“Maybe this road trip,” she said gently, “going back to your hometown… maybe it’ll help you figure it out. And even if it doesn’t… you have time.”
He nodded slowly.
“I’m in a position where I can take a sabbatical without worrying about money. I could rent my apartment… travel.” A small smile. “I like that idea.”
Her face lit up. “I can help with that. I mean—if my shoulder and my mind get fixed, I’ll be back competing… and I basically live on planes anyway.”
“That sounds like an amazing plan,” he grinned. “I’d love to carry your boards for the rest of my life.”
Alejandra laughed, tipping her head back, the sound bright and effortless. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Then I’ll spend the rest of my life saying sweet things just to make you laugh like that.”
Her smile softened, lips pressing together as her hand squeezed his. “I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself.”
“I’m glad too,” he admitted. “But we should thank Leif for that.”
“Well,” she smirked slightly, “hopefully I returned the favor.”
He chuckled, leaning over the table to kiss her. And as their lips met, warm and familiar, something settled inside him. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. He let himself wonder if this wasn’t temporary. If maybe life had finally decided he deserved this.
To be happy.
To be in love.
46
ALEJANDRA
Roadtrip Home - Odhran Murphy
Carla had senther a research paper on the Blue Mind effect that came out the previous year. Funnily enough, it was Sofia’s study, and as Callum drove through the English countryside, Alejandra read it aloud for both of them.
She flipped the pages on her phone, clearing her throat dramatically.“The Blue Mind effect describes the meditative, healing state triggered by proximity to water, specifically the ocean. This state reduces stress hormones, improves mental clarity, and increases dopamine levels. For athletes and high-performers, frequent immersion in coastal environments has shown measurable impacts on resilience, mood regulation, and trauma recovery. The body heals faster when the mind is calm. And nothing calms the mind like waves lapping against the shore, the scent of salt in the air, and the infinite horizon.”
Alejandra paused, letting the words hang in the air. Then, with a sardonic smile, she added, “I should complain to Sofia. In here, shedoesn’t mention how to recover after getting wiped out by a wave in Hawai’i and then being too scared to even look at the ocean.”
Callum, his blue eyes hidden behind sunglasses that made him unreasonably irresistible, tilted his head. “Sarcasm as a way to cope with pain. Great.”
Alejandra rolled her eyes. “I’ve been in Conil, and I was home, right? I should’ve been fine. I know that coast like the back of my hand. Surfed every possible wave there. And yet, I was panicking half the time. I forced myself to walk on the beach, watch as my brother surfed, and I kept telling myself it was just the sling. But... when I took it off, I realized it wasn’t the sling.” She swallowed hard. “I’m fucking scared of the ocean. I am terrified. And I can’t—I know how to swim, I know how to surf. I saved my life doing so but...”
Callum reached over and gently squeezed her knee. “It’s irrational and rational at the same time,” he said softly. “But I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
The fact that he kept listening to her processing her feelings and emotions, put him on top of the list of the Greenest Flag she had ever met. This guy kept showing how perfect he was—he was hot, sexy, smart and emotionally available. Somehow, she had lucked out and she wasn’t going to question if it was another joke of her life. She was going to embrace it and say it was the reward for almost losing her life and questioning her career.
She closed Sofia’s research on her phone. Maybe that wasn’t the time to dig into it. Maybe she should just enjoy the landscape—filled with green rolling fields and very gorgeous cows—and the idea of discovering new places. It had been a while since she had been to a place she had never been. Somehow, Wales had never been on her radar, and she was happy at the idea of seeing where Callum grew up, discover another part of him.
“Does the bonfire on Calan Mai work like the one in San Juan?”
“Explain howSan Juanworks,” he replied, butchering the pronunciation in a way that made her snort.
“You basically jump over it to leave behind all the bad stuff,” she explained, her voice tinged with nostalgia. Memories of bonfires in Conil with Sofia, Gabriella, Carlos, and their childhood friends flooded her mind. And too many drunken kisses with boys she thought were her forever after.
“Then yes. Same idea.” He nodded.
“Interesting.” She smiled faintly. She loved when she found common rituals in different cultures. “Maybe I can try to burn my fear, too.”
“Definitely worth a try.” Callum grinned, though his tone betrayed a healthy dose of skepticism. He was an accountant, after all.
