One Last Wish

Chapter Nineteen

He placed the wax tenderly in my palm. "First we draw Criss-Crosses up and down the deck with base coat and then we'll go over it with a bunch of circles."

"Like this?" A thick line came off on the surface as I rubbed the wax along it. I couldn't imagine covering the entire board like that, I certainly wouldn't fall off then.

"Press lighter, like you're drawing with a pencil." His hand came over top of mine and he gently helped me draw Criss-Crosses.

We had become pressed closer together, his forearm connected with mine, his chest against the half of my back. We moved together, back and forth as he took the lead, changing to drawing circles on the the deck with the wax.

"Do you do this before every surf?" I let out, my breath slightly caught by his existence against me in the most innocent way.

"It's only if I haven't done it in a while," he answered, his words heavy on the skin behind my right ear. "But this should be enough." We stopped waxing but he didn't remove his hand from mine nor did he shift from the close position beside me.

I didn't want to move first. I didn't know if I should move at all. I liked this.

Derek's eyes met mine and they had grown darker.

And then he cleared his throat and stood up. "Okay, so surfing."

Ducking my head I hid a smile. Whatever just happened he had felt the effect too.

We spent awhile on the sand practising how to pop up. When he showed me he had done it so effortlessly but once I gave it a shot, it became a whole other story.

Eventually we took the board down the shore dump to the ocean. The water was a splash of coolness against my bare legs, we went further in until we were thigh deep. The water soaked two inches of the hem of my shirt. Which I still hadn't taken off to reveal the bra of my bikini underneath. But Derek hadn't questioned it.

"You ready?" He turned the board around so that the nose was facing back towards the beach.

There was an exciting smile on his face and his entire posture seemed to spell out enthusiastic. I'm not sure what mine said but my heart was pumping with the rhythm of the water I was nervous but couldn't wait to try it.

"You'll be fine," he reassure after noticing my nerves. The board was the only thing separating us and for a split second I wished it wasn't, but the tide swept away those thoughts in a moment when a set came rolling in from the distance.

"Climb on!" Derek yelled overtop of the crashing and rumbling waves.

I followed his orders, sliding on, the board rocking beneath my body and I gripped the rails even though he told me not to when we practised on the sand. My heart rate increased and I thought about telling him to get me off, oh I was definitely nervous.

"On the count of three you're going to paddle really hard and very fast," he told me and then looked backwards at the oncoming set.

I was looking over my shoulder at him. His bare upper half shining in the sunlight and already getting soaked by the waves.

"One"

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Two"

The wave hurdled closer and closer till it came up behind me.

"Three!"

The wave caught the board from behind, carrying me down the line. My arms burned from my quick struggling strokes. My heart pumping, beating in my ears loud like the crashing of the waves.