Can't Get Enough [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Fifteen

"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." – Proverbs 19:20

Ever since Cole had humbled himself to ask for his brother's advice at Venice Beach, Blaine's words kept echoing over and over in his mind, like a playlist on repeat. The bottom line: Cole had to change.

"If you want to get Alana's attention," Blaine had said, "then you have to start with yourself."

"What do you mean?"

Blaine had looked long and hard at his brother. "Think about it," he'd finally said. "You said yourself that you weren't looking for another fling. You said Alana was different. So in order for your relationship with girls to change, you need to start by changing your attitude."

Cole caught his brother's gaze in the rearview mirror. Blaine was sitting calmly in the backseat next to Alana, who was scrolling through a playlist with her headphones on. Meanwhile, Koa was busy watching the scenery from where he sat in the passenger seat.

Blaine gave his brother a quick nod in the mirror before looking away. Cole refocused his attention on the road, popping his van into third gear and easing off the clutch. The vehicle immediately slowed as he rounded the corner, turning into a parking lot off to the side of PCH.

For the third time that morning, it dawned on Cole that he had an awesome brother. How had he not realized it before? Not only had Blaine agreed to help him, but he had also agreed to keep Cole's feelings for Alana a secret. This would have been perfect material for Blaine to use as blackmail against his twin.

Cole shook his head. No—Blaine wasn't like that. Blaine was respectful, loyal, forgiving. Everything Cole needed to be.

I need to change. That was easier said than done, Cole realized. Outward change always began with inward change. Cole needed to start thinking differently in order to start acting differently.

He pulled into a parking spot and popped his Volkswagen into first gear. After turning the key in the ignition, he hopped out. "Let's take a look at the waves," he announced.

Cole strolled across the asphalt with the rest of the gang on his heels. In front of them, a wide stretch of sand—almost as far as Muscle Beach—stood between them and the glittering ocean. As soon as they reached a section of fire pits, they climbed on top of one to get a look at the waves.

Though Cole's eyes were scanning the lines of whitewater breaking a football field's-length away, his thoughts were somewhere else. He glanced over at Alana out of the corner of his eye. She was studying the waves in silent fascination, her lips slightly parted and her white-blonde hair blowing around her shoulders.

"—do you think, Cole?"

"Huh?" Cole jerked his gaze away from Alana, only to realize that Jake was staring at him.

"What do you think?" Jake repeated.

"About...?"

"Come on, man, where's your head?" Jake laughed. "What do you think we're talking about?"

"We're trying to decide if we should paddle out or not," Alana said, coming to Cole's rescue.

"Oh. Right. What's the verdict?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "That's what I was trying to ask you."

Cole ignored him and studied the waves for a few more seconds. They were about chest-high and came in multiple sets. He knew there was a long paddle out to the lineup—but where was the lineup? No one was even sitting in the water. Though he saw a few shoulders here and there, they were rarities, with the majority of the waves closing out or offering a racy section.