A Pirate's Crush

16. A Private Lesson

"I think so," he said.

I talked for a while, but I'll trust that he wasn't distracted through it.

"Alright. Break a leg," I said. "Wait... I didn't mean it like that. Just... g-good luck."

He chuckled. "Thanks."

He got off the board and hoisted it up, walking out to deeper waters while I walked back to dry land... scolding myself.

Break a leg? The hell was that? Are ya trying to sound stupid, Jean?!

I took a breath. Calm down. There's nothing to worry about. He hasn't even mentioned anything about this being a date or not. Just... play it cool.

I took a seat in the sand, maintaining a watchful eye on the commander. I kept my board close by in case he needed help.

Hmph... he looks pretty cool walking out there like that, silhouetted against the early evening sky. Couldn't have picked a more perfect time to go surfing, honestly. The sun is just starting to dip below the horizon, forming a soft, silky band of red and purple below—and perfectly blended with—the milky light blue sky. The clouds further away were a smooth pink color while the closer ones were a silken blue, like both colors of cotton candy. The world is at its most beautiful during sunset. My favorite time of day to surf, without a doubt.

Looks like there's some good waves out there. Now he just needs to try and catch one of them.

He glanced back at me, as if he was wanting me to tell him what to do. I just gestured for him to go on. Admittedly, catching waves was a hurdle I had to overcome, but he ain't gonna get anywhere by waiting.

C'mon, Commander. Just pick a wave, paddle around, and keep paddling till the wave pushes ya. You can do it.

He turned around and seemed to look outward into the sea. I perked up when I saw him lay on the board. Yep, there's a pretty good wave coming in. Let's see if he catches it.

I saw him haphazardly paddle, trying to turn around. Eh... technique definitely needs work, but he's trying.

I watched as the white water picked him up, looking as if the board was cutting through the wave as he stopped paddling.

Huh... not bad. He actually caught it. I'm impressed. Took me a while to get the hang of catching waves. He's learning fa—

...wait, why is he trying to stand up? What the hell is he doing?!

"Wait, Commander! No no n—!"

Too late. I watched as he lost his balance and toppled over into the water.

"God damn it," I grunted. I knew that would happen. I grabbed my board and headed out. Luckily, as I paddled, I saw him emerge and climb back up on the board, giving me some relief. I swam up next to him and gave him a look.

"Commander, you were doing so well," I said. "Why'd ya try to pop up?"

"I-I don't know..." he said. "I just felt like trying?"

"And what happened?" I asked.

He pursed his lips. "...I fell?"

"You fell," I said. "Even though I told ya to just bellyboard."

"Sorry..." he said.

I rolled my eyes, managing a chuckle. "Well, you're ambitious, I'll give ya that. But remember what I said? Gotta learn to catch waves first before anything else?"

"Yeah..." he said.

"Ya started off alright, though," I said. "Try and catch some more and we'll go from there. I'll catch some with ya so you can have an example. And don't try to stand this time, ya hear?"