“I wish I could.”
And there it is again. Silence. Just his obnoxiously heavy breathing filling my headset, because apparently words are too much to ask for.
I push back from my station and peer around the canopy, shielding my eyes against the sun.
There they are. Blaze’s neon shirt. Sienna’s hat. Cole behind the lens, waist-deep, the waves rolling through him in sets, each one bigger than the last.
I should end this.Every professional instinct I have is pulling the alarm. Call them in. Cite the protocol. Be the person who holds the line.
I look at the donation counter… it’s tripled since the net.
Unbelievable.This is so unfair. He wades into restricted water, breaks the rules again, and the internet whips out credit cards. And honestly?Why would he behave when they keep handing him cash for being a menace?
I watch him drag a hand across the back of his neck and there's something slow and tired in the movement. His fingers slide over his jaw before he resets the camera.
A wave plunges into his waist.
He doesn’t move.
The frame holds.
I study the live shot on my display. It should not be that steady. Not in this current, not with the water pushing, pulling,and demanding he lose control. And yet, somehow, Cole stays grounded, as if the ocean knows it can’t win.
Well. Hell. His shot is annoyingly good.
“Cole, your shot is pretty—”
“It’s hot out here,” he barks, voice rough, his words slurring slightly at the edges. “You want perfection? Try doing this without drowning.”
“I was going to say your footage is impressive. I’m trying to compliment you. But sure. Go off.”
Silence.
A long one.
On my monitor, Blaze stands waist-deep, waves slamming into him hard enough to shove his hips back. Yet he beams at the audience, undaunted by the ocean’s raw power. Without warning, the shot starts to drift.
Great. I say something nice, and now he’s trying to piss me off.
He coughs. “I think I need a minute.” Something in Cole’s voice isn’t right.
“Uh, okay let me—”
“Ivy!” he gasps my name, barely a word.
The image on my monitor lurches.
Sky.
Sand.
Water.
SPLASH!
The lens plunges underwater. Sound distorts into a muffled roar. Bubbles streak past. The world goes blue-green.
And on the live feed, there he is.
