, or if it was just me.’ I turned away so he didn’t catch my smirk.
‘Different methods for different students,’ he said.
‘So you’re saying I need the drill-sergeant approach?’
He grinned at that. Briefly, before being serious again – of course. ‘I think you have potential. And potential can be wasted if there is too much … being gentle.’
‘But how do you know? I haven’t even been in the water yet.’
‘I do not need the water to see a surfer.’ Antoine pulled himself up. ‘The bonfire. You will be here?’ I nodded. He held out a hand to help me up. I took it, and I felt his touch surge through my body like electricity. ‘You should not stay out too late. Serious surfers do not stay out late before dawn sessions.’
And that surge of electricity? It hit a power cut, as the irritation of him telling me what to do again took over.
