Page 50 of The Surfer

17

COVE

I raisemy fist to knock at Ripley’s door, but I hesitate. I take in a deep breath and still I can’t do it. I can’t knock on her door.

What the hell, Cove?

But no matter how much I try, I can’t bring myself to knock on her bedroom door, the same action she’s done on mine every morning for the last few weeks.

I actually can’t do this.

I know why. It can’t be, but for the first time in a long time, I’m actually nervous.

I’m scared of her opening the door, I’m actually nervous about seeing Ripley again.

This is serious. I’ve never, ever been like this and especially not with a girl. I’m the infamous billionaire playboy, Cove Finn, nervousness shouldn’t be in my vocabulary, especially when it comes to women.

But here I am, too nervous to knock on Ripley Sailor’s bedroom door.

The infamous billionaire playboy reduced to blubbering in front of a geeky American girl.

What would the clubbers at Tide think of me if they saw me now?

This all comes down to one thing.

The kiss.

That perfect kiss Ripley and I had shared on our secret beach.

Ripley was right at the beach about the deal she made with my dad and Sandy; it can’t, and shouldn’t, be broken, especially by a kiss. No matter how romantic and perfect it seemed. I kissed her when I shouldn’t have, and it’s jeopardized her trust with my family. That forbidden kiss has broken the terms of the contract she made with Sandy and my dad.

I don’t give a fuck if it has, but clearly, Ripley does, and she’s the most important person in my life right now.

She didn’t want to break the terms of the deal she’d struck with my family, but, with that kiss on the secret beach, she had.

Because of me.

So, it’s down to me now. I have to fix this.

I have to make amends.

Ripley was right, I just can’t simply kiss her while my sister is living in the same house as both of us. It breaks her agreement.

And the way Ripley looks at me with tears in her eyes, I know that the pain she feels is because of me. Of what I’ve done. It’s my fault, I’ve made her confused with that kiss. I knew she wanted to kiss me, but we both know she can’t, and now I’ve put her in an impossible situation.

But the kiss was perfect. She knows it. I know it.

But the kiss was wrong.

And I have to fix this.

I raise my fist again, ready to knock on her door.

This is hard.

I’m fucking nervous.

It’s midday. It’s been a few hours since we wordlessly returned from the secret beach. We haven’t spoken or even seen each other since Ripley ran through the front door and into her room the minute I parked the car outside the house. I was left standing, alone, in the middle of Sandy’s kitchen not knowing what to do. I know I shouldn’t let some American girl tear my heart out, but yet she’s still affecting me hours after she broke off our kiss. My past playboy self would’ve laughed if he’d knew I’d let a girl influence my emotions, but that’s what kissing Ripley Sailor has done to me.