A knock sounded on my door, much too early in the morning. It was finally a day that I didn't have an early morning lift, and I had been planning on soaking it in.
"Yeah?" I called groggily.
"Hey, the waves are looking good," my dad's baritone echoed through the door.
"Aren't they always?" I groaned, curling back up under the blankets.
"I have a banana in the car for you, I'll see you there in five."
It had been a few weeks since my last wakeup call from my dad. His hours at work had been crazier the past few years, so while I was used to the early father-daughter surf sessions when I was a kid, it had gradually become less of a pattern. I pulled on a slightly insulated long sleeve one piece bathing suit, mostly because I had no tolerance for any level of cold at five thirty in the morning.
Sure enough, there was a banana on the passenger seat of the old pickup when I walked up four minutes later. The radio was playing some old alt rock band, and my dad was looking too enthusiastic for this time of day. "Sunset looked good on the cams."
"I feel like surfing Sunset during sunrise should be illegal," I said, pulling my hood tighter over my head.
My dad laughed and turned right at the stop sign towards the break. "I mean, they might require a sunny attitude to let you in."
A smile worked its way out, even as I was sure to give him a look. He grinned back and parked the truck before handing me a board that he has grabbed for me. I surveyed his choice appreciatively, it was a nice board. That, and he has done the artwork on it, so I'm sure that there was some incentive for him to bring it out.
The paddle out to the break was silent. There were a few other people in the water, but they were spread apart and seemed to be alone. My dad and I surveyed the waves side by side. He had grown up in San Clemente surfing the California waves before he met my mom in Hawaii and was converted to the island breaks. It wasn't too much of a competition in my opinion.
"So, your mom said the other day that you're wrapping up school?" He asked after we had both caught a few waves and were back in the lineup.
"Yeah, I take my last final so that's a relief. It's a little late for graduation, but I'll take it."
He watched one of the other guys paddle and pop up on his own wave. "I'm just glad you're graduating, even if it's six months late. I know that there were probably times where it was tempting to drop it, but we're proud of you. Never know when the high school diploma will come in handy."
"Bet you never thought you'd be worried about your daughter dropping out of high school," I laughed before taking off on a wave. There was a mutual understanding that either of us were free to catch waves in the middle of a conversation. It would be resumed later.
"Well, when you were getting perfect hundreds on everything in middle school I did wonder if there would be some Ivy in your future," he winked.
"Sorry to disappoint you in the brains department."
He paddled back a minute later after catching his own wave. "Your mom and I are so proud of you and all that you've accomplished. Just because you don't go to college doesn't mean you're any less smart. We've seen the way you've taken control of marketing yourself and working for what you want. Just because we're happy that Evan is at college doesn't mean we think that's the best for you. And don't get any ideas of throwing your dreams away to follow Will around at school."
I looked at him skeptically. Boy talks with my dad we're always interesting, and this was very on brand for him. "I'm not going to quit for him."
"You know you're welcome to date him, but just don't get too caught up with what your mom and Rachel say. You're busy with surfing and all that goes with that, so don't worry about disappointing anyone else's dreams for you two as a couple," he said seriously.
I nodded and stared out at the waves. "I mean we just kissed, I guess I don't know if anything will actually happen yet."
"Just wanted to make sure that you know you're free to do whatever you want. I'm sure your friendship will survive if that's all you want it to be. That being said, I need to catch a few more waves before I have to get to work."
â³â½â³
I dumped my bag onto the floor of my bedroom, opening up a drawer that was filled with bathing suits. The church was hosting a group for young teenage girls, and they had asked me to come and share my testimony with them. I had spend the last few hours with them after I got home from surfing with my dad, sharing about my journey and how my faith had changed over my life. It was fun to connect with them and encourage them, but I wanted to get back in the water for a second session today.
A navy bikini sat on the top of the ever-increasing bathing suit stash. It would do, and I slipped it on before heading out to the garage. The waves were reasonably sized, and I grabbed one of my favorite boards from the walls that were lined with at least thirty boards. It looked excessive, but you never knew when you would need the ten foot long board or the 6 foot two fish.
After grabbing my five foot short board I walked over the white sand towards the shore break, looking down the beach when I heard a slapping noise. Evan was tossing a baseball to Will, who stood with his feet planted in the sand. His walker stood right behind him, waiting if necessary.
"River," Will called, drawing out the r.
"Hey guys," I waved, smiling back.
"You guys busy tonight?" He asked, chucking the ball back into Evan's chest.
"Uh, yeah, I'm going to lift with some people I think," Evan responded. I shrugged, not having anything in mind.
"Riv, you want to hang?" Will said. Evan looked at Will before turning around to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at me.
"Yeah, sounds good." Maybe he'd actually address this whole thing.
"Sick, I'll text you later then."
I turned around and walked out towards the break, trying to keep the smile off of my face. Thankfully by the time that I made it out into the waves it was too far for him to see it still sneaking out. I snuck a glance at him throwing with Evan every few minutes until they went inside and I turned my focus back to the waves. This had really gone further than I expected it to, that was for sure.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and I had just finished cleaning up from dinner when Will poked his head in the front door. I was just sliding my shoes on when my mom decided to walk in from the living room, causing me to internally groan. "Oh, Will, what a nice surprise!"
"We were actually just leaving mom, you and dad have a great night," I rushed out quickly, gesturing for Will to leave.
"Oh, great, have fun you too," she grinned.
"Nice to see you, Beth, have a great night!" Will called out politely as he reversed the course of his walker. He looked nice in his jeans and navy t-shirt, although his hair was classically messy.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked once we had made it a safe distance away from the open windows
"You want to go to Lanai, like the lookout?" I nodded and he continued, "I swear that I'll be able to drive soon and I'll make up all the driving for you. I'd also get the door for you but I think we both know how well that would go..."
I laughed at that and we started the drive to the lookout. The sun had set, so it probably wouldn't be very crowded. I had been a few times in high school with Alani, but it wasn't my most frequented location to take in a view. On the other hand, it was easy to access, which was helpful in times like this.
Will tossed me a blanket once we got out of the car and onto the rocky cliffs that overlooked the ocean. The moon was almost full, and it lit up his bright smile. "Were we going to do this if Evan came too?" I joked.
"Nah, my plans changed when he dropped out," Will chuckled as he eased himself onto the blanket, "I figured that you would like the view though."
The moon lit up the waves as they crested miles out, and the rocks around us were fairly well lit. It was a nice view-- no one would argue with that.
I sat down next to him and leaned back on my hands, watching him for a moment while he surveyed the waves crashing against the cliffs. His gaze broke away from the water and turned to me as he ran a hand through his hair.
"I guess that I have a confession to make..." he started before looking back at the water. I waited silently for him to continue. "I've had a crush on you since I was probably twelve and you were following us around the island," he laughed dryly, "And I guess that I just kept thinking that it would go away when I went to high school, and I guess that it kinda did, at least I managed to date a few other people when you were home doing online school or flying around the world. But then I went to college last year, and I really thought it would go away then, but all that I could think about was how all of them weren't you."
I blushed a little at that, even if it did have to do with him trying to get over me. He paused for a second before continuing on.
"And then the accident happened, and you were here before I could even talk to you. You left your brand new career for me, which I still don't know that I agree with by the way, but then I really realized how much you mean to me. And I figured out that it was always you," he finished, smiling softly.
"Wow," I paused dramatically, "I just thought that you were hot."
Will shoved me away and started laughing. "Well now that I've laid myself bare and you've admitted that you find my body attractive, I think I'll start calling you my girlfriend."
"You already called me your girl in that text when I won my heat and I didn't protest then," I shrugged. "But seriously, I like you a lot Will, and I've realized that I would never regret missing a comp for you."
"Then it's official," he said, pulling me into his chest and kissing the top of my head. A minute later I maneuvered myself so that I was laying on his leg and looking up at the stars. Will ran his fingers through my hair for a few minutes as we gazed up at the sky.
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you lived somewhere colder long enough to let your hair grow in naturally?" He asked in reference to the permanently bleached blonde hair. The roots were brown, but they didn't stay that way for long in the sun.
"This seems like you're suggesting that it wouldn't be warm enough for year round surfing, so probably never I'd say," I laughed.
"Fair play I guess."
We spent a few more hours there, thinking about each other and our relationship from a new perspective. Will proceeded to load up the car, promising that he would soon be the gentleman and drive us around himself. I told him that I'd rather us both survive, but he seemed confident in his skills for someone who couldn't stand on his own three weeks ago.
I pulled up to his driveway and put the car in park, waiting for him to grab the walker and blanket he had brought. "See you tomorrow," I called out.
He approached the open window and winked, "Just remember the big takeaway; it has always been you."
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Hello everyone, thank you all for 1K :) I hope that you enjoyed the longer update, I'll try to keep them coming as I go home soon. Also sorry if you've been getting notifications for old chapters getting updated, that always bothers me but I needed to clarify that Will is a sophomore in college and River is one year younger, finishing senior year of high school a little late. It was also brought to my attention that it needed to be clearer that River is, in fact, a girl in the first chapter, so hopefully that should clear things up haha.
Anyway, you should give me a quick life update about yourselves if you want to bc it seems fun and I would love to know you better :)