Life After Life

•C h a p t e r T w e n t y - T w o•

My eyes narrowed slightly as I watched Liam. The same irritating smile was still plastered on his face.

"What kind of bet?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Don't worry, it's not gonna kill you," Liam chuckled at my suspicion. "If I win against you in a race from the shore to that buoy and back," Liam pointed at the bright orange buoy in the distance that bobbed up and down in the water, "you have to accept my follow request on Instagram."

I scoffed, "You should be careful what deals you make."

"You're confident that you'd win?" Liam raised an amused eyebrow.

"Of course, I can swim well," I boasted.

"Okay then, do we have a deal?" he held out a hand, his lips curling up.

My eyes travelled to the buoy that Liam had pointed to. It was not too far from shore, and there was a good chance I could still touch the ground from there. Even if I couldn't, we wouldn't be staying there long.

"Yes," I nodded, confidently, taking his hand in mind to shake. I was sure I could beat Liam since I was smaller and quicker.

A victorious smirk spread over Liam's lips, "Great, let's go."

I placed my stomach back on the surfboard as we began paddling back to shore, my arms pushing back against the water.

I was more than confident in my abilities. If I won, I wouldn't have to see Liam's face on my newsfeed and I could get in his face about losing to me. I didn't really understand why Liam was so motivated, it was just a follow request.

"I didn't know you could surf," Liam turned around to stare at me.

"That's cause I don't, I'm supposed to learn today," I explained. "I'm not surprised you know how to surf." I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but feel impressed. I hadn't even stood up on my board, and it amazed me that Avery and Liam could ride a wave.

"Of course, I did it competitively a while ago," a dimpled smile spread over Liam's face. Without even realizing it, I returned it.

My feet made contact with the ground as we reached the shore, and I set Avery's surfboard down onto the sand, away from the tide.

Liam did the same next to me. My eyes studied his board, not at all subtly. It was aesthetically pleasing, consisting of different shades of blue blended together into an ombré from dark to light. I didn't need to be a pro surfer to know his board was expensive, and in great condition.

It was also the same board that was in the Instagram photo I saw on Avery's phone. The one where Liam was butt naked, without swim shorts on. My nose crinkled at the thought of it, and I shook away any warmth that creeped onto my cheeks.

"You ready?" Liam's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned back to him, nodding.

We headed back into the ocean, the shells and sand prickling my feet as I walked. I stopped at the same time Liam did, the water was almost waist deep as the waves pushed against me. The buoy was about thirty meters away from us.

"One," I started, glancing over at Liam. He had an expectant eyebrow raised at me. "Two... three!"

I sucked in a deep breath, and my legs exploded as they began kicking as hard as my feet could move. My vision was a blur underwater as my arms pushed against the water, synchronized with my feet.

I had no clue where Liam was, whether he was behind me or in front. But, I was confident I was quicker than him. I rounded the buoy, circling back around to return to shore. I willed my legs to kick faster and my arms to move faster as they pushed against the water.