“Obviously.” She gestures vaguely toward me. “You’re still competing and surfing while building an actual business venture that means something.” She smiles a little sadly. “It’s inspiring.”
I lean against the kitchen counter, studying her carefully, because underneath her smile, there’s longing too.
“Do you miss surfing?” I ask.
Maliah exhales through her nose. “Sometimes.”
“You should come back,” Eliana says immediately.
Mal laughs. “Yeah, okay. Between surfing and running the bakery I’d be totally burnt out.”
“Hire part-timers,” Eliana says, like the answer is obvious. “Be a substitute surfer like what Colton does.”
Maliah blinks. “You know,” she murmurs slowly, “that’s not a bad idea…”
“Don’t tease me like this,” Elaina squeals. “Does this mean the girl gang is back together?”
I grin as Maliah shakes her head laughing before she changes the subject entirely. “Okay, time to talk bachelorette party plans.”
For the next hour we discuss the themes, games, outfits, and eventually we settle on renting out The Kooky Coconut for the night, mostly because we know the owner and because the place already looks like a tropical fever dream after dark.
I send off an email expecting to hear back tomorrow, but five minutes later, my phone dings with an approval email from the bar. The three of us scream like idiots before deciding this calls for a celebration.
Our wine bottles get opened, and the music gets louder as we dance around the living room barefoot while waiting for pizza delivery, horribly singing throwback songs into wooden spoons.
At some point, Eliana convinces Maliah to do shots every time she says Koa’s name, which turns out to be a catastrophic mistake. And somehow, against all odds, we even convince Maliah to watch a paranormal movie with us afterward despite the fact that she hates horror movies with her entire soul.
“This is how people get possessed,” she mutters into her pillow.
“That wouldn’t shock me,” Eliana says.
A demon immediately appears on screen and Maliah screams so loudly I almost choke on my pizza, laughing until tears run down my face.
I can’t remember the last time I feltthishappy. But even through our laughter and all the chaos, my thoughts keep drifting back to Colton and the fact that he’s back in Saltwater Springs.
Hours later, the house finally grows quiet, empty pizza boxes littering the coffee table while the TV screen glows softly. Eliana is sprawled across one couch snoring loudly, while Maliah somehow fell asleep sitting upright with a blanket half sliding off her shoulder.
I smile at both of them before glancing down at my phone for the last time, instantly waking up when I see an unread message notification.
Colton:
Hey, stranger.
My stomach twists as I stare down at the single word.
Kairi:
You’re back?
Three dots appear almost instantly.
Colton:
Yeah.
Can’t sleep?
My lips curl into a smile.
