Continue growth since original lineup reunion. Happiness Is one of favorites of year it came out. Album much continuing on current style. Love punk rock feel of Death Wolf, Tidal Wave, and others. Still true emo style in songs like We Don’t Go In There. Much long term loving dynamic between Nolan and Lazzara. Maybe not as fully consistent as last album, but very strong album. 3 ½ paws up.
Once Cassian taught her to surf, Nesta fell in love. The crash of waves beat the same tune as her heart. The sea flowed through her veins. Selected as a wild card for the 2019 Pipemasters, Nesta can think of nothing else. Every day she practices for the competition that could win her world-wide fame and recognition, riding waves as soon as the sun comes up.
Cassian hadn’t expected the girl he fought with as a young boy to become one of the best surfers on the island. He had been slowly falling for her the past two years, until he was so hopelessly in love he was sure Nesta could tell. The pair compete with one another every day in whatever they do. He wants to travel the world and surf, sponsored by one of the big companies.
With the competition drawing near, will Nesta and Cassian ride the dangerous waves of love or drown beneath them?
a/n: fair warning this is a long chapter
The wave crested and she dropped to catch the entrance to the tunnel. Standing up, she let her fingertips brush the tunnel wall, water flowing and falling thunderously in her wake.
Without a warning, the great wave of water crashed onto her head and sent her down. Caught under the wave, Nesta couldn’t surface to breathe. Growing more frantic by the second as she lost air, she tried to swim for the surface.
She saw the sunlight streaming through the foam left by the previous wave. She saw the shadow of the coming wave, screaming until salt water burned her throat.
Air,she needed air.
But she was caught on something.
Black began to cloud the corners of her vision.
I need to breathe. I need air.
Nesta tore and clawed at the velcro strap encircling her ankle. Her board and the cord were caught on the rocks below. It wouldn’t detach, being pulled so hard in two different directions.
Please, she cried. Please. I don’t want to drown.
Whatever merciful lady of the sea there was must have heard her, for the strap around her ankle finally came loose.
Nesta broke the surface just as another wave crashed down on her, sending her tumbling back into the depths. Hitting her head off a rock, she blacked out for seconds that seemed like an eternity.
Water filled her lungs and Nesta kicked her legs furiously, lungs crying out for air as she swam to the surface.
———————————
The beach was packed with spectators. Nesta parked her car after flashing a pass and unloaded her boards, heading down to the beach. Emerie saw her coming and ran up to her, hugging her tight.
“Kick some ass, girl,” Emerie told her, grinning wide. “Let’s go.”
They signed Nesta in and the attendance lady gave her a rashguard with a number on the back and a Billabong logo on the left sleeve. “Good luck, Archeron,” the woman told her as she and Emerie walked away. Nesta nodded her thanks in response, nerves making her quiet.
Elain, Azriel, Rhys, and Feyre were all sitting on a blanket waiting for the competition to begin. Glancing at Azriel, she saw him shake his head. So Cassian was sticking to his word. He wasn’t coming. Some part of Nesta was disappointed, but she pushed it down.
“Nesta! What are you doing?” Helion shouted, pushing through the crowd and dragging her off before she could talk to her sisters. He stopped her under a tent reserved for competitors and placed his hands on her shoulders. “There’s two heats before you’re up. Remember, kid, you’ve been surfing these waves your entire life. Trust your instincts. Don’t think about it too much. That’s when you fumble, when you get in your head.” He emphasized his point by poking her forehead. “Stretch, drink some water, watch the others. You’ve got this.” Ruffling her hair, Helion grinned before pulling her in for a tight hug.
Azriel stepped under the canopy shortly after Helion left, his hands in the pockets of his board shorts. Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he kicked at the sand underfoot. “Nesta, I have to apologize for the other night. It was totally uncalled for, andー”
The rest of what he was about to say was forgotten as Nesta hugged him. His arms wrapped around her, but after a few seconds, like he was confused.
“It’s not your fault, Az. You had to make sure,” she said. With a soft grin, she pinched his arm and he pulled back. “Now I hope Elain doesn’t complain, because you’re watching the next two heats with me.” Dragging Azriel behind her, she shoved her way out to where her toes sunk into the sand wet with the tide.
The woman surfing at the moment didn’t see the wave come crashing down on top of her until it was too late. The crowd gasped, holding their breath. These waves were brutal, Nesta knew from experience. She swore under her breath, hearing Azriel do the same as the surf medics raced out on the jetski, bringing the woman back to the med tent.
“Mother’s tits,” Nesta breathed when they carried her past. The woman had been knocked unconscious, her neck craned at an angle a bit too extreme to be healthy. A hush overcame the crowd as the clock ticked down to zero, breathing out a sigh of relief when the medic nodded to the judge. She just broken her collarbone and had a mild concussion.
Nesta closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. That could be her today. And it could be much worse than a broken collarbone and concussion.
———————————
Cassian’s phone rang and he ignored it. It rang again. And a third time. On the fourth call, he answered, frustrated.
“Oh, good of you to finally pick up,” Helion deadpanned from the other end. He could hear a commotion in the background, so that meant Helion was down on the beach with Nesta and the other surfers. “Bless the Mother, Cassian Kekoa, you better get your ass here and resolve whatever the fuck is up between you and Nesta. I love her like a daughter, and right now, you’re breaking her heart.”
Cassian slumped down behind the wheel of his truck. “Helion, did you ever think that she hates me now and never wants to see me again?” he asked, dejected.
“You idiot, she loves you.”
He wasn’t hearing properly, that had to be it. “What?”
A heavy sigh on the other end. Cassian could see Helion facepalming himself in his mind’s eye, clear as day. “Get it through your thick skull. She came to me sobbing after your fight; she’s afraid you won’t come back. Even now, I noticed her looking for you in the crowd. When she doesn’t find you, some of the light in her eyes fades.”
“Nesta doesn’t deserve me. Like she said, I’m no better than my father. I walked away. Me.”
“For fuck’s sake, boy. I will drag you out of that truck if I need to. I know you’re skulking around here somewhere.”
Cassian bit his lip, thinking about it. Grumbling, he told Helion he was coming and slunk through the massive crowd on the beach like a dog with his tail between his legs.
This is such a stupid idea. She’s gonna kill me, Cassian muttered under his breath as he saw Helion. Not far behind him was Nesta. She was smiling as she talked with Azriel. His heart ached because that should’ve been him with her, making her smile and laugh.
Helion beelined for Cassian, pulling him into the nearest tent. Cassian paced, dragging his hands through his hair.
Gesturing wildly, Cassian wanted to shout. Instead he tried to keep his voice even, but it cracked. “Can’t you see she’s doing just fine without me?”
Rolling his eyes, Helion grabbed ahold of Cassian’s tee with both hands and yanked him close so they were face to face. “Fine? FINE? She’s not doing fine. You will go and apologize to her for leaving before her heat, which,” he checked the waterproof watch on his wrist, “means you have less than twenty minutes.”
Cassian shook his head.
His cheek stung with the force of Helion’s slap. “Boy, are you stupid? This isn’t about you. This is her day. Today is all about her. Your feelings be damned, I will not let her ruin her one chance to impress the global surfing community just because you’re too much of a fucking coward to tell her how you really feel.
“Have you really never noticed she dances on the waves rather than surfing them when you’re there? Everyone else but you has. Before she died, your kapuwahine came to me and made me promise that I would do everything in my power to allow Nesta Archeron to show her gift to the world. Nāmaka blessed you, both of you.
“Now man up, Cassian Kekoa. Go apologise.”
Grumbling, Cassian slipped out of the tent and ran into Azriel. His brother’s eyes went wide. Helion stepped out behind Cassian, glaring at him to get a move on. He tapped his wrist.
“Sorry, Az, I gotta go,” Cassian said.
Azriel grabbed his arm, preventing him from going any further. “You’re a fucking asshole, Cass. I love you, but leaving her on the beach? That was a dick move. She beat herself up over you walking away, literally. Whenever you go see her, look at her lip and her knuckles. That’s your doing,” he spat.
Hearing that only made Cassian feel shittier.
Helion whispered something in Azriel’s ear that made him drop his hand. With one last glance backward, Azriel walked back to wherever the others were sitting.
Before Helion could berate Cassian more, he held up his hands. “I know, I know. I’m going,” he promised. Under his breath, he prayed he would come out of this alive.
———————————
Nesta heard the door flap to the tent whisper open and shut. Not bothering to turn around, she worked on setting the last fin into place.
“Hey, Az, will you help with this?” she asked.
“Hey, Nes.”
Her heart stopped and she stilled. His was the last voice she was expecting to hear today.
Whipping around, fin in hand, Nesta glared at him. His shoulders sank and she noticed he wiped his palms on his board shorts. He fiddled with Maui’s hook on his necklace, the one he never took off.
“I know I fucked up. I’m sorry.” His eyes landed on her still-healing lip and raw knuckles, the spark that was normally there fading. “I’m sorry, Nesta. We both said hurtful things that night. I know you’ll never forgive me for walking away when I should have stayed, but I just wanted to apologize.”
When she didn’t say anything, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave, looking utterly defeated.
“Good luck today, Nes. I’m gonna go,” he mumbled, opening the flap to the tent to leave.
Nesta hated herself for not being able to say anything in response. She couldn’t let him walk away a second time.
“Cassian,” she called out. “Don’t leave. Again. Please.”
Three words lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back.
His smile was shy as he turned around, waiting to see what she did and allowing her to make the first move. Seconds slowed into eternity as she stepped closer, looping her arms around his neck and softly pressing her lips to his.
Cassian smiled against her lips, kissing her back as his hands settled on her waist and squeezed gently. This kiss was like no other.
The pain and hurt from their fight on the beach only made it sweeter.
Nesta kissed him one last time before slamming her knee up into his groin. He cursed the gods as he collapsed in pain, yanking her down with him.
Nesta laughed genuinely for the first time since they fought. “You deserved that,” she snorted.
Cassian just shook his head, although she knew he was smiling through the pain. “I really did, didn’t I?” he grumbled.
With a groan, he stood and pulled Nesta to her feet. She handed him the last fin for her board. “Help me please?” she asked sweetly, waiting for him to roll his eyes and chastise her like he always did.
“When you go pro, you’re gonna have to learn how to do this yourself, you know?” Cassian shook his head, rolling his eyes.
“Not when I always have you around, Cass.”
They stared at each other, the air sparking around them. The moment was ruined when the announcer came over his megaphone, calling the contestants in the next heat to head for the shore.
Nesta punched his arm with a soft smile. “I’ll see you after, yeah?”
He nodded, looking surprised as Nesta kissed his cheek. Smiling to herself and shaking her head, Nesta grabbed her board and left the tent to see Helion standing outside with a stupid grin.
“You dragged him here, didn’t you?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
Helion hid his grin with a cough. “No comment, kid.”
“Well, thank you anyway.”
———————————
Nesta nodded to her opponent as they stood on the beach waiting for their heat to begin, the woman’s platinum-blonde hair shining in the sunlight. “Good luck,” she said.
“You too,” the woman grinned, the horn blaring loud enough to drown the end of her words out.
They both ran into the churning surf before jumping on their boards, paddling out the rest of the way. The ocean was cool and crisp on her sun-heated skin, water running in rivulets down her arms and onto her board.
Trust your instincts.
The beach was silent as they waited for either competitor to choose a wave. It ended up being the blonde who went first.
She heard the announcer’s voice echoing over the water, the words hitting her harder than a wall of water. “Nesta Archeron still hasn’t chosen a wave. The clock’s ticking. What’s our wildcard doing, why isn’t she surfing?”
“Don’t let them get in your head,” her opponent said. Nesta turned, confused. Her smile was easygoing. “Just surf. Ignore them. There’s a wave coming that’s perfect.”
Nesta could feel it, feel the ocean rolling beneath her board.
“Now. Go! Paddle hard!”
So she did, catching the wave as it crested. The tip of her board tipped down, and she was on her feet in a crouch, fingers trailing through the wall of water to her left. The wave rolled over, sealing her in the tunnel. Roaring filled her ears and she smiled, racing for the opening at the end.
And then it crashed onto her.
And then she was slammed by so much water it stunned her momentarily.
The fear kicked in and she swam for the surface, hard. Her lungs screamed for air. She made it just in time to suck in a breath of fresh air before being slammed under again by the next wave.
———————————
Cassian stood with Azriel and Emerie, their toes sinking into the sand. They watched Nesta crest the wave, first cheering, then in silent horror as the tunnel collapsed.
The medics prepared, waiting for the signal from the announcers with binoculars before launching.
“There she is!” the man shouted. “Looking a little battered, but she’s up. It seems her tumble made her more aggressive. Look, there she goes, cutting Peterson off!”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Cassian watched, silently asking Nāmaka to keep her safe.
Then the horn blared again, signaling the end of the heat.
Nesta strode out of the water, her board tucked under her arm. Peterson clapped her shoulder, her lips moving as Nesta nodded. Helion congratulated them both, offering to take Nesta’s board back to the tent while she stayed out for a bit.
The score of the last wave was still being tallied. Every second felt like an eternity.
“C’mon, Cass,” Nesta laughed, slipping her arms around his waist from behind and pressing her soaking wet body against his dry clothing, “look a little less glum, would you?”
He laughed, prying her arms off and turning around to see her. There was no grey in her eyes today, only a blue matching the shade of the ocean sparkling in the sunlight. “You did good, sweetheart,” he told her, pride shining through his voice. Cassian crouched, wiggling his fingers; a silent message for her to jump on his back. When she did, the breath whooshed out of his lungs. “Mother’s tits, Nes, did you gain twenty pounds since we’ve last done this?” he joked. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. For that comment, she tightened her hold on his neck. In retaliation, he pinched the back of her thigh. Nesta yelped, loosening her hold around his neck.
“You’re a brute,” she told him matter-of-factly. “And the last time we did this was when you were drunk. It was your twentieth birthday. You dropped me in the middle of the road. So shut up.”
Cassian only shook his head, holding back his laughter as he tipped to the side and Nesta screeched in his ear. Azriel watched them with a raised brow and crossed arms, shaking his head at their antics.
“You two are adults. At least pretend to act like it.”
Both Nesta and Cassian stuck their tongues out at Azriel, who looked skyward as if the Mother would help him.
———————————
Emerie joined the game of Uno, where Azriel was pummeling them all, on the beach as they watched the other heats. Nesta used the game to ignore the fear coiling in her stomach.
That last wave had been just enough to give her the win, solidifying her place in the final championship round. The last heat was going on now, Nesta’s gaze flickering between the cards in her hands and the ocean.
The waiting was the worst bit.
“Women’s finalists: three minute warning,” the announcer’s voice crackled from the speakers on the beach. Chatter rose as people’s excitement grew, eager to see four women surf massive waves.
A hand in front of her eyes. Nesta looked up, Cassian’s broad frame silhouetted by the sun behind him. “That’s you, Nes.” His tone was easygoing, his smile brightening when Nesta took his hand and allowed him to lift her to her feet. Before she could go off to retrieve her board, he stopped her with a tug of her still-damp rashguard. Nesta turned back to him, eyeing him suspiciously. Cassian lifted his necklace off, draping it around her neck. The necklace he never, never ever took off. “For good luck,” he said quietly in explanation.
Nesta tucked the pendant beneath the collar of her rashguard, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.” The words were genuine, his cheeks heating.
She turned, heading down the beach towards the water where the other three finalists awaited. Setting her board on the sand, she knelt to attach the strap to her ankle. Her fingers shook and she took a deep breath in, holding for four counts before releasing it. Then she stood, eyes on the horizon where the waves rolled in from.
The blare of an airhorn signified the start of their heat. And they were running, Nesta trailing the others by a half-step.
Sitting atop her board safely behind the cresting waves, she waited. And waited. Tried to go for one, only to be cut off by another competitor. The announcer’s voice carried over the water and she slapped the water in anger.
Halfway through the heat. Nesta paddled for the wave, the other woman falling back at the last moment. She stood, only to be knocked off balance and fall back into the water behind the crashing wave. She paddled back out, wiping saltwater from her eyes.
Five minutes left. Four. Three. Two.
She and her idol, alone offshore, waiting for a spectacular wave to give them points. The other two competitors were satisfied with their scores, riding their last waves back to shore. There, they waited and watched, boards tucked under their arms.
Nesta cracked her knuckles all in one, checking over her shoulder for the next and what would most likely be the last wave of this heat. It looked like it was going to be a good one.
The fight was on.
They both paddled hard. The tips of their boards pierced air above the cresting wave. At the last moment, the other woman backed off.
Her board slid cleanly through the water, Nesta shifting to a low crouch until she was well beneath the shelf of the wave and it began to curve overtop her. Inside the tunnel, her world shrunk to the feel of her board beneath her feet and the rushing of falling water surrounding her and her fingers trailing through the wall of water beside her. Whatever nerves lingered were pushed away by the exhilaration of being inside a force of nature.
A laugh bubbled from her lips.
Nesta rode the wave to the end, sailing through the swirling circle at the end of the tunnel into bright, blinding daylight. Cheers erupted on the beach. All for her. She stood up straight, pumping her arm in the air with a joyous laugh.
The airhorn blared, signaling the end of the heat.
“What a way to end the championship,” the announcer said, his voice echoing across the water. “That was a spectacular last wave from Archeron, and entirely deserving of its perfect score. Though not high enough to bump her up from fourth, our local wildcard deserves a hearty congratulations for that perfect ride.” Whatever else he said was drowned out by cheering.
The crowd on the beach surged forward as she strode through the shallows. Reporters were shouting her name, cameras flashing. They surrounded her like bloodthirsty, starved sharks, all vying for her attention and a quote or photo for their upcoming story. Flashes of blinding light left white fuzzy spots in her vision as she tried to push through the crowd. Then a man shoved him way through, grinning at her.
Nesta dropped her board fin-side-up on the sand, launching herself at Cassian. He caught her, stumbling back into reporters and knocking a few over. His smile was wide, hers shy.
“A perfect ten, Nes!” he told her, excitement filling his voice. “A perfect fucking ten!” Cassian lifted her atop his shoulders, her thighs on either side of his head. “Fuck yeah, that’s my girl!” he shouted at anyone and everyone, laughing heartily when a few reporters shied back, cowed by his exuberance.
———————————
Cassian pulled into his driveway, slamming the door of his truck and running across the street to the Archeron house. “Nesta!” he called out, stepping inside. He was itching to show her the magazine he found and bought.
“In here,” she answered, her voice trailing from the bathroom. He went to her, biting his lip to hide his smile. Nesta saw him in the mirror’s reflection, turning to face him. Steely blue eyes assessed him, narrowing when she couldn’t see his hands. “Show me,” she commanded.
“What are you talking about? I don’t have anything,” he said with a laugh. He tucked the magazine into the waistband of his shorts, showing her his empty hands.
Annoyed by his antics, Nesta growled. Haughtily, she turned back to the mirror and loosened the pink and white striped towel obscuring her hair, letting it fall on the bathroom floor. She painstakingly combed out her long hair, squeezing product into her hands and applying it evenly throughout.
Cassian crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, perfectly content to watch.
“You obviously have something,” she grumbled, eyes flicking to his reflection but continuing with her skincare routine.
He shrugged. “It can wait.”
So he waited, watching her open the container of coconut body butter and rub it into her skin, her tanned shoulders and corded arms, her long, lithe legs. He swallowed, wanting her more than his next breath. He stepped aside as she headed for her bedroom, watching as she dug through her drawers for clothing. Nesta faced away from him and dropped the towel, naked but for light green underwear. Then she tugged on an old surfing competition shirt. One of his shirts.
“Thief.”
She turned, giving him that little smirk that dared him to try her.
“C’mon, Cass, show me what you’ve got. I know you’re dying to show me.” Nesta sat on her bed, patting the space beside her.
Rolling his eyes, Cassian pulled out the magazine and held it so she could see the cover. He had stopped for gas, heading into the attached shop for gum when he saw the magazine and everything else was forgotten, quarter of a tank of gas be damned.
She looked at it, eyes widening. Then she jumped up, snatching it from his fingers. Her eyes darted between the magazine and his face. “Holy fucking shit. I’m on the coverー” Disbelief laced her voice as she trailed off.
Cassian tipped her chin up, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. He smiled softly at her. “Yeah, sweetheart. You’re on the cover of Surfing Magazine.” Nesta wobbled on her feet and he caught her, sitting her down on the edge of her bed and stooping to keep their faces level. His one arm braced him from falling forward. “You’re on the cover of Surfing Magazine,” he repeated.
“I’m …”
“Yeah. Yeah, you are.”
Cassian licked his lips, eyes darting from hers to her lips. He wanted to kiss her so bad in this moment, but he held back.
Nesta surged upward and kissed him instead, catching him off guard. Her hand slipped into the hair at the back of his neck, keeping him close.
Accidentally, she knocked his arm, the one keeping him upright, and he fell on her, pinning her to the bed. Cassian heard the air leave her lungs in a whoosh, immediately lifting himself off her into a hover and checking to make sure she was okay. Her chest heaved and fear shot through him.
She was laughing, not gasping for air. She was laughing.
Cassian flopped on his back next to her, shaking his head. “Gods, Nes, I thought I squashed you,” he said, turning his head to face her.
Nesta only laughed, turning onto her side. She calmed down, opening her eyes to look at him. “Anyways, I’m a big girl. I can handle you on top of me.” Her eyes darkened.
“Is that a challenge, sweetheart?”
Her response was a raise of her eyebrow and a quirk of her lips.
Moving, Nesta positioned herself in the center of her bed instead of on the edge. Cassian followed, aligning his body with hers but hovering inches above. She kissed him, silently encouraging him. Still, he hovered.
Their kisses turned from tentative to passionate, her fingers pushing his shirt up to his arms. Cassian sat back on his haunches, tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it on her floor. As he kissed her again, he tugged her leg up to his hip, fitting perfectly between her legs. A breathy moan left her lips, her fingers dancing along the bare skin of his chest, shoulders, and back.
She hooked her leg over his hip, moving his hands to bare stomach exposed by her shirt riding up. Cassian trailed kisses from the corner of her lips down her jaw and neck, slowly pushing her shirt up and up, giving her every available option to stop if she was uncomfortable.
He paused, breath whispering over her sternum. “Tell me,” he begged. “I need to hear you say yes.” Nesta’s chest rose and fell before he heard her answer, followed by a plea. He smiled as he kissed the skin between her breasts, her hands sinking into his hair.
An open-mouthed kiss to the underside of her left breast, followed by a gentle scraping of his teeth. Hands gripping her ribcage as he bit just hard enough to bruise. A bucking of hips up into his own. Her head tipping back, his name falling from her lips as his own wrapped around her nipple, tongue flicking. Kissing her stomach, looking up at her from beneath his lashes. Hands tangled in his hair, pulling him up to kiss her. Her little gasp as she felt his cock press into her lower stomach through his shorts. Cassian’s groan as she lifted her hips, his head falling to the crook of her neck. His hand between her legs. Nesta’s soft cry of his name. Her lips on his.
The door to her bedroom banged open.
“Nesta, did you see you’re on the cover of Surー” followed by a shriek and the door slamming back shut. “Give a girl a warning next time, please!” Emerie squawked. “My eyes!” she wailed.
Cassian and Nesta panted, staring at one another before breaking into raucous laughter.
He quieted first, watching the woman he loved laugh, her hair splayed across pillows with flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Nesta caught him watching, head cocking in a wordless question. Cassian chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few moments before blurting out, “Iloveyou.”
Nesta wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, too, Cassian,” she said. “Y’know, I really thought you were going to say that two weeks ago, on the beach after the championship,” she mused.
“I wanted to, so damn badly,” Cassian confessed. “But I didn’t want the first time I said it to be in front of a crowd, much less one of nosey reporters.”
She smiled. “I don’t blame you.”
There was banging on the door. “Are you two going to be done anytime soon?” Emerie asked, more whining than asking. “Or should I just leave?”
Cassian looked at Nesta, waggling his eyebrows. She smirked. And proceeded to moan, loudly, as she repeatedly hit her fist against her palm.
They could barely contain their laughter as Emerie made vomiting noises outside the door. “You are disgusting. Goodbye,” she shouted, stomping off.
Once she was gone, they fell into a fit of laughter, laughing so hard their stomachs hurt and their eyes watered.
———————————
An alarm was going off. Nesta groaned, throwing her arm out and hitting a phone on the nightstand but apparently the wrong one. Fumbling around, she found the right one and hit the button on the screen to turn it off.
Light barely peeked through a gap in the curtains. The ceiling fan whirred overhead, keeping air circulating in the room. Elsewhere in the house, floorboards creaked and the tap ran.
So much for sleeping in.
Nesta sat up in Cassian’s bed, raising her arms above her head to stretch. His comforter bunched up around her waist. Looking back, she saw Cassian still dead asleep, his lips parted. Asleep, he looked so innocent. There were no comments that made her want to push him down a flight of stairs, no petty little fights.
“Wake your ass up,” Nesta said, kicking him under the comforter. He mumbled something that sounded like “go fuck yourself” then nestled deeper into his bed. “Fine. Be that way,” she muttered, grabbing his phone off the nightstand and setting an alarm for the next minute before setting it right next to his head. Then, she sat and waited.
It had the desired effect, with Cassian jolting upright, suddenly awake.
He groggily trailed her to the kitchen, taking the piece of pineapple she offered and eating it. There, Azriel leaned against the counter eating a bowl of overnight oats. He waved good morning with his spoon, all three wordlessly agreeing to get ready in relative silence. Nesta popped a piece of bread in the toaster and then got her favorite yogurt out of the fridge, eating that as she waited for the toaster to ding. Breakfast in hand, she traipsed back to Cassian’s room and dug her bikini out of the bag she brought last night.
Fifteen minutes later they were carrying their boards to the beach where Emerie was waiting for them. Early morning sun warmed Nesta’s back, promising a hot and humid day. She sat down on the still-cool sand, taking her time to stretch out. Cassian took that time to show off and do a handstand in the shallows, falling over with a splash that had them all laughing at him.
Nesta walked into the ocean, board tucked under her arm and cord in hand to keep from tripping. She looked out to where the ocean and sky blended into one, pausing for a moment.
“You good?” Emerie asked, nudging Nesta’s shoulder with her own.
“Yeah,” Nesta replied with a soft smile. Then they followed the boys out past the breaking waves.
They spent the morning in the water, laughing and surfing and knocking each other off their boards. Nesta resurfaced, wiping saltwater from her eyes with a smile. This is what life is meant to be, she decided in that moment. Surfing with her friends and the man she loved in the Hawaiian sun. As long as she had that, her life would be complete.
———————————
the end !
three years and almost 30k words later here we are. i almost can’t believe it. i hope you enjoyed reading it xx
Once Cassian taught her to surf, Nesta fell in love. The crash of waves beat the same tune as her heart. The sea flowed through her veins. Selected as a wild card for the 2019 Pipemasters, Nesta can think of nothing else. Every day she practices for the competition that could win her world-wide fame and recognition, riding waves as soon as the sun comes up.
Cassian hadn’t expected the girl he fought with as a young boy to become one of the best surfers on the island. He had been slowly falling for her the past two years, until he was so hopelessly in love he was sure Nesta could tell. The pair compete with one another every day in whatever they do. He wants to travel the world and surf, sponsored by one of the big companies.
With the competition drawing near, will Nesta and Cassian ride the dangerous waves of love or drown beneath them?
Warnings: sex, sexual harassment, language, blood/injury
